Mona Lisa Suite Hotel

Spacious suites ideally located for an excellent price.

POSITIVES: Four of us (two adult couples) rented one suite for five nights at the Mona Lisa in October 2009. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful, the rooms very clean and spacious, and the beds comfortable. I was worried from the pictures online that the rooms would be cramped, but it was just the opposite. The two-bedroom suite was twice as large as I expected it to be, and the bathrooms were huge! If you’re looking to save money by not staying at a Disney resort, this is the place to stay. Right off I-4, it’s a 10-15 minute drive from the various parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Universal, and Sea World). I personally loved the minimalist modern decor. NEGATIVES: The free continental breakfast leaves little to be desired and not worth the time and effort. The restaurant is very nice in terms of decor and service, but all you get is a drink and a basket of small, cold bread items (one tiny danish and one tiny crescent roll per person).

Some of the grocery stores are OUTRAGEOUSLY priced. By outrageous, I mean $6 for a medium-size box of cereal and $5 for a jar of peanut butter. If you’re driving in to Orlando and plan on eating any of your meals in the suite, buy what you can at home.

We traveled with another couple and it was nice to have our own room but still have an area to visit

We loved the pool area but only used it twice because of the heat. Our room was great although there were a few stains on the carpet. We loved having our own room but sharing the suite with friends. We explored the town of Celebration and found a great restaurant. Market Street Cafe. What a refreshing break from Disney food. Affordable but very good food. The location of the hotel was very convenient, taking only about 5 minutes to get to any Disney property. We didn’t use the shuttle but were still charged for it, I think they should alter that policy. It was a great vacation and we would stay at the Mona Lisa suites again.

Traveler's tip on dining

Make sure and visit the town of Celebration, it is a remarkable little place. The food at the Market Street Cafe was great and so affordable. We ate there twice and would have done more but found it too late in our stay!!!

Suitable...but a little cold

This hotel was quite beautiful, but I don’t think I would go back. I was in Orlando for a conference, and all of the rooms at Gaylord Palms were sold out - The Mona Lisa was my next choice. I had an issue in my room, because the water line to the washer/dryer combo was leaking, so a five foot patch of carpet was soaked in the living room area. I was a bit surprised the staff didn’t offer to move me to another room. Instead, they brought up this industrial sized blower to dry out the carpet, and told me to leave it running whenever I wasn’t there. What?!? The hotel was quite clean, but rooms are not convenient to the parking lot. I had quite the hike from my car to the elevators, and with a lot of luggage...that wasn’t easy. Overall, it is a clean place to stay and the beds were nice. Free Wi-Fi is great, too. I do, however, think there are many hotels that are much nicer in that area.