mike_nz

Hello,

My girlfriend and I (aged 29) are coming over to Florida from Auckland, New Zealand. We're booked to fly on 26 Sept and depart 15 Oct 2009 - using Orlando (MCO) as our point of arrival and departure. We're coming over on our first trip to Florida and my first proper trip to the US. I've always been a space enthusiast, so reason number one for the trip is to spend time at Kennedy Space Center. No shuttle launches scheduled but then even if there had been, it might just as easily have been delayed. I think I'll be buzzing enough just to be where it all happens. However we also like to find our inner-child and have a little fun so want to do theme parks in Orlando. We also like chilling out on a beach or enjoying nature and in general don't like to have huge crowds around us unless we have to! So here's what we've come up with for a trip itinerary thus far:

Day 1: Fly into Orlando from Auckland via LAX

Day 2 - 7: ORLANDO:
Disney World (birthday for one of us so want to make the most of Disney's free entry on a birthday offer). Hollywood Studios. Check out Orlando sights, Winter Park etc on a couple of days in between the theme parks. Universal Studios. Islands of Adventure.

Day 8 - 13: Head for Sarasota or Siesta Key (interested in art galleries etc) for a couple of days. Possibly head further down the coast to Naples for a day. Drive out to Key West for a couple of nights before heading north again to Fort Lauderdale.

Day 14 - 19: SPACE COAST
Head for Cocoa Beach. Plan to spend a couple of days at KSC doing the standard bus tour along with the "Then and Now" and "NASA Close Up" tours. Additionally, I'm wanting to spend another day there on the ATX program. We also want to have a look around Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and explore the Canaveral National Seashore over a day or two.

Day 20: Head back to Orlando to catch our flight home...

So that's the rough plan. Bearing in mind our interests, can anyone help with suggestions of places we might want to stay over what we've come up with already? ie better locations etc?

* Accommodation suggestions? I had no idea until I started exploring the net how many places there are to stay in Orlando alone, let alone the rest of Florida. We have an approx budget of US$90 per night - not looking for, or expecting 5 star hotels, but we do like to have comfortable and clean rooms. Some kitchen facilities would be good too ie microwaves and fridges. Free breakfasts in Orlando would be good for theme park explorations. So far we've had a look at Hawthorn Suites or Embassy Suites at Lake Buena Vista as being in our ball-park. Hampton Inn at Cocoa Beach looks suitable for us as well.

Any ideas on places to stay for the rest of our itinerary would be great!

* Transport: we plan to pick up a rental car at MCO for the length of our trip as this looks to be the best way to get around and have flexibility and freedom. Plus it should be a bit of fun driving on the right side of the road!

That's all I can think of for now, can't wait to hear your ideas and suggestions! Cheers!

stumpworks73

I think your plan is basically solid. The side trip to Naples is questionable. Sarasota/Siesta is a good spot. You are spending enough Florida beach city time that packing and unpacking for another move without a strong motive is unnecessary motion.

I would stay at Siesta rather than Sarasota.

Your hotel choices are good so far. A couple of budget comments. Hotels have taxes that will increase your room rate up to 15%. Orlando airport has an expensive "facility fee" on car rentals that will increase your rate $10 to $20 a day more than you are expecting. Do your homework on your auto insurance at home. If your insurance covers you in a rental car in the states, you don't need the insurance offered by the rental company which is very expensive. You can take a $199 a week rental and by the time you add the airport fee and insurance be looking at closer to $400.

Plan on taking your time from Key Largo to Key West. It's a scenic drive with fun stops and good restaurants along the way. There are old threads here with lots of advise on the Keys that are worth resurecting.

tchoiniere

I agree with stumpworks that your plan is solid. Definitely stay at Siesta Key. You can always go into Sarasota from there. I think your hotel budget is very low. Make sure to do research the hotels as that is probably a 1 star hotel range. Your rental car will be high due to the insurance. I believe you will have to buy the insurance since you are not from the US. Look into going to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. Its a very nice aquarium but won't take a lot of time to see.

When you are driving from Siesta Beach / Sarasota to the Keys, I would suggest stopping in the Everglades at one of the parks to see some of it. There are airboat tours on the outside of the park that may be worthwhile. Its about an 8 hour drive from Sarasota to Key West so its a long haul.

Late Sept / Early Oct is a great time to go to Florida as the humidity begins to disappear. You are also past the peak Hurricane season generally. You may still get a hurricane but it won't be a major.

Orlando_Vic

mike_nz,
Let me first compliment you on the thought you have already given to this trip. You have picked an excellent time of the year to visit Florida. It is sort of a shoulder season since school will be in session and many families will simply be home and not vacationing with their children. The weather will be warm and getting better (i.e. slightly lower daytime high temps and diminished humidity) every day you get closer to mid-October. In addition, the hurricane threat will be getting lower as well.

