Orlando has so many hotels to choose from that is seems to be an almost insurmountable tasks. Do you want to stay in a luxury hotel with great amenities? Or do you prefer to go low budget because you are going to be on the go all the time anyway? Or do you want something in between? We are going to look at these three options in this post. What we are not going to do yet is specifically look at the on property Disney Hotels like the Grand Floridian and The Contemporary resort. We will look at these in a future post.
I want luxury. This is going to be my ultimate vacation!
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort
My family and I stayed in this resort a few years back and let me tell you it is wonderful (see the picture accompanying this post). They have one of the most elaborate pool areas you will find anywhere. It covers over a half acre with waterfalls, swim through "cave" type areas, and of course a super water slide. The adults and children alike enjoyed this feature of the hotel. They have bikes you can take out and ride around the property. They have a pitch and putt area for golfers. They have access a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course as well. Of course they are nearby to all of the major attractions like Disney World, Universal, and Seaworld. You will truly be impressed with the interior of the hotel as well. The rooms are clean, large, and very nice. You can actually see the night time fireworks display at a couple of the parks from the one side of the hotel each evening. You do need to be on the upper floors to see it though. I just checked the price for mid-June for 2 adults and 2 children and the rooms are starting at $132 using Onetravel.com which you will find on the right side of this page or at the bottom of this post. That is a fantastic price for this luxury hotel. If you stay here you need to realize you will want to spend some time on the grounds because it is that nice. So factor that into your time budget.
I want a nice hotel with shopping nearby.
The Regal Sun Resort. Formerly the Grosvenor.
Ok, this is the last hotel I stayed at in Orlando and it is right beside Downtown Disney (a fantastic area of shops and restaraunts). I will be honest with you...I was not too impressed with the property. The interior of the hotel was a little dingy and seemed a bit run down. The rooms were not what we expected at all. And this was a Disney Hotel? We had some issues that we had to get addressed once we checked in and that is not usually a good sign. Anyway, it seems as though the property has received a MUCH NEEDED UPGRADE. A $25 million makeover which included every portion of the property. I mean every room has been redone. This has to make this a good opportunity now if you are headed down to Orlando. While we didn't love the hotel at the time we did love the location. You can catch the Disney transportation system (bus) right at the hotel and ride to and from the properties. You can also walk about 1 - 2 blocks and be in Downtown Disney. Lots of shops and places to eat, things to do, people to see. So, believe it or not they are running a standard room for $60 per night (2 double beds). This is a great price. You can upgrade from there if you like. Please use the Onetravel.com logo on the upper right side of the page or the one at the bottom of this post.
I want to go cheap! Besides, I'm not going to spend much time in my room.
Holiday Inn Maingate East
It has been several years since we stayed in this hotel but at the time it was clean and nice with a good pool. It is very close to Disneyworld. We didn't spend a lot of time in the room because we were constantly on the go, as you probably will be. So, if that's the case save some money on your lodging and use it on your entertainment or food budget. This hotel seems to still be in good shape and you can find rooms starting at $50 per night. I believe we used a Kids Suite when we were there and those are running $73 per night at Onetravel.com.
So, there are three options for those heading to Orlando in the coming weeks or months. And I must say I am impressed at the prices available on lodging for the summer months. It looks like a really good time to go to Orlando Florida.
Orlando Florida has become one of the top travel destinations in the world. Wait a minute you say. How can a town in central Florida be a destination for travelers all over the world? The answer is simple and I'm sure know what it is....its Disney World!
Over the next several posts we are going to look at several aspects of Orlando Florida and all the things you can do while vacationing in the Orlando area. I have been to Orlando several times and stayed at various places, including the Disney hotels, and went to all of the major attractions.
To start with, unless you live within a 6 or 8 hour drive I highly recommend you fly into Orlando International Airport. The airport code for Orlando International Airport is MCO. Of course prices will vary depending upon your departure location, but I will tell you now that the airlines prices have come down and if you do your homework you can get a good deal on your tickets. Check out this early post on how to save money on your airfare. Even flying into MCO is nice. It's a clean airport that has well manicured and attractive grounds. You will take a tram once you deplane to the main terminal to pick up your luggage. This tram will remind you of the mono-rail at Disney World. I suggest you click the OneTravel.com box on the right hand side of this blog to get your ticket pricing. Just click the Flights Tab or the Flights Button once you are on their site and enter your home airport code and MCO as your destination airport. There is a promotion on that site now to save $10 per airline ticket (this should be automatic when you book through the banner; if not the coupon code is ORLANDO10).
Rent your car in advance so that you can arrange to pick it up at the airport. You can rent all types of vehicles from compact cars to mini-vans to SUV's. Unless you absolutely have to have the more expensive vehicle I would go for a full size sedan. You can usually Find Cheap Rental Cars at OneTravel.com. Book a Car Today!
Ok, so next up we will look at lodging in the Orlando area, including some options on Disney property and Universal Studios property. You will find with lodging that you can spend as much or as little as you like it's just going to be a matter of what type of arrangements are going to meet your needs.
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