JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort and Spa Review

It’s sleek, sophisticated, and a caliber hotel you won’t find anywhere. Our stay at the JW Marriott at Bonnet Creek near Walt Disney World wowed me in more ways than one. Below, we provide a review of the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort and Spa. Those who enjoy the finer things in life will want to consider this luxury hotel. We’ll discuss why and provide a detailed account of our stay.

When I planned this weekend getaway, I wanted to stay at a lush hotel with all the bells and whistles. This was the only Bonnet Creek Hotel we had not stayed at, and I was curious how it compared. It turned out to be incomparable, especially regarding the level of service we received.

We felt pampered from the front desk staff to the server, who delivered late-night room service. It was precisely the kind of luxury experience we were hoping to receive. Even better, the JW Marriott is a reasonably priced hotel compared to Disney’s Deluxe Resorts. While we couldn’t walk to the Magic Kingdom from Bonnet Creek, we were catered to far more than we had ever been at a Walt Disney World Resort.

We didn’t leave the resort the entire weekend. The Bonnet Creek Marriott is like a cruise ship sailing over a smooth ocean. Everything you need is nearby.

Although this hotel appears to be geared toward adults, it’s not. The resort’s sixth floor has an entire wing dedicated to children. Small nuances, like hidden fairy doors, can be found throughout the hotel. On the outside, you would never know it. But we take the extra time to learn as much as possible when we review a hotel. Going into this stay, I had no idea how much it would wow me.

Our Stay at the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek

We arrived early for our stay. The hotel’s check-in time is 4:00 p.m., and the check-out time is 11:00 a.m. Thankfully, the room was ready upon arrival. We never expect the room to be ready when we arrive early. But it’s a tremendous convenience when a hotel can accommodate an early arrival. It always starts our experience off on the right foot.

After leaving our luggage with bell services, we put our car in the adjacent parking garage. Parking is expensive. So if you’ll have a car, make sure to check the current daily self-parking charges or valet, if you prefer. Often, I find that valet is reasonable if I’ll be using my car here and there.

Our Room

After parking the car, we headed up to the room. Our room assignment was on the hotel’s 6th floor. We had a king-size bed with a standard view.

The room was impressive, and the finishes were gorgeous.

Muted tones provided a minimalistic feel. Here and there, a bright burst added just enough color to make the room pop without feeling overbearing.

A small sofa with pillows sat near the window.

This table and chairs provided an ideal workspace, or you could use it to enjoy a meal in your room. But why skip room service in bed?

Our room’s closet housed built-in drawers, an iron, an ironing board, a safe, and, most importantly, a hotel robe was provided. The satin hangers and extra blankets were a nice touch. I don’t know about you, but we like to set the air conditioner low and pull out an extra blanket.

An individual cup coffee maker with accompaniments was provided.

Here is a close-up of the Illy machine and Italian gourmet coffee options.

A beverage cooler is tucked inside a cabinet underneath the coffee bar.

Our guest bathroom was impressive. A second robe was hanging beside the walk-in shower, and a separate water closet sits behind a frosted glass door.

The walk-in shower had several fixtures.

The vanity area had plenty of counter space, and the lighting behind the mirror was not too harsh.

A separate soaking tub was available.

Be warned. The tub fills up quickly. I was shocked by how fast the water shot out of the faucet. Don’t forget to bring a bubble bath.

Overall, the room was gorgeous, providing a soothing spot to relax. We spent most of our first evening in the room, ordering room service for dinner and taking advantage of the premium television channels.

We tend to go out for dinner when we stay at a hotel. Room service has become a rare thing. Unfortunately, Disney quit offering room service a few years back, and other than the Grand Floridian, they have yet to reinstate it at their nicer hotels. It’s mind-boggling to think about paying an excess of $500.00 per night to stay at a hotel that can’t be bothered by offering an expensive amenity like room service.

If you think about it, ordering room service costs a small fortune. But if you’re exhausted and feel famished, you probably don’t care to splurge to have something delivered to your room at 9:00 at night. We love the Walt Disney World Resorts, but staying at such a nice hotel nearby puts a magnifying glass on the obvious.

Here’s a video tour of the room if you want to see a different perspective.

Other room options at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek include:

• Guest Room with Two Queen Beds
• One-bedroom Executive Suite
• Family Loft Suite
• Two-bedroom Suite
• Luxury Suite
• Presidential Suite

Children’s Facilities

The Kid’s Conservatory Lounge and Activity Garden were a few steps down the hall from our room. Given its location, I would imagine that most guests are entirely unaware of this area.

