There is no better recommendation for a luxury hotel in Orlando than when your children ask you can we leave Disney World early to go back to the Omni.
This is our review of the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate Florida.
Our great experience at the Omni started before we set foot inside the hotel as two weeks before our arrival we received a lovely email from an Omni select guest manager. They were able to arrange what time we required turn down service each evening and assisted us in making any reservations we needed for the restaurants at the Omni.
We hired a car for our Orlando holiday from Avis and our journey from Orlando International Airport to the Omni took approximately 30-35 minutes. As we drove down the palm tree lined road through its expansive grounds leading to the hotel it certainly made a great first impression.
As you enter the spectacular palatial lobby with beautiful flower displays, mirror like marble floors and grand chandeliers, you have the feeling of impending luxury – yet it was so family friendly.
The large windows overlooking the formal pool and golf course are spectacular and the fruit infused water and complimentary newspapers were a delightful welcome to the hotel.
We were personally welcomed to the resort on check-in by the staff and instantly felt at home. Check-in was fast and efficient which was just what we needed after a long nine hour flight into Orlando from London.
Our Rooms
The hotel has 720 rooms and we stayed in a premier room which at 406 square feet was luxurious, spacious and perfect for a family of four, whilst my in-laws had a spacious king size premier room.
Our tastefully decorated rooms with rich wood furnishings added to the elegant and calming atmosphere of the hotel – perfect after busy hectic days at the theme parks.
As we entered our rooms we found some lovely welcome gifts for us as we were celebrating our daughter’s birthday. This is just one of the many ways that we felt so much at home during our stay.
The view from our eighth floor room was breath-taking, overlooking the expansive golf course and the family and formal pool areas where the girls first spotted the s’mores at the fire pit.
Even though it was well past all of our bedtimes due to the time difference the lure of the fire pit was too much to ignore, and we all had so much fun toasting marshmallows to make s’mores before bed.
Our room had two extremely comfortable queen beds, a sitting area with a leather armchair as well as a great size desk and plenty of power points if you needed to catch up on work.
As you would expect from one of the leading luxury hotels in central Florida our room had facilities you would expect including a large flat screen TV with a wide selection of cable channels including the Disney Channel, Keurig coffee maker, mini-fridge so we could store our own drinks and snacks and a selection of magazines.
Wifi was complimentary and speeds were great during our stay and coverage was also excellent with no blackspots across the hotel. If you wanted to go online by any of the pools or around the expansive resort then the Wifi was up to the task.
Each evening was a turn down service which was so nice to return home to, with so many thoughtful little touches. The girls had milk and cookies, which they thought was fantastic.
What I also liked about the Omni as a select guest, was the fact that each night we would leave our hot drink request and time on our door and each morning we would awaken to our hot drinks being delivered to our room. It was such a lovely way to start our typically busy days before we headed down to breakfast each morning.
In the hallway of the room was a large walk in wardrobe with a good amount of hangers and shelving providing ample storage space for the whole family. Within the wardrobe, the safe was also located, along with an iron and ironing board.
The sumptuous bathroom was well-equipped with a deep bathtub with shower, plush towels and bathrobes but strangely no slippers. There was a plentiful supply of in-house Omni rosemary and mint toiletries which were lovely.
Dining
One of the main reasons we tend to stay at luxury hotels around the world is because we spend a lot of time eating on property and the Omni did not disappoint. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all fabulous here.
Boasting four restaurants, from authentic pan-Asian dishes to an upscale Italian, poolside dining, bars and grab and go selections – there was something for everyone at the Omni. In all of the restaurants at the Omni there are great children’s menus, which is why we thought the Omni was such a fantastic luxury hotel to stay at with children.
Starting with breakfast at Trevi’s which was fantastic and the perfect way to start our day (we thought the breakfast at Trevi’s was even better than the excellent breakfast at the Four Seasons Orlando) . Trevi’s prides itself on their breakfast offering “Art of the breakfast buffet” served in the relaxed yet elegant surroundings.
