Tips on Finding the Best Place to Stay in Orlando

Orlando has a number of major attractions all positioned conveniently along the I-4 corridoor. These major attractions include Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. Disney World can be conveniently accessed anywhere along Route 192. There are a number of really nice places to stay. I have stayed in a number of these places and recommend Disney hotels strongly. They are clean, reasonably priced and within a couple of miles from all the Disney attractions. Areas near Disney are really Kissimmee, Clermont and Davenport and they are just southwest of Orlando.

However, you should consider a number of other options, especially if you are traveling with your family. On a recent trip, I visited some amazing vacation homes. We are talking about homes with anywhere from 3 bedrooms to 7 bedrooms that cost between $150-$300/night. Many of these homes have their own swimming pool, which is really neat for kids and a lot more hygenic than public hotel pools. For those of you who want a more budget option, consider condos. I visited several condos and they were very well appointed - with flat screen TV's, king size beds, a porch, common swimming pool area, barbeque grills and more. The only downside in staying close to US 192 is that this road has a tremendous amount of traffic during the peak seasons.

Another area to consider is the area near Universal Studios and the Orange County Convention Center. These areas have a lot of well appointed condos and executive suites that are far less expensive than the JW Marriott right across. I rented a suite at the JW Marriot for a tradeshow at about $600/night. The suite was really nice and perfect for the tradeshow, but the condos I saw during my visit far exceeded what the suite could provide in terms of space and amenities.

I would suggest that these are the absolute prime areas to stay if you are on vacation. Don't stay in downtown Orlando. It is are crowded and 30-45 minutes from Disney based on local traffic. Besides staying close to Universal Studios and Disney World gives you easy access to Busch Gardens in Tampa and Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg. You can also visit Edison's winter home in Fort Myers, Florida as well as enjoy the beautiful Florida Gulf Coast.