Hotel Recommendations for Drive Down from NJ to FL

[thlarock]

Hi all,

In November will be driving down again from NJ to Orlando. We like to break the trip in to 2 days so we usually stop in NC at a Hampton Inn in Smithfield. This year I would like to go a little further on the way down. Looking at Santee, South Carolina at a Hampton Inn. Anyone ever stay there or at another hotel in Santee that was nice? Money for the stay is not an issue but would like to stay at one of the better hotels in that area.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[sam_gordon]

Whenever I'm looking at hotels, I'll do a quick look at TripAdvisor for reviews of the specific hotel. I assume this is the one you're referring to: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...on_Inn_Santee_i_95-Santee_South_Carolina.html

Hitting TA makes more sense (to me) than posting on a message board waiting for someone to reply.

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

Santee is a good stop if you don't feel like driving anymore that first day. We used to stay at the Fairfield Inn and Suites there which is a little nicer than the Hampton, but the Hampton is still ok.

ETA: If there were times we wanted to drive just a bit more, we would stay along 95 near Savannah, GA. We've stayed at the Home2Suites by Hilton in Port Wentworth, GA, as well as Holiday Inn and Suites Savannah N in the same town. There is also a Hampton Inn nearby but have never stayed there. We used to drive often when we lived in the Mid-Atlantic States, but now that we are in Northern New England it's not as practical and would take forever! LOL
I hope my advice helps!

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[Lewisc]

Are you driving around a holiday? If not make your reservation an hour or two before you want to stop. You may be able to drive another hour or so. Maybe you hit traffic or you're tired and need an early stop.

Have a passenger use their cell phone. Some people accumulate and use loyalty points with a chain. Holiday Inn Express, Hyatt Place, Hilton Garden etc. If you don't have a favorite look at price and rating. Free breakfast may be a factor.

 

[Leigh L]

Hi all,

In November will be driving down again from NJ to Orlando. We like to break the trip in to 2 days so we usually stop in NC at a Hampton Inn in Smithfield. This year I would like to go a little further on the way down. Looking at Santee, South Carolina at a Hampton Inn. Anyone ever stay there or at another hotel in Santee that was nice? Money for the stay is not an issue but would like to stay at one of the better hotels in that area.

Thanks,

Tom

We stayed at the Santee Hampton in 2022. I just checked my app and I had placed it in favorites which I do specifically for hotels we’ve liked or would stay again.

I do second the trip advisor suggestion and look at recent reviews

 

[ParrotBill]

The other quick way to check reputation is use Google Maps, search hotels, and look at user review stars. I find anything from 4.0 up has been a decent place, and 3.5-3.9 are *usually* okay.