Papaya Club

1500 Eastbeach Wy, Orlando, FL 32836, United States

What type of traveller are you? I am the type to stay at hotels that have 4 or more stars and good ratings and reviews from customers because I don’t want to stay somewhere that is worse than home, and I’m afraid of bringing home bed bugs. On the other hand, I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on one trip. Apparently, I need to look into getting something that earns me travel points because when we went to Orlando, Florida in February for my best friend’s birthday, as mentioned in my Eat Around The World at EPCOT blog post, one of her friends used her points to cover our 2-night stay at Conrad Orlando. I am grateful because, as per one of our Uber drivers, Conrad Orlando is a “bougie” hotel. 

On our last day at Conrad Orlando, we had lunch at one of their restaurants, Papaya Club, which overlooked their man-made Evermore Bay Lagoon. Papaya Club had the vibe of a trendy beachfront patio, and their food had a Polynesian and Vietnamese influence since they had a poke bowl and Banh Mi sandwich on their menu. 

We ordered the Buri Crudo, Cauliflower & Shishito, Mini Lobster Roll, Papaya Poke Bowl, Pork Empanadas, and Maui-Style Ribs to share. The Buri Crudo, which was raw yellowfin tuna, was delicious and melt-in-your-mouth with fried plantain strips on top. The cauliflower was cooked perfectly, and the little pieces of shishito were spicy but enhanced the dish even more. The lobster in the Mini Lobster Roll was fresh and yummy; I just wished there was more of it. The Papaya Poke Bowl had different toppings that worked well together with the fresh, raw tuna. The Pork Empanadas were tasty and not greasy like other empanadas I have had. Last but not least, the Maui-Style Ribs were fall-off-the-bone and had a sweet BBQ sauce with green onions, sesame seeds, and peanuts sprinkled on top.

My favourite dishes were the Buri Crudo, Papaya Poke Bowl, and Maui-Style Ribs, but all of them were delicious. Our meal wasn’t cheap, but when you’re staying at Conrad Orlando, I don’t think you really expect it to be. Too bad the travel points didn’t also cover the food we ate at the hotel and at EPCOT. Maybe I just need to win the lotto, and to be specific, I need to win more than $1 million so I can be “bougie” when I travel…just putting that out into the universe. 😉

Conrad Orlando

Conrad Orlando is an outstanding resort:

• The resort was immaculate, their gym had all the workout equipment you need, their outdoor pool was huge and was open until late, and their customer service was excellent.
• Their spa was also incredible. It had a sauna, steam room, cold plunge, hot tub, and vitality jet pool. The special shower to use in between the sauna, steam room, and cold plunge had different modes; the Caribbean storm scent smelled like coconut. The massage I got at their spa was the first (only?) massage I have ever liked.
• Their Evermore Bay Lagoon had a beach, water slides, rope swing, and paddle boards and kayaks you could use. I managed to not fall off the paddleboard for once, and the rope swing was a lot of fun even though the water was cold!