Where is it Wednesday: The Answer Is …

Last week I posted the above picture and asked for guesses as to where it is located. While we had some good guesses this week, five people knew where to find this hallway.

Congratulations to Maddie, Alicia, Gina, Caroline, and Robbie, who all knew the hallway can be found at the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs. This tower opened in July 2019, so it has been open for just over four years now and it’s been a nice addition to the choice of Disney World Resort hotels. The nice thing about Gran Destino Tower is that while it’s in the moderate family, it’s more like a deluxe the way it is set up. Also, the bus stop for the tower is very close to the entrance of the tower, which makes it nice when coming back from a busy day in the parks. I stayed in the hotel not long after it opened and had a great time, it’s a hotel I always recommend to family, friends, and clients. The design is beautiful and you see it all over the hotel from the lobby to the rooftop restaurant.

The Lobby

The first thing you notice when you enter is the beautiful and huge chandelier hanging in the 2-story lobby. There are high ceilings and you can look down to the lower lobby where the Barcelona Lounge is, so the chandelier hangs between both floors. I took multiple pictures of this chandelier during my stay, because I liked it so much.

Looking to your immediate left, after seeing the chandelier, you will see a beautiful wall with lots of lanterns. I thought this wall was really pretty and a good spot for pictures.

Located to the left when you walk in are two very long tables that have some charging ports. It’s a very inviting area to sit and charge up your devices while you wait for your room. There are also sitting areas with very comfy looking chairs and tables. Areas like these are great when you get to the resort before your check-in time and they don’t have a room ready yet.

Also in the lobby are touch screens guests can use. These screens can be used to give information about the resort, such as dining and activities.

Elevators

Once you make your way past the sitting areas you will come to the elevators. There are a good amount of them, which helps for those returning after the parks have closed. The elevators have a digital pad where you pick your floor. It can be confusing if you haven’t been here and dealt with it, so I’ll explain. The elevators all have letters above them, when you pick your floor you will be given the letter of the elevator that will take you to your floor. Don’t let the arrows on the screen confuse you, just look for the letter on the screen and you’re good.

Buses

One of my favorite things about this hotel is the walk to the buses. After coming back from a long day at the parks it’s nice to have a shorter walk to your room. The bus stop is really close to the tower, which is a big plus for staying here, in my opinion. When you walk out of the lobby head to your right. You can either walk down the stairs or use the ramp that goes to the buses. It’s one of the shortest walks I’ve had to a bus, especially at a moderate resort, and my feet appreciated that at the end of the day!

The waiting area for the buses has benches and signs telling you which buses stop at each waiting area. There are also digital screens that give you the arrival times of the next buses.

Hallway to Old Lobby

There is no gift shop in the new building, so you have to go over to the old lobby/main building to visit the gift shop, Panchito’s Gifts and Sundries. Disney connected the Gran Destino Tower and the old lobby with a winding hallway, so you don’t have to go outside to get to the El Centro. The entrance to the hallway is located on the lower lobby level by the Barcelona Lounge. It brings you to the old lobby area in El Centro where there are a few dining options: El Mercado de Coronado, Cafe Rix, Maya Grill, and Rix Sports Bar & Grill.

Food

You don’t have to walk to El Centro to enjoy dining at the resort, there are also a few options in the tower. The Barcelona Lounge, the Dahlia Lounge, and Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood are all located in the Gran Destino Tower.

The Barcelona Lounge, which is located on the lower lobby level, has some great views of the lake, Lago Dorado. The lounge serves specialty cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages (included coffee, tea, lattes, cappuccino, espresso, and lemonade), wines, beer, and there are also some appetizers available.

The Dahlia Lounge is the rooftop lounge at Gran Destino. This lounge serves tapas, as well as larger size dishes to snack on. Guests will find foods like a Spanish charcuterie, croquettes, smoked paprika chips, crispy artichokes, citrus-poached shrimp cocktail, and chicken wings on the menu. They also have alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, specialty cocktails, wine, beer, and cider on the menu. It’s a good place to stop before your meal at Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood or to end your day with a drink and light snacks.

Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood is a unique rooftop dining experience at Gran Destino. In addition to the beautiful views guests have when dining here, they will also get beautiful decor at this restaurant. The menu consists of things like Rioja-braised chicken, Rioja-braised chorizo, charred octopus, hanger steak, scallops, brick oven cauliflower, and more! The menu has a pretty good selection of food.

Room

During my stay here I was in a water view room with a king bed. I have to say I was really impressed with the view! The windows in these rooms are huge and give a great look at the resort as well as Animal Kingdom! Looking in the distance you can see Expedition Everest from the resort, which was pretty cool. You Three Bridges Bar & Grill in the middle of the lagoon. If you want this view, I would recommend requesting a water view room and a higher floor room when you do online check-in.

The room itself was really nice. It has all the same things that a standard studio has, like a coffee/tea area, USB ports for charging (in addition to regular plug outlets), a desk area with the tv mounted above it, a sitting area, a vanity outside the bathroom, a dresser, a safe, and a refrigerator. I was in a king room, so there was a couch in addition to the chair and table. The bathroom/vanity area can be closed off with a barn style door that slides. Something else I noticed is that there are little lights that flip up on each side of the headboard. Also, following most of the recent renovations at other Disney hotels, there is no carpet in the room.

I thought the bed was very comfortable and didn’t have trouble falling asleep at night. There were five big pillows on the bed, so it’s a good amount for two people. There’s a nice view out of the window from the bed, so if you leave the curtains open you can fall asleep to the view.

Overall Decor

I really love the decor at this hotel. The tower itself is a beautiful design and it lights up at night, which gives it a dramatic look. The huge arches at the entrance really make you feel that you have arrived somewhere grand. I also loved the colors in the artwork, the walls, and the carpets. They used a lot of deep colors, which gives the hotel very classic, dramatic look and I love it. Make sure to look for Hidden Mickeys in some of the designs!

Congratulations to everyone who knew where to find the hallway and thanks to everyone who played along! Another Where is it Wednesday picture will be up soon. Have you stayed at Disney’s Gran Destino Tower?

Thanks for reading!

Liz

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