Florida has a huge variety of places to stay suitable for all budgets and tastes – from rustic wooden cabins with minimal facilities to luxurious resort hotels that cater to their guests’ every need. In between, you can choose from ordinary hotels, more charming bed and breakfasts, convenient motels, or fully equipped apartments. Campsites, where you can pitch a tent or hook up an RV or mobile home, are also plentiful. On the whole you get a good deal for your money in Florida, though prices fluctuate greatly according to the season and location. The listings on pages 310–331 recommend around 250 places around the state, all representing the best of their kind and in all price ranges. The Florida Accommodation Directory, available from the tourist board, lists hotels, motels, and other lodgings all over the state, and local tourist offices can provide more detailed information about places in their particular area.
HOTELS AND RESORTS
Unless you stay in one of Miami Beach’s superb Art Deco establishments, you’ll find that most hotels in the state are large, modern buildings, with excellent facilities and a swimming pool but minimal atmosphere and often rather impersonal service.
Chain hotels are common and extremely popular here, and have the advantage of at least being predictable – although prices vary depending on the location.
They range from the upscale Marriott and Inter-Continental hotels through the mid-range
Holiday Inns and Howard Johnsons (HoJo’s) to the budget Days Inn chain.
Resorts are large hotel complexes generally located by the water and often set in immaculately kept grounds.
Prices are high, but these resorts provide all manner of amenities, from swimming pools (sometimes Olympic-size) to shops and usually a choice of restaurants. Many have excellent sports facilities, including golf courses and tennis courts, and may provide instructors for individual lessons. Health clubs are increasingly popular, with daily fitness classes and spa
diets often available.
With their well-equipped games rooms, special children’s programs, and other facilities, these resorts can be a good option for families.
BED AND BREAKFASTS
Anyone in search of a more traditional sense of hospitality might stay in a bed and breakfast (B & B). Sometimes referred to as “homestays,” these are private homes where the owner is your host. Breakfast is usually excellent with homemade breads and coffee, and guests often eat together in an informal atmosphere.
The ambience and personal touch usually make up for the absence of traditional hotel facilities – although some B & Bs are quite luxurious. Any place called an “inn” tends to be bigger and pricier than the average B & B and may even have a restaurant, but it is still likely to be more friendly than a chain hotel.
Rural areas and historic towns have the best choice of bed and breakfasts. In Key West and St. Augustine, for example, you can stay in beautiful old homes with antique furnishings.
The main drawbacks with B & Bs are that they may have restrictions on children, and
may require a minimum stay in tourist season; since most have just a few rooms, you also
need to book well in advance. Several agencies specialize in arranging B & B accommodation. They include Florida B&B Inns, which specializes in historic establishments across the state, and the Key West Innkeepers Association. The Complete Guide to Bed and
Breakfasts, Inns and Guesthouses by Pamela Lanier and the AAA publication Bed and Breakfasts, Country Inns, and Historical Lodgings, are also useful sources. There may
be local listings for B & Bs, so check the Yellow Pages.
HOW TO RESERVE
To secure a room in the hotel of your choice in season, particularly in Orlando or Miami,
reserve several months in advance; in off season, you can usually get a room on short notice. At any time of year you should always be able to find a room, even if the hotel is not your ideal choice.
You can book by phone with a credit card (a deposit may be required) and should give advance notice if you plan to arrive after 5pm; otherwise you may lose your reservation.
FACILITIES
Competition in Florida’s hotel trade is fierce so facilities are generally good. Rooms without a TV, attached bathroom, and air conditioning are rare, even in B & Bs, and most have a refrigerator and desk; some hotels also provide kitchen facilities.
Bedrooms usually have two queen-size beds.
People with disabilities will be best provided for in a conventional hotel or resort.
In addition to elevators and ramps, a few hotels have rooms especially designed for people in wheelchairs. If you have special needs, inform the hotel when you reserve.
PRICES
Room rates vary enormously depending on the time of year, with prices in tourist season often 30–50 percent more than in off season. In South Florida the tourist season runs from mid-November to Easter, while in the Panhandle and the Northeast, where it is cooler in winter, hotels charge their highest rates in summer.
Wherever you are, however, expect to pay peak rates at Christmas, Easter, and Thanks- giving. At any time of year, you can pay up to 25 percent more for a room facing the water, so it’s worth asking for the full range of prices.
Rooms that cost less than about $70 tend to offer similar facilities, and it is only above
$70 (less in rural areas) that the standard is noticeably different. Rates are usually calculated per room rather than per person. This means that only a small reduction is made on the cost of a double room when calculating the price of a single.
It is always worth inquiring about any special deals. For example, you may get a lower price on your room if you eat in the hotel (ask about meal plans), or if you plan to stay for a week or more. Many hotels also offer discounts for senior citizens and families.
HIDDEN EXTRAS
Room rates are generally quoted exclusive of both sales tax (see p358) and the so-called resort tax, which is 2–5 percent of the price of the room (depending on the area). So taxes can add as much as 15 percent to the rate quoted.
The cost of making phone calls from a hotel room is extortionate. A few places offer free local calls from rooms, but as a rule using a pay phone in the lobby is much cheaper.
You are often charged for receiving faxes too.
Many hotels charge for valet parking: a fee of anything from $10 to $20 a day (as at the
Delano Hotel) is not unusual, not counting the optional tip for the attendant.
Given the inflated price of most hotel breakfasts, you’d do well to go out to a nearby café
or diner. Be warned too that you must pay for watching certain in-room movies: read the screen before pressing your remote control button.
