Accomodation

[Oceansplasher]

My wife and I are in Florida for 3 1/2 weeks in October. For the first 2 1/2 we are in a villa in Kissimmee with family then we stay on for another week to travel a little. We are not planning any hotels/motels until we get there but does anyone know if we are a member of any organisations in UK such as AA or RAC the hotel chains offer discounts? or alternatively the best way to get a discount by calling them up.

Any help appreciated.

Stuart.

[ellie]

Have you considered staying in a villa on the Gulf Coast? This would give you a totally different base for exploring, but you will have all the benefits and freedoms that a villa brings. There are some fantastic places to explore which are within a day trip from the Gulf coast, so it would be a contrast to your time in Orlando.

There are some fabulous Gulf villas which advertise on these sites, so why not take a look and see if one takes your fancy? After staying in a villa for 2 1/2 weeks you may well find it very cramped to have to stay in one hotel room.

Hope you have a great time.

[Magical Dreams]

We are doing exactly that!

We are staying in our own villa for the first two weeks then we have rented a villa in Rotonda for the third week.

We fly on Friday this week! Can't wait!

The boys are really looking forward to spending a week on the coast!

The home is a similar style to our own, so it will be like home from home!
I don't think I could cope with a hotel for a week after spending 2 weeks in a villa, even if it wasn't ours!

[Lynnes]

Each year on one of our visits to Florida we try and hire a villa on the gulf. This year we are re visiting one we stayed in two years ago - can't wait. To be honest we would never even consider a hotel now for loads of reasons.

[Mo Green]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Lynnes
Each year on one of our visits to Florida we try and hire a villa on the gulf. This year we are re visiting one we stayed in two years ago - can't wait. To be honest we would never even consider a hotel now for loads of reasons.
[/quote]

I know what you mean Lynnes. Last week we flew from San Diego from Florida. I was appaled at the standard of the hotel we stayed at for $175 per night comapred to the villas on this site. No pool, nowhere to sit outside apart from the designated smoking area and nowhere to sit and wait for the rest of our party.

Mo

[Pookie]

I have to agree with everyones elses opinion on this one Stuart.
After a villa, even with just the 2 of you a hotel room will seem very cramped.

Choose a location, base there & then explore as others have said the Gulf Coast offers a plethora of activities & areas all waiting to be discovered.

Lynne

[Mrs Brizzle]

Whilst it is undisputed that a holiday in a villa is far superior than a two week stay in a hotel. Surely there are times when a hotel room for the night is more suitable like in the OP's request.

He is merely asking if anyone knows of a way to aquire discounted rooms whilst he does a little exploring with his wife. He has already stated that he is staying in a villa for the majority of his time in Florida but that he wishes to travel a little at the end of his stay. Surely we can be a little more constructive in our replies instead of repeating the same mantra.

It's not a bad idea to go off the beaten track and be a little adventurous now and again and I certainly would if I didn't have 3 children and all that comes with them in tow!

Stuart I have no idea if you can get discounted rooms by being a member of certain institutions but it is certainly worth a go! Maybe try checking their websites or by googling it. Also why not fire off a few e-mails asking if they have different room rates if you phone in advance or if you walk in off the street.

I guess it really depends if you have an idea in mind of where you plan to visit or if you are just going to drive and see where you end up!

Anyway good luck and have a lovely time.

[Oceansplasher]

Heidi,

Thanks so much for your response, you are spot on AGAIN!! with your forum entry above. My wife and I are seasoned Florida vacationers. We have stayed in hotels and villas in Naples previous years along with villas in Orlando. This year, whilst still spending time with family in a villa in Kissimmee we want to have a week touring and going off the beaten track so to speak, have a day or two in 1 place then move on for a few days. Not wishing to upset the other people who posted to my enquiry but the responses were a little repetitious.

There is so much more to Florida than the 'standard' stuff (which we love also) and we want to perhaps use the freedom of the last week alone to maybe do a little canoe or kayak trip with manatee's etc and just wanted to pick up hotels as and when we needed them. We like the idea of not organising everything down to the last detail. So thanks again for your response Heidi and also your advice last month on car hire whilst you were in the airport. It made me smile. Thanks to all you guys also who responded.

BTW, for anyone interested, we have a very good book we purchased in Florida called "Florida - off the beaten track" by Gleasner. It is very good with excellent advice and ideas.

Stuart

[chrizzy100]

We use hotels a lot...we get our first hotel to book us on if we can...we've got very cheap rooms that way...
Also booking online can save you hundreds...I tried to book a room for my parents near where we live in MA...it was $180 a night...my dad got the same place online for $35 a night...my dad got an over 55 rate discount which I told him to ask for..we travel hundreds of miles between hotels sometimes...its not that hard to judge when you will hit each place...
Hope you have a great time...my family seem to be odd because we love hotels and even motels....just been picking a Disney one for my grandson's 4th birthday and Christmas..:)