Hotels near Busch Gardens?

[bangzoom6877]

What are some good hotels near Busch Gardens Tampa? We are looking to stay in that area for 2 nights next July. Is there a better area of Tampa to stay in? I am not familiar at all with that area. I am looking for a clean hotel in a safe area for DH, myself and our 2 sons (they will be 3 and 5 when we go). We are big fans of Marriott and Hilton brand hotels. We also like Hyatt, or Sheraton (or anything else by Starwood). Thanks!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

There are a few near the college (USF) I know there is an Embassy Suites there just next to USF not too far from Bush Gdns.. and it is a very nice one. I stayed there a long time ago, but it is still kept up very well due to it's location. I think so many that are sending their kids off to college can stay there while setting them up....

 

[bangzoom6877]

There are a few near the college (USF) I know there is an Embassy Suites there just next to USF not too far from Bush Gdns.. and it is a very nice one. I stayed there a long time ago, but it is still kept up very well due to it's location. I think so many that are sending their kids off to college can stay there while setting them up....

Thanks! I will look into that. We love the Embassy Suites! We are staying at one in Boca Raton next July as well for a few days while visiting family. We stayed at the one in Boca Raton last summer and we loved it. Their breakfast is fantastic too!

Any other suggestions? I see different areas of Tampa when I do searches for hotels. Two are near USF (which now I know is good) and the Brandon area, which I never heard of. How is the Brandon area? Again, just looking for a safe and clean hotel in a safe area!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Parts of the USF area are not good so you still have to be a little careful... Brandon from what I know of is fairly safe but a distance from BG. Your best bet would be the Embassy Suites...the further down that road, away from USF and away from BG's you go, the less you want to be there when I say down that road, I mean heading west....away from I-75 and more into town

 

[DOOM1001]

You have to be very careful when getting a hotel room in the Tampa/Busch Gardens area.A lot of areas are not that good and there are just less hotels than you'll find in Orlando,so that means less good hotels in good areas.In the immediate Busch area there are probably only a handful of hotels that I would consider good.You can't go wrong with the Embassy Suites.I also stayed at a hotel about 2 years ago called the Grand Suites Tampa which was pretty good.Brandon is a decent area but you still have to be selective in the hotel.I stayed at a Sleep Inn on Fletcher and I-75 just northeast of the Tampa area that was good and only about a 5-10 minute drive to BGT.I've also had my worst hotel experience in Tampa in a hotel on Fowler by 275,I can't even remember the name of the hotel but all I remember is an adult movie store next to it,smell of beer by the hotel entrance,legs falling off the table in the dirty room.I don't even know how I stayed there.There are also some good hotels closer to the airport and they're about a 15-20 minute drive from BGT.

 

[bangzoom6877]

How about the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area? The reason we are going to Tampa is because my husband has a cousin that lives right near there. We are not even sure if we will actually go to Busch Gardens, it's a possibility though. But we don't mind driving 30-45 minutes to get to BG if we decide to go there. We are really there mainly to visit family. But it would also be nice to see some of the Tampa area. So I am wondering how good the hotels are in the area and looking to find out some info from people who have stayed in hotels there.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Clearwater is decent, St Pete has some areas that you may want to stay away from... downtown St Pete if I remember correctly. I know I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House near All Children's Hospital in St Pete and they did not advise us walking around there at night...there was a shuttle that would pick up at the hospital and take us to the RMH. I was ok walking but they told us they would rather us not... I figured they knew something I didn't since it was their territory and not mine...

 

[drag n' fly]

There are a few near the college (USF) I know there is an Embassy Suites there just next to USF not too far from Bush Gdns.. and it is a very nice one. I stayed there a long time ago, but it is still kept up very well due to it's location. I think so many that are sending their kids off to college can stay there while setting them up....

We stayed here in December and the customer service was outstanding. The full breakfast and evening reception were a huge money saver for our family of five. The food in the restaurant is also very good.



Oh yes....the shuttle!!! Tom (U-Turn Tom) from Cleveland. One of the finest people we have ever met! Worth the money alone!

 

[Detailor]

I don't recall a Starwood or a Marriott in the general area of Busch Gardens. Though there are a few in Tampa - there's a Sheraton and a Westin at the harbor and a Sheraton just off I-275 near the airport and the International Plaza shopping mall, and Marriott has a hotel at the harbor, I think there are two Renaissance hotels in the airport/International Plaza area along with a Towne Place suites, a Residence Inn and a Springhill suites, maybe a Courtyard, too.

That Grand Suites that Doom1001 mentioned (which, incidentally, was a Doubletree suite hotel when we stayed there four years ago) has changed affiliation again and is now a Holiday Inn & Suites. I also remember that as an okay hotel that had its best feature as being really close to Busch Gardens - less than a five minute drive from parking lot to parking lot - but not in a great area of Tampa. With that said, my daughter and I felt quite safe there. I'd assume that with two reservation system changes since we were there that there have been facility improvements to what I thought was an already acceptable hotel.

Dick Taylor

 

[bangzoom6877]

Is the area where the hotels are by the airport very noisy? Particularly at night? I would stay in that area (especially at a Residence Inn) if the price is good, but not if it tends to be noisy at night due to its proximity to the airport. For a quieter night's sleep I would gladly pay more (within reason of course, not talking the Four Seasons!) for a hotel room.

 

[Detailor]

Is the area where the hotels are by the airport very noisy? Particularly at night? I would stay in that area (especially at a Residence Inn) if the price is good, but not if it tends to be noisy at night due to its proximity to the airport. For a quieter night's sleep I would gladly pay more (within reason of course, not talking the Four Seasons!) for a hotel room.

The Residence Inn that's nearest the airport is a mile and a half away, but much closer than that to runways (mile and a half drive to terminal, maybe half a mile to some of the runways). That's closer to the airport than I've stayed so I don't know how noisy it might be. I'd suggest checking out recommendations at tripadvisor.com.

Dick Taylor

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We have stayed at the La Quinta Inn at 3701 East Fowler Ave. It is just around the corner from BG.

All rooms are connected via an interior hallway.

The breakfast was fine.

That thoroughfare has several places to shop and eat.

Our AAA rate was 80 bucks.

We felt safe.

 

[DVC California]

It's been a few years but when we went to BG, we stayed at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza which was adjacent to International Plaza Shopping Center.

Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza


I think we got it on Priceline for about $40-50 bucks in 2005. It was about a 20 minute drive to BG but very nice to have the mall within walking distance of the hotel.