The worst place you have stayed in when in Orlando and why?

[kevin harrison]

The worst for me is simple. The Wynfield on Westwood boulevard. I think the other year before it was knocked down it was the lowest rated hotel on trip advisor.

Should have realised, when we arrived at our room, there was a swastika carved into the door. Upon entering the room smelt really musty and was very well lived in.

The curtains wouldn't close and it took three days for it to be mended.

I remember my wife needing to use a hairdryer and realising that there wasn't one, I had to leave a deposit of $50 to borrow one from reception.

My wife wouldn't sleep until I propped a chair against the door.

Looking back and thinking how I am now, I can't begin to understand why I didn't give Virgin a hard time, so we would be moved out. Maybe it's because we didn't have kids then.

The funniest thing was it was a Virgin Flagship hotel !

 

[wayneg]

Only one I can think of is Comfort Inn LBV, it was Xmas and they were turning people away when we checked in so knew they had no more rooms. I guess they only opened some of their rooms for Xmas, once a year. Layer of dust in many places in the room, one day had cockroaches in(last time we stayed in a ground floor room)
Recently had a complete refurb so would be more than willing to try it again.
I know we only paid £20/night with BA but I still should have complained, never did for some reason.

 

[les2425]

back in 1991 went to florida for the first time did it on a real shoe string, 3 weeks over christmas inc hotels, tickets, car hire & spending money for £1000.
Worst place i stayed was the thrifty in on 192.
i think its still there.

my mate got it out of a booklet the last time he was there just a place for the first night.
never again.

but it was one of the best holidays i have had.
remember playing at pirates cove on christmas day when it was only half built for 3 hrs, just paid the one price.

les

 

[PudseyChancer]

The worst for me is simple. The Wynfield on Westwood boulevard. The funniest thing was it was a Virgin Flagship hotel !

Is this the one near the Village Inn Restaurant, opposite Seaworld? I stayed here the last year it had flagship status, if I'm being really honest, it wasn't too bad - though I remember reading other reviews that really slated it. It was the first hotel I stayed at in Orlando though, and I remember being underwhelmed when we walked through the door - it certainly didn't live up to flagship expectations!

 

[wilma-bride]

Not sure if ours counts as we only stayed one night but it was the Howard Johnson Plaza the very first year we ever visited Orlando - below is an excerpt taken from my trip report:

We head to reception to check in and are allocated a room on the 1st floor. We arrive at the room, open the door and can’t believe the sight before us. Unmade beds, utter filth, rubbish everywhere. “Stay here” I tell DH and off I go back to reception. I explain the problem and we are allocated another room, this time on the ground floor. I collect DH and we set off down the corridor. This is the point where I could write a whole report purely on the state of the hotel, the filth, the smell and the general deserted and unwelcoming atmosphere but, suffice to say, we did not like this place one little bit. Plenty of tears were cried, a particularly uncomfortable first night was had and we moved to a different hotel the next day.

I have heard good reports about this place since and have also been told that many of the problems were down to the recent spate of hurricanes but I would never, ever stay there again. TBH, I should have had an inkling of what was to come when the wheels of our suitcases were spraying up mucky water as we were pulling them down the hall

 

[kevin harrison]

Is this the one near the Village Inn Restaurant, opposite Seaworld? I stayed here the last year it had flagship status, if I'm being really honest, it wasn't too bad - though I remember reading other reviews that really slated it. It was the first hotel I stayed at in Orlando though, and I remember being underwhelmed when we walked through the door - it certainly didn't live up to flagship expectations!

Yes,that's the one. First hotel I stayed in whilst in Orlando also.

 

[disneyholic family]

this isn't in the category of hell-holes you're all describing, but it's the worst in terms of the value for money i've ever stayed in....

just stayed there two weeks ago for a conference - it was the conference site, so i had no choice....
the Buena Vista Palace and Spa - on disney property, right across from saratoga springs and downtown disney...

the 'special' conference rate i was paying was $149/night, but then i was required to pay another $10 or $15 each day (not sure) "resort fee" - whatever that is....so the rate was actually somewhere in the vicinity of $175 to $180/day (before adding on the tax)....not exactly a bargain...

not sure what i was paying for as the pool was disgusting....the Pop Century pool (where i stayed the week earlier) was so much nicer and cleaner than the pool at this "spa"...

i have to say the room was nice, but all that nickel and diming was very irritating...
and i could have stayed at much nicer properties for less money..

the breakfast buffet was $18....and that was without characters....how much does the buffet at the crystal palace cost?
and on sunday, when there were disney characters, the breakfast buffet was $20....

and the little food court had higher prices than the food court at pop century...
a tiny salad was $10.....at pop it was less than half of that...

anyway, it wasn't a hellhole, but i had a very strong feeling that i was being cheated...

