Havent Stopped in either of them 2 hotels....but had a friend come back from quality Inn plaza on I Drive and i would say its in the same price range as your other hotels and they said it was very good...

Have always said May is a great time to go,lovely weather and crowds not so high.

Thanks Yeltzman, I'll maybe ask for a price on that as I see it gets pretty reviews too

Hi Louise try the Marriott Village in Lake Buena Vista there are 3 hotels or suites to choose
from stayed there in May pre cruise we stayed in the Fairfield it was great lovely rooms
good breakfast and super swimming pool
annx

aarond wrote:

Hi Louise try the Marriott Village in Lake Buena Vista there are 3 hotels or suites to choose
from stayed there in May pre cruise we stayed in the Fairfield it was great lovely rooms
good breakfast and super swimming pool
annx

Thank you, i'll check it out as well

I would agree with yeltzman, the Quality Inn Plaza should fit within your budget and is a nice solid property. Also consider the Quality Inn International although the QIP is better located on I Drive.

Away from I Drive in Lake Buena Vista I also agree with the Marriott Village although prices might be higher. Maybe check out the Comfort Inn LBV which is a lovely property and walking distance (just) to Downtown Disney.

I've not stayed at either of the properties you mention but a Comfort Inn should, and I stress should, always be superior to an Econolodge. You do sometimes find the odd gem of an Econolodge or Howard Johnson (we stayed in the #1 rated Ho Jo in Albuquerque last year) but more often than not its the exception to the rule......

November or May? Both great times to visit...I personally would opt for November but May is a good choice also.

Thanks JW

The Econolodge you refer to used to be a Best Western. Both this hotel and the Quality Inn Plaza are next door to each other on International Drive.

I would go for the Quality Inn Plaza out of the two. Many of the rooms at the latter have recently been refurbished. Try requesting one when booking or slip the reception staff $20 on arrival!

In both hotels try to avoid the rooms at the back overlooking the I-4.

As someone else said, The Marriott Village is another good option if you fancy Lake Buena Vista over I-Drive.

We are currently here in Orlando, about to head into our 3rd week and we are staying at the Quality Inn International on Idrive. We did look at the econolodge, but am glad we didnt book it. A large amount of their rooms back straight out onto the I4, our hotel is a good budget hotel really, its clean, rooms are spacious and it has a couple of pools, the sheets and towels are changed regularly, but are very clean, rooms are well looked after. It was cheap to stay here, and I wasn't expecting much, but it has been way beyond what we expected. I will be posting a review when I get back as cannot do it from the US, but definitely one to check out. It is in the middle of the Idrive, and Im glad we are here and not the Quality Inn Plaza, this is a better location for us, easier for the I4, and its only a few stops down the road on the iride.

But it is another one to check out. and if I can help with any questions I will do, i am here on my own with my 8 year old

Greetings from Florida

Karen_uk wrote:

We are currently here in Orlando, about to head into our 3rd week and we are staying at the Quality Inn International on Idrive. We did look at the econolodge, but am glad we didnt book it. A large amount of their rooms back straight out onto the I4, our hotel is a good budget hotel really, its clean, rooms are spacious and it has a couple of pools, the sheets and towels are changed regularly, but are very clean, rooms are well looked after. It was cheap to stay here, and I wasn't expecting much, but it has been way beyond what we expected. I will be posting a review when I get back as cannot do it from the US, but definitely one to check out. It is in the middle of the Idrive, and Im glad we are here and not the Quality Inn Plaza, this is a better location for us, easier for the I4, and its only a few stops down the road on the iride.

But it is another one to check out. and if I can help with any questions I will do, i am here on my own with my 8 year old

Greetings from Florida :)

Thanks for posting Karen. We'll be taking my son with us and he is 8 1/2 so it's good to get a view from someone there with a child of a similar age. I'll check out the Quality Inn as well.

Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your hols

I would have to disagree with Karen on the better location out of the Quality Inn International and Quality Inn Plaza.

The QIP is located in the far nicer part of I Drive, south of Sand Lake, and this part of I Drive is tree lined with pavements and flowers and lovely thick grass. You feel like you are in a totally different world compared to the built up and more commercial north part of I Drive. Whilst there is a greater concentration of restaurants (and hotels) north of Sand Lake, there are still plenty of options food wise within walking distance from the QIP (Tony Roma's being one such restaurant). You will also find Pirates Cove Mini Golf near the QIP and places like Wonderworks and the Pointe Orlando and Mercado, although I must say the Pointe and Mercado have seen better days.

As for ease of access to I4, well I would say that the QIP is easier. Turn right out of the hotel, past the convention centre and Rosen Center and then at the traffic lights at the bottom, follow the signs to I4 and go around the loop and there you are. An even quicker way to the Downtown Disney entrance to WDW is via Sand Lake Road, Dr Phillips Blvd and Apopka Vineland, which is the way I would head to Disney from either the QIP or QII to be honest.
For Universal if you stay south of Sand Lake you have the option of taking Universal Blvd and therefore avoiding the build up of traffic that seems to be always present north of Sand Lake. Seaworld is 5mins drive, even walkable from the QIP although across some busy roads but it is doable.

If I had to choose between the QIP or QII the Plaza would win everyday. Better and quieter location, great rooms (and newly renovated in some blocks) and with some great restaurants and attractions within walking distance. The QII would be a good 2nd choice though and I am pleased that Karen is enjoying it there. The only time we tried to book the QII it was full, so ended up at the Rodeway further north.

HTH