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Guests
aren't required to wear sombreros, serapes and silver spurs at Disney's
Coronado Springs Resort, but they certainly wouldn't be out of place.
This Walt Disney World resort features
1,967 moderate-price guest rooms encircling a 15-acre golden lagoon -- Lago
Dorado. Based on explorations of what is now regions of Mexico and the American
Southwest, the resort features a five-story Mayan pyramid, which is the
resort's dominant icon. The pyramid is also the splashy centerpiece of a family
fun pool, complete with waterslide.
Coronado Springs caters to families, with
a festive food court, playground, volleyball court and all the amenities that
come with staying at a Walt Disney World resort.
Coronado Springs is also Disney's most
value-priced convention resort, with a 95,000-foot Convention Center, including
a full-service business center and the largest hotel ballroom in the United
States.
Architecturally, the rambling resort gains
inspiration from the grand haciendas and elegant mission cities of the Spanish
Colonial era in Latin America. Facing the tree-lined entrance boulevard it
appears as a series of three- and four-story palacios tinted in shades of
desert sand, sunset pink and tropic green. Its main themes come from regions of
Mexico and the great American Southwest -- tile roofs and mosaic accents,
arched windows and doorways, shady courtyards and patios.
The lobby, reception area and restaurants
are themed to the rich tradition of life on the wealthiest haciendas of the
past or at today's finest guest ranchos of New Mexico or Arizona.
<>Connected to the lobby are the three- and
four-story "Casitas," one of three major guest room areas. Architecturally, the
Casitas represent urban centers like Santa Fe or Monterey.
Epitomizing arid rural regions of the
Southwest are the "Ranchos" -- two- and three-story villas with sagebrush and
cactus landscaping along a narrow "arroyo" where a small stream of water
tumbles quietly over rounded river rocks.
On the northern shore of the Lago Dorado
are the "Cabanas," inspired by beachside resorts along the Gulf Coast. Cabana
buildings are two stories high with many of the rooms looking out across the
lake to a watercraft marina.
Between the Ranchos and Cabanas is the
46-foot Mayan pyramid with water rushing down its ceremonial stone steps. On
one side, a twisting waterslide provides extra fun for guests as its rushing
water pushes them into the resort's main 120-by-90-foot swimming pool. The area
represents the imaginary discovery of a lost Mayan kingdom during a present-day
archaeological dig.
There also are three "quiet" pools, one
for each of the resort's guest areas. Encircling the lagoon and linking those
areas, the Esplanade provides a broad walkway for leisurely strolls.
Disney's Coronado Springs' lobby and
reception areas are built around La Fuente de las Palomas, a spring-fed
fountain which supplied the hacienda with cool drinking water on the hottest
days. It bubbles up from a Spanish urn surrounded by colorful tiles in blue,
green and orange-red under a domed ceiling filled with hand-painted images of
white clouds and doves flying through a blue sky.
Through adobe archways guests discover
Panchito's Gifts and Sundries -- a 6,000-square-foot shop decorated with
colorful piñatas and sombreros and filled with Indian and Mestizo handicrafts
and unique Disney character merchandise.
The 420-seat Pepper Market features
Mexican delicacies plus fresh baked goods, international coffees, pizzas,
pastas, Chinese fare and a multi-purpose grill. Nearby is Francisco's, a
200-seat lounge offering specialty drinks and snacks.
For fine dining, Disney's Coronado Springs
Resort presents Maya Grill, operated by one of the premier
restaurateur-families of Mexico. It features a huge, wood-fired grill where
guests can watch cocineros brazing a vast array of meats and fish over the open
fire. Soft-leather chairs and mission-style furnishings complete the themed
decor. Decorative designs recall the elegant and geometrically-sophisticated
stone carvings used by Mayan artisans in their temples and palaces.
Other facilities include La Vida Health
Club with a full range of fitness equipment, a hair-styling salon, two exciting
game arcades, a poolside bar, kiddie pool, playground and sand volleyball court
plus boat rental, bike rentals and spacious public areas.
Unusual in a moderate-price resort, guest
room amenities include coffee makers and in-room ironing equipment plus limited
room service for breakfast and dinner. Also available on request are cribs,
refrigerators, wheelchairs, hair dryers, etc. Non-smoking and accessible rooms
are available.
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort also
offers five executive suites, 10 VIP suites and 31 junior suites. Standard
rooms will accommodate up to four guests with room rates comparable to Disney's
other "moderate" hotels.
The resort is located on the west side of
World Drive, near Disney Hollywood Studios and Blizzard Beach water adventure park.
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort was
designed under the direction of Walt Disney Imagineering by Graham Gund
Architects of Cambridge, Mass. (design architect), Glover Smith Bode, Inc. of
Oklahoma City (architect of record), E.D.A.W, landscape architect and Daroff
Designs for interior decor.
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