VUE

In a broader sense, today's Orlando is a vibrant, cultural city with an up-and- coming food scene— home to one of the fastest growing metro area job markets in the country. With those changes, Walt Disney World has blossomed from what we once knew in our wee days. The tran- sition truly began when The Walt Disney Company Partnered with Four Seasons Resort Hotels to bring the luxury expe- rience to Walt Disney World. Together, they a parcel of land within Disney's 43-square-mile property, the site of two active golf courses—Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge. Construction started on the 443-room, 68-suite resort in 2011 and the doors officially opened in sum- mer 2014. Today, it serves as the pre- mier luxury accommodation option for Disney's millions of annual visitors. The Four Seasons Orlando—the first Five Di- amond-rated property in the city—is ev- erything one can expect from the brand's namesake; a royal suite which connects up to nine bedrooms, a live-action show kitchen, a world-class spa, a lazy riv- er, and a top notch Spanish steakhouse known as Capa, among other things. Its best asset though, is the 17th floor balco- ny view of all four parks, which is more than ideal for catching the evening fire- works. Golden Oak Development—which is owned by Disney—unveiled a plan that would bring nearly 300 private residences on property, perfect for sin- gle-family luxury homes. Today, the community is known as Golden Oak, aptly named after Walt's ranch in Cal- ifornia's Placerita Canyon. Adjacent to the Four Seasons, it has become a best-selling luxury community featuring homes; no condos, townhouses or rental programs, just whole ownership. Driving through the gated communi- ty, you won't see Mickey Mouse waving to you at every corner. What you will see are design concepts that pay hom- age to styles such as Tuscan, French Country (storybook), Dutch Colonial, Spanish Revival, Island Colonial and Italianate—homes ranging from 3,000 square feet (4br/4ba) on one-forth of an acre and upwards to three-quar- ters. Each of the five neighborhoods is named in commemoration of Walt's life, such as Marceline (which features 75 homes) named for the town in Missouri where he grew up—almost everything has a little subtle Disney history, one that's not overbearing. The close-knit neighborhood has a healthy mix of people of all ages, from all over the world, a community who shares a love for Disney. There are mul- tiple families in Golden Oak that own two homes. A lot of them grew up in a normal house, went to Disney as a kid, went to college and started their own business. For many, these homes are an emotional purchase. In fact, some resi- dents love it so much, they're even up- grading within the community to larger homes. Besides what bonds them, res- idents have access to an array of ame- nities such as Summerhouse, a private club house which plays host to every- thing from holiday theme parties and dinners to my personal favorite, cake decorating classes (and eating). Sum- merhouse also has a dedicated Club Member Service team to help arrange events and home catering, a fitness cen- ter and its own restaurant—Markham's. Simply put everybody knows every- body's name, giving the venue and prop- erty an overall refreshing sense of unity. VUE ON TRAVEL V U E N J . C O M 91

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