Since I spend many of my weekends at the Happiest Place on Earth, I have been asked a lot about what Hotels I prefer to stay at. My trips are usually only 2-3 days but they are every other month or so. There is no way I would be able to afford going to Disney so often if we stayed in a Disney Resort every time. So these hotels are not the fanciest, but they have qualities my boyfriend and I enjoy.
I also have 2 tips for anyone taking a trip:
1. When booking a hotel, use Hotels.com
-Every 10 nights booked using Hotels.com gets you a FREE night. They use the average amount you paid each of those 10 nights to get the amount they give you valid for a free night. My boyfriend and I have been using it since 2010 and have redeemed a free night several times.
-They send emails every once in a while with specials deals that are only available to the Reward members and then I will check other sites to see if they have the cheapest prices - they usually do!
2. Use Ebates!
-I know Ebates sounds like some kind of scam. How can you make money from shopping online at regular sites you shop on all the time? I saw instagram posts about it for a long time before I decided to check it out for myself. Since I have started using it in January this year, I have received 3 checks and a gift card from them. When I signed up they offered a $5 gift card to any store just for signing up! The current offer is when you sign up (which is free) and make a purchase through Ebates on ANY of the sites that are qualified, you get an extra $10.
-I use Ebates to book all of my Hotels.com nights and even if you only get 1% of what you spent, it's FREE money!
Join Ebates Here!
Now here is a list of my top 3 hotels my boyfriend and I will stay in when we go to Disney World:
3. Destiny Palms Hotel Maingate West
- The price is usually anywhere from $30-$75 a night.
- The beds are comfortable and the rooms are clean.
- The rooms do not have a microwave but they do have a toaster oven! This has been a pro and a con for my boyfriend and I. We will bring aluminum foil if we plan on using it. There also is a microwave in the dining area where they serve the breakfast if necessary.
-The hotel has several entrances once you have checked in. If your room is on the back or side of the hotel, you can use your key to get in to get to your room easier.
- Breakfast is included! But its a basic continental breakfast (cereal, toast, muffins, etc.)
2. Galleria Palms
-The price is usually around $45-$90
-The beds are comfortable (This is super important to my boyfriend and I) and clean.
-The rooms do have a microwave
-Some rooms have a couch and coffee table area which is nice for eating
-The bathrooms are large or they have been every time I have stayed there
-This was our go-to hotel for a long time until we discovered our number 1
1.Red Lion Hotel (Edit- They recently changed their name from Maingate Resort and Spa)
-The price is usually around $40-$90
-Do not let the name fool you! It isn't a "resort" and I am not even sure if there is a spa but this is our favorite hotel lately.
-It is 5 minutes from the parks, and it is the first hotel when you are getting off the exit leaving the parks.
- The beds are amazing! I have told several friends about the beds there and they agreed! Best sleep ever! Rooms are clean too.
-The bathrooms are small, but the sink and sometimes a Jack & Jill sink area is located outside of the bathrooms
-The rooms do not have a microwave at all but they do have a Keurig coffee machine! They also offer a few basic regular and decaf coffee k-cups to use. I like to bring my own though.
-The rooms also usually have a large desk and office chair which is nice for eating or for me to lay out all of my makeup and hair products
If you have any favorite hotels you like to stay at when visiting Orlando I would love to hear about them!
-Micky
(Photos from Hotels.com)
