Comfort might be slightly stretching it! (Comfort Inn Universal Studio (Orlando, USA))

Member Name: chocaholic110

Product:	Comfort Inn Universal Studio (Orlando, USA)
Date:	04/04/09 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, breakfast included, free tea and coffee, free transport to parks

Disadvantages: Very basic, too far from Disney

On our first visit to Florida we spent 21 nights at the Comfort Inn hotel on Sand Lake Road, Orlando. To be honest, we were on a strict budget and the deciding factor in choosing the hotel was the price. Before flying, I read some of the reviews on various travel review sites and was horrified at some of the comments but by then it was too late to change - a lesson learned to read the reviews before you book or don't read them at all!

However, as it turned out I needn't have worried. The hotel wasn't the most luxurious in the world, but then I wasn't expecting it to be. It was a clean, basic hotel room, nothing to get excited about, but then nothing to run away in terror from either!


** Location **

The hotel is located at 6101 Sand Lake Road , Orlando, FL, US, 32819, just off International Drive so conveniently located for many supermarkets, shops, restaurants and attractions. If driving, the hotel is approximately 20 minutes drive from Walt Disney World and 10 minutes from Universal resort. It is very close to Wet 'n' Wild; we were able to walk there in around 10 minutes.

** The Room **

The room we stayed in was basic but adequate. It contained two double beds, a small table and chairs, a small wardrobe, a TV, fridge, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, a chest of drawers, a small sink area and a small bathroom. Everywhere was clean and the room was cleaned daily. Towels were changed daily if you wanted, although the housekeeping services left cards that asked you to continue using the same towels if possible to "save the environment" (or save the hotel's laundry bills!). Our room was on the first floor (or the second floor to Americans) and was entered via an external corridor. It had much needed air conditioning that kept the room deliciously cool in the August Floridian heat. As I've already said, it was basic but as we were there to visit the theme parks, not to sit in our room, it suited us as a base to store our belongings and sleep!

** Services **

The hotel had a large check in desk, which we only really visited on checking in and out but the staff there were very polite. It also had an additional desk where you could book shuttle trips to Universal hotels, dinner shows and days out. This was only manned at certain times. The staff here were also polite but I think they found it hard to understand our accents; often we had to repeat ourselves several times and my husband was less than amused to receive tickets to one show calling him "Angel" when his name is Andrew.
There was a small basic pool at the hotel which was well-maintained and towels were replaced regularly. We didn't spend a lot of time in the pool but had no complaints about it.

One service the hotel provided which did go down well was the free continental breakfast, which was self-service buffet providing a range of cereals, breads, ham, cheese, juice, tea and coffee with the option to make toast or waffles which our children very much enjoyed. The small dining room was relatively empty early on a morning but it was very difficult to find a seat if you tried to eat after half eight. Also, a significant area of the room was dominated by a huge television that I didn't enjoy blasting out over breakfast but it allowed my husband to get his news fix each day.

The hotel also provided 24 hour free tea and coffee which could be made using machines in the lobby. I'm not a coffee drinker as a rule, though I did drink it while we were there as the tea was terrible!

One service that was another deciding factor in choosing this hotel was the fact that it provided a free shuttle service to all the Orlando theme parks and as we didn't hire a car for this holiday this was a big attraction. If you are car-less in Orlando it is perfectly easy to still visit the theme parks from this hotel although it makes for a lot less flexible holiday as you have to be up really early in order to catch the shuttle to the Disney parks for opening time. Also we missed many of the evening fireworks and parades as the shuttle returned to the hotel well before the parks closed. A final thought is that we sometimes had some frenzied journeys back to the shuttle as it only dropped off at Epcot and it was difficult to judge what time we needed to leave the other parks in order to get back there in plenty time. A further disadvantage was that when travelling at busy times the buses could be really full, visitors would just rush onto the bus regardless of whether there was a queue and it could be quite a crush, not to mention a difficult journey back to the hotel, having to stand up holding tired, small children without falling over! Also, the buses took a lot longer to get to the parks and back than a car would due to the fact that they picked up and dropped off at lots of other hotels. In other words, if you're choosing this hotel because of the free shuttle service, don't do it!

Other services the hotel has, although we didn't use them, are a gym and a games room. There is also a small shop containing gifts and snacks although we found this rather expensive. The hotel has a small laundry which we found easy to use and meant we were able to wash our most confortable clothes mid-holiday.

** Price information **

We stayed as part of a package holiday so the hotel cost was included along with the flight. However, the hotel website indicates that room prices are between $69 - $94 dollars per day, depending upon time of year and how late the booking is.

** Overall Opinion **

If you are looking for a budget hotel to stay in Orlando then the Comfort Inn would be a definite choice as long as you have a car. If you don't drive then I would recommend staying closer to the action. We are returning to Florida later this year and we have chosen to stay on Disney property as that's where we spend the vast majority of our time though if you need somewhere cheap and fairly accessible to International Drive then the Comfort Inn might be the place for you.

Summary: Fine as long as you don't expect too much!