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I'm far from an expert on the resorts at Disney World, as I have actually only stayed at two in my three visits so far. Those being Pop Century, on my very first visit (June, 2008) and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa on my second and third visits, (December 2008 and 2009 respectively.)

As I write this article, Cindy and I have reserved another stay at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa for a week in July, 2010.

We're going to have a magical gathering, so we've reserved a 2-bedroom suite, while Jon and Julie have reserved one of the Tree House Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Now, if you read any of the other articles, you may already know that we are Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members, and our 'Home' resort is actually Bay Lake Towers... Which we did originally reserve, but after more of our folks decided to come, we switched to Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa to accomodate more of us without killing our 'Points Budget'.

The Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa has the same amenities as the other deluxe resorts, but is so much more affordable, whether your paying cash or using points as a Disney Vacation Club member.

Our first stay (December, 2008) at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa was a big influence on our deciding to become DVC members. We stayed in The Springs section, and was actually across the street from the Carriage House, where both the Artist Palette (counter-service) and The Turf Club Bar & Grill (table-service) restaurants are located. The Spa and Fitness Center, one of the swimming pools and two hot tubs, were also just across the street from us.

The Turf Club Bar & Grill is on our Recommended Restaurants list.

Our second stay (December, 2009) was in The Grandstand section of the resort, and it was really nice. We could see the Grandstand's pool and hot tub from our veranda, and the original Disney World golf course, The Lake Buena Vista Golf Course, pretty much surrounded us.

Since Cindy was recovering from a broken foot, she was confined to a wheel chair, so it was a little more taxing to get to the main area (Carriage House) to eat, but it was only a couple minutes more, and because we were further away from the main area, I thought it seemed a little more quiet... maybe not... so far, all of Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa seemed more relaxing, but I can only compare it to the Pop Century Resort.

I also liked that we were a few minutes from the ferry to Downtown Disney or the Old Key West Resort. Olivia's is located there. Another restaurant on our Recommended Restaurants list.

We could also have walked to Downtown Disney from The Grandstand section of Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, but with Cindy incapacitated, that wasn't a good idea. As it was, I already had to fuss and fight with her just to get her to stay in the wheelchair.

On our first visit, we did take a stroll to Downtown Disney one evening, from The Springs section, and it was really a nice walk. The lighted pathway, adjacent to the lake... Disney is such a magical place.

What!? Oh No! Have I really become Disneyfied? :-)

With all the resorts, there is the bus service. They're pretty reliable and come often, no matter where you are (up to around 11:00pm when they pretty much shut down for the night). The only issue with the buses, is that on peak times they can get pretty crowded. Most of the rides are less than 20 minutes, so even when it's crowded, it's not too bad.

Our goal is to stay at all the Disney World DVC member resorts, at least once, and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is definitely a favorite.

As a matter of fact, we're seeing some of our favorite cast members each time we stay at Saratoga. Bruce Alpart is one. We met him during our very first stay at Saratoga, and have seen him almost every time we've stayed there. He's a lot of fun, very knowledgeable, a joy to talk to, and like me, has one heck of a memory. We actually look for him whenever we stay at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Then there's the ladies that cook and serve in the resident Quick Service restaurant - The Artist's Palette. Very pleasant. It's so nice to see familiar faces when you stay somewhere over and over... Really makes you feel like you're at home!

If you want to stay at an affordable resort that has the amenities of the deluxe ones, then I highly recommend Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. It is actually one of the deluxe resorts.

Below are a few pictures showing the beauty of Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Just click each image to get a larger picture.