MOTELS
Few vacationers are likely to go out of their way to stay in a motel, but motels are a good last-minute option, particularly during tourist season. The outskirts of towns and cities are classic motel territory, but in Florida they are also common in beach resorts, where they provide a good alternative to conventional hotels, especially at thebusiest times of year.
Motels are cheaper than many hotels and more convenient too. You can park your
car (for free) near your room, unload your bags, and be off to the beach or out sightseeing in minutes. Rooms are usually simple but adequate. Inspect the room before checking in,
however, since some rooms might not be clean.
ACCOMMODATIONS IN ORLANDO
For anyone planning to visit the theme parks, proximity is a major consideration: arriving early is the best way to avoid the worst lines. Waiting in traffic for an hour or more to get into the park can take up precious time. Furthermore, you will have the option to return to
your hotel if you need a break during the day, or while you wait for lines to die down.
Universal Orlando has two on-site hotels, Walt Disney World Resorts offers several on-site and two adjacent hotels. Rooms at these mega-resorts are costly, convenient, and offer great package deals. However, both Universal and Disney have “good neighbor hotels,” which are nearby, less expensive, and also offer admission packages.
Lodgings are in big demand at the resorts and must be booked six months to a year in advance if you wish to visit at Easter or Christmas. There are so many hotels in Greater
Orlando, though, that you need never worry about finding a room. When choosing where
to stay ask how long it takes to get to the parks, whether shuttle buses are available, and how often they run.
APARTMENT RENTALS
With Florida being such a big family destination, apartment accommodations are very popular. Rooms with cooking facilities, known as “efficiencies,” are provided in some hotels and motels. These may cost more than standard rooms but enable families to avoid expensive restaurant meals. In rural areas you find efficiency (self-catering) cabins attached to campgrounds. Condominiums (“condos”), consisting of complete apartments, are found mainly in beach resorts. They may seem expensive ($1,200 per week is on the low side), but can be a good value if you have a large family. Villas of the World and Vacation Home
Rentals Worldwide are among the many agencies to arrange condo rental, and they can normally organize rental of a private apartment or house, too. Tour operators that specialize in Florida can provide the same service if you request it.
Finally, you can stay in a private home for free by doing a house swap. To arrange this, you can enroll as a member of a home-exchange organization: Home Link, for example, has members worldwide.
CAMPING
Florida has a huge number of campsites. These range from the basic, where there may be
no running water, to the luxurious, with swimming pools, restaurants, shops, and boat rental outlets. People more often stay in mobile homes or RVs than camp in tents, but even RV parks have space for tents; some rent out trailers and cabins too. State parks charge $10–25 per site, while private camp ground charges go up to about $40 per night. Most sites take advance bookings, but state parks hold back some spaces for people who arrive on the day.
The Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) produces the annual Florida Camping Directory, listing its licensed members; copies can be ordered directly from the ARVC, and you can sometimes get the directory free from the tourist board.
Contact the Department of Environmental Protection, Parks and Recreation for a list of campsites in the state parks. You may also want to contact KOA (Kampgrounds of America), which runs about 30 good quality sites in Florida and issues its own directory.
YOUTH HOSTELS
Florida has several youth hostels, including ones in South Beach, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Hostelling International – American Youth Hostels issues a list of its members. The Florida Council of Hostelling International will also provide information.
Facilities are often excellent, often with swimming pools and game rooms, and rates are very low: around $15 per night, slightly more for non-members. You should book ahead in tourist season.
TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN
Most hotels provide basic facilities for families, such as cribs (cots); a babysitting service may also be available. Some places, however, particularly in Orlando and popular beach locations, put children higher on their list of priorities and provide kids’ swimming pools and play areas; some have children’s programs too, with organized activities and day trips (you may have to pay extra).
Most hotels do not charge for children under 12 sharing a room with their parents; in some cases (at Walt Disney World, for example) this is extended to those under 18. Some rooms have a sofa that folds out into a bed; otherwise an extra bed may be set up for a small additional fee.
DIRECTORY
BED AND BREAKFASTS
AAA Auto Club
South
Florida B&B Inns
PO Box 6187, Palm
Harbor, FL 34684.
Tel (800) 524-1880.
Key West
Innkeepers Assn.
316A Simonton St,
Key West, FL 33040.
Tel (305) 292-3660.
APARTMENT RENTALS AND
HOME EXCHANGE
HomeLink
Tampa, FL33647.
Tel (800) 638-3841.
Vacation Home
Rentals Worldwide
235 Kensington Ave,
Norwood, NJ 07648.
Tel (201) 767-9393.
Villas of the World
PO Box 1800, Sag Harbor,
NY 11963.
Tel (631) 324-8455.
CAMPING
ARVC
1340 Vickers Drive,
Tallahassee, FL 32303.
Tel (850) 562-7151.
Department of Environmental
Protection, Parks and Recreation
3900 Commonwealth
Blvd, Tallahassee, FL
32399.
Tel (850) 245-2118.
KOA
PO Box 30558, Billings, MT
59114. Tel (406) 248-7444.
YOUTH HOSTELS
Hostelling
International
8401 Colesville Rd, Suite
600, Silverspring, MD
20910.
Tel (301) 495-1240.
www.iyhf.org
(international)
www.hiusa.org (US)
Youth Hostel Association
Trevelyan House, Dimple
Rd, Matlock, DE4 3YH,
United Kingdom.
Tel (0870) 770-8868.
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