Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando: A Great Place to Vacation (Or Staycation!) – Review with Photos and Video

Hi everyone!

We were invited to attend an event a couple of months ago at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. I had vaguely heard of the Hyatt Grand Cypress, but we had absolutely no idea what to expect. I’ve been visiting Walt Disney World for nearly 40 years (and have been local now for about 15), and didn’t realize that this luxurious resort had been here for most of that time.

 

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

While at the event, we were given an invitation to come back and stay for one night, and we had the opportunity to add additional nights for a very reasonable media rate. In the end, we ended up extending our one additional night to two. There is so much to do at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, and we didn’t do nearly all of it in 3 nights!

I’d given quite a few dates for our possible stay to be flexible. We found out on Monday that we were staying Tuesday, so we threw everything but the kitchen sink into our bags on Monday. Okay…not quite that bad, but I had no idea what all we would need! It really helped to have the extra clothes with our summer heat, especially after activities like our 5 mile bike ride (most activities are included in the resort fee, including bikes, canoes, and pitch n’ putt).

Lagoon Pool

I’ve been to very few resorts that have been as friendly and service-oriented as the Hyatt Grand Cypress. It’s one thing to have the front desk able to see on the computer that we are staying on a media rate, but nearly every employee was extremely friendly and went out of their way to help us. I can’t count how many times we heard the words “my pleasure”.

The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is an 18 story building that offers a soaring view from ground level inside the lobby. The lush landscaping doesn’t end outside, the greenery continues inside with plants, trees and lovely water features. A bellman brought us to our room, explaining all the activities that were included. When we arrived, he told us what we’d find in our room, including the refrigerator that will chill sodas and other snacks, but is not cold enough for meats and such. Along the way we picked up a USA Today and Wall Street Journal, both available during the week.

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress King Room

Our room was gorgeous – all the rooms at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress were recently renovated. The bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom amenities include cotton swabs, cotton balls, Aquafresh toothpaste, and KenetMD shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soaps and shower gel. I had never heard of KenetMD before, but we REALLY liked the line of items. It seems they are new, and eventually will be sold through Hyatt. The rain shower was welcome as well. The balconies are small, but we had a great view of Epcot and – further out – the Magic Kingdom from our room. We’d been upgraded to club level and watched Illuminations from the terrace, and Wishes from our room. It really was a magical experience! Not all rooms will have this fantastic view, but many do. The one thing I would change about the room is the sliding bathroom door. The door either covers the closet, or it covers the bathroom – not both. It took us a while to get used to it, and to not go into the closet if the other was in the bathroom (and vice versa).

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Guest Room

KenetMD Soap and Lotion, Aquafresh Toothpaste

KenetMD Shampoo, Conditioner, Shower Gel

View From Our Room

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Pool, Lake Windsong and Activities

Here is a look on video of our room and the Regency Club terrace (our room was #751, the Regency Club is on the 12th floor).

We were spoiled the Regency Club level, and I can’t imagine staying without it now. The club level can add another $100 (sometimes a little less) per night to a stay, and offers quite a few benefits. The continental breakfast was nicer than any other club level I’ve stayed in before, and included salmon. There was always one hot item – my favorite was the whole wheat pancakes. Two mornings there were lovely little tarts with seasonal berries. Since we were staying around the resort most of the time, it was nice to have a place to pick up a bottled water and/or soda during the day, snacks and to enjoy hors d’oeuvres in the evening. We never felt the need to buy dinner, because there were so many choices. Alcoholic beverages were not included, but were discounted. We enjoyed a mixed drink each night for $5.00 per beverage. Our favorite part of club level, though, was the terrace. It is outdoor but covered, with expansive views of Downtown Disney, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. We were told that the covered part of it is new – and it definitely makes all the difference. When it rained one day, we went to the terrace and enjoyed a hot tea (Tazo/Starbucks are the tea/coffee brands). Starbucks coffee packets are also in the room for use with the coffee maker, but we never needed to use them.

Club Level Terrace

Heat Lightning Near Epcot Before Illuminations: Reflections of Earth

Berry Tart, Club Level Breakfast Offering

Salmon, Club Level Breakfast Offering

Muffin, Walnut Bread, Salmon

Bottled Water and Dannon Yogurt in Club Level

Grilled Vegetables, Club Level Evening Offering

Chicken Wraps, Club Level Evening Offering

Soda Fountain, Club Level

Tazo Tea, Club Level

View of Characters in Flight at Downtown Disney, Club Level Terrace

View of Tower of Terror With My Camera (Zoomed), Club Level Terrace

The most impressive feature of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is the 800,000 gallon lagoon pool with 12 waterfalls. It is not all heated – I like my pools warm, so I stuck around in the heated section. Apparently the rock work has been there as long as the hotel, but some features were changed. There is a new water slide tower pavilion with a 124-foot slide that Jeff enjoyed. The pool itself is gorgeous, and there are a LOT of comfortable chairs around it. Chairs with umbrella coverage are hard to find at times, but we never had an issue finding two chairs together. There are even chairs inside the cave. There are two jacuzzis, our favorite being the outdoor one with the waterfall that felt like therapy on my back.

