ORLANDO – I walked out onto my fourth-story balcony to marvel at Evermore Bay, the eight-acre lagoon of the new Evermore Resort.
Across the water, a singer was serenading guests with a Taylor Swift cover song. To my right was a sandy beach and the Conrad, a new luxury hotel of restaurants, a pool, spa and more. To the left were more accommodations like mine, a collection of four-bedroom flats perfect for families visiting Disney World OR a foursome of golfers playing the 36 holes of the adjacent Grand Cypress Golf Club.
It’s taken more than five years for the Evermore Resort to be developed on 1,100 acres of prime Orlando real estate. The result is a stunning vacation land that is now Orlando’s best golf resort. The competition is certainly fierce with greater Orlando stocked with at least 15 different golf resorts based on our Florida golf resort guide.
Why am I so certain it’s the best?
It’s got more holes than other luxury properties such as the Bay Hill Club & Lodge (the famed home of Arnold Palmer Invitational); Waldorf Astoria Orlando; and Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes (home of the PNC Championship). Although a handful of other excellent area golf resorts – Reunion Resort, Orange Lake Resort, Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, Orange County National Golf Center & Lodge and Walt Disney World – boast more courses, none can compete with the variety of the golf experiences at Evermore, where the Links Course proves to be the perfect complement to the new Cypress Course, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus to replace an old 27-hole routing. Pair those two terrific tracks with a variety of brand new accommodations and amenities and an ideal location, Evermore rises above the competition.
A two-night stay after January’s PGA Merchandise’s PGA Show convinced me there’s no other game in O-Town like Evermore. I was sad to see the Villas of Grand Cypress close down and be replaced by Evermore for sentimental reasons. I was staying there when I got engaged in 2000. Now that I’ve seen the transformation, I’m completely sold that building Evermore was the right move for the future of the resort. Here’s why:
Perhaps the coolest part of Evermore is that the resort still has room to grow. The first phase of the 10,000-bedroom resort is nearly 1,500 bedrooms from single homes to villas, flats and 433 hotel rooms (including 61 suites) at the Conrad, the highest luxury brand of Hilton Hotels.
The build-out plans eventually could add up to 69 houses ranging in size from 5 to 11 bedrooms; 76 four-bedroom flats; and 41 two- and four-bedroom villas. Some of the larger family-friendly units will allow children to ride a slide down to the lower level.
My flat was a modern home away from home with a large kitchen and living area separated by a massive island. All four bedrooms have their own attached bathrooms, so every family member/golfer has the ideal amount of privacy. A washer and dryer meant you could stay a month or more and not feel inconvenienced.
It was too chilly to use the lagoon during my stay. I could easily envision, however, throngs of children splashing around and renting kayaks and stand up paddle boards to explore in warmer weather. A volleyball court, pickleball court, firepits, a rope swing into the bay, a water slide and a separate fitness center/peleton studio are other ways to pass the time.
With 12 different eateries between the hotel and two buildings – The Landing and The Boathouse – across the bay, Evermore features plenty of dining options. If you want to eat at “home”, there’s a nice market in The Landing for stocking up on supplies or you can grab-and-go at three different places: Craft Burgers, Props Pizza and That’s A Wrap. The ebb + flow is a cool hangout bar that flows into the lagoon’s “Southbeach.” I ate breakfast one morning at Twin View Restaurant on the top floor overlooking the water.
For dinner, there’s no better spot than the top of the Conrad at Ceiba to watch the sun set. I can honestly say it was the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. I’m normally pretty predictable when dining on Mexican food, but I wisely let the waiter steer me into more creative choices and house favorites. Specialty salsas add the right kind of spice and flavor to anything on the menu.
It’s easy to criticize Florida golf for being too much of the same over and over again – tee shot over water, approach shot over greenside bunkers, rinse, repeat. The Links Course is the secret weapon of Grand Cypress. Nicklaus designed an interesting homage to the Old Course at St. Andrews way back in 1988. A Swilcan Bridge, double greens, some mounding and multiple burns to cross, including the treacherous first hole, give golfers a small taste of links golf. You can’t help but have fun on this 6,700-yard layout. Don’t believe me? Tim Gavrich, our staff writer who’s a much better player than I, ranks it sixth among Orlando’s best public golf courses, and slid the Cypress Course right behind it at no. 7.
The Cypress Course counters with more traditional Florida golf, asking players to execute a game of “keep away” from a series of ponds and water hazards. Its first tee is conveniently located next to the range. Dial in your driver and an 8-9 iron because you’ll need them right away. The tee shot of the second hole hugs a pond the entire left side of a par 5 that bends that way. An island green on the par-3 third catches many players ill-prepared for such an exacting shot, which ranges from 130 to 150 yards depending on your tees.
I lost four balls and still played pretty well, shooting under my handicap. It’s a big improvement from the previous course, where gouging it out of the rough felt like the only strategic element.
Perhaps the biggest criticism of the golf experience is the long cart rides required to get to the first tee of both courses. Give yourself a bit of extra time from check-in at the pro shop to reach your destination. But if that was the main concession in building Evermore, I can live with it. That inconvenience is minimal compared to the wonderful conveniences of everything else at Orlando’s newest – and best – golf resort.
What’s your favorite golf resort in Orlando? Let us know in the comments below.
