A brutally honest review
We recently stayed at Legoland Beach Retreat in Florida. There are things that we loved and hated about our stay in May 2019. I hope that our honesty in this post allows you to make a decision that is right for you and your family.
Going on vacation is such a special time for families. It will create lasting memories for your child so, as a parent, I understand how discouraging it can be to arrive at your destination only to be disappointed with your choice of accommodation. Understanding both the pros and cons before making a reservation can help you to decide whether it is worth the money, or whether you should look into alternative arrangements. After all, vacations are meant to be fun!
The purpose of this particular trip was for our son’s 5th birthday. He had seen some kids on YouTube go to Legoland and has been begging to go ever since. We decided to book three nights at Legoland so that we could spend 2 entire days at the theme park. Since we were spending the money on airfare to get to Florida anyway we decided to add a cruise to the first part of our vacation. That post is coming soon so don’t forget to join our email list to hear about all of our family adventures! We arranged for a taxis to bring us from Port Carnivale to Legoland after our cruise. This was expensive but actually cheaper than getting a rental car.
Arrival at Legoland Beach Retreat
When we arrived at Legoland Beach Retreat there were no signs explaining where to check-in. We sat in the car at the gated entrance but no one greeted us. Actually, there was no one to be seen anywhere! Eventually, we just told our driver to offload our luggage and we would figure it out. We had paid for the early check-in of 1 pm so I was assuming someone would be there to welcome us!
We went into the main building which we discovered to be the restaurant. There were a few employees talking at the bar. I quietly waited to be acknowledged. I waited. And I waited some more. I eventually had to cut into their conversation as I can only assume if I had waited for an acknowledgement I would still be there today!
I was told to go back to the gated entrance as that is where check-in is. I went back only to find that the small building at the gate was locked. Eventually, someone inside heard my knocks and let me in. I was finally able to complete check-in and was given a map and some explanation on how to get to our room. There was no one there to help with luggage. There is an area where you can get a luggage cart but that was never explained or offered to us upon arrival.
So, before you go, know that there is no front desk. There is only a drive-in window. If you go during the off-season you may have to honk to get any attention! The other negative thing about not having a front desk is that there is no convenient way to ask questions. You could try calling guest services, however, in our experience they never answered the phone.
The Accommodations
Legoland Beach Retreat features 83 beach-themed bungalows. Each bungalow has 2 separate rooms. They are brightly coloured and lego-themed. I really liked the room itself. The main room has one king size bed. A bunk bed and a trundle bed for kids are in little room separated by a curtain.
Bunk bed 
Wall art
The walls are decorated with lego art and creations. There is a nice size bathroom with a clothesline for drying bathing suits and towels. There is a mini-refrigerator and the water and juice boxes provided were a nice touch. The one major drawback to the room was the absence of a coffee machine. We are major coffee drinkers so this was a big negative for us.
Outside, there is a covered porch with a table and chairs. The bungalows are grouped into sections. Each section has an outdoor play structure with balance beams and climbing nets. These structures are geared towards younger kids. Our son didn’t play on them very much but may have if we had spent more time in our room.
The Legoland Beach Retreat Lighthouse
The main and central building is called the Lighthouse. This building is home to Sandy’s Castle Restaurant, Brick’s Beach Bar, Palm Tree Traders retail store and a giant sandcastle-themed lego building area for kids. It is also the location for some pretty amazing children’s entertainment in the evenings. More on that later!
Sandy’s Castle Restaurant
I have so many mixed feelings about the restaurant. I will start by saying that the food was actually pretty good. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much since they are catering to kids, but I was pleasantly surprised! Not only did they offer the standard kids staples such as chicken nuggets, pizza and burgers, but they also offered some really tasty adult choices as well. Click here to check out the menu.
The service was very unpredictable here. The lunch service was much worse than dinner. They have a sign that reads wait to be seated. If you take that literally you will be standing for a very long time! The employees on lunch service during our stay would much rather stand around talking with one another than to give so much as a smile to anyone. Very poor customer service. Luckily the dinner staff seemed more attentive. Perhaps that’s when management arrives?
When making reservations online there is an option to purchase a birthday package. It included an appetizer, 2 main entrees, 3 children’s meals, a birthday cake, a smores package and a present. I found this to be an excellent value for the price. The cake and the present made our son’s dinner special. The employees sang happy birthday and the present was an age suitable lego gift pack.
Bricks Beach Bar
For the adults, there is a full-service bar. You can access this from inside the restaurant or through a drive-through style window outside. Prices for beverages are high. However, it was nice to have the option to purchase an adult beverage, especially after a long day at the theme park!
The Pool
The pool was fun place to go and cool off after a day at the theme park. There is a very shallow part of the pool which is great for toddlers and a deeper section for the older kids. There are plenty of life jackets and towels available. They also have large, floating lego blocks that my son loved playing with.
Entertainment at Legoland Beach Retreat
This is where Legoland Beach Retreat redeemed itself. The entrainment crew is absolutely amazing! Every evening when we went for dinner at the restaurant, the entertainment crew would show up and whisk the kids away. Our son loved the interactive dance party and games that the crew would play. It kept all the kids busy so that the parents could relax. After a long and tiring day at the theme park, this amenity was priceless!
All of this fun happened at Sandy’ Castle Restaurant which has a large empty space at the back for entertaining the kids. This is a great setup because I like to keep an eye on where my son is at all times. Especially when we are on holiday. I could sit back and relax while watching him have fun. It was great!
There is also a play area with a large sandcastle built out of legos. The kids can build with the legos at the castle or make lego designs on the wall. I found this area to be a bit small. We visited during low season and at times the small play area was packed with kids. During the busy season, I’m sure that this area would be too crowded.
In Summary
Legoland Beach Retreat has both pros and cons. Some of the things we didn’t like was the poor customer service at Sandy’s Castle Restaurant, the lack of information provided, and the size of the play areas for kids. We went during the low season so it was never very crowded but I don’t think the capacity in these areas would be ideal during a busier time of year.
What we loved about Legoland Beach Retreat was the entertainment staff, the awesome lego decorations, and the birthday package. Our son had a great time for his fifth birthday and that is what made the vacation!
Stay tuned for our upcoming post on the Legoland theme park! In the meantime, check out some of our other family travel posts!
