Orlando/WDW - Sheraton Safari 3* in Florida Hotels Forum

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mjbach	Orlando/WDW - Sheraton Safari 3*	Lead	[-]
Posts: 60 Feb 7 01 11:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None We stayed for 5 nights 2/1/01 and really liked it. The kids enjoyed the large pool with a big snake water slide. The kids were in the pool/hot tub for hours. The kiddie pool wasn't heated but the large one was. There were no extra resort fees, only telephone charges of .87 for local calls and we used the safe in our closet. Our room was on the 5th floor with a balcony good for hanging wet stuff. We could upgrade to a poolside view for $10. Pizza Hut and other restaurants are very handy as well as Eckards Drug. It is actually 3 blocks from the Disney "gate" which starts with the string of hotels leading to Downtown Disney. The hotel provides excellent free bus service to all the Disney parks and Downtown Disney. If their times don't suit you, ride the Grosvenor or Wyndham Palace bus and walk home. The bar had happy hour with entertainment. Also restaurant with good comments from other guests.
BradC	Re: Sheraton Safari 3* Lake Buena Vista	#1	[-]
Posts: 52 Apr 1 01 2:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for the tip on the shuttles from other hotels. We stayed here in December 2000 and enjoyed the hotel (nothing stood out as being either bad or extremely good about the hotel itself -- just a very adequate, comfortable, well-located 3* property at a very good price). Our only real complaint was the shuttle schedule, which appears to be run by an independent company. We wound up driving to the Disney parks and paying the parking fee instead, just for the added convenience.
gtalum	4/7-4/8	#2	[-]
Posts: 140 Apr 9 01 10:28 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I stayed here for one night, and was very pleased. I was upgraded to a suite due to my Starwood Gold status, without even asking for it. The hotel is obviously an older property with a good makeover. If this hotel were located near the Wyndham, it MIGHT overtake it as my favorite Orlando hotel. The only real downside was having to drive to Pleasure Island, as I didn't want to lay out the cab fare. The lobby was quite nice, as was the 1 bedroom suite we enjoyed. We had a small problem with the shower, as in the knob woul dpull out, but wouldn't turn, so no hot water. the handyman responded within 10 minutes of my call to the front desk, and in another 5 minutes had th eproblem taken care of. No harm no foul, as they say. On checkout I was very glad to have the Starwood Gold Status, as it allowed me to skip the line. I had to go to the desk as I had checked teh TV, and they had a balance for me. turns out they always show a balance, even when in a Priceline room. I was not charged. I even made several phone calls in this room, but was not charged a fee. Could this also have been a Gold perk?
slick88	Sheraton Safari	#3	[-]
Posts: 129 Apr 30 01 11:09 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Does anyone know if the rooms or suites have refrigerators?
Steve100	Re: Sheraton Safari	#4	[-]
Posts: 673 Apr 30 01 11:51 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	For those that want it, here is the web site to this hotel (they have their own URL): www.sheratonsafari.com/ (Slick88 - according to the web site, their regular guestrooms do not have refrigs, but their Suites have a kitchenette with refrig.)
Unregistered(d)	Re: Sheraton Safari	#5	[-]
Posts: 0 May 2 01 1:30 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm staying there this weekend (May 5th - May 11th)? Got room through priceline for $43 per night + $5 bonus money. I'm reading a lot that the hotel smells musty and has bugs? Is this true??? Also, Do they have a playground for kids?
gtalum	SLICK88:	#6	[-]
Posts: 140 May 7 01 8:59 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Slick88: The suite they put me in did have a full kitchen. i'm not sure what the going rate is for a suite there. i got upgraded as I am a Sheraton Starpoints Gold member, and didn't pay for it.
slick88	Orlando WDW Vicinity--Sheraton Safari 3*	#7	[-]
Posts: 129 Jun 27 01 10:51 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I got back yesterday from my stay at the Safari. All the previous comments were accurate, although I was not upgraded to a suite. There were 4 of us and we were given adjacent rooms. However, I only have a regular Starwood card and not Gold status so I didn't expect to get upgraded either. The check-in & check-out were fast & efficient. The entire staff was excellent. Overall, the stay was enjoyable and I would stay here again. Some members of my party ate at the hotel restaurant and really like the food---even better than some of the other restaurants nearby. My only complaints with the hotel are: 1. Very slow elevators 2. For some reason, most of the vending machines were out of order. 3. We requested laundry service but they forgot to pick up the clothes. To make up for it, an employee gave us a roll of quarters and some detergent and we did it ourselves. 4. The room was nice but the layout was peculiar. The bathroom sink is located right at the room entrance, e.g. a person using the sink might get hit with the door when someone entered the room from the hallway.
