Solterra resort

[eddiethorne]

Hi all, has any of you stayed at solterra resort? We have a holiday booked there next july/august and was wondering if I could get input, what is the journey to disney and universal like? Closest shops and restaurants and impression of the clubhouse/pool as we are thinking of using it for a relax day as there will be 12 of us and the villa pool might be a bit small for all of us at once.

[Lindaelaine]

I can only comment on the resort itself, we stayed there last July/August but didn't do any of the parks.
We were a party of 4 adults and 2 teenagers but had 3 family members who happened to be staying nearby at the same time so they visited us at Solterra on a couple of occasions meaning there was sometimes 9 of us using the clubhouse/pool facilities.
We enjoyed our stay and it was nice to have our own villa pool and also the resort pool facilities, the lazy river was really nice, there was a slide into the main pool, also a volley ball area which we used several times. there were a few shaded areas ( cabanas ) that got snapped up quickly, they were free to use. more chance of getting one if you get down their early and during the week rather than weekend.
The pool area was busier at weekends but the 9 of us still managed to get sun loungers.
Free coffee machine for use down there, usual snack foods which were a bit pricey but that's expected. we sometimes took our own snack food down there or a couple of us nipped back to the villa made some hot dogs and took them back down for the others .
It's a nice resort, we would eat out at our usual haunts but we weren't doing the parks so didn't worry about distance to the restaurants, I'm a passenger so didn't take much notice on how far places were but traffic was quite busy at certain times so we would try and eat early to avoid rush hour if possible.
We went with my daughters family so I will let her know about this thread as she will be more clued up answering any other questions you may have 😊

[2point]

We stopped there in December. I tried to use the pool but the code I had wouldn't work on the gate so can't comment on that.

Distance was a bit of a problem. If there was no traffic then 20 mins or so to Disney, but the I4 around there was usually rammed, so getting up to Universal wasn't straightforward. There were two occasions when all the back roads were clogged up due an accident on the I4.

We wouldn't stop there again due to the inconsistency of the travel times. We'll stick to Windsor Hills/Palms from now on.

[2point]

The local restaurants we used were First Watch for breakfast and Millers Ale House for dinner. Both were at Champions Gate, only a few minutes away.

[tiggers friend]

We've not stayed on Solterra, but have stayed at a number of communities along the Ronald Reagan Parkway. As 2point says the traffic on the I4 has become problematical over the last few years, but from Solterra you could go north on Old Lake Wilson Road up to the 192 (about 15-20 mins) and head to the parks from there. In an evening OLW can be very busy going south though.

There are many restaurants along the 192 so you will not be short of choice.

As an alternative the Ovation Bistro on US27 is accessible via Pine Tree Trail and Ernie Caldwell Boulevard, about a 10 minute drive.

[mrsmickey]

We stayed there in summer 2018. It’s pretty close to champions gate and the restaurants there, or you can go up old lake Wilson road to publix, Walmart and a few stores round there.

For Disney, Definitely avoid the I4 when going to the parks. Use old lake Wilson road and the 192; if the 192 east is super busy you can take a cheeky back route on the 192 on sherbeth road to animal kingdom and round the Disney estate. You’ll have to suck up the I4 for universal and it can take some time if you hit it wrong.

We really liked the resort itself, the pool area was lovely although did get a little crowded with locals who had the code at weekends so hopefully they’ve cut this back now.

[DurhamGirl]

We own on Solterra. There is a lot of choice for eating out close to the resort with the nearest restaurants are just down the road at Champions Gate with a good selection including Millers, Chillis, Red Peppers, Red Robin, Pandora, Wendys etc. There's a pizzaria (Dulcetto), an Asian restaurant (Blue Coast). in the other direction is Posner Park with a few retail outlets (currently expanding) and a Cinepolis Cinema.

As other's have said the I4 can be very busy at times. We always aim to leave the villa by 8am if we are travelling to the parks and the majority of time its 20-25 mins to Disney and 30 -35 mins to Universal.

Depending on the size and the style of your Villa, some of the pools and decks are generous, so we don't often use the Resort pool which can be busy on weekends. I'd recommend buying your own pool ring for the lazy river !

Yvonne

[eddiethorne]

Thank you all for the replies, I will keep the journey in mind. We will most probably leave a bit earlier than normal.

[tiggers friend]

Originally Posted by eddiethorne

Thank you all for the replies, I will keep the journey in mind. We will most probably leave a bit earlier than normal.

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If you are happy with your choice of villa I wouldn't be put off. That whole area is very nice and the traffic can be managed with a bit of thought.