Florida Lodging 2004 via Priceline
 

We are planning a 12 day trip to Florida, thought people might be interested in the Priceline rates and availability we received for July 15-27, 2004.

July 15-17 Renaissance Plantation/Ft. Lauderdale $50

July 17-19 Doubletree Grand Key Resort/Key West $85

July 19-21 Holiday Inn South Beach/Miami $40

July 21-24 Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort $69

July 24-27 Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort/Bonita Springs $130 a night!

We were reasonably pleased with the nightly rates and quality of the hotels -- two resort level, one 4 star and two 3 star hotels. Of course you can't pick the hotels just areas and star ratings, but really the only one with mediocre reviews is the Holiday Inn and they aren't terrible, the Doubletree is not located well, but a newer hotel with free shuttle service to the tourist areas.

I saw your posts on BiddingForTravel.

Have you considered the driving times for this trip? I know Plantation / Ft. Lauderdale to Key West on a Saturday is going to easily be 4-5 hours driving time, and Key West to Miami is about 3-4 hours. About double that from Miami to Orlando. Just hoping you have considered the traffic and driving times!

If you're flying then it will save you plenty of time, but I think all the jumping around from place to place every 2 days along with driving will be exhausting by the middle of the trip.

We did consider it alot of driving, we decided that we could handle a couple hours in the morning 10 a.m. until noon and then stopping for 2 to 3 hours to relax, eat and maybe sightsee along the way and then hit the road for another 2 hours before arriving at the destination.

But your concerns are certainly real, hopefully we won't kill ourselves too bad. I know sometimes being from a rural state and trying to adjust to driving conditions in a populous area can be very deceiving. No more than 220 miles in a day seems like a cakewalk normally!

Have fun Hansen! While your schedule makes my head spin, I know others have no problem.

For what it is worth, I would have done Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Key West, Naples.

actually they schedule was around our teens who are attending a Lutheran National Conference in Orlando... the days in Naples are after we drop them off... so that kind of determined somewhat the schedule

Should probably also give you this fair warning about South Florida drivers if you've never been there: No one uses their darn turn signals!! So while driving on I-95, be prepared for anything! They are some crappy drivers! (although not as bad as NY/NJ in my opinion!)

I've actually been told by friends of mine in Miami that they can spot tourists because they are the ones using their signals!

Well, Missjanna, I'm a native Floridian and everyone must think I'm a tourist because I use my signals. Actually, I think the drivers are so bad down here in Florida because of all the people from elsewhere who visit/live here. It's not necessarily the Floridians who are the bad drivers. Believe me, I know very well how you have to drive defensively.

4khansen -- are you flying or driving to Fla? Just curious. I live a stone's throw away from the Renaissance Plantation, so if you want any info on the area, feel free to ask. The Renaissance is very easy to find, just off I-595 at Pine Island Road. If you are coming from the airport or the east towards the west, make sure you get in the far right lane when you PASS the exit for University Drive. This will put you in the proper lane to get off I-595 and get over into the far right lane to turn north (right) onto Pine Island Road. Go about half a block to the first light and turn right again. Very nice hotel. There's plenty of shopping nearby to get anything you forgot for your beachy vacation spots.

4k. You'll get to see both coasts, they Keys, and the Orlando area all in less than two weeks. The positives are seeing a lot a littlke bit of time. If you hate a place, you will not be there too long. But if you like a place, you may wish you had longer. This trip will allow you to decipher what you like and do not like, and will be able to fine tune your future trips accordingly, or you may even desire to do five cities again. I will be doing Fort Lauderdale April 29-May3...Sanibel May 3-May 7..and Anna Maria Island May 7-10, before heading north.

That was kind of our plan, we have really only been to Orlando for an extended period for vacation, I have worked briefly in Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa and Jacksonville years ago. These were sales training trips that were pretty much work 24/7. So I wanted to experience a variety of areas, and maybe someday go back to those places that had alot to offer for us. We are really only doing the Disney thing one day, otherwise this is just a dropoff point for our daughers.