Elite Event @ The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Thank you, thank you, thank you Coleen, Unilocal,and everybody at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress for the best Elite event ever!!!
The food was wonderful. Personal favorites were the burgers and the Cuban Roast Pork Sandwich on a Pretzel roll. So good. It’s bringing a tear to my eyes just thinking about it.
Robert Harris’s live performance was very good, even though I am not usually into that type of music. I am glad that he threw in a Buffett song. All pool parties need a Buffett song.
We took advantage of staying the night using the Unilocal convention room rate, and we are so glad that we did. My wife loved it so much that she wants to return for our 10 year anniversary next year!
Thanks again!

This was one of the best events yet! The food, the hotel, the music. .. Everything was wonderful!
My husband and I even stayed the night at the hotel. We have wanted to come to this hotel for years so this was the perfect opportunity for us to visit and enjoy the Grand Cypress. We will definitely be back!

All I can say is wow! Sitting in traffic forever and ending up here was worth it. This place was amazing. A great get away spot. I can’t wait to come back to and stay the weekend.
The sunset was amazing! The food was to die for. Met some awesome people. When we doing this again? lol!
Thank you Colleen for bringing us to such an awesome place right in our own back yard

What else can I say?! Awesome food, awesome weather, and awesome venue!
The only thing I regret not be able to do was to check out the suite they were showing to everyone BUT someone was in line to get a drink and didn’t want to get out of it.
The food was really good. Kobe sliders, sushi, fish, crab cake, calamari, fancy cuban, etc. Oh man. Was awesomeness!
The open bar is always awesome!
It was just a great night in general!

Like most have said Best Unilocal Elite Event. Great food, great location, great drinks and great weather. It has been a few years since I had been to the Hyatt Regency and I had forgotten how awesome the hotel really is. The grounds are beautiful and hard to believe you are only minutes from crazy noise Disney World. My favorite food of the night is a tie between all the desserts and crab cakes with coconut grits. Thank you Colleen for putting on a wonderful event.

Absolutely incredible event! Colleen, et al., wow!!! You guys worked your booty’s off for this event!
The coconut grits, fish tacos, and crab cakes were my favorite offerings of the evening. The drinks were out of this world and so fresh. I never knew margaritas could be made without some awful mix and I’m waiting for the weekend so I can mix up my own watermelon margarita. Extra props to the bartenders!
The resort is on my list for my next staycation. This was such a beautiful resort and I really can’t believe I never knew this place existed. I know I’ll be recommending this place to family and friends that come to visit.

Hyatt, Unilocal & Colleen out did it again! Just when I think I’ve been to the best event, there’s better. It’s always great to get to go and try new places that you would never go seek on your own or knew existed.
I drive by the Hyatt often and have attended a few meetings in their ballrooms but never had a chance to check out the awesome pool, guest rooms and food they have to offer. From the road it just looks like another (slightly out of date) hotel in the tourist jammed Disney resort area. But once you go in, it’s really calm and you don’t really feel like you are staying anywhere close to the Disney resorts. Tropical out door, the zen-​esque lobby, ultra-​modern guest rooms topped off with great food!
Ohhhh I still salivate thinking about the crab cakes from Hemingway’s!
WOW and thanks!

This event exemplifies what I love about Unilocal!I discovered a beautiful hotel that I didn’t know existed, met some great people, and ate and drank my way to a full and happy belly.
Thanks so much Colleen and the Grand Cypress staff for organizing such an amazing night. This has just surpassed Tu Tu Tango as my favorite Elite event!
I definitely see a staycation here in my future. :)

Definitely the best Unilocal event I’ve been to yet! The hubs and I had a great time, and had fun relaxing after a crazy work day and I-​4 traffic.
The hotel lobby and grounds were beautiful, particularly the pool and lake areas! The hotel staff were incredibly friendly, and the food and open bar were incredible. My favorite were the calamari from Hemingways, and the awesome watermelon margaritas!

Let me open with Great Job Colleen and Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Staff! Without a doubt, this was my favorite Elite event yet. I can safely say that my first experience at the Hyatt Regency was one of a very positive nature. They Hyatt sure knows how to roll out the welcome wagon!
Below is a list of all of the delicious treats I had the opportunity to sample. I know its a lot, don’t judge. :)
Raspberry Gimlet
Margarita
Watermelon Margarita
Mahi Wrap
Cuban
Sushi
Pizza
Crab Cakes w/​Grits
Calamari
Crème Brulee
Pecan Pie
Chocolate Cake Raspberry Bite
Everything was tasty, but I especially enjoyed the crab cakes and crème brûlée.
The pool deck alone is worthy of a return trip to this venue.

