Need help - Daytona Beach

[Fionasmommy]

We have to go to Daytona Beach this summer - planning on 4 nights but I think we could cut it down to 2 if need be. The Daytona reviews I've seen on here and on tripadvisor are all over the place so I'm kind of worried about what we're in for.

I have the Hilton Oceanwalk booked right now, an oceanview room for $179+tax. I really want an oceanview and an oceanfront hotel, but I'd love to get the price down if possible (unless that means a big sacrifice in quality). The Hilton doesn't include any breakfasts, and parking and wifi will push up the cost too. They also only have the false balconies, which throws me because the main reason I booked that room category was to sit on the balcony and enjoy the ocean breeze.

Any recommendations? Oceanwalk Resort is full, so that's out. I got a postcard from the Best Western Alu Tiki Inn, and it doesn't look bad. And I read about Perry's Ocean Edge somewhere and it sounds nice. I can get a group rate of $149 at the Plaza, but it's a river view... It's so hard to book a hotel based on website photos, though! I'd love to hear from people who have actually stayed in the area so I can get an honest, firsthand opinion.

Really, I read so many bad things on Tripadvisor that I'm wondering if we should only stay two nights and head to Disney early! We're doing a week at WL after Daytona and maybe we'd be better off saving our money for that!

 

[Fionasmommy]

Just giving this a BUMP because I need to finalize plans soon!

 

[tarheel618]

We've stayed at Perry's before and was pleased.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I don't know about price, but our favorite Daytona Beach resort by far is Shores Resort & Spa. It's right on the beach, & has balconies. There's also balconies on the river side of the hotel, & the rooms are a bit cheaper on that side. They have a great restaurant, although it is a bit pricey. I read some of the reviews on TripAdvisor, & I can't believe the last person to post a review was even at the same hotel. We've stayed in many 4 & 5* hotels in the US & Canada & have never had better service. It is a little way from the Oceanwalk area, but we see that as a plus. You may or may not. If this resort is in the same price range as what you have booked, I'd switch if it were me. FYI, there's a grocery store fairly close to SR&S, if you're interested in picking up some stuff for breakfast or lunch in the room.

 

[DanenRox]

We too have stayed at and enjoyed Perry's. Daytona Beach was beautiful...crashing waves, white sand and even an occasional dolphin sighting. We like the fact that it's not a very popular destination anymore because when leaving Disney, we like to leave the crowds behind too! Also, we like that there are IHop's and pizza joints all along the strip...after a week of DDP we are ready for some basic food...cheap! After our Disney trip, we either head to Daytona or St. Pete Beach for the wind down. Truthfully, I'm always a bit disappointed with the hotels on the beach...the views are great, the location is great but the rooms are blah...cement or stucco and always with a hint of must in the air. That's the price of being on the beach...the rooms have to be weather worthy so forget hardwoods and fine linens. And speaking of price, the cost of beachfront rooms are always hard to swallow. Anywho, there's nothing like a couple of days on the beach following the chaos of the parks. For what it's worth, I would gladly return to Perry's.

 

[leanne11]

why don't you try ron jon at cocoa beach?/ nice place and looks like what your looking for??

 

[Fionasmommy]

Thanks for the help!

The Shores looks beautiful, but it's quite a bit more than the Hilton (around $270/night and up). I'm sure it's worth it, but with the Disney trip being the main focus of the vacation we have to keep an eye on expenses in Daytona. Perry's doesn't have much availablility, but I may call them and see if they have anything that would work for us. It looks like a fun, family oriented place! I also didn't see on their site if they offer AAA rates - does anyone know.

How far is Cocoa Beach from Daytona? DD has to be in Daytona for a dance competition so we don't want too much of a drive. Would be cool being closer to KSC though! I'd love to visit there again.

Another one I just stumbled across is The Cove on Ormond Beach - I believe it's timeshares and a hotel. It looks really lovely! I know it's a few miles up from Daytona, but I don't mind that - the added quiet might be nice! Has anyone seen it in person?

 

[tripletots]

Check out the Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center the web address is Daytonabeachresort.com. We stayed there last Aug. for 3 days after leaving Disney. We originally had ressies at Ocean Walk, but after reading really bad reviews on TripAdvisor we switched. I wanted to be where the action was, but after we went there for dinner one night I was SO GLAD we weren't anywhere in the area. The bad reviews were of the staff, the extremely slow elevators, and an over crowded pool area. Some people said they had over 15 min. waits for the elevator.

