Diamond Resorts Polynesian Isles Resort

Orlando, Florida, USA downtown cityscape over the highway.

This resort is in Kissimmee, Florida. As I have said before, I love Polynesian culture and all things Tiki. I do not really understand the attraction to Tiki things. Maybe it was some early childhood movie or the feeling that I had when traveling with my family and staying in some Polynesian-themed resorts.

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Day One Travel & Arrival Diamond Resorts Polynesian Isles Resort

I am going to the old school on this trip. Driving down I95 from Virginia and then going to some places in and around Orlando that I remember from many years ago.

So this means on this trip I will be skipping the major theme parks and checking out some of the other attractions in and around Orlando as well. In my early years, when I first made this drive down by myself, I would drive without stopping or only stop for a nap at a rest stop on the way. When my money was leaner in those days, I did not want to spend the equivalent of $100 on a hotel room on the way down. Now I usually stop around South Carolina or the Northern Border of Florida. I often stop in Jacksonville because the older hotels out by the airport are inexpensive, clean, and pretty safe.

That stops the night before my check-in keeps the first leg of the drive to about 10-11 hours depending on traffic, and the second leg of the journey is then less than 4 hours which means I will still have enough energy after I get to the resort to do something when I arrive other than just sleep.

Door to door, I think the entire drive down to the resort was about 13 hours, which is not bad. I only ran into traffic when I got to Florida. So, resting the night before in Jacksonville made sure I was fresh in the traffic.

This resort has great drive-up appeal or sidewalk appeal if that is a better way to phrase it. Even if your brain does not fire off-island music for you as soon as you see Polynesian Architecture like mine seems to do, you will like the look.

If this resort’s theme does not relax, you, anything will. Inside the main building, check-in was a breeze, and the staff was lovely to deal with. The resort offers both 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom options. I chose the 1 bedroom and was happy I did.

The 1 bedroom is giant at over 1200 sq ft. The larger 2-bedroom villas are over 1,300 sq ft. which is a ton of space. Each comes with a full kitchen and all you need to cook or entertain. Both the 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom villas have 2 full baths which are nice and rare to see.

Regardless of who you are with on your trip, not having to fight over a bathroom is a convenience for sure. I do remember many great vacations where that was not an option. The time was still great, but waiting for someone to take a shower or something when you had to go is not fun.

Recent Reviews

We were very happy with the accommodations and pleasantly surprised with the very reasonable price. (One warning for the building we stayed in: we were on the second floor, and there was no elevator.) I’m quite sure we could have had a ground-floor unit if needed. The 2 bedroom unit was updated, very spacious, and clean. We were there just before Memorial weekend and the entire complex was very quiet. Parking was plentiful. Everyone we dealt with was friendly and helpful. We had a problem within a few minutes of entering the unit and called the front desk. Within 5 minutes, maintenance was there to take care of the problem. It is a five-minute drive to the entrance road to Disney World, and there are many restaurants close by. We would definitely stay there again.

We really enjoyed our stay here while visiting the theme parks for a week. It’s essentially an apartment with everything you need. The fully stocked kitchen was the best part. The grounds are well-kept. It was always peacefully quiet, and there are activities every day. We chose to just relax in our rental, after a long day at the parks. Will definitely return!

We were pleasantly surprised by this place. Our 2 bedroom unit was huge and very clean. The entire complex was very quiet, the pool was perfect and parking, no matter what time we pulled in day or night, was not an issue. Plus, everyone we dealt with was genuinely happy to help. Definitely will return here!

Great find! We loved staying here! We will start with the only con…. this is a timeshare place so after checking in you are sent to someone to try to get to go to a presentation, usually a no thank you will do but in this case we had to say it about 5 times before literally saying it for the last time and just walk out. Now for the pros….. Normal check-in is very nice, extremely friendly, and welcoming. The grounds are beautiful and well taken care of. We had a 1 bedroom, and it was HUGE!!! Very clean and has everything you need. We will definitely be back and plan to book again for February 2023.

Everything about this place is wonderful. The staff is super friendly and wants you to feel like you are at home. Rooms were spacious, and clean, and had everything needed to cook, or order from many local food deliveries. The pool was clean and friendly. 15-20 minute drive to most major attractions. I highly recommend this and will book this place if I ever back to the Orlando area.

We absolutely loved the resort, we felt so at home. It’s extremely clean, the kitchen has everything you might need; the rooms are spacious, there’s a shared laundry room on every floor and there’s an ironing board and all sorts of things in the flat. The resort organizes daily activities for the kids and the swimming pools are clean and lovely. Check-in and out were fast, and we genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere. We hope to be back soon!

Villa Amenities