Originally Posted by
KIcarus
Hello all,
I've found myself in the Orlando area for about a week, and I've got a lot of IHG points to burn. I'm a single guy in my 30s, so I have no interest in a Disney trip, and we're living in strange times anyway, I don't think I'm going to be doing any socializing right now. I'm just looking for a comfortable hotel to relax in and kill time. Does the forum have any suggestions for a good hotel in the area to make the best of it? Thanks!
If the theme parks are not a concern and you're just looking for a clean bed in a safe area, consider the Candlewood Suites in Lake Mary. Standard Candlewood, but it has a small pool, it's in a wooded office park (although it backs up to I-4), and is about $70 a night or around 11,500 points per night. Feelings about Candlewood can be all over the map, and I agree that if you intend to stay at the hotel for a fair amount of time, the Candlewood is not for you. On the other hand, if you're going to be doing some other things and are just looking for a place to sleep, the Candlewood is as good as any. For trips of more than a few days, I really appreciate that Candlewoods make their laundry facilities available for free--that means I can pack a lot less.
I never go to the parks but drive through the area along I-4 occasionally, and traffic down that way can be frustrating at almost any time of the day, although I suspect it's currently much lighter because of the pandemic. Lake Mary puts you about 1/3 of the way from Orlando to Daytona Beach, and I like the north side of Orlando for a number of things. First, there's a decent lifestyle/shopping/town center at Altamonte Springs, about 10-15 minutes south of Lake Mary. Wraps around a lake and although the shopping area is dying, there are a number of restaurants in the area.
Second, Winter Park, another 5-10 minutes south, has a neat little downtown with a number of restaurants, shops, and the Morse Museum spread along Park Avenue. Despite its location adjacent to Orlando, Winter Park has a true small town feel with a train station running right along Park Avenue (Amtrak and SunRail make stops here), cobbled streets, and at this time of year, lots of holiday lights. Rollins College is at one end of Park, and the Winter Park Country Club (despite the name, a public 9-hole course) is at the other. Plus, along the fringes, you will see some spectacular homes--when Doc Rivers was the coach of the Magic, he lived in Winter Park, and his son Austin went to and played for the public Winter Park High basketball team before going to Duke.
By the way, if you're a golfer at all--I am, one of the main reasons I go to Orlando--there are a number of decent courses north of Orlando that tend to cost a lot less than the expensive courses surrounding the theme parks