KISSIMMEE – Inside, Villa de Flora looks like someplace that would fit perfectly in Tuscany, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.
The only different is, if you sit outside in the restaurant’s courtyard, you won’t see the mountains of Central Italy, but the dome that covers the huge Atrium at Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center.
Depending on which direction you’re facing as you sit down at your table, you might notice people standing out on the balcony of their hotel room, shoppers walking by with newly purchased items, excited children rushing back and forth, and high up above, the sky peering through that massive dome that covers everything below it. In a well air conditioned Atrium, it’s a relaxing, soothing, and inviting atmosphere.
The décor of Villa de Flora Marketplace and Restaurant captures the look of Italy, but more importantly it stands out on its own as one of the real treasures inside this popular resort on the Osceola Parkway near Kissimmee. If you spend some time staying at Gaylord Palms, be sure to check out Villa de Flora. It’s a truly memorable buffet.

Buffets have become so commonplace these days that some of them can seem interchangeable. You forget what the name of the place is because this buffet is similar to so many others you’ve been to, and the food is as forgettable as the name.
Villa de Flora doesn’t have that problem. Rather than one long buffet line, there are different sections of food tempting you to go back and forth, back and forth … from the carvings of fresh steak to the fried shrimp plate. You move from one area to the next, worried you might fill up too quickly. There’s a lot to sample at each section.
Check out, for example, the section with the slices of fresh cheese, next to the plate with sliced roasted tomatoes, and the red and green cherry peppers nearby. A vegetarian and a meat lover alike could come here together and both leave perfectly satisfied.
Everything is included in this meal, which costs $32 per person – all the food you can eat, including some delectable desserts like tiramisu and other rich pastries.

The only other thing you need to order is your drink, and as might be expected from a restaurant modeled after one in Italy, there’s a lengthy wine list that includes red and white wines and champagnes by the glass …. or maybe you’d prefer getting a bottle to take back to your room.
Procecco La Marca Champagne, perhaps, for celebrating that big business deal you just closed? Or perhaps Dow’s Boardroom Tawny Port Dessert Wine. The Moscato D’Asti Batasiolo is another fine choice to make. Decisions, decisions.
You have plenty of time to review the entire wine list as you sit outside under the Atrium, with white lights hanging above you. You can take in that great view of the hotel rooms all around you as you ponder another glass of wine or perhaps some after dinner coffee.
Villa de Flora cries out for multiple trips to the buffet, and then a lengthy period of relaxation after your meal is over.
Gaylord Palms has done quite well in recent years as both a convention center for business groups, and a resort that sports fun activities like the Best of Florida celebration in the summer and the ICE! show during the holiday season. Attracting Villa de Flora under its roof is another reminder of why the resort does so well. It combines first rate food and an atmosphere that makes it impossible not to sit there and happily watch the world go by.
Gaylord Palms is at 6000 W. Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee. To learn more about Villa de Flora, call 407-586-1114 or email gphvilladeflora@gaylordhotels.com.

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