Overview

Beach Club Villas (BCV) has one of the best locations for a WDW resort hotel.  It is the closest resort to Epcot (less than a 5 minute walk to the International Gateway) and a short walk to Hollywood Studios (about a 15-20 minute walk). The decor of Beach Club is inspired by New England seaside resorts. Lots of soft colors and ornate details with a nautical or beach theme. It feels very comfy and homey to me.  BCV's deed expires in January 2042, which leaves only 20 years left on the contract - this is one of the largest drawbacks of owning at BCV right now as there aren't many years left of ownership, but some may look at this as a positive - as you're only "locked in" to paying dues for 20 more years.

Amenities

First and foremost, Stormalong Bay - by far the best resort pool at WDW.  The pool features a large shipwreck that is a water slide. Also near the shipwreck is a small wading pool for small children and includes a little water slide. The pool also contains a sand bottom which is very unique, and the zero entry is actually like a beach where kids can sit and play in both the sand and water.  There is also a lazy river, and you can borrow the provided inflatables to float around the lazy river. To prevent non-resort guests from using Stormalong Bay usually there will be a Cast Member outside of the entrances for BCV checking that you are staying at the resort and providing a wrist band for re-entry. As of April 2021 because of the pandemic, the pool does reach capacity - and there can be a virtual queue where you'll get a text message when it is your turn to use the pool.  Despite this, the pool alone makes BCV worthwhile!

There are 3 additional smaller pools, Dunes Cove pool is located for BCV guests and there are 2 pools (Tidal for Beach Club Resort guests and Admiral for Yacht Club Resort guests) located at each end of the Yacht and Beach Club resort.

The resort also features a sand covered volleyball court, fitness center, boat rentals via the onsite marina  

Because of Beach Club's location, there are quite a few restaurants and shops within walking distance.  The amenities located at Beach Club itself are the Beach Club Marketplace which serves as a gift shop, resort mug refill and a quick service dining location, Cape May Cafe which is a character breakfast / dinner buffett (recently re-opened as a family style dining experience for breakfast and lunch as of May 2021) and Beaches and Cream which is a sit down dining experience. There is also Hurricane Hanna's Grill, which is Storm Along Bay's bar and restaurant but currently only has cold sandwiches and Martha's Vineyard Lounge.

I've never been to Cape May Cafe (will be trying it for breakfast and dinner when I am there in June), but Beach Club Marketplace is a nice location - great for a quick service breakfast. The gift shop itself doesn't have the largest selection of items, but is passable.

Beaches and Cream is themed after a 50s style soda shop. It features mostly sandwich style food items like Burgers, Grilled cheese and a Reuben sandwich - the chili tater tots are a favorite of mine!  But what Beaches and Cream is known for is their desserts - specifically their shakes and ice cream sundaes. The kitchen sink is what Beaches and Cream is known for - a humongous ice cream sundae that is intended to be shared by 4 adults. Currently not occurring due to the pandemic - but normally when you order a kitchen sink, there is a huge surprise when the sundae is delivered. Beaches and Cream is a must do if you're staying at Beach Club.  If you can't get a reservation at Beaches and Cream, there is a To-Go window outside of Beaches and Cream with dessert options BUT it is currently closed as of April 2021 - but you can order shakes from the Beaches and Cream menu at Martha's Vineyard Lounge. 

Due to its location, you can easily walk to the Yacht Club and enjoy restaurants there including Ale & Compass (a sit down restaurant offering breakfast, and dinner). I've eaten dinner here and it is just OK - I wouldn't recommend it personally.  Yachtman Steakhouse another sit down restaurant is currently closed due to the pandemic.

Lastly, restaurants at Disney's Boardwalk and the Swan and Dolphin hotels are also walkable - but just mentioning this in case you're looking for additional options.

Transportation

Walkability is a huge plus for Beach Club Villas, as stated earlier - you can walk to Epcot, Hollywood Studios and also enjoy amenities at Yacht Club, Boardwalk and Swan/Dolphin hotels due to the proximity of all of these.

If you don't want to walk, the Friendship Boats are offered and run every 15 minutes to take you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. They're generally slower than walking, but in the Florida heat can be a welcome break.

Note: it is about the same distance to walk to Epcot from BCV as it is to walk to the Friendship boat dock - so it is not recommended you take the Friendship Boats to Epcot from BCV, but you can.

Because Epcot is so close - you can also walk to the Epcot skyliner station and take the skyliner to Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Pop Century and Art of Animation.  This gives you some additional options for dining.

Lastly, like all other Disney resorts - Disney buses are offered.  Buses are only offered to get to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom however.  There are no buses to Epcot or Hollywood Studios (you should walk or take the Friendship boats).  Personally, if you have your own car or are renting a car - I would take them over using the buses are bus capacity is very limited right now due to the pandemic.

Rooms

Similar to the rest of the hotel, the decor of Beach Club Villas is that of New England seaside resorts.  I personally really like the decor as the rooms feel very homey to me.

There are 3 room types at BCV, studio (~360 sq ft), 1-bedroom (~720 sq ft) and a 2-bedroom (dedicated and lockoff, ~1083 sq ft).  The studio sleeps 5, with a queen bed, a full size sleeper sofa and a small twin-bed that pulls down from the wall.

Strangely, the 1-bedroom only technically sleeps 4, with a king sized bed and a queen sized sleeper sofa (a 5th person can be added to the reservation but you must provide your own bedding and towels).

The 2-bedroom lockoffs are a combination of a connecting studio and 1-bedroom OR a dedicated which features an extra queen bed instead of a full size sleeper sofa. 

I've personally only stayed in the studios and they are an average size at roughly 360 square feet.  The room size is good in my opinion for 2 adults and 2 small children - but you may want to upgrade to the 1-bedroom if you have 4 adults.

Studios have a kitchenette with a small kitchen sink, mini-fridge and microwave. 1 and 2 bedrooms offer a full kitchen and washer dryer.

The room views at BCV are the biggest disappointment.  Because BCV is tucked behind the Beach Club Resort, the room views are generally poor.  Some BCV rooms have a limited view of Spaceship Earth (the big golf ball at Epcot) and a view of the Epcot fireworks once they return and some BCV rooms have a view of the Dunes Cove pool, but a lot of rooms have essentially no view at all.  Personally, I like the pool and rooms at Beach Club enough that the view is not as important, but if the view is important to you, Boardwalk Villas might be a better choice. 

Summary

Beach Club Villas may not be for everyone with many preferring Boardwalk Villas instead - but I prefer the rooms at BCV over BWV and the pool is definitely better. However walkability to 2 parks and proximity to 8 additional hotels (4 walkable, 4 via skyliner) can't be beat and is why I give BCV 5 stars.