Thought people might like a review of this hotel.
Firstly, a link to the hotel is here so as to avoid confusion
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...o_Florida.html
I stayed there in January 2007 for 14 days. After reading alot of negative review I spent alot of time worring about the place because I had read bad reviews and I couldn't find any conclusive information about the transport etc.
So, in the hope that it will help you and others, here is my review. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
Review
This wasn't just my first trip to florida, it was my first trip the the US. Everyone had told me that the hotel standards in the US are pretty high so I shouldn't be worried about reviews etc but some of the reviews I read about this place were pretty bad. We didn't change our reservations because this place is cheap at the time we couldn't afford to upgrade to another hotel.
Firstly, this is more like a motel than a hotel, all the rooms have doors directly to the outside. They are all contained within the hotel complex so it didn't feel exposed or unsecure but do expect to get a pizza delivery flyer every day!
The first impressions are not good, the place really needed some refurbs. Nothing in the gym worked, ice machines were broken etc but the main lobby looked quite respectable.
We checked in and wondered off to find our room, the staircases up to the second floor were pretty dirty although being outside, what can you expect? I glanced at the lift and decided there was no way I was stepping in that thing. Having a fear of bugs, the idea of being contained in a rickety lift was not a nice one. On our way to our room I looked through the windows of some of the ground floor rooms which actually looked quite nice inside. However, when we got to our room on the second floor we were tucked away in a corner, had a big column infront of the only window which blocked out all the light and a broken air conditioning unit which was very, very loud. The room inside desperatly needed updating. As both me and my gf are not good with bugs my first thought was to make sure I never put anything down on the floor just incase something crawled into it! The facilities were basic but the essentials like the toilet, shower and sink were clean enough. Not spotless but nothing to complain about. It was only the carpet, shabby sofa and cabinates which made the room look bad. With a little more light the place would have been ok. Having one of the newly refubished rooms downstairs would have made all the difference.
Both me and my GF will put up with alot. We figured that we would only be in the room to sleep. We knew we would get back to the room at about 11pm each night and leave again before 8 so we decided not to complain and just out up with what we had. This shows that whilst it was not luxury, it wasn't totally disgusing either, just unpleasent.
Bed Bugs
Yes, I noticed a couple of small bugs on our bed on the first night. I didn't want to scare my gf so i just got rid of them and said nothing. I never ever get bitten by insects...apart from the insects in this hotel. On the 3rd or 4th night both my gf and I went to sleep. In the morning we both woke up covered (and I mean COVERED) in bites. It looked like some kind of rash. A quick seach revealed a couple more bugs in the linen!
Walking around the hotel I noticed that clean linen was left in a outhouse style cupboard. It wasn't a clean place and my guess was that all the bugs made their way into the linen here. Seriously - this facility was not adequate!
Facilities
There were few facilities.
Breakfast was free and a simple affair. There was pleny of food but there were also pleanty of people, far to many people to fit into the room. I think that most people were there for various conventions at other resorts (one was a gun convention! Pretty wierd to have all these people with (locked up) guns walking around. Especially as we are from the UK where guns are illegal.) We ended up making sure we either got up really early or we would wait till a table became free and one of us would grab it whilst the other got some food. We saw alot of people taking breakfast back to their rooms but the thought of eating in that dark, unpleasent room meant that I would not be doing that. It was all buffet style so you could go and grab as much as you wanted.
Location
The hotel is located right on the corner of sand lake rd and universal bvld. I had read many reviews where people complained that it was too far away from i-drive. Honestly it wasn't. It took maybe 5 mins to walk to i-drive. However, i personally was disapointed with the range of retaurants, shops etc which i-drive promised.
On a couple of our 14 days we decided to walk to 'Wet and Wild' which took maybe about 15mins. We even walked to universal on a couple of occasions. It took maybe 30 - 40 mins and there wasn't always a sidewalk but it wasn't an unpleasent walk.
We found a couple of mini golf courses close by which entertained us for a while. Well worth checking out.
Transport
I'll split this into a few sections.
I-Trolly - There was a stop right outside the hotel for the red line (i think thats what its called) or you can easily walk down to i-drive to grab the green line. On our first night we went to a tourist information place which was located over the road and slightly to the left when you first reach i-drive. We bought a couple of 14 tickets & we never had any problems using this service. It was quick and easy but it doesn't always drop you off where you want to go. It will take you right into seaworld but it will not take you right to the gates of universal. You will need to walk a little. All the drivers were very, very helpful so if you have a question, just ask!
Taxi - the company recommended by the hotel we cheap and efficient. I recommed you ask them for the number. It took about 15 - 20 mins to get to disney and it codt about $20 I think. They will also take you to the local malls and other attractions for very little cost.