We really enjoyed Daytona Beach Resort. The hotel renovations were almost complete when we were there in Aug. Our room was spacious enough to hold 7 people. It was room 301. Our room was ocean front overlooking the pool area. We had a balcony with table and chairs. It was really nice to sit and listen to the waves crash at night.

Good luck making a decision.

Lisa

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for the help!

The Shores looks beautiful, but it's quite a bit more than the Hilton (around $270/night and up).

Sorry about that. I hadn't checked the summer rates yet. I don't know anything about the resort you mentioned in Ormond Beach, but that's a nice area too. I agree with tripletots about choosing a location. We'd prefer to be on either end (Ormond Beach or Daytona Beach Shores) than right in the middle of it all. Ten years ago, I probably would have said the opposite.

You could drive to Cocoa Beach in a little over an hour. If your daughter is competing with a team, she probably won't want to be that far from her teammates though. Good luck in the competition.

 

[julm26]

We always go to Daytona for a few days before heading to Disney (i need my beach fix!!) We stay at Perrys ocean edge - nice place , not too fancy but fun!! I love Daytona - I get my sun fix and rest up for my commando-style Disney trip!!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We always go to Daytona for a few days before heading to Disney (i need my beach fix!!) We stay at Perrys ocean edge - nice place , not too fancy but fun!! I love Daytona - I get my sun fix and rest up for my commando-style Disney trip!!

We do the opposite. We go to the beach to rest from our vacation. Actually, we can go to the beach any time we want, but my DH uses that as an excuse to become a total beach bum.

 

[julm26]

We do the opposite. We go to the beach to rest from our vacation. Actually, we can go to the beach any time we want, but my DH uses that as an excuse to become a total beach bum.

I'm so jealous!! I LOVE THE BEACH!! As we drive don A1A - I could just cry..I get so excited - even if our hotel room isn't ready - I change in to by bathing suir and head to the Beach... Oh if september wasn't so far away.....

 

[Fionasmommy]

Check out the Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center the web address is Daytonabeachresort.com.

That looks really nice!

Sorry about that. I hadn't checked the summer rates yet.

No problem! It looks gorgeous - I would've jumped at it if Daytona was our only destination. I like that it's in Daytona Shores too - from what I've read that's a quieter and more family oriented area. It kinds of reminds me of Wildwood vs. Wildwood Crest in New Jersey.

We always go to Daytona for a few days before heading to Disney (i need my beach fix!!) We stay at Perrys ocean edge - nice place , not too fancy but fun!! I love Daytona - I get my sun fix and rest up for my commando-style Disney trip!!

Perry's looks fun, it seems to have a lot more character than some of the bland high rises. But, we're coming right over a weekend AND right before a race week so the rates there really jump up and there's limited availability. I'm just not sure enough to book it!

So, I just went through AAA and got a great rate at the Cove in Ormond Beach - great enough that it was a "book first think about it later" kinda thing. I reserved a 1 bedroom oceanview condo with a full balcony for $99/night! Their pool area looks great, which DD will love, and I'll love being a few miles up the road from the rest of the screaming dance kiddies. I love the other kids, but they're at an age where they get along best if they get some time apart - we've found that out the hard way backstage!

OH! I just found out that there's a launch scheduled for 6/28 at KSC! I'm SO excited!!! Now I have to find out how to plan that - DD is obsessed with space and she would be thrilled if we could actually see a launch!

 

[Amity 3]

there were e shark attacks in two days on the eastern side, today's was at Daytona Beach. we'll be there friday and saturday, I hope the trend doesn't continue and the beach is closed.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

there were e shark attacks in two days on the eastern side, today's was at Daytona Beach. we'll be there friday and saturday, I hope the trend doesn't continue and the beach is closed.

Tell us more! I hadn't heard about that.

 

[Amity 3]

Tell us more! I hadn't heard about that.

I saw it on the news, two attacks yesterday south of Daytona. a surfer and a young kid. the attack today at Daytona was on a young kid as well. they all lived.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I saw it on the news, two attacks yesterday south of Daytona. a surfer and a young kid. the attack today at Daytona was on a young kid as well. they all lived.

Wow! We'll have to watch the news. Thanks for sharing the info.

 

[sonny]

I would check out the vrbo.com site for vacation rentals - mostly timeshares - for that price you could find a suite and most have balconies. I have a time share at Marine Terrace and I love it but some of the hotels there get a lot of use and abuse. Ormond Beach is nice and I have stayed at the Comfort Inn and Best Western there and it was fine.