We were greeted upon arrival and a beautiful buffet selection awaited us with lots of options from hot cooked breakfast to small pastries, a gluten free section, fresh fruit, yogurts and cereals.
Lots of the items on the breakfast menu such as the cakes and breads were homemade and we loved the fact that the majority of the food selection on offer was locally sourced and of the highest quality.
One of the girls favourite breakfast options was the Mickey Mouse pancakes that were freshly made for them each morning. The omelette bar was another highlight with chef’s that were so friendly as they made omelettes, eggs and waffles to order.
Breakfast at the Omni was of the highest quality and highly recommended. The wide range of breakfast options were fresh, delicious and complemented by excellent service.
We tried to experience all of the restaurants during our stay starting at Trevi’s, an elegant Italian restaurant. What was really good about dining at Trevi’s with children was the fact that they had the opportunity to make their own pizza. They had so much fun making their own custom creation before it was whisked away by our friendly waiter to be cooked in the pizza oven.
David’s Club was a family friendly sports bar complete with lots of comfortable seating areas, and a large video wall showing sports, so it was the perfect venue for my husband. I highly recommend their steaks which were delicious and the children’s meals of chicken tenders and chips were beautifully presented.
All of the meals were fantastic and its testament to this quality of dining experiences offered at the Omni that we dined in some of the restaurants more than once during our stay, especially with the lure of so many restaurants available just a short drive away.
We also headed to Zen a beautiful upscale restaurant (but very child friendly) which specialises in a range of Pan-Asian dishes. We liked the use of Asian-themed privacy screens in the restaurant to create separate dining areas.
As one of the leading Asian restaurants in central Florida it certainly lived up to its reputation. Our spare ribs and spring rolls starters followed by chicken lo mein and chicken with mixed vegetables was delicious and of the highest quality
Pools
From the lobby you catch a glimpse of the pool area through the large windows and a grand sweeping staircase leads down to the pool areas at the resort. The grounds are beautiful and so well maintained.
The pool areas at The Omni Resort at Championsgate are truly outstanding. It is so impressive it would rival many waterparks, quite simply it is one of the very best pool areas you will find in Florida.
Upon arrival, a friendly staff member welcomes you to the pool with fresh towels and there was an abundance of padded loungers around the inviting zero entry free form pool.
We spent lots of time relaxing here and the girls in particular thought it was terrific as they practiced their swimming and diving to collect their new Zogg’s diving toys. There was a 125ft corkscrew slide but unfortunately during our visit this was being refurbished, but this did not affect our enjoyment as there were so many other activities to keep us busy.
The areas where we spent the majority of our time was at the brand new wave pool and kids pool and slides. This is Orlando’s only resort wave pool and at over 7,000 square feet we had so much fun enjoying the waves and using the complimentary rubber rings in this huge pool.
It was really reassuring as a parent that there were lots of child-sized life jackets available along with plenty of lifeguards around the poolside.
Our favourite area of all the pool areas and where we spent the most of our time was the new kids pool and slides. This was a kids paradise with over 2,000 square feet of fun. The zero entry pool led to three slides one of which could fit two people at once. We lost count the amount of times the girls whizzed down the slides, they had so much fun.
We were given a luxurious private cabana during one day of our holiday which made our time at the brand new children’s pool area even more memorable. In each of the luxury cabanas was a large HDTV, a fridge full of complimentary drinks and ceiling fan.
With all cabana rentals guests also receive a fruit platter and smoothies, which was the perfect way to enjoy the Florida sunshine in pure luxury.
We enjoyed a delicious poolside lunch at our cabana and the girls were thrilled with their cool coloured ice drinks. After enjoying their chicken tenders and helping themselves to our chicken nachos, off they excitedly ran to enjoy more pool time.
The girls couldn’t get enough of floating down the 850-foot Lazy River complete with bubbling rapids, featuring shooting water cannons, arched waterspouts and even a waterfall!