Sheryl	Re: Orlando WDW Vicinity--Sheraton Safari 3*	#8	[-]
Posts: 170276 Oct 25 01 8:55 AM GEAUX SAINTS GEAUX Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Posted as a new topic by Travel1 on 10/25/01: Visited this property in Sept/01. I don't remember the exact bid but it was under $40 per night. I have nothing but positive comments for this property. My wife and I drove up and saw the older building thinking, "Here we go another old property flogging off their old un-renovated rooms through Priceline." Our attitude quickly improved at the efficient, friendly check in where we were given a King room on the inside with a pool view. The room was spacious, recently renovated, spotlessly clean and tastefully decorated. Tons of thick towels in the bathroom, lots of good pillows, premium toiletries, nice insulated ice bucket etc. More worthy of a 4* in most areas. Ordered room service the first night. Food quality was above average and the prices were very reasonable considering the quality and quantity. The hotel boasts a huge pool with waterslide that would be sure to entertain any child or 34 year old guest. We purchased our attraction passes from the friendly staff at their tour desk and were given great driving instructions on how to avoid some of the freeways. If you are lucky enough to get this property, you have done well.
taratravelfreak	recent stay at Sheraton Safari	#9	[-]
Posts: 55 May 20 02 12:09 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just got back from a one night stay here, and it was great. This is a great location for families. The slide was great. I wish this came up more often because we frequent Orlando and would really like the chance to stay here again, especially at the $35 rate I got! The rooms were clean and my only complaint would be that we had a room with two double beds, but my boyfriend checked in, so he might not have inquired as to whether a king was available. When you're used to sleeping on a king, a double sure is tight. Great place though and I would love to stay there again. We even got a room with a view of the pool, which was nice.
irishclover59	Re: Orlando WDW Vicinity--Sheraton Safari 3*	#10	[-]
Posts: 28 Feb 12 03 3:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I stayed here in May, 2002 for 5 nights. I thought the hotel was worth the money, although I booked my package from expedia.com before I learned of this site, paying $89 a night. The pool area is fantastic with the slide and the kids pool. My only complaint about this hotel is regarding the transportation contracted out to an outside vendor, which was extrememly slow and not very often.
mjbach	hotel	#11	[-]
Posts: 60 Mar 13 03 6:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	If I remember correctly what we did to improve the shuttle service was to use a bus that dropped off at a Downtown Disney Hotel that was located within easy walking distance of the Sheraton. Worked like a charm for us but that was two years ago so no guarantees. Might not work with real little kids who are too tired to walk. This was a very clean hotel well located to Disney. However if you are going to Universal stay at the Wyndham out that way. Kids like that place to at least ours seemed to enjoy staying at different places.
buschfan	4/18 - 4/20	#12	[-]
Posts: 7 May 18 03 2:29 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We enjoyed our stay here tremendously. My 7 year old loved the water slide! His dad liked it also. They even had an Easter egg hunt on Easter morning. Enjoyed the balcony overlooking the pool area. First night was a little noisy as there was a group of teenagers staying here and we were next to a stairwell door and elevator. Second night was quiet though. Breakfast buffet was very good and the kids ate free! Universal was closer to here than the Marriott MCO where we usually stay. Liked seeing all the families here over the business type setting of the Marriott. Hope to stay here again on a future Priceline outing. No phony resort fee like some other hotels charge in Orlando! Just don't buy gas around this area. They really gouge the Disney tourists. Drive a few miles over to 192.
Roxie A	Sheraton	#13	[-]
Posts: 148 Jun 23 03 3:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We really liked this hotel!! I had reservations for Sun - Fri. and we decided to go down on Sat., at about 8:00 pm I saw that we were going to make it to Orlando without stopping for the night so I called Starwood to see if I could go ahead and get into the Safari using Starwood points, which I was able to do. When I arrived the desk told me they were giving me a suite and I graciously thanked him and told him that I had reservations for the rest of the week and could I stay in the same room. He checked and said "No problem" I do wish that I had asked for groundfloor though. The room was a little worn but nothing "I" would complain about. The kitchenette was a plus and with my mother being a smoker the balcony was a blessing. The staff throughout the hotel was extremely nice. The kids loved the pool and they did have plenty of towels out. Nice little play area. Didn't see any parrots and there was only one alligator in the tank until the last day then someone came around and added 3 more. There is a Manhatten Bagel in the strip mall next door that is very good. The only complaint I would have was that I read in the paper on Wed. that the Safari was booked 85% for Gay Days which wasn't a problem just that on Fri. we planned to do the 4:00 pm check out and first thing in the morning they were taking up all the chairs and loungers and setting up band equipment for the party that I guess they were having later so we went ahead and checked out. I would definately stay here again even at full price.