Transport provided by the hotel - They do run busses to universal but you might be better using the i-trolley. I guess you are more concerned about WDW so I'll talk about that one. The bus is basic. IT was clean but shabby. All the transport is free but there is a hidden cost - time (and you expected to tip too)! I knew that it will take about 15-20 mins to get to disney world if I were driving. The bus used by the hotel came three times a day. I can't remember exactly but I think the times were 7.00am, 8.30am and 10.45am. We only ever traveled in the first two time slots and it was never very busy. Fortunatly this hotel is right at the start of the pick-up chain so my guess is that you will always get seats. The ride to WDW is then a very slow one taking about an hour on some occasions but never less than 40mins. You will be dropped off at Epcot and you will need to use the WDW transport to get to other parks. When you first board the bus the driver will ask you what time you want to come home. Again you get a choice of three times. I hated this because it took away some freedom. I know that the last bus was at 10.00pm though although this may change with seasons (we were there in january and all parks were closed by 10). Again, the journey took between 40mins and an hour. Everytime we left WDW i felt a little sad. You end such a magical day knowing you have to leave the magic behind and go back to a shabby hotel on a shabby bus
I should point out that the bus was generally late by between 15mins and 30mins on pickup in the morning but normally only a few mins late at night.
Transport to Busch Gardens - This isn't really anything to do with the hotel but I thought I ought to share. The easiest way to get to Busch is to jump on the red i-trolly going south for a couple of stops till you get to a mini shopping complex (I forget the name but the hotel will tell you. You will also need to book your seats in advance. The hotel can help you with this too). Once you get there head through the complex to the car park on the i-drive side of the complex. The bus will stop there. The bus is free as long as you have a valid pass for busch gardens.
Summary
The holiday was great. The hotel was not. I would never, ever recommend it to anyone unless they wanted a seriously cheap holiday. I would suggest you pay £100 more to stay in another hotel. Speak to your travel agent and tell them you have serious concerns. We felt this hotel should not have been in any brochure as it just doesn't meet the standards you would expect. It wasn't a total run down hole but it wasn't a three star (probably not really 2 star) as advertised.
The staff were for the most part helpful. I got the impression that they we doing the best they could with what they had so full credit to them.
The location was excellent for universal and wet & wild. Disney wasn't too bad but if you have children or the idea of a 60min drive to from WDW then I strongly suggest hiring a car. If I were ever staying in the same area again then I would hire a car just so we had the flexiblilty to come and go as we wanted rather than needing to wait for busses etc. If the main aim of your holiday is Disney then I strongly recommend you look on the resort hotels. They are more expensive but it is worth it for all the benefits. Especially because you don't have to leave "the World" each night!
Firstly, a link to the hotel is here so as to avoid confusion
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...o_Florida.html
I stayed there in January 2007 for 14 days. After reading alot of negative review I spent alot of time worring about the place because I had read bad reviews and I couldn't find any conclusive information about the transport etc.
So, in the hope that it will help you and others, here is my review. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
Review
This wasn't just my first trip to florida, it was my first trip the the US. Everyone had told me that the hotel standards in the US are pretty high so I shouldn't be worried about reviews etc but some of the reviews I read about this place were pretty bad. We didn't change our reservations because this place is cheap at the time we couldn't afford to upgrade to another hotel.
Firstly, this is more like a motel than a hotel, all the rooms have doors directly to the outside. They are all contained within the hotel complex so it didn't feel exposed or unsecure but do expect to get a pizza delivery flyer every day!
The first impressions are not good, the place really needed some refurbs. Nothing in the gym worked, ice machines were broken etc but the main lobby looked quite respectable.
We checked in and wondered off to find our room, the staircases up to the second floor were pretty dirty although being outside, what can you expect? I glanced at the lift and decided there was no way I was stepping in that thing. Having a fear of bugs, the idea of being contained in a rickety lift was not a nice one. On our way to our room I looked through the windows of some of the ground floor rooms which actually looked quite nice inside. However, when we got to our room on the second floor we were tucked away in a corner, had a big column infront of the only window which blocked out all the light and a broken air conditioning unit which was very, very loud. The room inside desperatly needed updating. As both me and my gf are not good with bugs my first thought was to make sure I never put anything down on the floor just incase something crawled into it! The facilities were basic but the essentials like the toilet, shower and sink were clean enough. Not spotless but nothing to complain about. It was only the carpet, shabby sofa and cabinates which made the room look bad. With a little more light the place would have been ok. Having one of the newly refubished rooms downstairs would have made all the difference.
Both me and my GF will put up with alot. We figured that we would only be in the room to sleep. We knew we would get back to the room at about 11pm each night and leave again before 8 so we decided not to complain and just out up with what we had. This shows that whilst it was not luxury, it wasn't totally disgusing either, just unpleasent.
Bed Bugs
Yes, I noticed a couple of small bugs on our bed on the first night. I didn't want to scare my gf so i just got rid of them and said nothing. I never ever get bitten by insects...apart from the insects in this hotel. On the 3rd or 4th night both my gf and I went to sleep. In the morning we both woke up covered (and I mean COVERED) in bites. It looked like some kind of rash. A quick seach revealed a couple more bugs in the linen!
Walking around the hotel I noticed that clean linen was left in a outhouse style cupboard. It wasn't a clean place and my guess was that all the bugs made their way into the linen here. Seriously - this facility was not adequate!
