Let’s Discuss Booking Options at Saratoga Springs Resort

Sometimes, you just want to stretch out and enjoy all the amenities at a Disney Vacation Club Resort. Well, when you want a resort that covers a massive amount of real estate, you know where to go. Let’s discuss the booking options at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Let’s Talk about the Preferred Room Type

The first important topic is deciding your Room Type. In a way, that’s the most vital booking option of all. Where you stay will impact all facets of your trip, and DVC knows this. 

After more than a decade of building/room requests, DVC officials finally added a new booking option. Now, you must choose between Standard and Preferred rooms. The only Room Type that doesn’t require this choice is the vaunted Treehouse Villa, which we’ll discuss at the end.

DVC splits Saratoga Springs into five sections. Three of them are the Standard options, and they are The Carousel, The Grandstand, and The Paddock. 

The other options represent the Preferred category. When you book this Room Type, you’ll stay in either Congress Park or The Springs. By evaluating a resort map, you’ll appreciate the value of Preferred. The Springs area provides you with quick access to the hotel lobby and many of its most popular amenities.

Congress Park comes with something you may consider an even better benefit. This area of the resort resides closest to Disney Springs. So, you can conveniently walk to the entertainment complex. Only you can decide whether these convenient locations justify spending a few DVC Points more per night. Personally, I find it worthwhile, but I like staying close to hotel lobbies as a rule.

Let’s Talk about the Studios

You’ll love the efficiency of the standard Studios at Saratoga Springs. The rooms possess the familiar long rectangular pattern of many DVC Studios. 

You enter the room, and you immediately notice the kitchenette on one side. As usual, this area features a microwave, coffee maker, mini-fridge, plates, glasses, and utensils. 

Across from this area is a bathroom with a dressing area with a single sink. The bathroom also has a shower tub with a detachable shower head. The single sink is a sticking point for some guests since the room sleeps up to four guests. 

The rest of the room is a pure delight, though. It’s a bright space that will warm you with its comfort and charm. Since the resort’s theme is horse racing, some minimalist pictures tell a quick story about Disney at the tracks. 

You’ll find a queen-sized bed and a wall pulldown standard-sized bed above a loveseat. The bed and loveseat both face the television console. So, it’s a tidy, efficient space. 

Let’s Talk about the One-Bedroom Villas

You’ll get more bang for your buck with the One-Bedroom Villa, as these suites are more than twice the size of the Studios. When you glance at the DVC Points Chart, you’ll notice that they’re priced perfectly for the extra space. 

The One-Bedroom Villas cover 714 square feet of space, sleep five, and offer superior bedding. A king-sized bed is standard, and the pulldown here is queen-sized. So, these suites are more viable for larger traveling parties. 

You also gain two additional benefits: a full-sized kitchen and a washer-dryer unit. As a reminder, DVC guests always have free access to the hotel’s washer/dryer room. When you ask at the hotel lobby, they’ll even throw in some detergent. Still, some DVC members prefer doing laundry in the comfort of their own hotel room. So, this is a nice amenity.

As for the kitchen, it includes a dining room with a lovely oblong dinner table. The kitchen itself is square-shaped and features a full-sized oven and refrigerator. 

The pulldown isn’t the only hidden bed, either. Under the television, you’ll find a console that opens to reveal a bed. It also hides a delightful mural of Goofy reading while he lazily jockeys a racehorse. These are the Disney touches we all crave. 

Let’s Talk about the Two- and Three-Bedroom Villas

Disney offers three other types of Villas. Two of them are fairly conventional, so I won’t focus on them as much as usual. 

The Two-Bedroom Villa includes a sizable 1,070 square feet of space and sleeps up to nine guests…and comfortably at that. Here’s an official Disney video highlighting its look and style:

You’ll find one king bed, two queens, a queen-sized pull-down, and a single pull-down hidden under the television. Both pull-downs reveal delightful murals. Also, the two bedrooms and the living include large HDTVs.  

The Three-Bedroom Villa is absolutely decadent, as this video shows:

These gigantic suites feature 2,113 square feet of space and sleep up to 12. This is the kind of gathering spot you’d love to share with loved ones on a vacation. You’ll be together, but the rooms and hang-out areas are so spread out that you’ll never feel claustrophobic. 

I’ll add that these suites cost more than twice as much as the Two-Bedroom Villas. So, they may be overkill for many travelers. However, if you have the DVC Points to spend, you’ll love staying here for a few nights. Still, many DVC enthusiasts favor a different booking option.

Let’s Talk about the Treehouse Villas

The Treehouse Villas are without question some of the most unique hotel rooms in the DVC catalog. DVC Fan recently recorded a video of these suites, and the video should provide a good idea of what to expect:

These are the proverbial cabins in the woods. They’re octagonal modular residences on stilts. You’ll walk up some stairs to enter the building, noting a lovely sitting area on the outside deck.

Once you enter a Treehouse Villa, you’ll quickly forget the outside world exists. These are Three-Bedroom suites overflowing jaw-dropping amenities and a distinct rustic style. 

Much of the décor highlights reclaimed wood. So, the pieces are unique and attention-grabbing. The living room is larger than most DVC facilities. That’s a stylistic choice as a destination area for the hotel guests to bond in a remote setting.

This living room features a picnic-style dining room table, a sitting chair, a loveseat, a lounger, and a bar with stools. You can legitimately have more than ten guests here for a party, as there’s plenty of room to entertain. Some of them would eventually have to go since these suites only sleep nine, but it’d be a fun day. 

The remote setting makes you forget about Disney when you’re not at the parks. These rooms are almost identical in size to the hotel’s Two-Bedroom Villas, which explains the DVC Points Chart. 

The Treehouse Villas cost more DVC Points per night than Two-Bedrooms, but they’re substantially less expensive than Grand Villas. DVC prices them this way because they’re 1,074 square feet, which is more in line with Two-Bedroom Villas. Also, the Grand Villas could potentially sleep three more guests. For this reason, many DVC members fantasize about staying in Treehouse Villas more than the Grand Villa. It’s more affordable for guests with moderate-sized contracts. 

For 40 weeks each year, a Treehouse Villa costs 339 points or less. During ten of those weeks, the charming standalone suites are 295 points or less. That’s less than a single night at a Bungalow or Copper Creek Cabin for an equally memorable Room Type. 

There’s a reason why fans rave about Treehouse Villas. These are one of DVC’s most magical Room Types.