Today I’m going to discuss Disney’s Beach Club Villas. This resort is considered part of the Yacht & Beach Club property and was the fourth Disney Vacation Club (DVC) to open (July 1, 2002) at Walt Disney World. Like the Yacht & Beach Club, this addition was designed by Robert A.M. Stern of New York. There are 282 guest rooms divided into three categories: Studio units which sleep 4, One Bedroom units which sleep 4, and Two Bedroom units which can sleep 8.
Florida law requires that all time share properties set aside a small percentage of their rooms for “non-owners.” This means that non-DVC members can rent rooms here. In addition, if the Villas have not been booked to capacity by members, Disney will open up additional rooms for non-members to rent.
There are no regularly manned desks at the Villas. Guests staying here use the check-in and concierge desks located at the Beach Club.
The Villas are just a short walk from the Beach Club. Guests cross a lovely courtyard and are greeted by Ariel near the main entrance.
Just inside the main entrance is a lobby of sorts. Off of this lobby are hallways leading to guest rooms, The Breezeway, and The Drawing Room.
The Drawing Room is a quiet getaway and features several sitting areas and a television. Watercolor paintings, a Victorian dollhouse, and comfortable furnishings make this the perfect spot to curl up with a good book and escape. Note, the television is only turned on if someone wants to watch it, so chances are good you can find peace and quiet here.
The Breezeway connects the lobby with the pool area. This three story room is bright and sunny and has two seating areas for relaxing and conversation. However, since this is a thoroughfare between the lobby and the pool, this area isn’t nearly as sedate as The Drawing Room.
The Breezeway features a number of shelves that are chock-full of seashells, oars, compasses, weathervanes, and other seashore paraphernalia. The large oil painting featuring Mickey as a hot-air balloon floating above the Villas is especially intriguing.
The Dunes Cove Pool could be compared to the Admiral Pool at the Yacht Club and the Tidal Pool at the Beach Club. It provides a refreshing retreat with plenty of lounge chairs and tables, yet its overall ambiance is peaceful. Guests staying at the Villas are entitled to use Stormalong Bay.
Near the pool is a picnic table and BBQ grill for alfresco meals. The surrounding area has been sown with plants reminiscent of dune grass to help facilitate the seashore atmosphere.
On my latest visit to the Villas I stayed in a Studio room. In many ways, a Studio room is laid out similarly to a standard hotel room. When entering the room you pass the bath and closet area to reach the sleeping area. What sets a Studio apart from a standard hotel room is the kitchenette. The kitchenettes here feature a small refrigerator, small sink, coffee maker, toaster, microwave, flatware, glasses and cups, and paper plates.
The one and two bedroom units at the Villas feature complete kitchens with a full-sized refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, and oven. Unlike the Studio kitchenettes, these full-sized kitchens provide you with the ability to cook elaborate meals and come complete with pots and pans, utensils, and everything else you might need.
The Studio vanity has one sink and plenty of counter space. A hairdryer can be found attached to the wall. Standard amenities like soap, shampoo, and conditioner are provided.
The toilet and shower are in a separate room and the space is more than adequate.
Off of the vanity area is a closet containing a wall safe big enough for a laptop, collapsible baby crib, iron and board, luggage rack, and vacuum. Housekeeping service is only offered twice a week when staying in a Villa room on membership points. You are expected to reuse your towels and clean up after yourself. Daily housekeeping service can be obtained for an additional fee. If renting the room at the Villas, daily housekeeping service is provided.
A Studio room features one queen bed and a convertible sofa, allowing for four guests. The two high-back chairs are comfortable and the large table offers plenty of space for a meal or laptop. Electrical outlets and internet connections can be found near the baseboard behind the table. The bureau contains four drawers and three shelves. A flat screen TV and DVD player are also housed here.
The convertible sofa is simple to open. One person can easily carry out this task. However, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the coffee table once I opened the bed.
The decorator used a multitude of hues when designing this room, but the colors seem to blend well and convey a bygone era at the seashore. The bedspread continues the Little Mermaid theme and a number of the characters can be found in the pattern.
Rooms at the Villas offer a balcony or patio. Some balconies are larger than others. I was on a ground floor and my room faced out onto Epcot Resorts Blvd. During the day, I was aware of the traffic noises while sitting in my room as cars and trucks passed by.
To see a 2½ minute video of a Studio Room, check out the video below.
That’s it for my coverage of the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Beach Club Villas. I have created a 12½ minute video that covers the complete resort. Enjoy.
“Off of the vanity area is a closet containing a wall safe big enough for a laptop, collapsible baby crib, iron and board, luggage rack, and vacuum.”
Wow. That’s a big safe!
Jack’s Comment:
Okay smarty. You got me. LOL
Hi Jack,
Thanks for the info on the Beach Club Villas. I was searching AllEars for this blog as I remembered it from December. We just booked our stay here for the summer 2012.
I have read posts that say that the walk to the lobby/stormalong bay can be long depending on where your room is. Is there a building or area that you can recommend that we could put in a request for that would have a shorter walk?
I have also read that some were disappointed that the rooms looked weathered. Your room looked renovated. Do you know if all the rooms have been renovated or if not when they will be completed.
I know you aren’t an authority on DVC. Just thought in your travels you may have picked up the information.
Thanks again for the great preview of BCV. Can’t wait to experience it for myself. I’ll be sure to post a review.