I am impressed with your itinerary and think it is very doable. It is hard for me to give accommodation suggestions since I live here, but a decent place to stay your first night would be the Hampton Inn Orlando-International Airport (with free breakfast, of course) http://tinyurl.com/otd8gu . It is approximately 1 mile north of the airport in a quiet area off the main highway (State Road 436 AKA Semoran Blvd.). There are also a lot of mid-priced restaurants within a very easy walking distance. A good place for dinner is the Eastern Pearl http://easternpearlrestaurant.com/ .

Let me also caution you about trying to go to WDW or any of the other parks on your first day here. Ten or 12 hours at Disney can be physically exhausting! You may have significant jet lag and would do better on a more leisurely visit to Winter Park, for example, where you could have a more relaxed day and not have to deal with the hordes of people at one of the parks. A nice thing to do in Winter Park is to simply stroll along Park Ave., do some window shopping and maybe go on the Scenic Boat Tour http://www.scenicboattours.com/ .

Again, welcome to Orlando! I am sure others will have some good suggestions for you as well.

NeoPatrick

While some are suggesting to stay in Siesta rather than Sarasota, let me say that there are several clean, pretty decent motels along 41 in Sarasota that will meet the OP's budget --especially in Sept/Oct. Doubtful on Siesta. So it really becomes a matter of "is it worth more money to stay ON the beach?".

Since you're planning on driving to Key West, I'm not sure why others are saying to skip Naples, which you will drive right past on your way to the Keys from Sarasota. Naples is filled with art galleries. Leave Sarasota in the morning and drive to Naples (2 hours) for lunch, an afternoon of gallery hopping, sunset at the pier, a nice dinner and 5th Avenue Stroll, and spend the night (some cheaper chain motels near downtown or stay at the Cove Inn at the Marina and next to the casual Dock restaurant for under $100 -- www.coveinnnaples.com ) and then the next day head for the Keys from there, driving across the Everglades on the Tamiami Trail and then down to the Keys. Definitely stop off enroute at the Clyde Butcher photo gallery (amazing huge photos of the Everglades and other things).

thill25

Just a few suggestions in and around Orlando:

http://www.leugardens.org/

http://theravenouspig.com/

http://www.thesocial.org/ [for music]

www.myspace.com/theredlightredlight or

http://www.cricketersarmspub.com/ [for a pint]

http://www.floridastateparks.org/WekiwaSprings/



If you guys like theme parks, I'd suggest Busch Gardens in Tampa. You could stop on the way south. IMHO, a better coaster park than IOA.

http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/ [if you have time on the way south]



In the Cocoa Beach area:

http://www.finexpeditions.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...h_Florida.html [for lunch not dinner]

http://www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org/

Thai Thai II
2324 N Highway A1a
Indialantic, FL 32903
(321) 773-6144‎

http://www.coastersbrewpub.com/ [for a pint]

http://www.slowandlowbarbeque.com/

If I think of some more, I'll post again...

AAFrequentFlyer

Do have back up plan as Sep/Oct has been a very busy hurricane season in the last few years. If the hurricane is predicted to hit the east coast, head to the west coast or vice versa.

At the end of September, early October, it is very possible to find accommodations within your budget. Siesta Key has only 1 "true" hotel but it does have many resorts, apartments and condos for rent. It's the low season, it's quiet, so the owners are willing to deal even on short stays. During the high season a week or even 2 week stay is mandatory, not so during the time you'll be here. Having said that, just like Patrick, I too would consider staying on the mainland. Siesta Key has wonderful beaches and some fun nightlife but downtown Sarasota area has a great mix of excellent art galleries, restaurants, nightlife, interesting shops, etc. It's only about 10-15 minute drive to Siesta beaches and even shorter drive to Lido Key beaches. And for variety you can also check out some of the beaches on Long Boat Key.

You may also want to consider a stop on Sanibel/Captiva Islands in the Fort Myers area. It's more nature orientated. The beaches are not as nice but for laid back, wildlife experience it does beat Sarasota area islands.

If you need any local info about Sarasota and the local keys please feel free to ask here or if you want we can exchange e-mail addresses for more detailed advice.

mike_nz

NeoPatrick, thanks for the tip on Cove Inn, looks great and just what we're after. It'll be good to have a couple of hours less driving to get to Key West by staying in Naples for a night rather than Sarasota area for 3 nights.

Thill25, Fin Expeditions looks great, thanks for the tip.

Orlando_Vic, have come across Winter Park during our research so far and looks like a great place to relax in between the theme parks. Looking forward to WDW but yes we know they're going to be big days.

