By Lorraine Kundla
The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Florida lies on a spot beside a creek at the headwaters of the Everglades on the site of an old sawmill. Gone is the smell of freshly cut lumber, replaced by the scent of flowers blooming along the resort’s entrance.
Canopies of southern live oaks dripping with Spanish moss add to the visual treat awaiting visitors to this newly-opened resort, just minutes from Orlando, FL.
While waiting for its 2008 AAA rating, Shingle Creek has begun catering to families with small children with a camp program, game room, swimming pool and distractions for the parents, such as a golf course, spa and several restaurants.
Grand Entrance
Named for the cypress shingles that sheltered the creek’s original settlers, the resort welcomes guests with an 80-foot by 80-foot porte-cochère graced in front by an exquisite tiered pool with four large Florida sand crane sculptures spouting water into lower pools.
Inside the lobby, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a tropical garden with exotic plants. Furnishings are rich and relaxing, designed with warm woods, soft flowing fabrics and a palette of gold, cinnamon and aqua.
The 1,500 guest rooms and suites, including 106 parlor suites and 30 hospitality suites offer a stunning view of the golf course or the creek and cypress trees. Three sumptuous presidential parlor suites have either a pool table or grand piano gracing the living area.
Instead of mini bars, rooms contain family-friendly mini refrigerators.
Recreation & Relaxation
Golfers are lured to the David Harman-designed 18-hole championship par 72 golf course. Those who want to learn golf or polish their skills can take advantage of the on-site Brad Brewer Golf Academy, where group or individual instruction is available for all ages and skill levels. You can maximize improvement through Computer Swing analysis, practice range training and on-course assessment.
For a more therapeutic experience, head for the Spa at Shingle Creek. Massages include a variety of techniques to promote relaxation, increase circulation and reduce stress. You can workout at the state-of-the-art health club offering treadmills, elliptical trainers, weight lifting machines, and free weights.
The children’s program is called “Swamp Camp.” A video game room with two air hockey tables and popular games is open to kids. There are three swimming pools—lap, family, and adults-only.
Delightful Dining
Eateries include the Cat-Tails Pool Bar and Grille and Café Osceola (named after the great Seminole Indian chief).
For fine dining, make a reservation at Cala Bella (Italian for beautiful creek), but before you have dinner, check out Bella’s Bar, tucked in the vestibule of Cala Bella, providing an intimate setting for a relaxing cocktail with a baby grand player piano as a focal point.
The dining room is reminiscent of Italy’s Tuscany restaurants, with high, arched vaulted ceilings and beautiful Italian artwork.
The cornerstone of Rosen Shingle Creek Resort will be a high-end classic steakhouse at the golf clubhouse named after Patrick Smith’s novel, A Land Remembered.
The steakhouse, will bring to life what Smith so artfully penned—the rugged spirit, natural beauty and colorful history of the state in an era when cotton, cattle and citrus were its prime industries.
Hospitality Rules
Rosen Shingle Creek is the brainchild of Harris Rosen, a 1961 graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, who has donated 20 acres adjacent to the resort to the University of Central Florida (UCF) for the Rosen School of Hospitality, part of the business school of UCF.
Many advanced-level students will get practical experience at this flagship property.
One nice hospitality feature is a the hotel’s ability, for a small fee, to check your baggage and get a boarding pass at the hotel so you can walk straight to the security line at the airport, feeling as pampered as you did as a guest at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort.
AAA Takes You There
To plan your vacation to Shingle Creek, please call AAA Vacations at (800) 398-0379, visit your nearest AAA branch office or go to AAA.com/travel. |
