My husband and I are frequent travelers, and we have just added a new favorite to our list – Ginn Reunion Resort. Ginn is pronounced with a soft G, as in “Guinness” – named after the founder Bobby Ginn.

The resort is part of a huge complex that stretches for miles with a hotel, multiple golf courses, a water park, and owner occupied homes. We traveled as a party of 4 adults and a 7 month old baby. We decided to rent a 3 bedroom house in the deluxe category with private pool, and were assigned to 1103 Watson Court. What a spectacular house!

The main gate has 24 hour security. Upon arrival, we were given a pass to put in the window of our car so that we had access to come and go as we pleased. Check in was at the main building, and was very smooth.

The House

- We heard that all homes are individually owned, but centrally rented out by Ginn Reunion. So keep in mind that our description below is for the house that we stayed at. They must have common standards, but could be personalized differently based on the owners.

-The house was 2nd to the end on a cul-de-sac and was perfectly quiet for a good night’s sleep. The house had a 2 car garage, which was really convenient to keep the car cool in Florida’s summer heat. The key to the front door was a key card, just like a hotel. Just inside the foyer was a lovely mosaic surrounded by tile floors. The first room, off to the right, was a study with a desk, internet connection, small flat screen TV, and a pullout sofa. On the left-hand side of the hallway was a laundry room with a full size washer and dryer, a large utility sink, iron and ironing board, and an entrance to the garage. The hotel provided two single-usage packs of Tide detergent.

- The hallway led to a spectacular open kitchen with granite countertops and all the basic appliances – refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, and coffee maker. The cabinets were stocked with all of the dishes, pots, pans, and utensils that one needs for meals. In fact, we cooked pancakes for breakfast and grilled burgers for dinner, and didn’t need to supply anything but the food. Ginn Reunion supplied a small Palmolive dish soap and sponge, and the maids ran the dishwasher for us each day.

- The dining room table was next to the kitchen and had seating for 8 people. Beyond the dining area was an open great room that had a sofa, chairs, a TV, and a fireplace. We also found another wired internet connection in the living room. The living room had a door that opened onto a back patio overlooking a nature preserve and a golf course in the distance.

- Off to the side, behind the living room, was a bedroom and full bath. The room had a king sized bed, ample closet space and a shower/tub combination in the bath. The floor was carpeted.

- The bedroom, as well as the living/dining area, both had entrances to a small private outdoor swimming pool / Jacuzzi. The pool was surrounded by a patio with an outdoor table, chairs, and lounge chairs. There was also a large gas grill. The pool was small in size, but still comfortable for floating around and relaxing. The Jacuzzi had seating for 4 people. Note that the pool was not heated, which was fine in June but might have been cold in the winter. We also couldn’t find a net to clean out the pool, but when we called the front desk to inquire, they sent someone to clean it for us.

- Upstairs, the master bedroom was spacious and comfortable, with hardwood floors, a king sized bed, large closet, desk, and a TV on a stand with dresser drawers. The bed had a Simmons mattress and was extremely comfortable. The private bathroom was spectacular, with a Jacuzzi tub, glass enclosed shower with stone floor, a toilet, and two separate sinks. The bedroom had 2 ceiling fans! Just outside the bedroom was an entrance to a 2nd story balcony (above the patio) with a table and chairs and a nice view.

- Also upstairs was a wet bar and lounge area with super-comfy leather chairs that reclined flat and a game table. The wet bar had a sink, small refrigerator, and counter space to prepare snacks.

- Behind that area was a 3rd bedroom with double bed, carpeted floors, a TV, a large closet, and a full bath with a shower / tub combination.

- We requested a crib for our son. The hotel had forgotten to set it up for our arrival, but delivered a Pack-and-Play promptly after we phoned them. Note that it came w/ a regular bed sheet, not a fitted crib sheet. We were worried about this, but after wrapping the sheet tightly around the pad at the bottom of the crib, it stayed tightly for the 6 nights that we spent at the hotel.

