Hotel at Orlando Int Airport

RL

Can anyone recommend a nice hotel at MCO just for one night as the villa we have booked is not available for our first night. We are 2 ads & 2 children and will just need somewhere to sleep off the jetlag. We then plan to collect a car the next day. I guess we'll have to go back to the airport to do this unless we can get to the rental depot direct from the hotel easily.

Anyone who knows the area might be able to advise me on a good plan.

Thanks in advance

RL

Bobsworlduk

http://orlandoairport.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

The hyatt is right in the airport, infact it is part of the airport building.

I wouldn't bother staying at the airport though, I would pick up the car when you arrive and head off to your holiday hotel. Your wasting holiday time and money.

jnd

Strange you would book a villa that's not available on the day of your arrival. When you arrive you should be trying to stay awake as long as possible so you get yourself adjusted to the local time. Otherwise, if you go to sleep when you arrive, say around 5pm (10pm back home) you'll be up and ready to go next morning by 4am (9am back home).

As you mentioned the villa wasn't available, you won't be able to check in until after 3 -4 pm that day (was the villa owner upfront with you on this?).

I have to agree with Bob, time (at least a whole day of your holiday) and money wasted. I assume it's too late to cancel the villa?

RL

jnd wrote:

Strange you would book a villa that's not available on the day of your arrival. When you arrive you should be trying to stay awake as long as possible so you get yourself adjusted to the local time. Otherwise, if you go to sleep when you arrive, say around 5pm (10pm back home) you'll be up and ready to go next morning by 4am (9am back home).

As you mentioned the villa wasn't available, you won't be able to check in until after 3 -4 pm that day (was the villa owner upfront with you on this?).

I have to agree with Bob, time (at least a whole day of your holiday) and money wasted. I assume it's too late to cancel the villa?

Yes the villa owner was upfront with us and the reason we are doing this is because we are going at peak time (Xmas) and would rather have a really nice (but well priced) villa in the area we want for 7 nts than a not so nice expensive villa for 8 nts. I can understand your confusion though. The villa owner is also requesting that the cleaners come in early so that we can be in earier than usual.
My initial thought was that after a 9 hr flight with 2 small children (2 & 4)we could land at 3pm, not have the hassle of picking up the car and just head to a nearby hotel, pop out for a meal and then get them straight to bed (7ish) and pick the car up refreshed the next morning as most of the day is over anyway so we are not really wasting it. The following day we would pick up the car and drive to somewhere nice for the day and then head to the villa.
As we are going to chill out a bit and not planning on doing the parks anyway there's no real rush to get on with things we just enjoy being in America and going a their more relaxed pace.

Thanks for previous posters advice on hotel at the aiport
RL

jnd

Here is a website showing all the hotel's with shuttles from the airport.

http://orlando.airporthotelguide.com/airporthotels.html

Thing is, there are no restaurants (that I know of) that close to the airport, unless you head down Sand Lake Rd towards the Florida Mall, where there are an abundance to pick from. There is a hotel at the Florida Mall as well, I'm sure they have an airport shuttle, http://www.thefloridahotelorlando.com/ where a room with 2 doubles will run you around $100/night.

I, like a few other's on MSE, own a villa in Florida and sometimes, even with the best intentions in the world, it's hard to get the cleaners in/out early.

odowdchr

You can get a great hotel for one night on Priceline (Orlando Airport region), pay no more than £15-20 for a room. We got the Renaissance then used the free shuttle bus to get to it.

If you book a car from anywhere other then the airport you'll save paying the airport tax, so when you get a hotel you could google for the nearest rental place 'away' from the airport but see if you can drop it at MCO on the way back.
You might be lucky enough to get a hotel with one in the lobby, or at least be close to one?
We always do this if we arrive late, it's great to have a good sleep, shower and breakfast before starting off fresh the next morning and it can actually save you money.

i_love_it

I have stayed bth the holiday inn and the marriot at macoy airport, both v good. i also stayed the raddison, not the best...

Weggy

How about staying in one of the Disney resort hotels for that one night? Not very money saving but it'll make a great start to your kids holiday....

RL

Yes I have been thinking about this and a friend mentioned that the character breakfasts are really good. My children (2 & 4)love Mary poppins and Winnie the Pooh who I believe are at the Grand Floridian breakfast. If anyone has any first hand experience of this I'd be most interested in your comments. Also, it would make sense to stay the one night at the Grand Floridian and book the breakfast for the next day. Does anyone have any tips on booking this seperately or together. Any advice would be much appreciated

RL

PS also does anyone know if they do a shuttle from MCO airport & the car hire from the hotel

Weggy

Havent done a character breakfast, but done a couple of character dinners.... would recommend them if you have kids in tow. At the age of yours, they will love it! The first one I went to, had Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Pooh. They do circuits of the restaurant, and 2 of them come round while the other 2 rest. So, every 15 mins or so, you have a character with you. They're happy for you to take photos with them etc. It really will make your children's holiday...

RL

Thanks Weggy,

Do you mind me asking how you booked the dinners. As we're going at New Year I imagine we'll have to reserve ahead. I looked at the Grand Floridian for 1 nt and it was $550 plus tax !! so we're just going to do the breakfast but stay somewhere else.
Thanks fr your help
RL