Blue Tree Resort at Lake Buena Vista — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

As a long time owner at Blue Tree since the late 1990s, I’d have to be honest and say that on my frequent trips to Orlando, and as a DVC member, I have rarely utilized my home resort at Blue Tree given the age and upkeep of the property in the past. I took a chance and reserved a last minute 1 BR villa over Christmas week 2024. Let me say that I was so impressed and pleased given the entire experience. From check in to check out. Everyone we encountered was professional, efficient, and polite. Shout out to Felipe T who made our check in process so smooth and was able to check us in early and gave us a wonderful room. Felipe is a true asset to BTR. They are currently in the process of completing renovations in all buildings so I was lucky to be assigned a renovated 1 BR villa that had an in-room W/D. The room was very well done with comfortable sitting areas and a comfortable mattress. The convenience of having the W/D in room was priceless and wish all villas had them. Kudos to the management, house keeping and grounds keeping staff. The room was very clean and well stocked upon our arrival and any additional items we needed replenished were handled quickly. The resort grounds were well manicured and the holiday lighting they had done really made the resort feel festive. There were also plenty of conveniently located larger exterior covered trash cans to dispose of room trash and these were kept emptied and neat without garbage overflowing like seen at other resorts. Location is superb and so convenient to shopping, restaurants, and the Disney parks. The location alone was the reason I purchased as an owner over 30 years ago. Given this wonderful experience over Christmas, I will gladly reconsider BTR as my home away from home when visiting Orlando. This review is specifically for Blue Tree Resort at Lake Buena Vista and NOT the Westgate Resort at Blue Tree. There are two separate BTR ownership companies located in this same property to avoid confusion. Well done BTR at LBV!!!!

UPDATED: We did a second stay about a month later to check out the 2BR villas for a larger party of 6 and were equally impressed. The furnishings and bedding were nice, updated, and comfortable. The full size kitchen added plenty of space and amenities for larger groups. The AC unit kept the space very cool and comfortable. This particular 2 BR unit also had an in room W/D which is so convenient. Unit was well cleaned and stocked as previously noted with the 1 BR. Our particular unit also overlooked an inside courtyard which was peaceful and magnificent. Again, a wonderful encore stay in the 2 BR villa. Well done BTR @ LBV....

When entering the complex, make a right at the stop sign for registration. Check-in was relatively simple. Provided a brief review of map with directions to our building but not very descriptive. When we located our building and then the elevator (corner of the adjoining hallways), unloaded the first load and went into the room. Instantly hit with a mold/mildew smell that was extremely overpowering. Called to report and said they would call back in a few minutes. In the meantime, I read multiple reviews reporting the same problem as well as other issues which prompted me to check under the beds and sheets to check cleanliness. When the employee called back she said if we didn’t touch anything, we could change rooms. Well we had touched a lot and unmade the beds by that point. So she offered to send maintenance up to change air filters. They came within a half hour, brought lemon air freshener and sprayed half the bottle before we could tell them to stop. Offered to bring an air cleaner which we agreed but turned out it was just a portable air conditioner unit. The smell lingered even leaving the patio door open and windows to air out for days. We even bought room deodorizers and cleaning materials in excess of $30.. had no idea how bad it was until you would leave for the day and come back. Still there. Then there was a problem with the washing machine. We thought it was off level because when on the rinse cycle, it sounded like a jet plane with engine trouble trying to take off. The maintenance man supposedly replaced a missing foot, same sound the next wash. We tried to report upon check out and the employee acted like she didn’t care. Very small patio with two chairs and a small table. Tv set couldn’t be turned off and on with remote, only manually on the set itself. Full kitchen with all plates, cups, mugs, cookware and utensils is provided. Looked completely renovated with all new appliances but the smell is just too much. And when I got home had to febreeze suitcases and wash all fabric materials because the scent was transferred. It even got into my cpap sponge face mask. I recommend smelling your room before you touch...

We're an older couple nearing 50. We've only been to Orlando a couple times and its usually just passing through. This is a whole resort. Our room was AMAZING. It had a full size couch and loveseat, kitchenette, bedroom, walk in closet, and a lanai (porch). We both got to our room and were blown away. Not sure how we found this place, but i'm glad we did. The place has 4 pools and a couple hot tubs. We came in for the LSU/FSU football game. Neither of us are too much into Universal or Disney so we were a little worried about how we were going to spend our extra time- that was answered quickly. We had absolutely zero reason to leave the property. We ran to the grocery store picked up food, drinks, and proceeded to RELAX. There was enough space for us to spread out. The room decor is a bit outdated, and behind the couch and dressers could use a bit more attention, but it was clean for the most part. I only care about roaches and bedbugs and there weren't any. We spent our time napping on the couches and in the pools. The pools were pretty relaxed and not overran with people. The people at check in were super friendly. They have activities running from 10am to 6pm. They had a lanai that you could smoke on, which we appreciated because we're both smokers. Seriously, this was pretty high on my list of favorite vacations. We got back home and immediately started talking about when we were returning. We usually travel to Mexico yearly, but we're thinking about going here instead. It doesn't seem like a bad area but maybe they just are extra vigilant about personal safety. There was always security driving golf carts through the lots checking things out which made me feel very safe. Our flight wasn't until 7:30 pm so I called about late check out. Check out is normally 10am , 11am-noon is an extra $25, 2-4pm was an extra $50 and i believe 6pm was $100. It was super easy to request and we appreciated it! The activities program mentioned something about an owners meet and greet. Not sure if this is some type of timeshare, but we kind of want in. I should mention, we had a ground room floor (thankfully!), there are no elevators and there...