I'm looking for a hotel near Orlando airport, but within walking distance for some things to occupy time for a day or two, for friends who will not have a car at their disposal. They are flying in from Australia, so the first day will be pretty much a wash. They will have one day without transportation where they would want something to occupy their time till they meet up with friends. Any suggestions are appreciated!

The local transportation authority http://www.golynx.com has buses (route 42?) that serve that area & can even get them to the outlets & attractions on International Drive.

There are plenty of nice hotels right outside the airport that are within walking distance of restaurants, but that's about it. Renaissance, Marriott, Holiday Inn, Embassy Suites to name a few.

I was considering the Fairfield Inn. Do you know if there is any shopping nearby?

We've stayed at Amerisuites, which is in a nice area near the airport with other hotels, a large pond, walking trail, etc. There were some restaurants in walking distance, but I don't recall any shopping very close, unless there was any across the main boulevard. Perhaps you could catch public transport from the same area?

I'd suggest they cab it to the International Drive area (not too far away). There, they would have lots of hotel choices and lots of restaurant and entertainment options in walking distance.

They would probably be interested in a walk, at the least, so that is appealing. I had thought of Int'l Drive, but have no idea how far that is from the airport. Does anyone know about how much that would run for a taxi?

I don't know about taxi prices, but another option is a Mears Transportation van/shuttle. It was something like $8 pp each way a few years ago from airport to just about any I-Drive hotel. Once on I-Drive, there's a trolley service from one end to the other for only a few $ for all-day unlimited transportation. I don't have Mears URL but I'm sure you can find it quickly with a search. Mears also has private car service & maybe taxis too.

rb, thanks for the information. It sounds perfect. I didn't know about the trolley on Int'l Dr. either.