There’s something about a lagoon… Perhaps it’s the sunsets over the water, with its smooth, glassy surface. Or maybe it’s the color—a deep, saturated blue, sometimes turquoise in bright light, other times more like sapphire as the sun sinks below the horizon. After all, this is not a lake, or the ocean, it’s a body of water that’s unlike anything in nature.
The lagoon at the brand-new Evermore Resort, which was the site of Prevue’s Incentive Evolution Summit in April, was unquestionably the focal point. The event started with an opening evening reception at The Boathouse, an elegant 2,500-square-foot over-the-water event space with floor-to-ceiling windows and a separate foyer space off the main room for the buffet. The dramatic building comes with its own classic custom Chris-Craft docked below and there’s even a small, 300-square-foot meeting room on the ground floor overlooking it. For outdoor events, there’s also the 2,400-square-foot Boathouse Lawn.
A morning fitness walk took our attendees along the paths that wind around Evermore Bay, as it is known, anchored on one side by the Conrad Orlando and on the other by The Boathouse. The recreation department will work with groups on other creative wellness options, such as Yogalates, a mix of everyone’s two favorites. All day, every day, attendees will enjoy the sights and sounds of the vacationers living it up on the lagoon, on stand-up paddleboards, in kayaks and, for the little ones, gliding down a huge baby blue slide, all giggles.
There are three styles of accommodations—316 units in total—in this unique resort, located on the site of the former Villas of Grand Cypress. There are 206 4-bathroom apartment flats, many set right on the lagoon, with private terraces that get a view of the nearby Disney fireworks show every evening as a bonus, and 41 2- and 4-bedroom villas, also with full kitchens and living and dining areas overlooking the lagoon. But the pièce de ré·sis·tance is the 69 exquisite private homes, with 5-11 bedrooms, each with features such as gourmet kitchens and private heated pools. What’s most unique is that the homes, villas and flats are all privately owned by Dart Interests (a U.S. real estate development and investment firm solely owned by the Dart Family)—not by individuals—with the goal of providing the amenities, service and security of a resort.
Depending on availability, the private homes can also be used for group functions. For a special touch, the resort can bring in a private chef to cook for the guests in one of the fabulous kitchens.
The meeting space is located in the Evermore Meeting Center, a separate building located away from the regular guests, with 2 ballrooms at 3,128 and 2,464 square feet, and a pretty 1,392 garden terrace in the center. Larger groups can use the meeting space at the 433-room Conrad Orlando, located on property a short distance away, with its own 19 meeting rooms, the largest of which is 14,973 square feet.
We found the staff to be professional and accommodating, and the F&B to be creative and healthy. For example, there was a breakfast juicing station with three cold-pressed juices (including the group favorite—spinach, kale, apple, cilantro and lime), served up in individual pineapples. Action stations at the opening reception included skillets of simmering carrots and parsnips and beautiful fruit pavolas served up to order, with carmelized pineapple compote, coconut marshmallow and yuzu ganache.
Though Evermore Resort is sprawling in size, the space between the guest rooms and the meeting center is just a short distance. Regularly scheduled old-fashioned trolleys make frequent stops for those who prefer not to walk.
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