laginog	Re: Sheraton Safari	#14	[-]
Posts: 15 Jun 28 03 7:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We stayed here on 6/18 for one night. Hotel was really nice and clean. Our son loved the pool and "snake slide". Restaurant food was expensive but excellent and well worth the extra price with fantastic service!!! We requested and received a room close to the pool with 2 beds. About 2 hours after check-in, the manager called and asked if our room was OK. We told him it was fine. During the night, our toilet started running and wouldn't quit but we just closed the bathroom door and it was OK. Upon checkout, we were again asked if everything was OK with the room. I told them about the toilet but that it really wasn't a problem. She insisted up on giving us a 15% discount on our bill due to the "sheraton promise". Normally, since it was through Priceline, there wouldn't be a charge but we had charged our dinner to the room so she discounted that amount. We were very satisfied with this hotel and the convenience. It's very close to Disney World, although we weren't visiting.
KLAIT	Re: Sheraton Safari	#15	[-]
Posts: 60 Dec 9 03 11:04 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We just got back from the Safari hotel where we stayed for 5 nights through a Priceline bid. Now, I will admit, I had high expectations of this hotel since I read all these positive reviews. There were several positives about this hotel...the location is great, the housekeeping service was wonderful, the pool area is really beautiful and there was just a nice feeling to the place. I think a lot of the negatives that I felt were due to the room location and the room we received. We were in room 2630 which is at the end of the hall, across from the ice machine and next to the service elevator. This floor has several banquet/meeting rooms.. One word to describe it is loud....the ice machine and the elevator, but they set up the banquet rooms for the day during the middle of the night and take them down starting at about 10 p.m. or so....equates to loud carts and plates and glasses rattling all night long as they wheel carts off the elevator to the banquet halls. The rooms were nice and clean, but ours had a strip about 5 inchs wide across the middle of the room where the padding under the carpet was gone...I mean one piece ended and another began.....weird. I called 2 days before arrival and asked for a room with 2 beds..the girl said no problem and asked if I wanted the 3rd or 4th floor and since I had a Starwood card, was able to get a pool view. When we arrived, the girl checking us in made a comment about the internet and then assigned us a room on the 6th floor. Once we saw the location, I went back down and she said she could not move us. That being said, I feel very neutral about this hotel..probably would not stay here again. but it was nice.......I felt it was sort of a Holiday Inn quality....
DVC California	Sheraton Safari, 12/24-12/28	#16	[-]
Posts: 49 Dec 30 03 2:25 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	We just returned from a stay over Christmas (12/24-12/2 and found the Sheraton Safari to be a very good 3-star hotel. It is an older property and is in need of some updating, but considering the rate we paid ($24/night using bonus money), it was more than adequate. In fact, the staff here are all top notch - very professional and really strive to uphold the Sheraton Promise. When we checked in, I handed over my drivers license, credit card, and SPG Platinum card. I was immediately upgraded to their Safari Suites (Bldg 4) and placed on the "Starwood Preferred Guest" floor (fourth floor). The majority of rooms in building 4 are their junior suites, or what they call "Safari Suites". This had a sitting area with a sofa sleeper, armchair, TV, small dining table with 2 chairs, wetbar sink, microwave, and dormsize refrigerator/freezer. There was also a separate bedroom with 2 double beds, night stand, armoire with TV, and closet. In between the two rooms were a vanity/sink and separate toilet and tub/shower. The furniture was a little dated and carpet showed alot of wear. There was a truck parked in the back lot that was storing Serta beds that were being upgraded in the hotel. The pool looked great although we didn't have an oppourtunity to try it. (A little too chilly for us Californians but it seemed very popular regardless.) Very convenient to stores (Walgreens, Eckerds, Winn-Dixie) and many nearby eateries (Chilis, Steak & Shake, Tony Roma's, Dunkin Donuts.) I had a problem with the sliding closet door. I called maintenance who fixed it while we were in the parks. I later received a call from the front desk offereing me a $15 credit or complimentary breakfast. We took the breakfast buffet which was only so-so. We should have taken the credit to cover the $0.87 telephone charges for local calls. All-in-all, a decent property that I would happily stay at again, even without Priceline.
