| |
PUBLIC SPACES
Think
1980s—when John Portman’s glass-elevator lobby atriums were at the
peak of their popularity. There’s a pet macaw named Merlot and rock
gardens amidst a bubbling stream and lots of earth toned leather
furniture—and all this bounty awaiting after you pass through the
gated guardhouse and drive by the
VIP
helipad and cruise along the lavishly landscaped grounds before you
hit reception where they greet you with a glass of champagne.
We’re talking 750 rooms in an 18-story
pyramidal tower—but moreover we’re talking 1500 acres with horse
trails, golf courses, tennis courts, private lake, nature trails—as
well as a half-acre 800,000 gallon pool, complete with waterfalls,
water slide, pedestrian rope bridge, and a 50-yard-long cave through
which you swim from one pool to the other.
In May 2008, plans were announced for a $65 million makeover of the
property—in order to keep the Grand Cypress at the top of the
Orlando
five-star resort heap.
ROOMS
Pastel and chintz—very Mario Buatta, circa
1983. And yet, even so, the décor is still effective—if you give in
to it—for it’s been well cared for and well preserved, and in some
ways, the rooms are evocative of the bedrooms of certain
Southampton dowagers. Think Lilly Pulitzer colors and Bermuda
interior design—but don’t overlook the spaciousness of the rooms,
with their large bathrooms and a separate WC. All very comforting
in a Waspy kind of way.
BREAKFAST
Served in the Cascade dining room—but service
had ended by the time we straggled downstairs.
PERSONNEL
Very Disney corporate—or is that
Orlando corporate?—with that happy-to-serve smile. Everything’s
always swell—at least according to the employees’ faces and their
responses to any queries. Perhaps it’s enforced, but it also comes
across as sincere. Give in to it—and let them serve you, happily.
LOCATION
Situated a stone’s throw, literally, from
Disney World and its manicured lawns—in a setting equally pristine
and sumptuous. Still, you can remain at the Grand Cypress and
imagine yourself almost anywhere other than the world of Disney—or
you can partake of Disney and feel you’re right next door. It’s a
sanctuary away from the maelstrom, but convenient enough to it,
should you desire.
OVERVIEW
A full-service, five-star resort, the Grand Cypress evokes the kind
of privilege associated with that long line of illustrious hotels
such as Waikiki’s Royal Hawaiian or Hamilton’s Princess—those
matriarchal hotels that stand off a bit from the hoi polloi (and
their amusements) to create their own self-contained worlds. Even
the children seem to be from another era—one where they speak with
near formality and politesse. In short, it’s the sort of place that
while wandering the grounds, you might pause to observe a young
egret walking ever so delicately along the shore in search of
dinner. And in the evening’s hush, that’s all you’ll hear: the
evening’s hush. |
|
