Grand Bohemian Hotel
325 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, Florida, 32801, United States, Orlando, Florida, USAWhy We Like It
Convenient to the action, whether a Broadway show or celebrity concert at the Dr. Phillips or an NBA game at the Amway, the Grand Bohemian offers a sophisticated downtown retreat.
Fodor's Expert Review
Decorated in a sophisticated and eclectic "Bohemian" design, this European-style property is Downtown Orlando's only Four Diamond luxury hotel. It showcases hundreds of pieces of art, along with a rare Imperial Grand Bösendorfer piano, regularly played by jazz pianists in the popular Bösendorfer Lounge. Rooms have dark-wood furnishings with brushed-silver accents and deluxe linens. An in-house restaurant, Boheme, offers an upscale dining experience and a Jazz Brunch on Sundays, while a variety of restaurants and bars are within a few blocks. So are the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic, making this a great place to visit or stay after an event.
You Should Know Valet parking only in this downtown hotel. The fee is $29 a night. There is little choice, as on-street parking is rare.
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Room
Rich velvets in purple and gold, dark woods, and lush carpeting conspire to make the rooms feel decadent. A king or two queen beds feature crisp, white duvet-style bedding, with down comforter and pillows. A work desk and chair, along with free Wi-Fi, make multitasking easier, and a flat-screen TV and a Starbuck's coffee maker ensure you are alert and entertained.
Bathroom
The bathroom is spacious, and features a bath/shower combination, but there is also a telephone, hair dryer and lighted make-up mirror. It also features cozy bathrobes and Kessler Collection bath amenities.
Lobby
Red walls and a red mosaic tiled, vaulted ceiling, black and gold Egyptian-inspired columns, eclectic upholstery, and walls filled with art make this a most unusual and fascinating hotel entrance. The reception desk is quite small, but very functional, and the bar right off the lobby offers sophistication and great service. The hotel's art collection is worth your attention, with original and rare pieces of artwork including oil paintings, glass, bronze sculptures and more. The collection of Gustav Klimt line drawings in the Boheme restaurant is impressive, but each floor, room and hallway contains pieces of interest.
You Should Know No shop to buy any amenities you may have forgotten.
Pool
The modest rooftop pool is a serene escape from the noisy city streets below, with lounge chairs and umbrellas.
Spa
The Poseidon Spa, like the rest of the resort, is decorated in rich hues, and features an extensive range of massage, facial, and body treatments.
Gym
The fitness center is open 24 hours a day, and features cardio and weight training equipment.
Dining
The award-winning Boheme restaurant serves an eclectic European/French menu for dinner, but also offers breakfast and lunch. On Sundays, the restaurant and the adjacent Bösendorfer Lounge, home to the Imperial Grand Bösendorfer Piano, serves a famed Jazz Brunch. Featuring some of the area's best known jazz musicians, and an astonishing menu of delights from crab cakes to charcuterie, to waffles and crepes, to omelets and meats, all washed down with unlimited mimosas.
Drinking
The Bösendorfer Lounge, a very popular and sophisticated watering hole in the hotel's lobby, located right across from the city's arts venue, is known for great service (thanks to Ivy, the best bartender in Orlando) delicious cocktails, a wide beer and wine menu and live music throughout the week.
Tip Keep an eye peeled for celebrities who are appearing in Broadway road tours and concerts at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts across the street. They've been known to drop in at the Bosendorfer Lounge.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
The hotel is convenient to public transportation, from the free Lymmo buses, which stop nearby, and take you around downtown, to the SunRail commuter train, which offers an easy ride north to Winter Park, or south to Sand Lake Road, near Universal. But Orlando is really a driving city, and a car or ride-share would be best if theme parks are on your to-do list. That being said, there is public bus transportation direct to the theme parks from the main Lynx bus station in Orlando, about 5 blocks north of the Aloft, where for around $2.50 you can avoid the $20 parking fees at the parks. The hotel is very near to Interstate 4, thus the journey to the theme parks should be quick and easy. However, expansion work on the highway, scheduled to continue through 2020, means that drive times are seldom accurate.
Restaurants
Fine or fast dining choices abound within a few feet of the front door. 4 Rivers Smokehouse offers prize-winning barbecue at City Hall across the street; Kasa (5-minute walk) features Asian fusion; Wahlburgers (6-minute walk) the burger spot owned by actor Mark Wahlburg and his family, features, what else? ... burgers; Rusty Spoon (8-minute walk) a farm to table eatery owned by James Beard nominated chef Kathleen Osterhaus Blake and her husband William Blake. Dozens more eating choices, from a German beer hall to fine French cuisine, line nearby Orange Avenue and Church Street.