- The home appeared to be furnished by an interior decorator, as the theme of wood, wicker, and leather was tastefully established throughout the home, and all of the furniture appeared to be top quality. Having stayed at many 5 star hotels, the furniture was definitely on par.

- Our house was cleaned daily, just like a hotel room. We did have some minor issues with the times that the maids came. Two days, they came quite early in the morning (before 10am) before we left for the day, and we asked them to return later. They then returned quite late in the day (after 5pm), and we ended up sitting around the house waiting for them to finish cleaning. None of the maids spoke English, so it was difficult to communicate what we wanted.

The Water Park

Perhaps our favorite part of Ginn Reunion was the water park. The complex is open only to resort guests and golf club members, so it wasn’t overcrowded and we easily found lounge chairs both days that we went. The lazy river was so much fun, we doubt that we’ll be satisfied with a “normal” pool again!! The resort provided tubes (including a child’s tube that our 7 month old baby could use with supervision) to float around. The current was strong enough that you literally could let it take you around in circles. The course had several waterfalls, twists, and turns to keep it interesting. Off to the side of the lazy river, but connected, was a “regular pool” area with a gradual entrance where small children could play with their families. And in the center of the lazy river was a water slide for use by older children and adults, We loved the slide, and saw everyone from 5 year olds to grandmothers making use. About 20 feet away from the lazy river area was a dedicated children’s facility with lots to hold their attention – 2 water slides, stairs to climb, rigging (like on a ship), ropes to swing on, and random sprays / splashes of water at unexpected moments. Everyone seemed to be having fun. And there were lifeguards throughout.

We also ordered food at the pool. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sandwiches, which were freshly made and tasty.

The Main Hotel Building

At the main hotel building, we also saw a rooftop lap pool on the 11th floor. It had great views, and would probably be better suited than the water park for people looking to get exercise via swimming laps. The 11th floor also had an indoor Asian fusion tapas bar that looked really cool, although we didn’t try.

We dined twice at Forte, the American steak and seafood house on the main floor. The short rib special was excellent, and the light and tasty Chilean sea bass also deserves a mention. And the service was attentive – the manager helped us select a wine, and the waiters remembered what we had ordered previously despite 4 nights in between visits. Be forewarned – the prices are reminiscent of NY.

We were able to walk from our house to the main hotel building by cutting across one of the golf courses. The walk was very scenic, with beautiful flowers, trees dripping with Spanish moss, and manicured greens. Unfortunately, we don’t golf so we can’t comment on the courses from that perspective, but they looked quite nice. We were on the lookout for wildlife, and saw deer, rabbits, a variety of birds, and cute little lizards.

Note that the resort is tipless and cashless, so use your keycard for everything.

The hotel has ~8 concierge staff members in place to help answer your questions or make arrangements. They contacted us in advance of arrival to ask if they could help, and also greeted us to see if we had questions while sitting in the lobby.

The complex is so large that the resort offers a complementary shuttle van to pick you up and drop you off anywhere within the complex. And when my father forgot his hat at the restaurant, the staff delivered the hat directly to our home within minutes of us placing a call to the restaurant. Great service!

During our stay, we chatted with several members of the staff at both the water park and the lobby / front door. Everyone commented that Ginn Reunion was a great place to work – it’s always a good sign when the employees are happy.

The Surrounding Neighborhood

Outside the complex, we found a Dunkin Donuts and CVS just a block down the road. A Publix is being built across the street, but for now, there is another Publix supermarket at Championsgate, about 1.5 miles down the road near Rt. 4. We also grabbed a late night bite at Chile’s restaurant in Championsgate, which was bustling even at 10pm.

We drove from the resort to both Disney World and Epcot. It was about 6 miles to the main gates using the back road alongside Dunkin Donuts, or slightly longer on the main highway. Either way was easy to drive.


In summary, we loved coming back to such a beautiful home each night, and found it very easy to get around the sights that we planned to see. The resort’s facilities were quite relaxing. We could not have asked more from our vacation.

So book at Ginn Reunion and enjoy!!!