Homewood Suites by Hilton, close by WDW

[Miniefan]

Hi, it's me again asking another question about resorts and hotel rates. I had a res at HIFS, and then I had a res at WDW's FTWC, but I let it cancel because the rate was $242 and I was afraid that if I booked with that and paid on it then maybe a good ap or fl resident rate wouldn't come out, then my plans completely changed and we will be there with me, dh, ds7,dd4, mom,mil. Mom and mil will be with us for only 3 nights of the trip, Mil is an employee of the Homewood Suites by Hilton, which the one here in town where she is employed is very nice, but I am trying to get some info on this specific one in Orlando. It's The Homewood Suites located on Palm Pkwy, the closest one to WDW. She can get us a really good rate their and I am sure it is a nice hotel but I a little worried because this will be the only time weve stayed off property, and I'm afraid that our trip won't be as fun, not being in the magic. Does anyone know about this hotel, and can comment on what it is like staying off property??
Thanks,
Kim

 

[July]

I have wondered that myself. It looks great from the road (I-4) very large.

July

 

[Miniefan]

I saw a couple of Homewood Suites while we were there but I am not sure if I saw this one specifically. I am sure they are nice hotels, all of the rooms are suites with seperate living/dining/bedroom areas, they also include a full kitchen, although I am not totally clear on what it all includes in the kitchen, the hotel here only has 2 stove burners, microwave, dishwasher, fridge, but the person I spoke with at this hotel said their's included an oven also. They also provide free breakfast buffet every morning and a meal is served for dinner Mon-Thurs. They offer transp. to Disney but again my main concern is not feeling like at Disney because we aren't staying on the Disney property. I am not sure what I should do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Kim

 

[crazelion]

I say go for it. For a good rate. If have a car then getting into the parks is no problem Check tripadvsior.com for hotel reviews. If think you will get lost go to yahoo.com and click on maps and print driving directions.

 

[Miniefan]

I guess I am just afraid of not getting the whole Disney experience, I checked with www.tripadvisor.com which by the way had a lot of good info on a lot of hotels in the Orlando area, and it kind of had some mixed reviews about this Homewood Suites, I still wish someone out there who has stayed there would lend me their opinion and advice.
Thanks,
Kim

 

[tolhousema]

I received a brochure it looks to be very nice to me. I will be staying there in nov. request a brochure.

 

[CarolA]

Keep in mind TripAdvisor is always skewed. People are actually more likely to post if they have problems so it tends to make hotels look worse.

I did a TripAdvisor on HIFS and it was decidely mixed, but the reviews on this board are great. I also did the Fort Wilderness and Beach Club. They also had bad reveiws. No place is perfect!

Homewood actually only has one bad review, everything else is great.

I expect you are getting a great rate and I would go for it.

 

[Figment22]

I've hesitated to post a review as we stayed at that Homewood Suites on Palm Parkway in 2000 so I figured a lot could have changed in four years. Keeping in mind that it was four years ago, we stayed at the hotel for a week and were very pleased. I would go so far as to say it was the nicest suite hotel we stayed at in Orlando. (We've also stayed at Hawthorn Suites Sea World, AmeriSuites Universal and HIFS--Suite Hotels only. We've stayed at plenty more hotels/condos on site at both WDW and UO and off-site, too).

I really liked the layout of the suites in that the bedroom was completely separate from the living area. The kitchenette was fully stocked and I liked that you got a full size refrigerator/freezer. (We like to freeze bottles of Gatorade to take to the parks with us.) There is also a recliner in the living room which was a nice touch.

The deluxe continental breakfast was very good and even includes some hot foods like eggs and a breakfast meat; bacon one day, sausage the next. There was also an evening reception with pizza, etc.

The pool is nothing special but was adequately sized for the number of suites in the hotel. It was clean and the kids were happy with it.

The location on Palm Parkway is excellent. Close to WDW but also very accessible to USF/IOA as Palm Parkway connects to Turkey Lake Road so you can get to the Universal parks without having to get on I-4. That's always a big plus.

We would not hesitate to stay at this Homewood Suites again.

 

[Figment22]

As a follow up to my post above, it was summer, 2001 when we stayed at Homewood Suites Palm Parkway so it was only 3 years ago. I remember posting a short review at that time and I found the thread with the discussion. You can view it here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=235905&highlight=+Homewood++Suites

Hope this info helps.