Need a hotel recommendation, between Tampa and WDW

[Tony]

OK, so we're flying into Tampa next summer as it was meaningfully cheaper than Orlando & have had far better experiences with customs & immigration on the West coast, too.

The plan is to hire a car on arrival and head towards WDW, but stop en route. What I'm looking for is the following check list..
1) Close to I-4
2) Decent quality/clean/safe accommodation (think Homewood Suites & up)
3) Near a supermarket
4) Has a half decent restaurant either inside or very nearby
5) 30-45 mins drive max to WDW the next day (so probably past Lakeland)

Have a slight bias towards Hilton group properties as we will get some F&B credit, but not a deal breaker

Any recommendations welcome.

Thanks

 

[fla4fun]

OK, so we're flying into Tampa next summer as it was meaningfully cheaper than Orlando & have had far better experiences with customs & immigration on the West coast, too.

The plan is to hire a car on arrival and head towards WDW, but stop en route. What I'm looking for is the following check list..
1) Close to I-4
2) Decent quality/clean/safe accommodation (think Homewood Suites & up)
3) Near a supermarket
4) Has a half decent restaurant either inside or very nearby
5) 30-45 mins drive max to WDW the next day (so probably past Lakeland)

Have a slight bias towards Hilton group properties as we will get some F&B credit, but not a deal breaker

Any recommendations welcome.

Thanks

There isn’t a lot between Lakeland and Highway 27. If you’ve made it all the way to 27, you might as well drive on into Kissimmee or Lake Buena Vista and get a hotel there. Personally, I would stop in Lakeland. This is the map from Hilton’s app, and you can see there is nothing between Lakeland and the greater Orlando area.


There are two Hampton Inns that would be convenient to I-4 and have restaurants and grocery stores nearby. One is in Lakeland and the other at I-4 and Hwy 27 in Davenport.

 

[Ruttangel]

I would agree just to keep on going to WDW even if the hotel is one night at All Star Sports. I did that once when driving from Miami and we left next day to go to AK Lodge

 

[Tony]

Thanks for that. We don't need to be all the way over to WDW as we'll be awake early anyway given the time difference and I'm just aware how much lower prices are outside of "the bubble", so at the moment I'm thinking we stop near Lakeland and drive the extra 15 mins - will be a Sunday morning. Perhaps if I spot a hotel bargain nearer the time we might head further East. I just know if we end up all the way over at LBV then there will be pressure to hit Downtown Disney or whatever it's called this week as soon as we get there!