Bonnet Creek Resort facts for kids
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Bonnet Creek Resort is a special area located right next to Walt Disney World in Florida. Even though it's super close to Disney, the land itself isn't owned by Disney. It's surrounded on three sides by Disney property and on the fourth side by a big highway called Interstate 4. The resort is named after Bonnet Creek, a small stream that flows through the area. It's also next to a beautiful nature preserve. You can find the entrance on Buena Vista Drive, close to Disney's Riviera Resort.
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Exploring Bonnet Creek Resort
Bonnet Creek Resort is home to several fancy and comfortable hotels. These places offer lots of fun for families and visitors.
Hotels and Places to Stay
Here are some of the main hotels you can find at Bonnet Creek:
- Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek: This is a timeshare resort, which means people can own a part of a vacation home there.
- JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort and Spa: A luxurious hotel with a spa for relaxing.
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek: Another great Hilton hotel.
- Waldorf Astoria Orlando: A very high-end hotel known for its luxury.
- Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek: A grand resort with many amenities.
Fun Activities and Features
Between the Hilton and Waldorf Astoria hotels, there's a huge convention center. It's about 223,000 square feet, which is a lot of space for big meetings and events!
There's also a fantastic golf course called the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club. It has 18 holes and was designed by a famous golf course designer named Rees Jones. It opened in 2009 and is open to the public.
One small part of the resort is still undeveloped. This means there might be more exciting things to come in the future!
The Story of Bonnet Creek
The land where Bonnet Creek Resort now stands has an interesting history. It covers about 482 acres (that's like 365 football fields!).
Early Days of the Land
The land was first bought way back in 1962. The buyer didn't want anyone to know who they were at the time. Even The Walt Disney Company tried to buy this land when they were getting ready to build Walt Disney World, but they couldn't. For many years, the land remained untouched.
Building the Resort
Around the year 2000, big plans for the land started to appear. The idea was to build many hotel rooms, timeshare units, a large conference center, and a golf course. To make this happen, developers worked with Disney to get access through Disney's property. This allowed them to connect the new resort to a main road called Lake Buena Vista Drive.
The first project to open was a timeshare resort. It was announced in 2002 and welcomed its first guests in 2004. Today, it's known as Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's one of the biggest timeshare resorts in the area, with 1,149 units!
In 2006, Hilton Hotels shared their plans for a huge project. This included a 1,000-room Hilton hotel and a very fancy 497-room Waldorf Astoria hotel. They also built a shared conference center. The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, the first golf course named after the Waldorf Astoria brand, was also part of this plan. All these exciting places opened in 2009.
Wyndham also joined in the development. In 2006, they announced plans for a 400-room hotel with a spa. This hotel opened its doors in 2011.
Protecting Nature
Developers understood that the land was important for nature. So, in 2008, they set aside 75 acres on both sides of Bonnet Creek as a special nature preserve. This area protects wetlands and native forests. It's also a home for over 100 different kinds of migratory birds that fly through the area! This decision meant that all the land west of Bonnet Creek was now used or protected.
Development continued towards the east. In 2017, a luxurious 516-room JW Marriott hotel was announced. It was built near the highway and opened in 2020. As of 2024, there's still one undeveloped spot north of the JW Marriott, waiting for its future.