Had so much fun! I wish I got there earlier!
It was very cool to go to an event here as I see it every time I go to the Ale House! (right across the street).
Food= yum
Staff=great
Drinks=liked the cider (of course) and watermelon margarita
takeaway gift=awesome (if it’s free, it’s for me)
I was so glad that I could partake in an event since it’s been such a long time since I was available to go. It was also wonderful to meet some folks that I hadn’t met before! See you at the next one (i hope) as long as the work schedule allows…

AWESOME event. It was a gorgeous evening, the location was beautiful, the food was amazing. GOOD TIMES.
The event was set up near the humongous pool. There was tiki torches all around the area and some live music. The hotel had set up stations with foods from the various restaurants that are located in the hotel. I must say that the food was absolutely delicious. There was sushi, sliders, mahi-​mahi tacos, Cuban sandwiches, calamari and crab cakes (to name a few things). To finish it off — crème brûlée. Needless to say, I was a happy girl.
There was also an open bar with yummy yummy drinks and friendly bartenders.
Colleen — what a great event!!! Thank you for organizing such a wonderful event.

Poolside at sunset on a gorgeous Florida evening with lots of food and drink to sample — hard not to like that!
Hemingway’s, at the Hyatt Grand Cypress was always a favorite of mine years ago. After this event, I’m reminded of why. This is such a lovely location and having dinner and strolling around the grounds and amazing pool area is such an easy way to escape into a vacation state of mind for an evening. As locals, we are blessed with the opportunity to simply drive on over and enjoy sights and sounds that many people save up and travel great distances to experience. Case in point here for sure.
You expect to be treated nicely by the staff who are serving you at an event that showcases their property — and we were. What I look for and what impressed me were the staff members who we encountered as we wandered about on our own. They were just as warm and friendly and accommodating — from the housekeeping staff member who was cleaning the parrot cage in the lobby to the hostess at Hemingway’s. A resort that has trained their staff to treat all guests, VIP or not, with equal care and respect has done a good job. Everyone wants to feel like they matter — even if they are not wearing a «Kiss me I Unilocal» tattoo!
The food we sampled was good and they did a great job of staging it discretely so the food stations were always stocked, the drinks were always flowing and the poolside party atmosphere was never disturbed by the business of serving that many people.
Highlights for me were the fish tacos from Cascade and the crab cakes from Hemingway’s. The grits (also from Hemingway’s) were tasty but I must admit I wouldn’t have known they were supposed to be coconut by taste. My husband quite enjoyed the Kobe beef sliders — I made the mistake of putting a touch of mustard on mine and it turned out to be a really spicy dijon or perhaps even chinese style mustard that totally overpowered everything else. My bad. And the pork sandwich on a pretzel roll was another favorite of his.
Desserts from their Nationally acclaimed, award winning pastry chef, come on = AWESOME! Signature drinks included a watermelon margarita and a raspberry gimlet. The latter turned out to be a cocktail that my husband really liked a lot (not a big drinker). Thanks for that — now I have a summer party go-​to!
A tour of one of their room/​suites revealed a calming, clean lined modern-​retro décor in shades of cream, teal and brown. The panoramic views and Juliet balconies were an added plus. It was a very pleasant space although I would say that the rack rates we were quoted for the suite seemed a little high for the size of the suite and it’s amenities — especially since I noted some water damage/​moisture issues on the drop ceiling near the AC venting. Not what you expect if you are paying those kinds of prices. But the individual room was quite inviting.
Overall I was left with a very favorable impression and a renewed appreciation for one of our premier local resort properties. It’s easy to forget, when we are bantering back and forth ad nausea «Where do you want to go to eat tonight? … I don’t know Marty, where do you want to go?» … that there’s a wealth of wonderful restaurants to be found at a resort like the Hyatt Grand Cypress.
You don’t have to be a tourist to live (an eat) like one!

This was probably my favorite Elite event to date. The location provided a beautiful atmosphere to enjoy scrumptious food and beverages, and the staff and prizes were great. The hotel employees mingled with every one and provided a lot of information about the property.
I have visited the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress twice before: for a wedding and for dinner with family friends staying on property. Both visits made us feel like we were on a fabulous vacation, and last night was no exception.
Being pescatarian, I was pleasantly surprised by all of the seafood options, because most of the time I go to events, there isn’t much I can eat. I tried the crab cakes, calamari, mahi wraps, crème brûlée, and raspberry bite and loved every bite. I also enjoyed the refreshing watermelon margaritas. So yum! I can’t wait to go back and indulge in a staycation in the near future.
I think Colleen and the Hyatt went above and beyond with this event, and I am truly appreciative to every one involved.
Thanks!