This area is included in the hotel’s wow factor.

It’s an incredible space.

Seriously, the kids have all the fun on parents’ night out. The wall covered in greenery below opens to another space where the resort has movie nights and other activities.

Here is a look inside. You can see all the plush spaces to sit and watch a movie.

The Conservatory Lounge and Observatory are open for guests to enjoy throughout the day between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. An adult must accompany any child under 12 years of age.

They have miniature golf, a rock climbing wall, sports courts, and various other activities for the entire family. Garden Golf, a mini-golf course, is complimentary to all. However, climbing the Mount Chelonia Rock Wall requires an additional charge per person.

The Hidden Garden Kids Club is a separate service available on select days and evenings throughout the week for a fee. You can preview the times and dates available for the kids club. This service allows parents to take advantage of the hotel’s spa, shopping, or date night.

The space outside is massive and offers numerous activities.

Who wouldn’t want to hang out up here?

The rock-climbing wall looked fun. I bet the view was even better from the top.

Amenities at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek

Back inside, I took the elevator to the Spa by JW. Luxury treatments at the spa are centered around “four distinctive results and benefits: calm, indulge, invigorate, and renew.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t book an appointment in advance. It was Mother’s Day weekend, so they were booked. I am terrible at thinking ahead of time about this sort of thing. But if you’re interested, I recommend securing a reservation in advance.

An aerobic and fitness center sits near the hotel spa. Classes were available most days of the week, with an option to book a personal trainer.

While we see more-than-adequate gyms at nearly every hotel, it’s rare to see group fitness classes offered. This is one of many extras that make the hotel stand out.

JW Marriott’s gym had plenty of equipment and free weights.

At this point, we were getting ready to spend the afternoon at the pool. But I wanted to walk through and see the rest of the hotel. Since the pool was busy, I had to get up early the following day to get a few photos.

Multiple spaces in the hotel lobby resembled private living rooms. If you have friends or relatives who live in the area visit you during your stay, you’ll find plenty of places to lounge.

While the lobby was tremendous, it felt intimate.

There is a variety of seating arrangements and areas with outlets and USB ports.

This area resembled a library with tables and chairs. Again, each of these areas is a place to lounge in the hotel’s lobby.

JW Market sits a few steps from the lobby.

They had a variety of offerings, including specialty coffee and smoothies.

Breakfast sandwiches were available each morning.

The market also has a variety of grab-and-go items.

Here are a few of the beverage selections.

The pastries looked delicious. A few healthier items were placed in the case directly underneath.

A FedEx office was available near the resort’s convention center.

The convention center sits toward the back of the hotel. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you ventured around the corner past the market. The hotel hosted a charity gala on Saturday night. It was fun to see everyone dressed to the nines.

A CVS vending machine sits off the lobby, offering a variety of over-the-counter medicines.

A small boutique-style gift shop was also available.

The boutique had several pieces of the Barefoot Dreams Disney collection.

Here are a few Disney-themed cosmetic items.

Most of the shop’s offerings were geared toward spa and beauty products.

Dining

When it comes to dining at the JW Marriott at Bonnet Creek, several excellent options are available. First, Sear + Sea sits off the resort’s lobby. This restaurant received a recommendation in Florida’s Michelin Guide.

That’s a big deal, and we regret not eating there during this stay. Other dining locations include the lobby bar, which is part of Sea + Sear. Illume is a Japanese restaurant that’s located on the rooftop terrace. We were told this is an excellent place to enjoy fireworks.

Palm Cove is the poolside bar and grill. We enjoyed several meals at the pool during this stay. The Unreserved Food Bazaar and Beer Garden is the hotel’s primary table service restaurant. We’ll preview it below since it sits near the pool. We enjoyed a breakfast brunch at Unreserved and thought it was an excellent value with quality food.

Since this review is rather long, I compiled a separate article that shares a few of the meals we enjoyed at the hotel: 8 Delightful Dining Options at JW Marriott Bonnet Creek.

The Pool at JW Marriott Bonnet Creek

As we make our way to the pool, we’ll continue from the resort’s lobby outside to the raised patio. You can take an elevator or stairs down to the pool from the lobby. This outdoor extension of the lobby provides more seating and lounge chairs.

The view down to the pool was lovely.

