Where to stay in Orlando??

Hi guys

I am off to Orlando in September and there will be 7 in the group, my parents, myself and my girlfriend, my brother and his fiancee and my younger brother. We are looking into renting a villa for the 2 weeks while we are there and I have been looking into a bit at the moment. I was hoping that somebody on here might have been and might know the area a bit as none of the 7 of us have ever been. Can anybody reccommend an area that isn't too far from the main attractions. We have thought about renting a mini van while we are there but I was looking into the I-Ride bus and it looks pretty good so we might not rent yet. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

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I can't help with the villa because I stayed in a hotel (Best Western Movieland, on I-Drive, directly across from Wet'n'Wild) but I can tell you to avoid the I-Ride trolly at all costs! The local Lynx buses (8 & 42) run on almost the same route as the trolly, are twice as frequent (every 10 mins) and is never as busy so there's no chance of it going past full. Trust me, avoid it like the plague.

markpb said:

I can't help with the villa because I stayed in a hotel (Best Western Movieland, on I-Drive, directly across from Wet'n'Wild) but I can tell you to avoid the I-Ride trolly at all costs! The local Lynx buses (8 & 42) run on almost the same route as the trolly, are twice as frequent (every 10 mins) and is never as busy so there's no chance of it going past full. Trust me, avoid it like the plague.

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Thanks for the heads up

my partner and i are returning to orlando again in july as we love the place, i cannot help with a villa as stayed in hotel last time. we stayed on international drive and are again. i thought the i ride was great, the stops are very close together and run frequently, brought you to the door of the shopping outlets, seaworld etc and the hotels had a courtesy for guests for universal. we stayed two weeks, we bought an i ride pass for the two weeks we stayed its cheap too! its a bit of a hassle when returning from the outlets with a load of shopping but apart from that i recommend it. not once did we use a taxi. if your are staying in a villa im sure you willl need a car as the i ride only services international drive and the attractions are well spread out.

My missus picked up the Florida brochure from American Holidays, as we hope to go to Orlando this summer. Their prices for villas/homes seemed quite reasonable to me, though I haven't compared them to others in this area - See [broken link removed]

We were in Orlando in November and stayed at Floridays Resort on I-Drive. http://www.floridaysresortorlando.com/ We booked it through www.1800hotels.ie and got a 2 bed apartment for two weeks for €1,100. Master bedroom with full bathroom ensuite. TV in bedroom. Twin bedroom with tv. Bathroom. Full kitchen. Dining table and living room with tv and dvd player. Washing machine and dryer. Balcony. Free shuttle to Disney, US/IOA, SeaWorld. We hope to stay there next time we go back (hopefully next year). They also have 3 bed apartments. As for the I-Ride, well it has 41 stops. Floridays is stop #39 so it's always quiet and easy to get a seat. We never rent a car, ALWAYS use the I-Ride - €17 for a weekly ticket.

I second that the I ride sucks! You should rent a car we got a good price with carhire3000 you get a cheaper rate if you ring up. We stayed in vistacay on universal boulevard we got a great price with golden holidays in the uk. Floridays is similar tovista cay but is more suited to familieswith kids while vista cay is more suited to adults. Have a fab time!

I'd suggest you start having a look at attraction ticket prices as that may help your mind up. When we went we got a Flexticket which was valid for 14 consecutive days and was cheaper than the Disney ticket we also got which had 5 days on it that never expired. The Flexticket was for Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Wet n Wild & Seaworld.

We found the Universal Parks much better than Disney for thrill rides, so if thrill rides are your thing you would be better staying around the International Drive area for easy access to Universal, whereas if you're into the Disney experience you'll be as handy renting a villa around Kissimmee or somewhere like that which is easier for Disney.

I'd suggest picking up a book such as "A Brit's Guide to Orlando" which is geared towards visitors from this side of the Atlantic and gives very good advice on everything!

i stayed at the howard johnson on international drive. i paid 216 euro for 4 adults in a quad room for 7 seven nights. it was basic but loved every minute of it. hotel has a pool and very clean. believe me save your money for all the parks and attractions...... ul be glad... i used the i ride and thought it was fantastic... orlando is the best place in the world.... wouldnt do it any other way to be honest.........

Absolutely book a private villa. You need a four bedroom villa which normally have private pool, at least two bathrooms, two Tvs and above all a decent kitchen.
Try a "gated" community which means its a self contained small resort with security guards at the main gate, large communal pool-besides your own private one, gym, shop etc. The extra cost of a decent well-located villa in a secure environment is well worth the extra few dollars.
Look at the websites of these resorts Windsor Hills, windsor Palms, emerald Isle.
I've stayed in all - they're great, and they're all close by to Disney. Book direct with the owners

No rush to book. September is low season and the rates go down. You do know its the hurricane season in florida don't you ? Not as bad as its sounds, though it can get stormy on some days.


Last point- don't just stay in orlando, there are many interesting places near by to vivit and am amazed that so few Orlando visitors ever go there.
the shopping -even for a man like me who hates shopping - is amazingly cheap and less hectic than shopping in N.Y.

For a party of seven get a villa as it is the same cost for the villa no matter how many people are there and it works out cheaper. You will also have a private pool, get one with a games room and you can also have a full kitchen to do your own food when you want it.

I have a villa in Orlando and have been there many many times. The areas where the villas are, are all 10 to 20 minutes from the attractions due to renting legislation in Orlando. the Theme parks are also spread out with Disney at the south of Orlando and Universal at the North. But with the road network the journey between them is no more than 20-30 minutes.

I would never advise against booking a car in Orlando as it is spread out and there is so much to do. You should also look at going to the coast for a few nights. I highly reccommend Clearwater beech which is a 90 minute drive south west of Orlando. Motorway all the way. If you do book a car make sure you include for insurance, full tank of gas etc etc as they will sting you at the counter if you dont.

You will also need a car if you want to do the shopping without hasstle as the outlets and malls are again spread out. check out their websites before you go as you can download additional discount vouchers by signing up to their VIP clubs.

My website has alot of orlando information and links to various attractions in the area if you want further information [broken link removed]

thanks for all the useful information - it is much appreciated