Property spotlight: Courtyard by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre

Just returned from a recent stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre -- although the name is ridiculously long, we had a great stay, and here's the review (recently posted at TripAdvisor).

Found a great rate for a stay at this Courtyard for Memorial Day weekend, when most other places were charging way more.

My wife and I try and stay at Courtyards whenever possible, so we were eager to stay here.

We arrived around 3am, and the front desk employee was nice and friendly, especially given the late hour.

We realized right away that this is not a typical Courtyard -- it's obviously an older building that has been branded a Courtyard. Not a complaint, per se, but if you are expecting a modern Courtyard, this is not it.

There are several separate buildings that make up the hotel, but all are interconnected. Rooms are accessed via indoor corridors which is nice. Our room had a hint of cigarette smell -- that lingering smell found in a lot of older hotels. Wasn't overpowering, so we didn't move rooms.

Parking is adequate (and free), there's a pool and plenty of soda machines and ice machines.

Overall, we were pleased. It's just 1 block down from the Walt Disney World Downtown Disney entrance, and surrounded by restaurants and shops, so the location is great.

You can check rates & book online, as well as read more reviews.