Regards,
Laura
Jack’s Answer:
Depending on your room location, it can be a long walk from the Villas to Stormalong Bay. The Villas are contained in one building so there is no specific area you can request. All you can do is ask for a room closest to the Beach Club Hotel. However, even these closer rooms will require some walking to get the Stormalong Bay. Bottom line, it’s not convenient.
I’ve stayed at the Villas twice recently and on both occasions, my room looked find. I don’t think they were refurbished recently, but I had no complaints.
Thanks for the update on the Beach Club Villas. My wife and were fortunate enough to stay there on opening day and, even though the front desk denied any such ceremony for the opening, we happened upon the ribbon cutting ceremony along with a few others who “knew” something was bound to happen. We have since had the occasion to stay at BCV and the location of the resort makes it my favorite of all the DVC locations.
Quick question, you mentioned if renting a villa that daily maid service is provided? We’re are staying at BCV in a studio in May 2012. I purchased points thru by sister who is a dvc member. Now according to dis boards we will not be getting daily maid service for our 8 night stay. Is renting and purchasing points different? Thanks in advance for your help.
Jack’s Answer:
If the room was secured by points, you only get maid service twice a week. If the room was secured by cash, you get daily room service.
Thanks Jack for writing about one of our favorite DVC resorts. We are DVC members and even though we don’t own at BCV, we love to stay there from time to time. The Breezeway is such a wonderful area to relax and read a book, and or take a nap :). We are heading there in January and cannot wait.
Jack,
Another wonderful job! I especially appreciate the flow of your videos, the little added extra captions and the time you take to match the music to the subject. Thank you for taking all the time to put each one together! They are the best and we return often to many of them just to enjoy the memories or dream ahead.
Jack,
I’ve been reading but not commenting much over the last few posts, but I really enjoyed your Yacht and Beach club reports. I have never had a chance to spend much time in this part of the World and as usual your descriptions, commentary, pictures and videos really give me a feel of what to expect.
A question (of course). Which of the rooms that you stayed in did you like the best? Do you feel that the Studio is a good tradeoff for a regular room with 2 ‘real’ beds rather than 1 bed and a convertible?
Thanks as always,
Dave
Hi Jack,
I checked into a BCV studio today and found a standard set of toiletries: soap on the vanity, and in the tub area a second soap, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Sorry you got shorted.
Hi Jack,
Thanks for the coverage of all three resorts. We are in the process of becoming DVC members so we look forward to trying them all out in years to come.
Wendy
Hi Jack,
Thanks for the memories. Both the BC and YC
are such wonderful resorts.
Hi Jack,
It always brings a smile when I see a new post from you. You always do a fantastic job!!!!
Thank you,
Ava
Have some changes been made? As DVC members we’ve always gotten shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and soap, which have been refreshed on trash an towel day. When we’ve stayed in a 1 bedroom there was a small box of tide provided and we’ve always found dish soap near the sink. Our last few stays have been at AKV, but I seem to remember those things from the BCV and the BWV when we stayed last year.
Jack’s Answer:
I am not a DVC member. I was staying at the Beach Club Villas on someone else’s points. I am definitely NOT an expert on what amenities are provided to DVC guests. All I can tell you is that I only received soap. Since this was a Studio Unit which does not have a washer and dryer, there obviously was no Tide.
Hi Jack,
I was just enchanted with your photos of the Breezeway. It’s a three-story room, but with the way they did the wainscoting, it looks like a one-story room with miniature furniture! It must feel like one is sitting in a dollhouse! Next time I get to the World, I will have to visit the Beach Club Villas just to check out that room. (And immediately after that, a visit to Beaches & Cream will be in order!)
Thanks for a great set of blogs. Your resort reviews are the absolute best!
Wonderful coverage, as always, of the Beach Club, one of my favorite resorts! My only correction would be that you should recieve shampoo and conditioner in addition to soap in the DVC Studio Villa. I have always recieved them during my studio DVC stays, at Beach Club, Bay Lake, and Animal Kingdom Villas. I think you were shorted. True, they do not replace them unless you are there long enough, but they should be there.
Jack’s Comment:
I am not a DVC member. I was staying at the Beach Club Villas on someone else’s points. I am definitely NOT an expert on what amenities are provided to DVC guests. All I can tell you is that I only received soap. I hope this was an oversight on Disney’s part and I should have received more than I did. I have tweaked my blog to reflect this.
Hi Jack,
Thanks again for continuing your great series!
The Beach Club Villas are our favorite resort.
Our only complaint is we can’t get to Stormalong in our swimsuits without going through the Beach Club lobby!
Anybody have suggestions?
A few additions:
in the 1 or 2 bedroom villas, you also get a compact stacked washer and dryer!
If you are a DVC member, you must provide your own detergent (or buy it from housekeeping – maybe in the Marketplace, too?) but tossing wet towels in the dryer goes a long way towards keeping them fresh and not needing to pay for more frequent towel supplies.
If you are not a DVC member, and get daily room service included, they will provide you with a box of Tide (good for an individual wash) each day. As well as detergent for the dishwasher.
Also, if a member of your party is in a wheelchair, that picnic table near Dunes Cove Pool has and extra overhang on one end to accommodate a person in a wheelchair.
Not sure how easy it is to get to that side currently. The table used to have the overhanging side closer to the walkway, making it easy.
I love the Mickey hot air balloon in the oil painting! I remember seeing the Mickey hot air balloon flying over WDW multiple times when I was kid on vacation with my family. The Donald Duck balloon was also cool. Those are the little things I miss about the Disney of the past.
Great blog as always!
Thank you so much for writing these blogs Jack! They are some of my absolute favorites on this website! =)