Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa | Deluxe Studio Room Tour
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is one of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels that I’ve stayed at in the past, but it’s not one that I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience with. During my last visit, I found the resort to be very much in need of some attention; likely due to the scheduled refurbishment that was set to take place. Not wanting that to drive my opinion of the resort as a whole, I decided to give Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa another chance. That’s why today we’re back at the resort again and taking a look at one of the newly renovated rooms.
The room we’re looking at today is a Deluxe Studio located in The Grandstand section of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa; room number 8247. This is a Disney Vacation Club Villa, which means that it is slightly bigger than some of the other rooms that you might find at Walt Disney World and has some features that are unique to Disney Vacation Club [DVC] rooms.
The Entryway
The first thing that you’ll notice about this room is the entryway. When you enter the room, you’re stepping into a fairly large entryway with a coat rack, full length mirror and plenty of space to set aside bulky items. [This is an ideal place to set shoes, backpacks, wheelchairs, strollers or even luggage.] This entryway is something that you’ll find in a number of DVC Villas and is very useful. It also helps to create a bit of a divide between the entry and the rest of the room which makes the rooms feel a bit more like a home rather than some other hotel rooms where the door opens up into the main bulk of the room.
The Kitchenette
Another feature that is [mostly] unique to Disney Vacation Club Villas is a kitchen or kitchenette. In the 1 Bedroom Villas, guests have a full size kitchen with full size appliances. Those staying in a Deluxe Studio, similar to the one we’re looking at today, will have access to a kitchenette. This kitchenette includes a sink, full size coffee maker, toaster, microwave, counter space, paper towels and wrapped disposable plates and utensils. There are also amenities that are available upon request to include blenders, electric mixer, tea kettle and so on.
The Vanity & Bathroom
Opposite of the kitchenette is the bathroom and vanity area. There’s also a closet located in this part of the room, but we’ll talk about that in a bit when we get around to storage. The vanity area is an important one, because it’s where everyone is getting ready for the day. The vanity in this Deluxe Studio does not disappoint. The vanity is large with plenty of space on either side for toiletries, accessories or whatever else you might need to get your day started. There’s one sink, a large mirror and a makeup mirror with 2 magnifications and a light. This particular vanity does not have overhead light or mirror lights, but it truthfully did not need it. The vanity area provided plenty of light for getting ready in the morning.
The bathroom in this Deluxe studio features a toilet and shower/tub combo making it ideal for those traveling with young children who prefer access to a tub. The shower has glass rolling doors and a rainfall shower as well as a removable head. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash area available in wall mounted dispensers as well in this resort rather than single use containers that you’ll find in other Deluxe resorts around Walt Disney World.
The bathroom in this Deluxe Studio at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is notably a good size. There is plenty of space between the toilet and the shower to move around without bumping into things and the space in front of the toilet leaves lots of room to get dressed, which is ideal considering that there are no other private places to dress in this room. [Something worth noting if you’ll be sharing with a second family, or if you’re traveling with children and are looking for a private place to get dressed.] The bathroom also has plenty of places to hang wet towels other than on the racks, which is a nice addition in my opinion.
Before moving on from the bathroom, I will say that I was not a fan of the dispensers on the wall for shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Though I’ve used wall mounted dispensers before when staying at hotels around the country, these did not work for me. The body wash dispenser seemed to be broken and despite having someone come out to take a look, it didn’t solve the issue. Of course, this is a somewhat non-issue for some, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
The Storage
Because most people who stay at Disney Vacation Club Villas are staying for extended periods of time, it’s not uncommon to find lots of storage in the DVC rooms; even Deluxe Studios. This usually includes places to hide away food, luggage, clothes and whatever else it is you might need in a home away from home.
The first thing you’ll notice is the closet. Located in the vanity and bathroom area, this very good size closet has plenty of space for everything you want to tuck away plus all of those items you need to hang. Even with the vacuum cleaner, iron and ironing board, there is plenty of space for everything you might need over the course of your vacation. There’s even plenty of hangers available to you and a safe.
The room also features lots of furniture that you can use to store whatever it is you might need to. The bed is raised with empty space underneath to store large bulky items, the coffee table doubles as a trunk, there is a bench with sizable drawers and a dresser under the television.
The Room
This Deluxe Studio features 1 queen size bed as well as a pull down bed that doubles as a couch when not in use. This is the new style of secondary bed used in rooms that eliminates the pull out couches and introduces this much easier to use Murphy Bed. Though I did not pull the bed down during our room tour video, I did give it a go later on and found that it was incredibly easy to pull down and store up again. Frankly, I think that this is a fantastic addition to the rooms.
On either side of the bed, you’ll find nightstands that both feature lights as well as charging ports. This is not only convenient for plugging in your devices, but the night stand on either side of the bed allows for plenty of room to get out no matter which side you’re sleeping on. The same is true for the Murphy bed when it is pulled down.
The Decor
Decor in this Deluxe Studio is bright, airy and relaxing. The colors and patterns bring enough to the room that you feel your eye being drawn to the decor, but it’s not so bold that you find yourself distracted. With the resort being themed to Saratoga Springs in New York, you’ll also find some touches that are reminiscent of what the area is known for; mainly horse racing.
Though there are some rather distinct nods to horse racing around the resort, the room keeps things simple with some silhouette style artwork that also takes care to add a bit of Disney fun to the room. Other decor is somewhat basic, but also modern making the room feel as new as it currently is.
The Location
When it comes to the location of this room, I’d have to say that this is what I would consider to be one of the absolute best options at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. This room is located in The Grandstand which is about a 5 minute walk from the The Springs & Carriage House [the resort’s lobby and main hub] where you can find the table service restaurant, counter service restaurant, gift shop, feature pool and spa. It’s also about 3 minutes walk to the Backstretch Pool and Pool Bar where you can get food and drinks. You’ll also find yourself about 5 minutes from the nearest bus stop. This makes this one of the most convenient places to stay at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, especially if you won’t be traveling with a car of your own.
This room also had a spectacular view out onto the golf course. This is notable, because there are so many rooms at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa where you’ll find yourself looking out onto a parking lot, which is one of my least favorite things.
Final Thoughts
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was very much in need of an update and I think that they did a great job with these rooms. Unlike the room that I stayed in during my last visit, this room felt like a Deluxe resort, which is what I come to expect when staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Of course, how these rooms hold up is something only time will tell. Until then, I am very pleased with the way these rooms turned out and I think this is a good place to stay. . . . so long as you’re in the right part of the resort itself.
As always, we’d love to hear what you think about Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Have you stayed recently? Are you considering staying there in the future? Be sure to check out our room tour video to get a more detailed look at the room and check out our Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa playlist for more videos about the resort.