We spent hours roaming between all of the pools at the resort. Even with the lure of the nearby Disney waterparks you didn’t really have to leave the pool complex at the Omni because it was that good.
For guests who prefer a quieter pool ambience to relax and unwind there was also a grand formal pool complete with cushioned loungers and cabanas.
After enduring the heat of the theme parks, there was nothing better than coming back for a rewarding splash in the pool. The girls enjoyed the pools so much that they often wanted to leave the theme parks early to get back to the Omni.
The Amenities
There was so much for all the family to do at the Omni, it is such a great multi-generational family hotel. Some of the fantastic facilities here include two Greg Norman 18 hole championship golf courses, a David Leadbetter golf academy, Mokara a world class spa and a state of the art gym.
We also enjoyed a rather competitive round of miniature golf on the resort’s course, Crane’s, which was a really fun way to walk off our breakfast.
You can also hire bikes to explore the paved recreation trails around the resort and play video games in the arcade. Although we didn’t use the facility there was also a kids’ club (Camp Omni) offering supervised activities for children (at an additional fee).
Within the hotel were a number of shops, Morsels coffee shop and Broadway Deli which served delicious cakes and ice creams.
Broadway Deli was the location where we bought our s’mores kits ($6) that we used at the fire pit. An outdoor bar area with background music next to the illuminated fire pit was one of so many beautiful areas to relax around the hotel.
Part of our stay was over Memorial weekend and like most hotels in the USA it got really busy. This did affect the ambience of the hotel a little but Memorial weekend offered many extra additional resort activities.
The Omni had daily activities for the girls to enjoy (although some these were at an additional cost) from hair braids, poolside DJ, pool scuba lessons, complimentary giant inflatable water slide, glitter tattoos to designing your own tie dye t-shirt.
The free form pool was also the location of dive-in movies, which the girls in particular loved.
On the Saturday night the hotel put on a spectacular Memorial Day fireworks display. It was such a memorable experience and a highlight of our Florida holiday as we sat on our white wooden chairs overlooking the gorgeous grounds of the hotel to a fireworks display that would rival those offered at the Disney parks (but without the excessive crowds).
There were lots of beautiful communal areas and artwork throughout the hotel that we enjoyed exploring during our stay. The girls had great fun running around the vast public spaces of the hotel.
Like the majority of luxury hotels in Florida there was a daily resort fee of $25 which you should factor into the overall cost of your stay. Included in this fee was wifi, scheduled shuttle transportation to EPCOT and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, in-room coffee, weekday newspaper, no charge for local and 800 access calls and access to the fitness centre. Our self parking fee was included in our rate with British Airways otherwise it would have been an additional $20 per day.
Overall
The level of service provided at the Omni Orlando Resort Championsgate was exceptional from the housekeeping staff to the general manager, who made our stay so special and memorable. You certainly won’t hear the word “I’m bored” from your children during your stay at the Omni, there is so much for them to see and do.
The Omni really is a hidden gem which truly lives up to its 5 star rating. If you are looking for a luxury family friendly hotel in central Florida just a short drive away from Disney, then the Omni Resort at Championsgate will be very hard to beat. We can’t wait to return.
Location
What we liked about the Omni was its great location in a relatively new upmarket area called Championsgate. There was a Walgreens and Publix supermarket nearby along with lots of restaurants.
The hotel it is just 6 miles away from the Walt Disney World Resort area, and was an easy drive into the parks. It was lovely to escape from the hustle and bustle of the theme park crowds to arrive back at such a relaxing environment each day. Even though the hotel is outside of Disney there were still lovely Disney touches at the hotel, such as a huge Pandora graphic that appeared on the floor of the lobby area one morning to celebrate the launch of Pandora the World of Avatar. If you are not driving the hotel offers complimentary dedicated shuttles included in your resort fee to the Disney Parks.
