• Hotels
• Vacation Homes (Villas) 
• Hostels

If you are looking for a new and exciting experience, or simply a way to save some money on your stay, then it is valuable investing some of your time into the prices and different types accommodation you can chose from!

See below for a summary of the different types of accommodation available to choose from in Orlando! Read the advantages, disadvantages and get some useful tips of each to help you decide where you want to stay and to ensure you have the ultimate vacation experience!

Hotels

Hotels can vary in their style, shape, size and quality.  One main advantage of staying in a hotel over any other type of accommodation is that you often have the luxury of using a range of hotel facilities such as a swimming pool, a gym, a sauna, washing equipment, restaurant and/or a giftshop. Another large advantage is that many of the themed hotels and resorts in Orlando, such as Disney’s Hotel Resort are in great location to the theme parks, and some provide complimentary transport services to and from the main attractions. Additionally, such hotels provide a range of entertainment including night shows and live music, making your hotel experience an exciting and unique one!

However there are a couple of downsides to staying in a hotel. For example, hotels often generate a lot of noise and although you can escape to your rooms, the walls are usually not sound proof! Or you may not be able to use the facilities you want at certain times as others are using them and it’s too busy!

Bear in mind that there is usually a trade-off between staying in a nice hotel and spending a fortune Most hotels are relatively expensive for what they are and the amenities they do provide such a washing facilities are very pricey! To avoid this, try looking out for special deals and cheaper hotels to compare prices and to ensure you get the best value for your money!

Vacation Homes (Villas)

Not only are these often cheaper then hotels, but also provide families and individual travelers with the luxury of having more living space and convenience that hotels do not easily provide, such as a kitchen, washing facilities, greater privacy and the option to get some peace and quiet!

Such vacation homes come in different styles, ranging from one-bedroom to eight bedroom rentals and usually with a private pool as well as a nearby communal pool. Ideal location of these holiday homes can be found all along the International Drive (Main road in Orlando to the theme parks and eateries) that is located just 10-20 mins drive from Disney and Universal theme parks.

Such rentals are ideal for many travelers including big friend gatherings, large families and/or those on a budget. Equally they may be ideal for couples or single travelers looking for some privacy or to try something new.

For further information about the style of villas you can stay and options available, be sure to view our property.

Hostels

The main advantage on staying in a hostel is that it is much cheaper than a hotel or a vacation home.  Like Villas, some hostels do provide fully equipped kitchen facilities, enabling you to further save money as you can buy your own food rather than just spending to eat out. However, hostels tend to be more basic in style, less amenities and less privacy than you would find at other accommodation. Additionally, there is limited staff as many hostels do not provide a 24 hour service at the front desk unlike you find at hotel accommodation.

Whilst some hostels do have bathroom ensuites, a lot of them comprise on communal bathrooms, meaning that they could be shared with people you may or may not know.

As for security, many hostels do have a strict policy of not letting people inside unless they are guests staying at the accommodation and several hostels do also provide safes to keep your valuables in. If you’re someone who intends to spend most the days sightseeing and visiting attractions in Orlando and Florida, then this may be a good option for you.

However, if you are thinking of booking to stay in a hostel, we recommend you read and check reviews thoroughly before booking to ensure they do have the facilities you desire!

Here are a few further tips and suggestions we recommend you consider when planning your stay:

 Think about the purpose of your trip and how many travelers are involved…

For instance, if there is a large group of you travelling together, then perhaps a vacation home would be the ideal option for you rather than a hotel as they can hold up to 8 bedrooms in one villa, enabling enough space for everyone and allowing room for you all to be in the same place.

Base your accommodation choice around the focus of your holiday

below we provide some general advice to help you think about this and make sure the accommodation you choose is perfect for you!

Advice for Families with young children:

If you are planning a vacation around the kids and are looking to immerse yourselves among Disney itself (for example), then it may be ideal to stay in a hotel on the Disney resort as there is easy and quick transportation available to and from the hotel to the attractions which may suit well with young kids.

Advice for Families with Teenagers:

Equally, you may intend to divide up your vacation time by spending half the days at the theme parks and the rest of the time at other events in Central Florida. If this is the case, offsite accommodation may be best. This may be the case if you are a family with teenagers as whilst you may want to immerse in some of the theme park activities, you may also enjoy time away from the attractions, such as at a pool or the beach.

Advice for Single Travelers or Couples:

Whilst you may have the desire to immerse yourselves among the theme park attractions, perhaps you are looking to spend most of your holiday relaxing, largely away from the noise and touristy areas. If this is the case, then it may be worth considering staying at a vacation rental that is near to the coast or saturated at a distance from the attractions with the option to drive to them as you please, but still allowing the opportunity to relax in some peace and quiet.

Determine your budget

whilst it may seem luxurious staying in a Disney resort hotel that is right next to the attractions, it is often very overpriced and you can find  much more reasonable deals for offsite properties that are still in close proximity to the attractions. (POTENTIAL MONEY SAVER ALERT!)

Alternatively, not staying on the attraction resort itself means transportation is needed to and from the attractions which may work out at a similar cost.

Think about the location

If you are planning to stay in accommodation offsite from the theme parks, make sure you are choose somewhere relatively close to the main attractions as traffic can get quite busy at peak times and having close assess to the attractions is going to be advantageous. Recommended and popular nearby areas include anywhere along International Drive, such as in Davenport, Kissimmee areas.

Watch out as some hotels claim they are ‘just minutes’ away from Disney world or other main attractions – whilst this may be true, with all the long roads and congestion that occurs, they could mean a good 20/30mins drive even though the location of the parks is not far. So it may be worth looking up the exact address of where you plan to stay to see exactly how long journeys will take to and from your accommodation!