 

[jockey]

We stayed at the best western movie land I drive a long time ago as a friend recommended it, it was just awful! The room was smelly and the windows did not open it was very noisy! Doubt I will ever stay on I drive again it really put me off

 

[2Tiggies]

the 'special' conference rate i was paying was $149/night, but then i was required to pay another $10 or $15 each day (not sure) "resort fee" - whatever that is....so the rate was actually somewhere in the vicinity of $175 to $180/day (before adding on the tax)....not exactly a bargain...

the breakfast buffet was $18....and that was without characters....how much does the buffet at the crystal palace cost?
and on sunday, when there were disney characters, the breakfast buffet was $20....

I think they get away with charging these prices as people attending a conference there don't have a choice. I wonder if the general public (as in anyone not attending a conference there) get the same rate I would not have been pleased to say the least. That is more than rack rate for a moderate Disney Hotel at this time of the year and as you say, for an extra $2 you could eat breakfast with characters at CP in the MK!

I know people have various reasons for staying off property, but for me onsite is the only way to go.

 

[Pegasus928]

I know people have various reasons for staying off property, but for me onsite is the only way to go.

Fortunately we have never had any of the problems listed. As we always opt to stay in a villa we know what price we are paying beforehand and there are no hidden extras.
Obviously I guess the major downside would be that if something big was to go wrong the owner of the villa wouldn't be able to easily move us to another location, like a hotel can just move you to another room, but luckily it hasn't been an issue on any of our trips so far.

 

[Kath2003]

The worst for me is simple. The Wynfield on Westwood boulevard. I think the other year before it was knocked down it was the lowest rated hotel on trip advisor.

Should have realised, when we arrived at our room, there was a swastika carved into the door. Upon entering the room smelt really musty and was very well lived in.

The curtains wouldn't close and it took three days for it to be mended.

I remember my wife needing to use a hairdryer and realising that there wasn't one, I had to leave a deposit of $50 to borrow one from reception.

My wife wouldn't sleep until I propped a chair against the door.

Looking back and thinking how I am now, I can't begin to understand why I didn't give Virgin a hard time, so we would be moved out. Maybe it's because we didn't have kids then.

The funniest thing was it was a Virgin Flagship hotel !

Conversely I spent 2 nights there back in 2008 and had a fantastic stay. Rooms were very neat and incredibly tidy; furniture was fine, there was a hair drier and all the staff were friendly. We paid £18/night for a double room in August. I would definitely have gone back for a short trip as it was clean and quiet, but they knocked it down.

The worst place we've stayed was what used to be the Best Western Plaza International - and that was great too. It wasn't as clean as the Wynfield though. It's an Econolodge now. We would stay there again if we were travelling on a budget (we paid £20/night in August 2006).

Both times we were just passing through Orlando for a few days. If we go on an "Orlando" vacation we stay somewhere more pleasant for a longer stay, but for a few nights and on a students' budget, we took somewhere cheap, clean and cheerful.

 

[kevin harrison]

Conversely I spent 2 nights there back in 2008 and had a fantastic stay. Rooms were very neat and incredibly tidy; furniture was fine, there was a hair drier and all the staff were friendly. We paid £18/night for a double room in August. I would definitely have gone back for a short trip as it was clean and quiet, but they knocked it down.

We stayed there in 1998. I think they tried various re-brands, then decided it would be improved by knocking it down..

 

[Kath2003]

We stayed there in 1998. I think they tried various re-brands, then decided it would be improved by knocking it down..

It definitely wasn't a Virgin Flagship anything when we were there. But it was cheap and clean and we felt very safe. We were pleasantly surprised: wasn't expecting much for £18/night but the room was more than adequate.

We've never had a bad stay in Orlando. There are places we wouldn't go back to - like the Wynfield and Best Western - but not because we didn't enjoy our stay, just that our situation is different (one holiday per year, longer stays in Orlando and a bigger budget).

 

[Lizzybear]

The Ramada Resort on I-drive, I think it's a Days Inn now and I i've read recent news stories about people having rooms robbed there and one couple were held in their room at gunpoint It was horrible: Dirty, dark rooms and one day our door was left wedged open with a chair! Someone had been servicing the air con and obviously forgotten to shut the door afterwards, not good We found a huge cockroach in there that night aswell, and it wasn't a ground floor room This was my family's first trip in the days before I became the mad holiday planner I am now (didn't occur to me that I should try using the internet for holiday stuff until our second trip in 2005!) and my mum booked it through a local travel agent who apparently 'personally recommended' the hotel... We did complain but were fobbed off with a Flexticket branded digital clock, seriously!

