I'd heard that staying at a LEGOLAND Florida hotel was a must for a little LEGO fans, and I couldn't wait to surprise our five-year-old son with a visit to the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat. I partnered with LEGOLAND Florida for a visit to their park and got to experience a night in one of their awesome hotels.
After a fun day at LEGOLAND Florida Park, nothing could be better than making the short walk back to your hotel or hopping on the shuttle for a very short ride back to your LEGOLAND Beach Retreat Bungalow. If you're familiar with Legoland Florida you know that there are two hotel options for you to choose from. The LEGOLAND Hotel is right at the entrance of the park and super convenient for families. This hotel has 152 guest rooms and has little surprises around every corner. Or, just a mile or so down the road is the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat with 83 individual beach-themed Bungalows, offering a total of 166 guest rooms.
We arrived at LEGOLAND Florida early in the morning before checking into the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat and were happy to hear that free parking is offered for hotel guests, even though he hadn't fully checked in yet. We were able to park fairly close to the park entrance and had just a short walk to start to our adventure. Be sure to check out the 5 things you shouldn't miss at LEGOLAND Florida before your visit!
LEGOLAND Beach Retreat
After our day in the park, we hopped in a car and about 1 mile down the road to the entrance of the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat. Unlike most hotels where you check-in at a front office, at the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat you check in at the booth at the gated entrance. We were assigned a bungalow and made our way over to the building.
LEGOLAND Beach Retreat is divided into 13 coves, each named after a LEGO Minifigure. Each section is painted a different bold color and has its own activity-led play area for your kids to enjoy. Each bungalow is set up so that there are two guest rooms attached under one roof. Each room has their own private entry and patio set so that you can sit out on your porch and enjoy the views and watch your kids play.
It's probably no surprise that our kids loved the decor of the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat. The rooms were bright with LEGO-themed murals and props on the walls. Our room came with one king bed in the central area, then behind a curtain was a set of twin bunk bed with a trundle bed underneath.
I love the fact that there is a trundle option under the bed. This way you can sleep at least five people in the room. Or, if you're like us and have two little ones, you can have one sleep in the bottom bunk and one sleep on the trundle so there's no risk of them falling off the top bunk at night. It was really a perfect set up for us.
In the kids' portion of the room was a set of DUPLO blocks, which was great for our kids. This set kept them busy and entertained while we unloaded our things and got situated.
The room had two complimentary bottles of water and two complementary Honest juice pack for the kids. There was a mini refrigerator, Keurig coffe makers and a safe in the room as well.
The next morning, we got up early to explore more of the Beach Retreat. Paved walkways weave through with the resort. Which is perfect for an early morning or evening walk to explore the grounds.
As I mentioned earlier, in the middle of each cove is a playground for the kids. I seriously love this feature of the Beach Retreat. It's so nice for the kids to have a designated play area where you can keep an eye on them.
In the middle of the resort is the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is home to Sandy's Castle Restaurant, Brick's Beach Bar, Palm Tree Traders retail store and a giant sandcastle-themed LEGO building area for kids. The lighthouse gets lit every night and there is a Hotel Pajama Party in the Castle Play Area. The Lighthouse is also where all activities would be held in case of inclement weather.
When you enter the Lighthouse you'll see Brick's Beach Bar and Sandy's Castle Restaurant. Complimentary breakfast is offered each morning for guests from 7:30 AM to 10 AM.
Breakfast is served buffet style and there are TONS of options. Breakfast burritos, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, fruit, you name it and they have it.
The serving area and the eating area was immaculate and the staff was super helpful. Set off in the corner is an area for kids to play, which included a large LEGO brick Sandcastle.
The sandcastle is totally impressive and houses tons of loose LEGO bricks for kids to play with. My kids wasted no time eating their breakfast so they could play.
The Sandcastle play area also has a chalkboard, a DUPLO building wall, and a magnetic LEGO Minifigure dress-up wall.
The play area was super clean and my little guys made a few new friends while we were there. After breakfast time, the restaurant area has a full offering for lunch and dinner.
Also within the lighthouse was a gift shop where you could purchase all sorts of Lego sets and merchandise. Whether you needed sunscreen, an extra bathing suit, or flip-flops, this store has got you covered.
Outside of the Lighthouse is poolside access to the bar and restaurant and a seating area. And, speaking of the pool... it's AMAZING.
The pool has tons of oversized floating LEGO bricks to build and have fun with. There is an ample amount of lounge chairs and umbrellas so adult and bigger kids can relax. There are lifeguards on duty and the pool hours are from 9 AM to 9 PM. I took these photos first thing in the morning so I wouldn't capture photos of people and their children in their bathing suits.
There's a sandy beach area and a large playground for the kids too.
While we were there, we also visited LEGOLAND Hotel to have dinner with some friends that were staying there. We went to the Bricks Family Restaurant and had a great dinner.
The restaurant is set up buffet style and there are so many options to choose from. There is a section for the kids with kid-friendly foods like macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, pasta, and fruit. There were also tons of options for adults (and for kids who aren't as picky as mine!).
Right outside the restaurant is a lobby area with a huge pirate ship and several spots for creative play. There's plenty of seating right across from the ship for parents to relax while their kids have a ball.
There's also a large bar area where adults can get beverages and cocktails. And, I totally took advantage of the great wine offerings!
At 8 PM sharp the real fun begins. A dance party broke out in the main lobby of LEGOLAND Hotel and my son went nuts (YMCA just happens to be his JAM!). The people directing the dance party were fantastic and they were even characters around for kids to interact with.
Compared to the LEGOLAND Hotel, the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat seemed a little more laid-back and quiet. It was a great choice for our family and we felt like we had plenty of space in our bungalow.
We had such a great stay that we hated to leave the next morning. We're hoping to go back for a longer stretch of time in the upcoming months to explore even more of the park and LEGOLAND Florida properties. We also really want to visit the LEGOLAND Florida Water Park. The kids had a fantastic time and it was so much more laid-back and relaxed than other theme park trips we've taken.
If you're traveling to Orlando and want to visit LEGOLAND Florida, they've got a LEGOLAND Florida shuttle service that I wanted to mention. It's only $5 per person and picks up guests at 9 AM and brings them back at the park closing time. Visit the LEGLOLAND Florida website for more details and to plan your next vacation
Check out my post about 5 things not to miss at LEGOLAND Florida
Mia says
What a perfect place for kids to have a super time. So many fun things to do and keep busy. The room décor is so wonderful that any kid would have a blast.
Cathy Jarolin says
This Legoland Beach Retreat is awesome. Somewhere we would love to bring our Grandchildren. They all love legos and they would go crazy there. My Husband and I would enjoy watching them play. I could stay with them all day .. Thank You for sharing this awesome place...
Jessi Housel says
I had no idea that this existed! It looks so cool and I'm sure my kids would love it too. I'll have to look more into this. Thanks for sharing!
Amber Ludwig says
Oooh what a magical place!! I can imagine my Lego lover being just totally blown away by everything there!! I love the fine detail to all the gorgeous lego construction!!
Keri Glennie says
Is there a certain location of the bungalows that is better then others and if so could you tell me which ones? We are about to book a few days over Christmas to surprise our boys.
Ruth V. says
The bungalows are pretty evenly spread out, and none of them are super far from the Lighthouse, so you should be good wherever you land 🙂