Facilities
There were few facilities.
- The gym was basically out of order
- Safe deposit boxes were availalble and the staff seemed to handle it professionally but there were a limited number. I suggest you reserve on before hand
- Food - I never ate here at any time other than breakfast
- Free coffee - it was free. I don't drink it but my gf said it was alright
- Pool - the pool looked clean. There were only ever a few people using it too. The idea of hanging around the hotel for a day by the didn't appeal to me so I never went in it.
Breakfast was free and a simple affair. There was pleny of food but there were also pleanty of people, far to many people to fit into the room. I think that most people were there for various conventions at other resorts (one was a gun convention! Pretty wierd to have all these people with (locked up) guns walking around. Especially as we are from the UK where guns are illegal.) We ended up making sure we either got up really early or we would wait till a table became free and one of us would grab it whilst the other got some food. We saw alot of people taking breakfast back to their rooms but the thought of eating in that dark, unpleasent room meant that I would not be doing that. It was all buffet style so you could go and grab as much as you wanted.
Location
The hotel is located right on the corner of sand lake rd and universal bvld. I had read many reviews where people complained that it was too far away from i-drive. Honestly it wasn't. It took maybe 5 mins to walk to i-drive. However, i personally was disapointed with the range of retaurants, shops etc which i-drive promised.
On a couple of our 14 days we decided to walk to 'Wet and Wild' which took maybe about 15mins. We even walked to universal on a couple of occasions. It took maybe 30 - 40 mins and there wasn't always a sidewalk but it wasn't an unpleasent walk.
We found a couple of mini golf courses close by which entertained us for a while. Well worth checking out.
Transport
I'll split this into a few sections.
I-Trolly - There was a stop right outside the hotel for the red line (i think thats what its called) or you can easily walk down to i-drive to grab the green line. On our first night we went to a tourist information place which was located over the road and slightly to the left when you first reach i-drive. We bought a couple of 14 tickets & we never had any problems using this service. It was quick and easy but it doesn't always drop you off where you want to go. It will take you right into seaworld but it will not take you right to the gates of universal. You will need to walk a little. All the drivers were very, very helpful so if you have a question, just ask!
Taxi - the company recommended by the hotel we cheap and efficient. I recommed you ask them for the number. It took about 15 - 20 mins to get to disney and it codt about $20 I think. They will also take you to the local malls and other attractions for very little cost.
Transport provided by the hotel - They do run busses to universal but you might be better using the i-trolley. I guess you are more concerned about WDW so I'll talk about that one. The bus is basic. IT was clean but shabby. All the transport is free but there is a hidden cost - time (and you expected to tip too)! I knew that it will take about 15-20 mins to get to disney world if I were driving. The bus used by the hotel came three times a day. I can't remember exactly but I think the times were 7.00am, 8.30am and 10.45am. We only ever traveled in the first two time slots and it was never very busy. Fortunatly this hotel is right at the start of the pick-up chain so my guess is that you will always get seats. The ride to WDW is then a very slow one taking about an hour on some occasions but never less than 40mins. You will be dropped off at Epcot and you will need to use the WDW transport to get to other parks. When you first board the bus the driver will ask you what time you want to come home. Again you get a choice of three times. I hated this because it took away some freedom. I know that the last bus was at 10.00pm though although this may change with seasons (we were there in january and all parks were closed by 10). Again, the journey took between 40mins and an hour. Everytime we left WDW i felt a little sad. You end such a magical day knowing you have to leave the magic behind and go back to a shabby hotel on a shabby bus
I should point out that the bus was generally late by between 15mins and 30mins on pickup in the morning but normally only a few mins late at night.
Transport to Busch Gardens - This isn't really anything to do with the hotel but I thought I ought to share. The easiest way to get to Busch is to jump on the red i-trolly going south for a couple of stops till you get to a mini shopping complex (I forget the name but the hotel will tell you. You will also need to book your seats in advance. The hotel can help you with this too). Once you get there head through the complex to the car park on the i-drive side of the complex. The bus will stop there. The bus is free as long as you have a valid pass for busch gardens.
Summary
The holiday was great. The hotel was not. I would never, ever recommend it to anyone unless they wanted a seriously cheap holiday. I would suggest you pay £100 more to stay in another hotel. Speak to your travel agent and tell them you have serious concerns. We felt this hotel should not have been in any brochure as it just doesn't meet the standards you would expect. It wasn't a total run down hole but it wasn't a three star (probably not really 2 star) as advertised.
The staff were for the most part helpful. I got the impression that they we doing the best they could with what they had so full credit to them.
The location was excellent for universal and wet & wild. Disney wasn't too bad but if you have children or the idea of a 60min drive to from WDW then I strongly suggest hiring a car. If I were ever staying in the same area again then I would hire a car just so we had the flexiblilty to come and go as we wanted rather than needing to wait for busses etc. If the main aim of your holiday is Disney then I strongly recommend you look on the resort hotels. They are more expensive but it is worth it for all the benefits. Especially because you don't have to leave "the World" each night!