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Posts Tagged ‘Orlando Hotels’

Ten Questions Before You Book That Orlando Vacation Rental Home

March 30th, 2009 No comments

An Orlando vacation is the dream getaway for most families. Every year about fifty million people make the journey to Florida to enjoy the pleasures that Disney, Sea World and Universal provide. It’s a truly magical place for the whole family.

Even though tourists spend most of their time at the theme parks, accommodation is obviously a very important issue for them to decide on. Hotels and motels are the obvious choice and there are many of them to pick from. But a new industry has developed during the past few years that is becoming increasingly popular.

There are now literally thousands of single-family homes and condos in the Disney World and Orlando areas that are rented out by their owners on a short-term basis, just like hotel or motel rooms. So families and groups who want to enjoy more space and the comforts of home have a definite alternative.

Most of the properties are situated within just a few minutes’ drive of the Disney theme parks. There is an enormous variety of property styles and sizes, ranging from two bedroom condos to six bedroom single family homes or even larger. Some communities include additional facilities such as a movie theater, a club house and a gym for those moments when Mickey isn’t capturing your attention.

The vacation rental industry has grown in popularity so much that few families want to return to the restrictions of a hotel once they’ve sampled the extra freedom and flexibility. But like any purchase, there are hidden aspects to think about.

Helped by the communication tools of the Internet, a lot of owners and almost all of the vacation rental companies have built clever and convincing web sites with photos and summaries of why you should book with them. But they are in business to make money and you should be very clear about all the terms and conditions before you buy. For example, you should ask:

* How many nights is the minimum I can book?

* How much deposit do I have to pay to secure a booking?

* When is the total rental payment due to be paid?

* What is your refund policy if I cancel?

* Can you confirm the total amount including tax and other charges that you will require?

* Will we actually be staying in the home that you’ve shown me pictures of or do you allocate homes only on arrival?

* What is check in time on the day of arrival?

* What is check-out time on the day I leave?

* Can I pay by credit card?

* Do you require any security deposit to be held until after departure?

So the overall message is: just like making any substantial purchase, get the answers you need before you commit to a booking.

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Orlando Hotels – The top Five

November 27th, 2008 No comments
by Jim Rosenthal

The best place to stay in Orlando, considering you are going for the large number of theme parks is on International Drive. This is the primary location for all of the major theme parks. The following are the hotels that I rate as the top five hotels in Orlando, Florida.

Number one: Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando International Drive. This hotel is located near all the theme parks. Everything I have heard relates to how friendly the staff is and how clean the hotel is. The hotel has a wonderful breakfast. It also has a shuttle that takes you to Universal and Islands of Adventure. This Orlando Hotel is the number one of the Orlando Hotels.

Number two: Hampton Inn Orlando – Convention Center. The beds are excellent and the staff is top notch. There is a breakfast in the morning that is excellent. The rooms are very nice. They are well kept up and most of all very clean. The hotel is about 2 minutes from International Drive. This is my number two pick of Orlando Hotels.

Number three: Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club at Orlando. I think this is the best hotel to go to with family. They have an excellent staff that helps entertain the kids. They also have miniature golf, a few pools and hot tubs, also table games like pool and tennis. They also offer a bar by the pool. This hotel is number three in my ranking of Orlando Hotels.

Number four: Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive. What a place for your whole family to enjoy. This hotel puts together entertainment for the kids. There is a bunch a family atmosphere as soon as you walk in, plus the property itself is beautiful. The hotel is located right by Sea World and close to Walt Disney World. There is a shuttle and trolley that will pick you up at the front gate and takes you where you want to go. I have also learned that they have excellent homemade ice cream in their recreation room. This is the number four rank out of all the Orlando Hotels.

Number five: Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal. This is another hotel with very comfortable beds. The staff is extremely friendly, and the rooms are clean with nice furniture. This property also has LCD televisions. The downside is the hotel is not within walking distance of much, and is not as kid friendly as the others. This is our number five rank of the Orlando Hotels.

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Orlando Hotels: Home Away From Home

August 26th, 2008 1 comment
by Dark Sith

A vacation to sunny Orlando is never complete without staying at any of its posh and grand hotels. It is almost a part of the whole Orlando deal: sun, theme parks, great activities, and great accommodations. Comfort and relaxation are the orders of the day and in Orlando’s famous hotels, these two words are taken like mantra, all for the satisfaction of you, the customer.

Hotels in Orlando range from budget-friendly to even luxurious ones. Among Orlando’s luxurious hotel is Portofino Bay Hotel. This hotel is situated along a quaint view of the bay at Universal Orlando Resort. Portofino Bay Hotel is a recreation of the romantic seaside village of Portofino in Italy. This luxurious hotel is stylishly furnished with authentic Italian furnitures, serves true Italian culinary and offers three themed swimming pools. With all its extravagant features, no wonder it was awarded an AAA Four Diamond.

The Hard Rock Hotel, on the other hand, is specifically designed for those with impeccable musical tastes. The hotel’s Velvet Bar is a rock and roll partyhead’s dream come true. Even the swimming pools are dedicated to giving you the best music, as they are piped underneath to provide you with your favorite tunes. As if that is not enough, you can partake of delectable lobsters and steaks on the Palm Restaurant when you’re tired with all the music rock and roll moshings.

As for those who just want the easiest access to Orlando’s theme parks, the residence Inn Orlando Sea World Hotel is conveniently located within Orlando’s central district. The good thing is that attractions like Walt Disney World, Discovery Cove, and Universal Studios all provide complementary transports so that you won’t have to get lost going to those places. All the hotel’s single and two bedroom suites are also wired for Internet access so you won’t have to miss those important emails and websites.

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What is in Orlando Florida?

January 8th, 2008 No comments

The most popular city in central Florida is Orlando. The only cities that are bigger than Orlando in Florida are Miami and Tampa. It is also known for its world famous tourist attractions like Universal Studios, Sea World and of course the most popular Walt Disney World. Fifty million plus people travel to Orlando each year. To accommodate all these tourists, Orlando has more hotel rooms than any other city besides Las Vegas.

Orlando is the home to all kinds of attractions for tourists. The largest is the famous Walt Disney World. It is the most visited attraction that there is in Orlando. It has many attractions within it like Magic Kingdom and the Epcot Center. There is also the Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Walt Disney World is also the home to Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach and Downtown Disney.

There are a few other large attractions, one of which is Sea World. This park is a mix between an amusement and water park as well as a marine zoological park. Sea World is home to Shamu the killer whale. There are a lot of animal exhibits and shows inside the Sea World park. Universal Studios is also a very large theme park. It has the Universal Studios theme park, and Islands of Adventure. There is also a hotspot for Orlando at Universal Studios known as the City Walk.

There are 4 shopping mall centers in orlando. The Florida Mall houses 250 stores and is the largest Orlando mall. There is also the Millenia. It has famous stores like Bloomingdales and Macy’s. The two other malls in the city are the Orlando Fashion Mall and the smaller Festival Bay Mall.

There are also several museums for those who like art, history and science. The most attractive of which is a 50 acre garden with a large assorment of plants. This museum includes a house where they grow only orchids and a garden for butterflies.

The largest part of the Orlando economy is tourism. Millions of visitors travel to the area every year. There is also a large convention industry in Orlando. There is a two million square foot convention center located in Orlando. The city competes strongly against Las Vegas and Chicago hosting nearly the most conventions.

Not only is it a wonderful, popular tourist destination, Orlando boasts a ton of things to do. If you want to get away to there you can even drive about an hour and half to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. Cocoa Beach is one of the more popular beaches, and it is not far.

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