RebKell's Junkie Boards

[dtsnms]

I have officially been designated hotel info coordinator for Dani's AAU team's trip to Nationals (They get to go even if they silver medal next week). That's what I get for getting to practice late yesterday.

Has anybody stayed at any DECENT, reasonably priced suite style hotels in the area fairly recently? Last year we were in a real pit!

[sambista]

dts, i used to stay at the best western florida mall, on orange blossom trail, when i'd drive up from miami to orlando for wnba games and stay overnight. obviously, that was about five years ago. i don't know if they have any suites, but they do have other amenities that might be attractive to a group such as yours. back then i used to get a room for 40 bucks w/aaa discount, and the first time i was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a dump. it was really quite comfortable. so with those caveats - a dated review, may not have suites - you should put it on your list of places to check out. believe me, orlando is awash in really bad hotels/motels.

here's another option that may or may not work for you: orlando is also awash in bedroom communities with homes designed solely for renting out to tourists. when the asg was there, seven of us rented a four-bedroom house for $500 for the week. it was sweet! like being at home, cable, screened patio with pool, kitchen stocked with all the important utensils, etc. all we had to do was buy groceries (and alcohol). i can't imagine anyone reserving a hotel in orlando if the trip is more than a coupla days. you could make it like a sleepover, or you might find an outfit that's got a coupla houses next door to each other.

one more little rant i'd like to throw in: i'm a fairly discerning consumer, but i got ripped badly by travelocity and they're getting real close to pushing me toward legal action. i booked a hotel in l.a. for three days through them, for $451 (roughly $129/night, which isn't bad for a beach hotel), which included about $65 in "tax and fees" for travelocity. but the hotel mistakenly gave me a bill, showing that the stay cost just $297 total with taxes. so travelocity's take was more than a third. i asked for an adjustment; all they said was, "no. the hotel shouldn't have revealed the real price." 'nuff said.

_________________
no justice, no peace.

[Slovydal]

I've had really good luck booking hotels through HotWire

www.hotwire.com

Only once out of 20+ times, I didn't really care for the hotel I got.
You won't know what hotel it is until after purchase, but you will know what part of the city and what the hotel amenities are.
Usually I get something for half the regular price!

[dtsnms]

thanks bibb! great idea on the house(s). I'll check out the Best Western too!

[sambista]

[Slovydal]

LOL!
Yeah, the internet thing is important. I usually stop by the local college to use the student computer lab when I travel.
I need to make some $ and buy a laptop. All Starbucks and a lot of other cafes have wireless going on now.

[sambista]

finding virtually the entire jet blue concourse wired for free high-speed at jfk was a pretty cool surprise . . .

_________________
no justice, no peace.

[sambista]

oh, and slovy, 'round about may 18th, a new palm product is expected to arrive that won't be a pc but may be damned near everything you need on road. inquiring minds will be able to find the details on the world wide web.

_________________
no justice, no peace.

[Slovydal]

For me, it's all about the i-book

[sambista]

well, i can't argue with that! one of the apple resellers in nyc is having a "tiger party" this week, and giving away a free shuttle every hour, plus tiger/apple watches. can't wait.

but weren't we talking about hotels in orlando (just to officially get back on point)?

_________________
no justice, no peace.

[Slovydal]