MoonDoe	Sheraton Safari, 12/21-12/25	#17	[-]
Posts: 9 Dec 31 03 3:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I enjoyed my stay at the Sheraton Safari. I agree with most of the above statements: the staff was professional and courteous; the pool is excellent (and heated, swimming in December was no problem), with plenty of towels and lounge chairs available; it was clean; the bed was extremely comfortable. They were installing new mattresses while I was there - my mattress was brand-new, with tags still attached. A display in the lobby stated they are in the process of upgrading their bedding, to include new Serta mattresses and down pillows; unfortunately, I didn't get the pillows. I did not have a balcony, as I was on the 2nd floor, but I was able to open the window. My coffee pot was cracked, and I called housekeeping for a new one. They immediately offered me a $15 credit. Drinks are expensive ($7.50 for a cocktail), and the Sheraton automatically adds a 15% gratuity to all orders. I also had a cheeseburger and fries in the restaurant, which were very good. They will bring you drinks and food at the pool, which is a service I adore, and there is a house phone conveniently located near the hot tub for that purpose. I would definitely stay here again, unless I were able to get a good deal on a hotel on the Disney property. The shuttle schedule was not convenient; someone else in this thread mentioned hiking to a nearby Disney hotel - but that hike was too much for me, especially combined with hiking around Disney all day. I dislike driving, and it's hard for any non-Disney hotels to compete with Disney's transportation system (buses leaving every 20 or 30 minutes to all destinations). However, the Sheraton is very convenient to the Disney entrance - no traffic jams at all.
Sheryl	Re: Orlando/WDW - Sheraton Safari 3*	#18	[-]
Posts: 170276 Apr 15 04 1:07 AM GEAUX SAINTS GEAUX Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Posted by 901Mhz on 4/15/04: This is a good solid 3* hotel. Great large pool with a big water slide and courtyard full of palm trees and vegetation. Very relaxing place to hang out and unwind. Buildings are middle-aged but well kept up. Rooms were clean and newly refurbished with no musty smell or mildew. Staff was great! No mention of priceline and interior rooms when we asked for them even though they were sold out. Always friendly and helpful. We had a couple of really minor glitches in our room and each time they offered us a $15 credit on our bill or free breakfasts at their great breakfast buffet. Since we got the room for $39 we took the breakfast. Good location close to Disney with good freeway access nearby. Wide selection of restaurants and stores nearby. All in all, you have done well if you got this hotel.
RagDahl	Sheraton Safari: 5/21 - 5/23	#19	[-]
Posts: 21 May 24 04 8:31 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just returned from the Sheraton Safari and could not have been happier with this hotel. A very nice gentleman checked us in. He offered us a king room on the 1st floor of queen beds on the 4th. We picked the queen beds and ended up with a Starwood room even though I'm not a member. We had a pool view and he even changed the room he was putting us in to give us a more centered view. Aside from him, the rest of the staff was also very nice. The room was clean, spacious, quiet and very nice. The beds and bed linens were so comfortable and we had tons of pillows. Nothing in the hotel or our room gave us the feeling of this place being "aged". On the picky side, one outlet didn't work, the TV had some static lines and there were slight stains on the ceiling of the shower. These aren't the kinds of things I would complain about and they didn't bother me at all. My only complaint would be with the restaurant. We had the breakfast buffet our first morning there and we weren't impressed. Most everything I tried didn't taste right. For example, the eggs tasted more like egg substitute and the orange juice tasted like it was from concentrate even though they claimed it was freshly squeezed. There are tons of restaurants within a few minutes of the hotel. It is also very conveniently located near Downtown Disney and the Disney area. We had our own car and didn't bother using the shuttle at all. We inquired about using it to go to Downtown Disney on Saturday night, but it was already full. Although, this has nothing to do with the Sheraton other then location, I have a huge warning. Do not go to the chinese food restaurant that is next to the hotel. I think it's called "Fortune Cookie". It's not one of the many buffets, it's just a regular sit down restaurant. One night we wanted something inexpensive, but a little nicer then Pizza Hut, so we went here. Where we sat, there was a wooden wall and it was infested with roaches. We realized this as our food arrived. The waiter didn't even have to ask what was wrong. He automatically came over and offered us another table. We declined. We didn't want to ruin anyone else's dinner, so we quietly left and he told us that our drinks and appetizer were on the house. That was the highlight of a horrible weekend. I have to say that our stay at the Sheraton and our room were the only things that actually worked out for us.
rmouchet	Sheraton	#20	[-]
Posts: 51 Jun 7 04 2:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Anything and everything positive mentioned above about the place, I agree. There is one negative I would like to post: Location. It seems you have to go through more red lights, and more traffic in LBV. It took us longer to get to the parks and other locations. Now this place is in a great location if you plan to spend a lot of time in Downtown Disney. The hotels on 192 near Animal Kingdom are in a lot better location if you plan to go to the parks. Especially if you take advantage of the service road.

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Orlando/WDW - Sheraton Safari 3*

Orlando/WDW - Sheraton Safari 3*