If you long for some well-deserved pampering and luxury, the International Drive Resort Area has it all: World class accommodations, soothing spas, elegant dining, great shopping and special tours fit for a VIP…you!!! Check out these suggestions to treat yourself to the best of the best in the world’s most famous vacation destination!

 

 

With so many amenities to pamper you during your visit, you may never want to leave your hotel!

 

The newest luxury property in the I-Drive area, the Westin Imagine Orlando offers the style and personal service of a boutique hotel, along with the amenities of a resort. Located near the Orange County Convention Center and just minutes away from Orlando-area attractions, the property offers a luxurious stay for both leisure and business travelers.

 

The 12-story, art deco-inspired resort includes 315 rooms, as well as one- and two-bedroom suites. The smoke-free rooms feature the Westin Heavenly Bed®, Heavenly Bath®, a 32-inch flat panel HDTV LCD television and high-speed Internet access. Amenities include the WestinWORKOUT® fitness center, 24-hour room service, lagoon-style pool and hot tub, jogging path and a free shuttle service. For dining try Fiorella’s Cucina Toscana, an upscale Italian eatery. www.westinimagine.com. 407-233-2200.

 

One of the area’s most elegant properties, the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, is situated on 230 acres of lush landscape. The resort offers lavish choices in accommodations, enticing restaurants, rejuvenating spa, and a championship golf course. www.rosenshinglecreek.com. 407-996-9939.

 

The Peabody Orlando has earned four stars from Mobil Travel Guides as well as four diamonds from AAA. Known for its marching ducks, the Peabody is legendary for its award-winning service for leisure and business travelers. Amenities include an athletic club, lap pool, children's pool, tennis courts, and two fine-dining restaurants, Dux and the Capriccio Grill. Scheduled for a fall 2010 opening, the Peabody’s $450-million expansion will include a Napa Valley wine-themed restaurant and bar, a 22,000-square-foot Peabody Spa and Athletic Club and five luxury penthouse suites. Guest rooms will include the Peabody Dream Bed®; high definition 42” LCD televisions, mini LCD TV’s in the bathroom mirrors and more. www.peabodyorlando.com. 407-352-4000.

 

The four-diamond Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld offers 778 large, beautifully appointed rooms and suites. Adjacent to SeaWorld and Discovery Cove, it boasts a gilded Venetian aviary; fine-dining restaurant, Atlantis; Olympic-size swimming pool; and four tennis courts are included in the hotel's amenities. The resort also offers guests the opportunity to golf at the nearby Marriott's Grande Pines Golf Club. www.renaissanceseaworld.com. 407-351-5555.

 

The three hotels at Universal Orlando Resort are all four-diamond recipients. The 650-room Hard Rock Hotel, guarantees rock star treatment in laid-back luxury. The 1,000-room Royal Pacific Resort, A Loews Hotel, offers a taste of the enchanted isles of the South Pacific with swaying palm trees, lush landscaping and a lagoon pool. The 750-room Portofino Bay Hotel, A Loews Hotel, is an escape to la dolce vita, or what the Italians call "the sweet life." This amazing re-creation of the Mediterranean seaside village of Portofino, Italy also features the Mandara Spa, offering signature massage therapies, a gymnasium, a relaxation room and a hair and nail spa. For details, visit www.loewsresorts.com. All Universal Orlando hotel guests enjoy a variety of theme park benefits including access to their favorite rides and attractions. Guests show their hotel room key card at the express entrance at each ride and may bypass the regular lines.

 

 

The classic and elegant Spa at Shingle Creek Orlando is part of the luxurious, new Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Guests relax and rejuvenate in style with treatments that include mud wraps, soothing massages, signature facials and more. A sleek fitness studio overlooks scenic views, a swim in the invigorating pool or an afternoon of total mind and body relaxation are available at this day spa and salon. www.spaatshinglecreek.com. 407-996-9SPA.