Best Elite Event ever… Hands down!
Really, what is better than sitting by a pool with a nice tropical breeze, laid back music, floral apparel, some of my favorite Unilocalers (Aliya, Felicia, Bryan and Erin) and free yummy food and drinks… well IDK. you tell me. This was really a perfect storm of goodness.
I didn’t even know that this Hyatt existed, and has been around for over 20 years. This is definitely a beautiful hotel with lots of fun activities. The staff was friendly, warm and very welcoming.
I was also introduced to a new drink (now my second favorite) The Raspberry Gimlet. OMG this is a tasty drink. For future reference, I got an email from Christopher O., who watched «Bertha the Bartender» make one.
The recipe is:
1 oz of raspberry vodka
1 oz of vanilla vodka
a good shot of simple syrup
a good shot of grenadine lime
mix with ice and serve with raspberry’s!
(Thanks Christopher O… and Bertha of course)
While the gimlet was great, the huge selection of delicious food was even better. I would have to say that the Cuban Sandwich and crab cakes were to die for.
After the event was over, we were able to go inside and watch the end of the Magic game in the White Horse Bar. I have to say I will be back to sample more from the restaurants, and potentially see what more the hotel has to offer.

What a fabulous time! My first Unilocal!event and I am so glad that we got to go. We met so many fun and interesting people at such a beautiful venue. Definitely props to the Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort for such a beautiful setting and for some of the best food I’ve had in quite some time.
I was lured in with talks of sushi and margaritas but was blind sided by HUGE crab cakes, Mahi Mahi Tacos with delicious guacamole, Kobe beef sliders and even coconut grits. I don’t even LIKE coconut but I ate it. I ate it and I loved it. Not to mention those margaritas … Watermelon Margaritas made with watermelon purée were to DIE for. Did I mention I don’t like watermelon either? But I drank them (three of them) and LOVED them.
The people of Unilocal!are so much fun and we made some great friends to Unilocal with later! Thank you so much inviting us. Very impressed with the hospitality and quality of people … and of course, the food. Yum.

I’d have to say that this Unilocal Elite event is one of my faves strictly due to the sunset, wind, tiki torches, and reggae music that was playing. Kind of made me feel like I wasn’t in Orlando.
Those Raspberry Gimlets were so sweet and refreshing after sitting in I4 traffic for almost an hour.
I tried all of the food except for the sushi rolls. The Kobe sliders were delish, that crab avocado wrap not so much, the pizza was awesome except a bit greasy, but my absolute fave was the crab cakes and coconut grits from Hemingways. Omg. I’m not even a big fan of grits but I could have ate those for days. The crab cake was all crab. No filler. It was awesome.
The grounds at this Hyatt are beautiful. I think if I were ever to do a «staycation» it would be here.
Oh, and thanks to Hyatt for the cool bags and flash drives and thanks to Unilocal and Colleen for yet another awesome event. I’m honored and can’t wait for the the next one.

We need more events like this! This was the bomb diggity! Thank you Colleen for organizing such a wonderful evening for all of us!
Nothing beats great food, awesome people. and being surrounded by paradise (and open bar YAY!).

Props to Colleen for everything tonight first and foremost. Although this was not my first time at the resort, something made this visit extra special. The weather was just right. The food was fantastic. And the people I met and became friends with were utterly enchanting.
Cascade’s mahi mahi tacos were delightful, especially the guac. The selection of nigiri and maki mono prepared by Chef Yoshi from White Horse was adequate. The Kobe beef sliders looked like they were going to be over done and dry but was very juicy and delectable. I enjoyed the watermelon margaritas even though I don’t particularly like tequila. Everything there was tasty but I would have to say that Hemingway’s CRAB CAKE took the cake. That thing was ALL CRAB. Although the fried calamari was tender and well prepared, the fact that they were cold BOTH TIMES made them pretty forgettable.
I really can’t complain though. Overall, one of the best events that I have ever had the pleasure of attending. This event had it all, really. I would have been already super pleased with having such great food in such a great place, but I ended up getting to enjoy all of it with such witty, classy, charming people. There is a reason all of you are ELITE. Thanks again COLLEEN!

Wow… another fine Elite Event from Unilocal!Thanks to Colleen for setting this all up. The Hyatt Regency is a beautiful resort with just about anything you could need or want. I have lived here in the area for many years and never had a chance to come on property to visit so this was a wonderful way to see what they had to offer.
The food stations were the best! A little bit from each of the resorts restaurants… sushi, sliders, pizza, crab cakes, and some of the best fish tacos I have ever had! All the food rocked! Unilocal had an open bar to quench our thirsts! Everything from wine and beer, mixed drinks, and two signature drinks from the resort… Watermelon Margaritas and Raspberry Gimlets. I liked the Gimlets but did not care much for the Margaritas… but that did not stop many people from enjoying them! Also on hand was the Cider! Very good!
The resort staff was great and were very friendly. I tried to speak to just about everyone and they all seemed to enjoy their jobs. The music was also just right and it went along with the wonderful weather and cool breezes of the afternoon and night.
I got to meet some new friends and say hello to some of my other Unilocal friends I have made in the past! Thanks everybody for making this event a great one!
PS… thanks also for the great bag and 2GB Flash drive! That will come in handy for work! ;-)