 

[whatcateydid]

The worst place we've stayed was what used to be the Best Western Plaza International - and that was great too. It wasn't as clean as the Wynfield though. It's an Econolodge now. We would stay there again if we were travelling on a budget (we paid £20/night in August 2006)

We're staying at the Econolodge in a month. Would you say it was alright as a place to sleep and get ready, but otherwise not spend that much time? We're not planning on spending much time at the pool (if any), and are probably not going to spend much time in the hotel room through the day. There's too much else to do! We're on quite a tight budget and just wanted a cheap but safe and not horrific place to stay.

Just to compare with 2006, it's costing us an average of £30 a night, £35 after tax, although it would be £25 a night if the prices weren't more than doubled for five nights while the Star Wars convention is on!

 

[Kath2003]

We're staying at the Econolodge in a month. Would you say it was alright as a place to sleep and get ready, but otherwise not spend that much time? We're not planning on spending much time at the pool (if any), and are probably not going to spend much time in the hotel room through the day. There's too much else to do! We're on quite a tight budget and just wanted a cheap but safe and not horrific place to stay.

Oh yeah, it's fab, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again if we were on a similar budget to last time we stayed there. The pool area was very nice, very busy and did decent drinks and snacks at reasonable prices. Reception were very friendly. Rooms were basic, a bit "dated" in terms of their decoration but they were clean. Housekeeping were good. We used it to do exactly what you plan: as a base, and went swimming a few afternoons. Fabulous location: Olive Garden, TGIs, Bahama Breeze etc. all within spitting distance; little supermarket a few doors away too. We were two single females (age 21) at the time and never felt unsafe. It's FULL of Brits!

Just to compare with 2006, it's costing us an average of £30 a night, £35 after tax, although it would be £25 a night if the prices weren't more than doubled for five nights while the Star Wars convention is on!

That's pretty good; we got a good deal back in 2006 I reckon.

 

[wayneg]

Just to compare with 2006, it's costing us an average of £30 a night, £35 after tax, although it would be £25 a night if the prices weren't more than doubled for five nights while the Star Wars convention is on!

Are you tied to the booking or could you cancel at no fee?
Monarch.co.uk have Econolodge Idrive for £28/night incl tax from 10th August for 7 nights slightly cheaper for 14 nights. This price is after using Quidco to get 5% cashback.

 

[LoodlesNoodles]

We're staying at the Econolodge in a month. Would you say it was alright as a place to sleep and get ready, but otherwise not spend that much time? We're not planning on spending much time at the pool (if any), and are probably not going to spend much time in the hotel room through the day. There's too much else to do! We're on quite a tight budget and just wanted a cheap but safe and not horrific place to stay.

Just to compare with 2006, it's costing us an average of £30 a night, £35 after tax, although it would be £25 a night if the prices weren't more than doubled for five nights while the Star Wars convention is on!

I stayed there in September 2007, we had a really great time. The pool area was lovely and the staff (especially at the pool bar) were all lovely.
We found the free shuttles to the parks to be excellent and incredibly convenient!
Stayed there at age 18 with another single female aged 24 at the time and we never felt unsafe.
Friendly's is right next door and Denny's literally across the road.

The only problem we encountered was one cockroach in our room one evening. But we were on a ground floor room, right next to the pool area so I guess that would be kind of expected?


Only reason we're going to QIP this time is because we found their rooms to be much nicer and with super comfy beds.

 

[jen_uk]

We stayed at OKW last year and hated it! The air con in the room was faulty, it wouldn't stay cool, you had to keep putting it down and it would then creep up and it meant that throughout the night we would wake up in a baking hot room. The internet didn't work, the room was really tired, there was refurb work going on which meant all day all you could hear was banging and drilling.

 

[T16GEM]

We came up from Naples a day early when we were coming home so that we could relax on the day we went home without having to have such a long drive, we went to the Days Inn Lakeside on International Drive, next to the big McDonalds. We had stayed here before so thought it would be ok, when we got into our room it was just awful, my parents were shocked as to how much it had gone down hill. The room was dark, musty and franlkly quite scary looking! There used to be a lake out back with a bridge out to it to feed turtles and fish, this was totatlly dried up, green and smelly!

We were pleased just to be there for one night! There is no way that we would have stayed there any longer!