Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Orlando, Florida

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By Roger Cox, Editor

The former site of ATP and WTA tournaments—Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, and Martina Navratilova all competed here—the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress stands out as one of the premier resort tennis destinations in the greater Walt Disney World orbit. Its tennis complex—eight Har-Tru and four hard courts, one of the latter bleacherable as a stadium—borders Lake Windsong at one edge of the 1,500-acre property, a free shuttle ride or 10-minute stroll from the 750-room hotel. It's just 8 miles from the Magic Kingdom (even less to EPCOT Center and some of the other theme parks), but this quiet retreat among the trees and jasmine offers a respite from all of that.
The resort as a whole is both a place to be active and to relax. The hotel's 18-story tower rises above an 850,000-gallon swimming pool that meanders around a man-made rocky outcrop from which spill some dozen waterfalls. There are hot tubs scattered about, including at least one atop the outcrop, while a grotto within the rocks holds a well-equipped fitness center. Off to one side a beach borders the lake, explorable on kayaks, paddleboats, standup paddleboards, and Sunfish, while a 9-hole pitch-and-putt golf course heads off in the direction of the tennis courts. If after any of this you need a massage or salon services, they're available at the Marilyn Monroe Spa just off the hotel lobby. Finally, guests also have access to 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus golf and a gold academy at the Grand Cypress Golf Club and villa accommodations at Grand Cypress Resort a shuttle ride away.

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Lynn Bottger, who's from Massachusetts and played tennis for Bowdoin College in Maine (her degrees were education and psychology), has taught at Grand Cypress since 1990. What comes across, when you neet her, is her genuine love of helping people improve. "I've always enjoyed teaching," she told me, not surprising given her background in education. "You can see the lights going off."
She and her staff manage a dozen courts—8 clay and 4 Decoturf II—one of them a stadium, 5 with lights, and all individually fenced. Game matching has a high priority (there are locals to draw on if other hotel or villa guests aren't available) as are private and semi-private lessons, several clinics or drills each week, a social—and generally well attended—weekend round robin, and an individually tailored tennis academy. The facility also hosts the National 90s Hardcourt Championships each April.

Ratings (139 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Tennis Staff Instruction	Game Matching Junior Tennis	Cuisine Lodging Spa & Fitness	Dollar Value Other Recreation Setting	Kids' Programs Romance Solo Travelers
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Ratings ( 139 Reviewers)
Lodging Kids' Programs	Cuisine Romance	Solo Travelers	Other Recreation Dollar Value	Spa & Fitness
Villas Ratings ( 2 Reviewers)
Lodging	Cuisine Romance	Solo Travelers	Other Recreation Dollar Value	Spa & Fitness

Ratings (139 Reviewers)
Tennis Overall Instruction Cuisine Dollar Value Setting Romance Kids' Programs	Tennis Staff Game Matching Junior Tennis Lodging Spa & Fitness Other Recreation Solo Travelers
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Ratings ( 139 Reviewers)
Lodging Other Recreation Setting Romance Dollar Value	Cuisine Spa & Fitness Kids' Programs Solo Travelers
Villas Ratings ( 2 Reviewers)
Lodging Other Recreation Setting Romance Dollar Value	Cuisine Spa & Fitness Solo Travelers

Other Recreation

Golf Courses. Grand Cypress Resort has 45 holes of golf—the North, South, and East nines and what's being called the New Course, an 18-hole layout reminiscent of Scottish links—all designed by Jack Nicklaus. It also Grand Cypress Golf Academy, with three holes that Nicklaus laid out specifically for instruction, practice, and play.

Spa & Fitness Center. The Marilyn Monroe Spa, located just off the hotel lobby, has seven treatment rooms and a salon. The fitness center, meanwhile, occupies an unusual location in a grotto in the rocky outcop in the pool. Though there is minimal natural light there but it is otherwise well-equipped.

And ... There are jogging paths and bike trails around the property, and a 21-acre lake with a man-made beach.

Children's Programs

Camp Hyatt entertains kids age 3 to 12, daily in summer, on weekends from Labor Day to Memorial Day.

Lodging

Accommodations at the Hyatt range from guestrooms with private balconies and lake, pool, or garden views to VIP suites. Villa lodging ranges from 750-square-foot Club Suites with a master bedroom and separate living room with pullout sofa all the way up to fully-equipped four-bedroom villas.

Restaurants

Apart from a small market with grab-and-go items and Starbucks coffee, the two principal dining outlets are LakeHouse, a soaring, multi-windowed space serving locally sourced fare and sushi, and Hemingway's, a steak and seafood restaurant with sepia photos of the author on the walls and views of the lake.

See Also

If the Grand Cypress Resort appeals to you, also check out:

• JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, California
• Naples Grande Beach Resort, Florida
• Wintergreen Resort, Virginia

Rates and Reservations

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
1 Grand Cypress Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32836

The Villas of Grand Cypress

Options range from Club Suites to 4-bedroom villas.  See their website for a complete overview of layouts and rates.

Villas of Grand Cypress
One North Jacaranda
Orlando, FL 32836

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Year-round.

Travel Instructions. The hotel is 18 miles from Orlando International Airport (MCO).

General Tourist Information. For general information about travel in this part of Florida, visit the Visit Orlando website or contact by phone at 407-363-5872 or 800-972-3304.