Hold Your Horses: Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Black. Enjoy the ride as we share with you our favorite Walt Disney World Resorts.

I recently wrote about my love for Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, but my favorite WDW resort is our DVC home base, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

Prior to becoming DVC members, my family and I had stayed in other Disney resorts (namely, the All-Stars), but our first stay at Saratoga Springs was the first time I really felt like we were at a home away from home. Some of that is part of the DVC experience, yes, but Saratoga Springs has always been a little extra special for me. For one thing, this resort is probably the furthest afield of all the WDW resorts - it's located on the far side of Downtown Disney, which means it's much less crowded than the other resorts and much quieter. If you're looking for a little extra relaxation on your trip, this is the place. 

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort is an equestrian-themed, Victorian-style Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, and also includes the Treehouse Villas, where as many as nine guests can sleep among the treetops.  There are lots of activities and amenities to keep you busy, including four pools, two playgrounds, a game room, tennis, basketball, shuffleboard and bike rentals. There is one casual dining restaurant, The Turf Club Bar and Grille, and one cafeteria option, the Artist's Palette. I've only stayed in the main hotel, which has never disappointed, except for a really unfortunate situation where they booked us in the middle of a construction zone, which you can read all about here.  (It turned out fine in the end).

Beep Beep

The grounds at Saratoga Springs are some of the prettiest - the resort is huge, and there are lots of trails and walking paths that allow you to explore and get in a bit of nature time. The grounds are sprinkled with streams and little bodies of water - if you're an early riser, you can see otters playing on the banks. We happened to catch this while we were waiting for an early bus for Extra Magic Hours one morning, and it was probably my favorite thing that happened on that entire trip. Otters? In the wild? Only at Disney, folks. 

There's also a path that takes you directly into Downtown Disney, which is a major plus. And the views are fantastic:

Who wants to go shopping?

The biggest drawback to Saratoga Springs, not surprisingly, is its location. Unless you're going to Downtown Disney or Typhoon Lagoon, the rest of WDW is really far away. And the resort is comprised of six sections (The Springs, The Paddock, Congress Park, The Carousel, The Grandstand and the Treehouse Villas) and the buses stop at all six, so depending on which section you're staying in, you're looking at a 15 minute bus ride before you even depart the resort. You need to budget extra time if you're trying to make a reservation or a rope drop, and expect that post-fireworks ride home at night to turn into Group Nap City. 

All told, Saratoga Springs is a great resort if you're traveling with older kids, or in an adult party. There's not a lot of things for young kids to do, but if you're looking for a little peace and quiet along with your Disney magic, I definitely recommend staying here.

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Manda's Disney Blog.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ The Disney Chick
2nd Stop ~ Manda's Disney Blog
3rd Stop ~ Mommy Mouseketeer
4th Stop ~ The Magical Mouse Pad
Final Stop ~ The Disney Point

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Related Links:
* Call of the Wild: Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
* Getting Mugged in WDW
* Two Hotels, Five Rooms