Bonnet Creek’s Marriott has two pools. They sit adjacent to each other with the poolside bar between them. The pool below is more of a family pool with a zero-depth entry on one side.

It is a beautiful space.

Since it was so busy, I decided it was time to retire my camera and join the rest of the guests at the pool. An attendant told me he and a few others would be at the pool about an hour before it opened the following day and that I could get better photos then.

So, thankfully, we can take a proper look at the pool while discussing our experience. The walkway in the picture below extends the entire length of both pools.

Pool hours were between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. during our stay.

When you arrive at the pool, an attendant will greet you and escort you to a stand with amenities. They asked how many towels I needed and if I wanted something to drink.

Unbeknownst to us then, they would have brought a complimentary pitcher of ice water with glasses to our seats. Several ice cream treats were available for purchase. I wish other hotels would take note of these kinds of simple offerings. The little things always add up to make the biggest of differences.

After receiving a couple of towels, our attendant asked us where we would like to sit. He then took our towels and made a neck roll while we were getting seated. After that, he waited and made sure we were happily settled before leaving. He even asked if our umbrella needed adjusting.

Soon after, a server from Palm Cove dropped off a menu. Several attendants stopped by in the afternoon, and we enjoyed a late lunch at the pool. The entire experience left me relaxed, and I remember distinctly thinking that I should do this more often. Shouldn’t we all?

The pool was absolutely gorgeous.

Private cabanas are available for rent around the parameter. Here’s more information about these add-ons.

While the cabana rentals are expensive, they might be worth your consideration if you plan to spend an entire day at the pool.

That said, I was perfectly happy with a lounge chair, side table, and umbrella.

Here is Palm Cove. The restrooms for the pool area are near the back of the building.

A few daybeds are also scattered around the pool.

The second pool sits on the opposite side of Palm Cove. We spent two afternoons at this pool.

Here is a view looking back to the hotel to put things in perspective.

A hot tub spa sits toward the back of this pool.

Behind the hot tub, there was a splash pad, but it wasn’t on early in the morning.

On the lower level, you’ll find Unreserved, a table service restaurant.

Unreserved has a separate outdoor beer garden.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Over the weekend, we had the breakfast buffet, which was delicious.

If you’re visiting Florida during reasonable weather, you’ll probably want to enjoy spending as much time outside as possible.

But if the temperatures have reached the point of smoldering, dining inside is almost as pleasant.

Unfortunately, we never made it to the rooftop restaurant after spending each day at the pool. I was going to photograph it, but the private elevator to the restaurant wasn’t available during the day. However, our room service meals were excellent, so it didn’t feel like we’d missed out on anything.

Transportation and Resort Fees

This Bonnet Creek Marriott provides complimentary shuttle service to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. Unfortunately, the hotel does not provide transportation to Orlando International Airport. According to their website, they recommend Mears Connect, an extra-cost option recommended by most area hotels.

As of this update, JW Marriott Bonnet Creek has a daily resort fee. Due to newer legislation, the resort fee will be reflected in the price of your room when you make reservations. The fee includes shuttle service to the Disney Parks and Disney Springs, resort-wide enhanced free Wi-Fi, daily wellness class, mini garden golf, and in-room internet.

Marriott Bonvoy members can use points to book a stay at this hotel, which is considered a category 6 (six) on the Marriott Points Chart. As mentioned, the hotel is not within walking distance of theme parks. It will take approximately 10-12 minutes to get to major destinations from the hotel. However, other than the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve, this is the closest Marriott to Walt Disney World.

If you would prefer to be able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, you might like our reviews of the Swan and Dolphin Hotels and a separate review of the Swan Reserve. These hotels also offer early theme park entry. JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek does not participate in the early theme park entry benefit.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this review gave you a good idea of what to expect at the JW Marriott Orlando at Bonnet Creek. We loved the comfort of the hotel. It’s one of the nicest hotels we’ve stayed at in central Florida. You could easily spend a week at the hotel, which included visiting the theme parks. But with this caliber of hotel, you’ll want to plan some downtime to relax and enjoy the amenities.

For other hotels near Disney World, try these options:

• Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek Review
• Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Review
• Waldorf Astoria Orlando Review
• Best Marriott Hotels Near Disney World
• Best Off-Property Hotels Close to Disney World

What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts about the JW Marriott Orlando at Bonnet Creek? Do you see yourself planning a stay here? Are you the type of person that enjoys the finer things in life? Leave your thoughts, comments, or questions in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you.