Spent 3 days at Comfort Inn LBV (12/6-8) and 4 days at Country Inn (12/9-12) and was happy with both of them. I got a $29.95 rate at Comfort Inn and $43.88 at Country Inn and Suites at Hotel Kingdom. I was really leary of staying at Comfort Inn after seeing some awful reviews here and at Tripadvisor.com, but they had a coupon book with the deal for 2 for 1 to Gatorland that I wanted (yes, I know, I am way cheap). Anyway, it turned out fine. The rooms were basic and a bit worn as others have described, but more importantly they were clean. I went over the room with a fine toothed comb before we dropped our bags, believe me! Bathroom and sheets clean, and no sign of bugs the entire time. We asked for a room facing away from I-4 so there wasn't much noise. Housekeeping did a good job, and the grounds were well kept up and had nice landscaping. They had just started a security screening as you drive in (they give you a pass and wave you through), which I thought was a good feature. The pool was heated, but according to my husband was a bit chilly on a day in the 60's. We did make use of their free continental breakfast , which was good enough. You could upgrade to a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, etc at a buffet on the other side of the room for an additional $4.95 (with kids eating free), but we aren't big breakfast eaters. They had bread for toast, mini-donuts, banana nut and bran muffins, a big crock of oatmeal, fruit cup, banana halves, corn flakes and fruit loops, and orange and apple juice in the continental breakfast area. That was plenty for us. We had a car, so we didn't use the shuttle, and it was pretty quick getting to the parks (we got back on I-4 and went from exit 68 to exit 65 to Disneyworld). Lots of nearby restaurants. Cici's pizza is in the shopping center next door, and lots of choices at Crossroads about 1/2 mile away. Also very quick getting to Downtown Disney via Hotel Plaza Blvd. The staff was very courteous and seemed to try hard. After tax, the total was $33.39 a night, and we felt like we definitely got our money's worth. Almost forgot, there was a nice playground the kids had fun playing on.
Of course, the best part about staying at Comfort Inn was that when we moved over to Country Inn and Suites we really appreciated it! The decor was yellow and blue, very cheerful and tasteful. The lobby is very cozy with the couches and stairway to the second floor, and we enjoyed the free chocolate chip cookies they had on the counter every day. Our room was a little bigger and in great shape. The hotel is only a few years old so everything is still looking pretty new. The front desk was very helpful, even wrote me directions to the Publix which is about a quarter mile away. The kids loved the pool area, which has a slide and giant crabs. There's a little snack bar there too. The main pool got a little chilly on cold days, but there's another pool next to it with warmer water that was very pleasant, and a jacuzzi that was very warm. The free continental breakfast wasn't really any better than the one at Comfort Inn, bread, bagels, cold french toast you could reheat, whole oranges and bananas (a little too ripe) mini-muffins, juices, cereals (including raisin bran) and that's all I remember. I guess I was expecting it to match the improvement in rooms. A couple of times we went over to Amerisuites to get the clubs to play mini-golf, which was fun. They also had popcorn over there! On our park days we went out onto Poinciana and got right onto Osceola Parkway which takes you right to Disneyworld (just watch the signs or you'll always end up at Animal Kingdom like we did!) and has a small toll of 50 cents. I think it was a couple minutes quicker than from Comfort Inn. Lots of restaurants on 192, which is very close. And there's an exercise room facing the pool area. All in all, definitely worth the $43.88 (not including 12% tax---dont' know where the calculator is). It felt very plush after the basics of Comfort Inn, not that Comfort Inn wasn't fine.
By the way, I just saw the Country Inn and Suites at Calypso Cay Way advertised for $32.63 on Hotel Kingdom (arggh, don't you hate it when you see something for less than you paid), which is a REALLY good deal!
Of course, the best part about staying at Comfort Inn was that when we moved over to Country Inn and Suites we really appreciated it! The decor was yellow and blue, very cheerful and tasteful. The lobby is very cozy with the couches and stairway to the second floor, and we enjoyed the free chocolate chip cookies they had on the counter every day. Our room was a little bigger and in great shape. The hotel is only a few years old so everything is still looking pretty new. The front desk was very helpful, even wrote me directions to the Publix which is about a quarter mile away. The kids loved the pool area, which has a slide and giant crabs. There's a little snack bar there too. The main pool got a little chilly on cold days, but there's another pool next to it with warmer water that was very pleasant, and a jacuzzi that was very warm. The free continental breakfast wasn't really any better than the one at Comfort Inn, bread, bagels, cold french toast you could reheat, whole oranges and bananas (a little too ripe) mini-muffins, juices, cereals (including raisin bran) and that's all I remember. I guess I was expecting it to match the improvement in rooms. A couple of times we went over to Amerisuites to get the clubs to play mini-golf, which was fun. They also had popcorn over there! On our park days we went out onto Poinciana and got right onto Osceola Parkway which takes you right to Disneyworld (just watch the signs or you'll always end up at Animal Kingdom like we did!) and has a small toll of 50 cents. I think it was a couple minutes quicker than from Comfort Inn. Lots of restaurants on 192, which is very close. And there's an exercise room facing the pool area. All in all, definitely worth the $43.88 (not including 12% tax---dont' know where the calculator is). It felt very plush after the basics of Comfort Inn, not that Comfort Inn wasn't fine.
By the way, I just saw the Country Inn and Suites at Calypso Cay Way advertised for $32.63 on Hotel Kingdom (arggh, don't you hate it when you see something for less than you paid), which is a REALLY good deal!
