LEGOLAND Hotel Review: Winter Haven, Florida

Minifigures, kick-ass elevators and all the LEGOS you could ever dream of – Welcome to the new Legoland Hotel in Winter Haven, Florida.

We got to experience a two-night stay at the all new LEGOLAND Hotel Florida, situated right at the entrance of LEGOLAND Florida Resort. Staying at the hotel puts a whole new spin on your family’s LEGOLAND visit, now you have the option of extending your LEGOLAND adventure so you can have an even more enjoyable experience! We traveled to LEGOLAND in 2012 and were a tad disappointed – especially with the fact that we missed out on the waterpark. But now with the hotel, you have more options for family fun! Whether you’re four or forty-four, you’re going to LOVE everything about this new hotel. It has certainly added some WOW factor to the LEGOLAND Resort! This hotel is a dream come true for kids ages 2-12.

Upon entering, kids will be greeted by a huge green dragon atop the main entrance that snorts smoke out of its LEGO nostrils every half hour. As you step foot into the main lobby of the five-story, 152 room LEGOLAND Hotel, your eyes will pop and your mouth will drop. There is so much to see – so many vibrant, bright primary colors and a wide open area where children can build, create, and then place their creations on display for all to see. It’s a LEGO-lovers dream! Don’t miss the amazing wall of minifigs, boasting over 5,000 minifigures on the wall behind the front desk, along with a bicycling LEGO man who’s ready to surf! The kids will be blown away by the huge pit of LEGO bricks, providing tons of building fun that surely keeps them occupied during check-in!

There are LEGO surprises everywhere you turn. Don’t miss the castle-themed play space just past the main lobby next to Brick’s Family Restaurant – the perfect place to hang out wind down while mom and dad grab a drink from the Skyline Lounge. Everything is wide open and nearby to make it easy to keep tabs on the kids while the adults get to have fun too. There’s even nightly children’s entertainment – shows, story time and more! The whole lobby is designed with families in mind. Don’t forget to sign up for a LEGO building class with a master builder! What a treat! Parents and kids alike will enjoy the building class more than you could ever imagine! Such a neat experience!

This hotel has the coolest elevators we’ve ever seen in our entire lives. You simply cannot ride these bad boys without boogie-ing down with the family. The doors close, the lights are out, there’s a spinning disco ball and you’re jamming out to YMCA or We Are Family. Best. Elevators. Ever! Oh and don’t forget to pounce on that woopie cushion on the floor! So well done.

The rooms – let’s get to it. LEGOLAND Hotel Florida is the only Legoland Hotel to offer FOUR themed rooms! We loved our Pirate room! Guests can choose from PIRATE, ADVENTURE, KINGDOM and the all-new LEGO FRIENDS! Each room is equipped with a KING bed for the big people and a private sleeping area for up to three kids. The kids will love their bunks, pull out trundle bed and TV – EVERYTHING IS AWESOME in these rooms. Each room comes with Legos to play with and a welcome treasure hunt with LEGO prize! In addition, each room has two hi-def flat panel TV’s, a mini-fridge and coffee maker, wi-fi access.  Hotel guests even get early entry access to the park before it’s open to the public! There are PREMIUM THEMED ROOMS if you’re looking for even more Lego decor in the rooms, but I’d say it’s not worth the extra cost. If you really want to do it up, you can book a VIP SUITE with the AWESOME VIP EXPERIENCE or the ULTIMATE VIP EXPERIENCE. These rooms are HUGE! The VIP Suites can hold up to nine people, with a living room, pull out sofa, giant bathroom, kids’ play area and 3 flat panel TV’s. You’ll also get an in-room character breakfast, valet parking and a private workshop with a master builder.

Brick’s Family Restaurant is also well-done, offering plenty of healthy options for the kids and grown ups at their giant buffet, which is all at kid-height! The food was surprisingly delicious and we LOVED the huge word searches at the table for the kids. The chef also creates evolving meals using local, fresh flavors with plenty of choices for all. Kids three and under eat free and breakfast is included as a part of your stay at the Legoland Hotel.

Legoland Hotel Awesome VIP Experience:

• Breakfast at Brick’s
• Single Day Admission into the park
• VIP host escort around the park
• VIP lanyard
• priority access to rides and attractions
• exclusive tours of the Secret Model Shop
• Legoland Florida gift bag
• lunch and snacks
• complimentary photo
• unlimited digital photograph package for the day
• evening turn-down service
• dinner at Brick’s
• VIP pool bag
• private master builder experience

Legoland Hotel Ultimate VIP Experience:

• all of the treats mentioned above PLUS:
• a LEGO-themed iPad for your use during your stay
• in-room check-in
• in-room character breakfast
• evening turn down with a bedtime story

The outdoor area of the property is also a gem, situated on Lake Eloise. Be sure to grab an adult beverage from the Skyline Lounge and venture out into the gardens to sit by the fire pit while the kids make S’mores.

Don’t forget to visit the outdoor pool area and splash pad. After a few hours of rides and attractions, the pool was the perfect place to cool down and relax before dinner. The pool is full of, you guessed it, floating Lego pieces that you can build with! If only they were available for purchase – loved the floating Legos – costs the hotel about $20 per piece – I had to ask!

This hotel will blow your kids’ minds! From the themed rooms, to the main lobby, to the biggest VIP SUITES I have ever seen (HOLY BATHROOMS!) you are going to want to stay two nights. This place really is AWESOME! You’ll love the attention to detail! Thank you LEGOLAND!

Legoland Hotel is located just a little bit over an hour’s drive from Orlando International Airport (MCO). Check in time is at 4pm and check out time is at 11am. It’s a great option for families of little ones who are venturing off on a family vacation to the Orlando area who are looking for something different than Disney World – our little boys, ages 4 and 6 at the time of this trip, truly had a blast even in the May heat. We loved spending day two at LEGOLAND Waterpark – don’t miss it! Be sure to check the Waterpark hours before you go – we were bummed to see it closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during some periods of the year.

Disclosure: We received a complimentary two night stay as the first guests of LEGOLAND HOTEL on the East Coast. We received park hopper passes and meals for the family as part of the Grand Opening Media Stay.