Best Value Hotels , in the Orlando Area.
ORLANDO, is truly an amazing place no matter what your plans are. With so many hotels choosing the right one can be so over whelming. Fear not, I am here to make that decision so much easier.
Okay my first choice would have to be the budget Rosen Inn hotels. These are actually great little hotels, and they are fantastic locations. You have Rosen Inn International, Rosen Inn at Pointe, Rosen Inn Closest to Universal, these 3 are all located on International drive, which is a great central location, with lots of things in walking distance (walking seems to be accepted here, just not anywhere else ha ha). Then There is Rosen Inn, Lake Buena Vista. This resort is closest to Disney area. All resorts offer shuttles to the parks. The hotels on international drive shuttles to Universal complex, Sea World and Aquatics are free but do need to be booked. They do offer a Disney shuttle too, however there is a small charge for that shuttle.
The Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista offers free shuttle to both Disney and Universal and even the local outlet malls, but they do need to be booked. The Lake Buena Vista resort is a Good Neighbour Disney Hotel. All the Rosen Inn's I've mentioned have NO RESORT FEE and they also have FREE PARKING. This is in short supply as a lot of hotels in the Orlando area can charge $20-40 per night in resort fees and then $25 per night for parking. Which really drives the price up.
Rosen Inn budget resorts are basic, but also have everything you need. 2 double beds or 1 king, a small fridge, coffee/tea facilities, TV and bathroom. And the hotels also offer the choice of having a buffet breakfast.
So if you are looking for a budget friendly base that is clean and comfortable then the Rosen Inn choices are you best bet.
Drop me a message if you would like to talk through your options, I am always happy to help.
I hope this has helped you decide on where to stay. If you do have any questions, do reach out. Just click to drop me a message, I am always happy to help.
Budget Friendly, Close to Universal Studios
Best Western Orlando Gateway
Budget Friendly, Close to Universal Studios
Best Western Orlando Gateway
On my recent trip Sept 2024 I stayed here for a few days. This hotel wasn't actually on my list, however after a debacle with the hotel I was meant to stay, we secured a room here.
And it actually worked out for the better.
I would say this is a fantastic budget hotel, if you are just looking for somewhere basic to sleep and shower.
The Pool
The pool and pool area isn't great, but it does have a pool and 2 spa's. There is an area for pool bar, however it was closed during our stay.
The pool was open 9am until 10pm each day, which was nice to jump in the spa at the end of the day after the parks. Pool towels are available at the pool area.
Restaurant
The hotel has a restaurant, and for breakfast it was good. The breakfast was a buffet style, with bacon, sausage, eggs (how you wanted), cereal, pancakes, make your own waffles and more. The price was $14+ tax which we found well worth it.
However, of an evening it was awful. We actually left without eating. The wait staff at breakfast and dinner were brilliant.
Although the restaurant wasn't great for evening meal, there is plenty of places close by to grab something to eat, as the hotel isn't far from i-drive. A nice in expensive place nearby was Chili's. They offered 3 for $11. We had the chips and dip and a salad for starter and the burger and fries for our entree and both had an iced tea for our drink. The food was basic but definitely plenty of it and a large amount for $11. (image below).
Rooms
The hotel rooms come with all the basics and then some. It has 2 queen beds, bathroom with all amenities such as soaps, shampoo and conditioner, hot drink facility, fridge, safe, iron and board, microwave, BIG tv, desk area, and even a comfy chair.
We got clean towels and bins emptied everyday. However, the room wasn't cleaned. We were only there for 3 days, so wasn't an issue.
Transportation
The hotel also has a scheduled service for the parks. They are free for Universal and Sea World, but they do charge for Disney, $5 per person for a return.
We didn't use the shuttle service as we only did Universal Studios this time.
Now, this may be naughty of me, but, the hotel is right next door to Universal's endless summer Dockside resort. So, we just walked next door to use the buses as they ran on a more regular basis. Especially for returning at night time.
Resort fees
They do have a resort fee, which includes parking of $16.95+ tax.
The location of this hotel is fantastic, I doubt you will find a closer off-site hotel to Universal if you tried, and at such a great rate.
Is there better hotels, of course there is, but that is why it is only a 3 star hotel. But, for the price, for the location it really is worth it.
Just remember if you are wanting a really good pool area and pool to spend the day around, this isn't the place. When we wanted a pool day whilst here, we just jumped the bus to Volcano Bay, as we had that included in our park tickets, so it didn't cost us anything more than a locker (which I know is $25 for large locker, I know that is steep).
