Picking the right place to stay should be the second step in planning your Orlando area vacation unless you are driving to Orlando, then it should be your first step. Depending upon your needs, when your visiting, length of your visit and the number of people you are traveling with is a huge factor in deciding where to stay. It’s your vacation and picking the right place to stay can make your visit cheaper and better.

Vacation Homes are very popular in the Orlando area with most of them are  located in South Orlando/Kissimmee. The variety of choices and reasonable prices make Orlando the worlds largest vacation home rental market. I recommend choosing a neighborhood that’s all rentals. Vacationers and people living in homes schedules are too divergent for a good mix. You can find huge homes with private pools and jacuzzis for less money then you would think. Condo hotels, timeshares and town homes are all similar types of options minus the privacy afforded by enjoying a vacation in a home  The biggest draw back is typically minimum rental is a week although some do offer four night stays.

Hotels/Motels offer ammenities that you typically can’t get in a vacation home such as free transportation to area attractions, daily maid service, restaurants, lounges, meeting space, business centers, complimentary breakfasts and so much more. It’s also in my opinion better for couples and singles traveling together. It just provides more privacy plus if schedules and choices are divergent it would make choosing a hotel/motel the more functional choice.

Then you have to consider location because the Orlando area offers multiple choices of locations to stay. Should you be coming to Orlando for a meeting or convention then location is an easy choice. The Orlando Convention Center is Americas second largest located on International Drive. The cost of hotels/motels closest to the convention center will be higher. International Drive is a long stretch of road so you really need to be careful picking a property because there’s the older side of International Drive, the more manicured and newer area of International Drive and a long stretch of empty road with limited development. Highway 192 South Orlando/Kissimmee offers the most affordable location with hotels/motels, every chain restaurant imaginable, many national retailers, Old Town, Fun Spot, outlet shopping, dinner shows, independent restaurants, bars and is much closer to the Disney Parks then International Drive. Recently the 192 district was renovated adding lanes, side walks, bus stops and landscaping making it much nicer then it was. You can also choose to stay in the Walt Disney Worls Resort but it will cost you more from the lodging, to dining and shopping. Disney’s value priced properties are in less desirable parts of the Walt Disney World Resort with transportation free to many locations within Walt Disney World Resort but honestly catching one of the free shuttles in Kissimmee to the theme parks will probably get you there just as fast.

So now go do your home work and start planning a trip to Orlando!

Last Updated on August 9, 2023