AAFrequentFlyer, we've found a couple of places on Siesta Key that do require longer stays than what we plan so we might have a chat to them and see if anything can be worked out. Pricing does look better on the mainland though, so we'll call that one work in progress.

mike_nz

Thanks heaps for all the advice so far. Accommodation research going well, though we're still looking for something in Cocoa Beach or surrounds. Any recommendations? Again, looking for clean, comfortable and around US$90 a night. Mainly a base for visiting KSC but also something near a beach would be good.

Wayne

For the KSC visit, look for a motel in Titusville. It should not cost a lot.

Orlando_Vic

Regarding Cocoa Beach accommodation, the La Quinta Inn
Cocoa Beach might be a possibility. They would be within your price range, offer free breakfasts, be close to the beach http://tinyurl.com/omo65j and would definitely be clean and comfortable.

Now, having said that, let me emphasize that I live about 60-70 miles from Cocoa Beach and rarely stay in hotels or motels there. Other local Fodorites such as 321go may have better accommodation suggestions. I am, however, familiar with the La Quinta chain nationally and find them to be a good value for the money. This one should be no exception.

Orlando_Vic

Oops, forgot the URL for the La Quinta Inn
Cocoa Beach. Here it is: http://tinyurl.com/qpywvh

thill25

Capt'n Tim is a lot of fun. FYI: He's a retired NASA diver...he has some pretty good stories!

321go

Hey Vic, I just saw this. I agree with the LaQuinta recommendation. Two others if that doesn't work: Luna Sea (across a busy street from the ocean, but clean and in your price range with a pool), Sea Aire (family-owned, on the beach, includes kitchenettes and again, in your price range). Neither will win style points, but honestly, neither will some of the big hotels in Cocoa Beach!

Agree with Thill25 that Fin Expeditions is good. Also recommend Cocoa Beach Kayaking and Adventure Kayak of Cocoa Beach. Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge is also great for nature lovers.

Sounds like a great trip - have fun!

stumpworks73

mike_nz: I frequently stay in Cocoa. The Hampton Inn is in a good position on the beach and every room above the fourth floor has a good beach view. Your $90 budget may be a little low, but in September, you should be able to get close. This location has breakfast included.

mike_nz

La Quinta looks good for a hotel option that won't break our budget. Didn't know the Original 7 owned it once upon a time so there you go! While we're in Cocoa Beach, not too worried about breakfast being supplied etc as we plan to be able to do things at a more leisurely pace than when we're doing the theme parks in Orlando.

So, just to consider all options, we also stumbled across www.homeaway.com while looking round this site which seems to have some nice little cottages and assorted vacation rentals available (Doneroaminn: http://tinyurl.com/p8mwoh and this one http://tinyurl.com/p7whq9). What we like about these is that we might be able to relax a bit more in our own space, do our own meals if we feel like it etc. Has anyone had experience using this site?

321go

mike, I recognize Doneroaminn. It's located across a busy street (A1A, the main highway through town) from the beach in downtown Cocoa Beach. Downtown has a number of good restaurants and you're much more likely to encounter locals rather than tourists there.

The other one sounds like it's not actually in Cocoa Beach. It might be in Cape Canaveral, which is just north of CB. If you can find an address, I can tell you more about it.

mike_nz

Have done some further thinking and have decided we'll stick to "mainstream" accommodation so the Hampton Inn or La Quinta at Cocoa Beach will probably do us.

We are probably looking to go to the U2 concert in Tampa now (didn't know they were playing there until I stumbled across tour dates a couple of days ago) so that will change the itinerary around a little. Our second week will now depart Orlando for the Atlantic coast, down the Keys, then back to Orlando via Naples, Sarasota and Tampa.

Still looking for somewhere to stay one night as a stopover on the drive from Orlando through to Key West - I know it's a heap of driving but we're just trying to prioritise the things we really want to do over the things we could come back and explore further another time. We had thought FLL would be a good stopover but accommodation looks pretty pricey in this area...

So any ideas on a nice little place to stop on the Atlantic coastline for a night roughly midway between Orlando and Key West Thanks!

NeoPatrick

Since the drive from Orlando to Key West is 7 hours or less, it makes little sense to me to find a place "midway" between the two to stop for the night. My suggestion would be to go to Key Largo for the night, arriving early afternoon and explore the area -- even do some snorkeling or boat trip in the reef. Then the next day, take your time on the way to Key West and still arrive there quite early in the day. Spending that day without needing to go through Miami will be far more pleasant.

qsilver37

You might want to plan a visit to Honeymoon Island. Beautiful beach and wonderful snorkling. Sand dollars, starfish and a variety of shells to be found.