We’d found the amazing cheap Florida deal, but didn’t like the look of the cheapest hotel. I’m sure it was OK as we spoke to many people on the flight that were going there, but I wanted a little more. I’d never stayed over on International drive before and had always been nearer Disney Springs area. So for our step out of our usual comfort zone, we tried to find a hotel near Lake Buena Vista. This is near a lot of the Disney hotels and has a lot of restaurants nearby.
Delta Hotels by Marriott
We spent hours on trip adviser and Google Street view, to work out where we wanted to be. Knowing too well that a budget hotel wasn’t going to be as luxurious as a 5-star resort. Eventually, we decided upon the Delta Hotel (not realising it was part of Marriott at the time of booking). It was newly refurbished and when looking at google earth it had a major overhaul.
As we drove up to the hotel we were greeted by Gregory. Gregory was the greeter/porter / friendly smile every morning and night. He really made a great impression on us as soon as we rolled up. The drive from the airport had stressful moments, but we’d arrived and it was time to relax.
We were stopping here for 14 nights as a base hotel. The normal parking fee here is $15 per day (it’s becoming the norm to charge for parking), but due to us staying so long we got 50% discount. I wish all my holidays were smiles and discounts!
Delta Hotels by Marriott Rooms
The room was clean, large and a standard hotel layout. We found out after staying in a few during this trip, that all hotels have the same layout.
Two queen size beds, air conditioning, an in-room fridge, coffee machine, safe, wardrobe, drawers, and a large Television.
I was very impressed with the USB sockets all over the room. Even the bedside lamp had USB ports in it. One of the things we love in Orlando is watching the local news. If it doesn’t feature scare stories about the weather coming in, it’s the on the doorstep news reports. While we were there, there was a girl who looked forward to recycling day. She would meet the bin men and wave at them. This was a news headline!
The bathroom was again a standard American hotel bathroom. A bathtub long enough for Abigail to stretch out in, but only her. A high powered toilet that would never need a second flush. Basin set in a granite worktop.
If I could install one thing from American living it would be the toilet system.
Obviously, there has to be a give and with the cheaper hotel comes a less appealing view from the room. We had a poolside view, which was nice, but it also overlooked the side of the discount souvenir shop. Which had been painted to look like an underwater scene, so apart from being in your face wasn’t that bad.
A little further around we could see the back of the IHOP, Millers Ale House, Twin Peaks, and a service road. But not enough to moan about. At the end of the day, you go to bed and can’t see it with your eyes closed.
Delta Hotel Pool and splash pad
Sitting poolside, we could have been anywhere in the world. The only thing that was different from Spain was the humid heat, the bird life circling in the air and sunbeds. There weren’t tons of sunbeds, but we could rock up at any time of the day and get one. We didn’t need to get up at 6.00am and stake a spot with towels (which is a good job, as it would have totally messed the Jet lag up).
The pool was heated and ranged from waist height to barely touch the bottom. Towels were provided in the poolside bins.
At either end of the pool were free to use gazebos, which came in handy when the seasonal rain showers arrived… and went as quickly as they started. At the one end of the pool area, there was a jacuzzi hot tub. The other was the pirate’s ship splash pad. Water cannons, sprinklers, fountains form the floors it was kitted out for fun.
Delta Hotel Dining
Food plays a big part in our holiday plans. Our previous Disney trips have been based around the restaurants first, rides second! So, on the more budget-driven holiday, we were looking into other priced options. On the first night, we went to the hotel bar and quick service dinner. Here they did snacks and sandwiches, salads and pizzas.
The main deal they offered was two pizzas for $20. Cooked to order on the wood-fired pizza oven. We were tired and it was the easy option. So we ordered 2 pizzas and a chicken salad.
The pizza tasted fresh and crispy, the jalapenos had a wake-you-up kick too. Our salad was refreshing and huge. Again tasting fresh and crispy. The lettuce released an inviting crunch.
Delta Hotels Review
When it boiled down to it there wasn’t that much (in terms of amenities), that differed between this hotel and a more expensive one. The scale was a factor and landscaping possibly they only two areas that you noticed. We didn’t have gardens to walk through. Excluding the hard landscaped pool area, the externals were mainly car parking.
Internally the hotel was set up for business trips. Nice bright clean modern design, with plenty of areas to set up a laptop and connect to the world. Which I must mention the internet connection. WOW! This place had the fasted connection I’ve used anywhere. In the UK if I uploaded a video to youtube it usually takes around 20 minutes to upload. The same size video here gone in 3 minutes!
We were on floor 3, which also seemed to be the floor that all other guests were on too. Whenever we shared the lift it was always floor 3. Everywhere was clean and tidy and we often saw the maintenance guy keeping on top of small jobs. One late night we spied a white wall being repainted as it had some marks on.
Genuinely I had set myself up to be disappointed. Labeling this to be a version of Travelodge before we’d ever been. In reality, the room was comparable to any Disney hotel we’d stopped in and bigger than the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal that we stayed in. The staff we very friendly and always helpful. One morning Gregory called us over as we were leaving to give us bottles of water as it was hot. Sure he probably gives them to everyone, but it made us feel special.
The location was ideal for everything, 20 minutes drive maximum got us to Aquatica or Universal. It was only a 15 minutes walk and we were in Disney Springs. A Black Angus Steakhouse across the road, Olive Garden and IHOP all within easy reach. We could have dined in different venues Lunch and dinner within a 10-minute walk. Which was useful when I wanted a night off from driving.
We’re already starting to look at options for our next trip to Florida and I would happily return here. Thank you Delta, you became the backbone of our Orlando adventure.
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