 

The Mandara Spa at the Portofino Bay Hotel, an 8,000-square-foot relaxation center at Universal Orlando Resort, offers guests an exotic spa experience rooted in Balinese healing traditions passed from generation to generation. The world-class Mandara Spa provides exotic spa therapies that reflect the beauty, spirit and traditions of both Eastern and Western cultures. Here the highly skilled therapists prepare beauty therapies fresh each day using actual spices, fruits, vegetables, honey, yogurt, seaweed, salt, minerals and other real ingredients and creating the treatments just as they have been done in Asia for centuries. www.mandaraspa.com. 407-503-1244.

 

 

The Dave Harman-designed the award-winning Shingle Creek Golf Club, a par 72, 7,213-yard course, located east of Orlando's Orange County Convention Center at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. A course layout that is challenging and flexible enough to test your skills will not frustrate the less experienced player! This is a beautiful course not to be missed! www.shinglecreekgolf.com. 1-866-996-9933.

 

Nearby on International Drive, Grande Pines Golf Club at Marriott was designed by golf course architect Steve Smyers and is one of Central Florida's most dynamic new golf courses. In partnership with six-time major champion Nick Faldo, Smyers created each hole of Grande Pines Golf Club to be a strategic challenge that will bring out the best in each player's game. Named one of Golfweek's Top 100 "America's Best Resort Courses," it is adjacent to Marriott’s Grande Vista Resort. www.marriott-vacations.com. 407-239-6909.

 

 

If names like Coach, Barney's, Burberry, Giorgio Armani and Fendi, make you search for your purse and head out the door, you'll appreciate the savings you'll find at nearby outlets. Check out Prime Outlets Orlando (www.primeoutlets.com) and Orlando Premium Outlets (www.premiumoutlets.com).

 

At Pointe Orlando, with new specialty shops and restaurants you can have lunch, shop, see a movie, shop some more! Enjoy an evening at B.B. Kings Blues Club. Dine at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar or Oceanaire Seafood Room. www.pointeorlando.com. 407-248-2838.

 

 

Serenading waiters with a repertoire of romantic songs serve as a backdrop to your dinner at Bergamo’s Italian Restaurant. www.bergamos.com. 407-352-3805.

 

Capriccio Grill, an Italian steakhouse at The Peabody Orlando, specializes in prime U.S. steaks and chops from Ruprecht's of Chicago. Fresh lobster and seafood are delivered daily, and the menu is rounded off with aromatic pasta dishes from La Bella Italia. Also at the Peabody, Dux specializes in American haute cuisine with global influences. www.peabodyorlando.com. 407-352-4000.

 

Indulge in the ultimate in casual elegance for lunch or dinner. The Capital Grille brings its famous dry-aged steaks and impressive 5,000-bottle wine list to area visitors. This is really special! www.thcapitalgrille.com. 407-370-4392.

 

Located at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld, Atlantis features a variety of ocean delicacies all served beneath beautiful, hand-painted ceiling murals. This classy, comfortable restaurant offers a selection of creative entrees. www.renaissanceseaworld.com. 407-248-7335.

 

The Venetian Room at the Caribe Royale Orlando is known for its award-winning, classic dining experience with fresh seafood, reserve of fine wines and intimate dining alcoves. www.thevenetianroom.com. 407-238-8060.

 

 

This is the ultimate for animal lovers! SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove offers an all-inclusive package that allows lucky visitors to be an animal trainer for a day. Package includes enhanced deep-water dolphin interaction and training encounter as well as behind-the-scenes feeding, training and playtime opportunities with other animals and birds. www.discoverycove.com. 407-370-1280.

 

Lunch with an astronaut. How cool is this? Wait until your friends back home hear this story! While touring Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex you can enjoy a hot, delicious meal along with a lunchtime space briefing from an experienced astronaut. You'll also take home an autographed souvenir and enjoy a personal photo opportunity. Once each day. Seating is limited so book early! For a list of astronauts and schedule, visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com. 321-449-4400.

 

Only the brave should try this but think of the stories you can tell! At SeaWorld, Sharks Deep Dive, a two-hour, awe inspiring, encounter immerses participants within the protection of a shark cage, the habitat of more than 50 sharks and thousands of schooling fish. www.seaworld.com. 407-351-3600.

 

For more information on planning a luxury escape to Orlando’s International Drive Resort Area, visit www.internationaldriveorlando.com

01/2010