During the summer, the Hyatt offers water stations for guests by the pool – both regular water and flavored waters (which included water flavored with lemons; water flavored with cucumbers; and water flavored with berries).

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Lagoon Pool

Jacuzzi With Waterfall

Water Play Area For Children

Here is our video of the pool area:

Bridge Over Pool

The fitness center inside the cave was expanded recently to include more equipment – there are also clean headsets to use if guests want to watch television. The one downside to this was that the showers and sauna/steamroom (which we never had seen) were eliminated.

Equipment in Expanded Fitness Center

Many activities are included with the resort fee, which is about $25.00 after tax (there is also a parking fee of $15.00 self-parking, or $23.00 valet). Surrey bikes, fat tire bikes, paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, pitch n’ putt, rock climbing walls and more are part of the experience and all included with the resort fee. We tried the surrey bike for about 5 minutes – it was really hard, but worth trying since it didn’t cost us anything extra. There are several biking trails, we took the fat tire bikes on the 5 mile trail. Definitely remember to bring plenty of water! I never knew what pitch ‘n putt was, I thought I’d have to throw a ball and then putt a golf ball. Instead, it’s a step up from miniature golf and I really enjoyed it! Unfortunately a storm was coming in and we left the course after 3 holes. The course, along with everything else at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, is meticulously maintained.

Jeff on the Surrey Bike

Water Bike

Tetherball

Hammocks and Bikes

Rock Climbing Wall

We also tried the paddle boats and water bike – I’d never tried those before and I especially enjoyed the paddle boat! It’s nice to not have to pay extra for every activity – nor did we have to worry about the time. We probably took each out for 20 or so minutes.

Paddle Boating on Lake Windsong

The first night we arrived, the Hyatt offered us dinner at Cascade American Bistro. I ordered the Herb Marinated Chicken Breast with Broccoli ($19), Jeff ordered the Filet Mignon ($31) with green beans – and we really enjoyed that the server brought fresh herb plants to the table to snip and add to our meals. The portions were large. Jeff’s ordered a side of mashed potatoes ($6.00) that ended up being big enough for a family! Our desserts were incredible, Jeff had the Oreo Ice Cream Cake ($8.00) and I really enjoyed my S’More Brownie Sundae ($8.00). We couldn’t finish everything. Cascade American Bistro is located in the main building, down an escalator – it doesn’t look like an area that there would be a restaurant, but the garden views are lovely and the sculptures lend an air of elegance.

Bread at Cascade American Bistro

Jeff and his Shrimp Appetizer

Herbs to Snip for Entrees

Herb Marinated Chicken Breast

Hidden Mickey in Radish on Steak

Mashed Potatoes Side

Sculptures and Fountain, Cascade American Bistro

S’More Brownie Sundae, Cascade American Bistro

We eventually plan to try Hemingway’s, which sits up on the hill above the pool. There are other restaurant options, and guests can order food and beverages from their pool lounger. The servers come around frequently and will introduce themselves, but we never felt pressured to purchase anything (we had planned to try it, but were never very hungry).

The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is very conveniently located near Downtown Disney (there are several ways to drive to Walt Disney World parks from here). It is also within about 15 minutes from SeaWorld and Universal Studios. There is scheduled bus transportation – the times are very limited, but it does cover Walt Disney World, SeaWorld AND Universal, which most resorts we’ve stayed at do not.

For price comparison, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress fits in pretty well with the moderate Walt Disney World resorts when all fees are taken into account. I’ve seen rates as low as $124.00 at the Hyatt, which would be about $164.00 (plus room tax) after parking and the resort fee kick in. That isn’t much different than the rack rate price of Disney’s All Star Resorts during the summer. Check all all of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress specials here! You can look at menus (with prices) of the restaurants there, and check out all the activities offered.

Our Mousesteps Weekly Show #61 includes 8 minutes of our thoughts on the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress!

Sunset over Lake Windsong

Our stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress was extremely relaxing, and I can’t wait to head back in the near future! It makes not only for a great vacation, but a great staycation.