Comfortable enough (Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista)

Member Name: Allmodcons

Product:	Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista
Date:	11/12/06 (218 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location & Value

Disadvantages: Busy Restaurant at Breakfast

We stayed at the Comfort Inn, Lake Buena Vista in June 2006 as part of a 14 night package holiday. You naturally benchmark the standards against the price, and as this was a budget holiday, I didn't have unrealistically high expectations of the motel, but was pleased that they were either met or exceeded on the whole. Two adults and two kids (8 & 11) had a great time.

Location
First and foremost, the location is excellent, and one of the main reasons we'd return. A lazy 35-40 min drive from the airport - I hadn't driven on the other side of the road since we were last in Florida as a couple in 1993, and things have changed in terms of traffic, but it was a nice, easy drive using the toll roads rather than the I4 (as recommended by the Dollar Rep). Found the hotel easily.

Palm Parkway is a short and easy drive to everything Disney. Turn left out the hotel and left then right at the next two junctions and you're within the Disneyworld area, and all their parks and attractions are as easily signed as you would expect. Turn right on to Palm Parkway and it's pretty much a straight drive to Seaworld and Universal without needing to use the I4 if you don't want to. We only used the I4 a couple of times in the holiday - to drive to Busch Gardens mainly, and the hotel is very close to the motorway.

The hotel runs a shuttle service to all the major parks, which we didn't actually use, but feedback from a couple of fellow Brits in the bar was that it was a good quality and reliable service.

There are quite a few eateries on Palm Parkway - Pizza Hut, cici pizza, Olive Garden, a couple of steakhouses and Chinese restaurants which could be walked within 10mins. A 5 min drive and you can find the Crossroads retail centre by turning left onto the 535. This has a Goodings supermarket/pharmacy, a few shops and a couple of bars, TGI Fridays, Denny's and an adventure crazy golf.

Room
Pretty much what you'd expect from a budget motel, the rooms are cleaned daily and functional rather than luxurious. Facilities included two double beds, hairdryer, TV, phone, microwave, fridge (very handy), effective air con and a safe. You can arrange internet access via the TV and also auto check out that way if you wish. We stayed on the interstate side of the hotel and we slept very well, but if you're a very light sleeper you might want to ask for a room on the parking lot side, as there can obviously be some background noise from the I4.

Bear in mind that in true motel style, the external walkway runs past the door of every room, and as such fellow guests/kids will be heard as they walk past. Not a concern for us, as we have kids ourselves and are used to a little noise.

Facilities
Large, coin-operated (get plenty of quarters) washers and dryers at the junction between the buildings were extremely useful to us. Also there were drinks vending machines and ice dispenser at this location as well.

The outdoor pools are clean and basic, with complimentary towels kept poolside. There's a small kids playground by the parking lot, but the kids weren't bothered - a bit 'young' for them and compared to Thunder Mountain…

The lobby service was great, and apart from an initial sales pitch for a new property development when we arrived the information stand was useful as well.

You'll find a nice little gift shop and a small but well stocked convenience store in the lobby. There's also a small video games room - 4 or 5 machines and the kids weren't really excited by them.

The restaurant service was absolutely fine - friendly and helpful, but they do get very busy at breakfast, and depending on the time you arrive, you may have to wait for a table to become free. There is a free continental option, but this was quite a free-for-all, and from observation, seemed to constantly run short of things that weren't sugar laden. We opted for the hot breakfast buffet, and I recall the cost to be something like 15 Dollars for the 4 of us (kids under 12 free with an adult). A decent cooked breakfast gave a good kickstart to a day at the parks, and we were all perfectly happy with the variety on offer. We only had dinner there on our first night, and it was a decent value dinner buffet. However, we ate out other nights because there are so many eateries to choose from.

We used the bar a few times, on our return at the end of the day. All the family were welcome, the barman was very friendly, and as my son and I have a passing interest in US sports we really enjoyed the big screen coverage of the NBA and Stanley cup finals that were on while we were there.

I will also mention that the presence of on site security was reassuring, as we saw them around the premises on several occasions.

In summary, for a theme park holiday where you will mainly be sleeping at your hotel, this is a good value budget option, and we found the extras to be an unexpected bonus. If you are looking for 4 or 5 star quality on the cheap, this isn't it. However, my wife and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again if travelling on the same budget.

Summary: Great budget option for Orlando holiday