Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites Cocoa Beach by IHG

The building is older but kept up, and everything was clean. The pool was clean too, and the small jacuzzi could accommodate wheelchair users. Service was friendly, and the buffet was generous. I was surprised by how flavorful the egg white omelet was. They also had cereal, oatmeal, rolls, fruit, juice, coffee, and other foods. The hotel was near the ship and offered free service to Carnival cruise.

A clean, comfortable room and a decent included breakfast made this a good option for our stay near the cruise port. The location was very convenient.

The room was outdated, and for what we paid, I would not recommend this hotel. The TVs only had local channels, with no Wi-Fi on any of them. The kitchenette had a microwave, a tiny two-burner stovetop, a dishwasher, and a half-size fridge that wouldn't cool the food we brought, even on its lowest setting. We couldn't sit comfortably on the living room couch because there was a huge gap between the cushions. There was debris on a comforter, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, trash in a closet, and one trash can hadn't been emptied. Another had liquid in it, as if they'd dumped the bag and reused it. The pool and hot tub water was dirty, so even though the artificial grass looked neat, I wouldn't go in. It was my daughter's birthday trip with her girlfriends, and she wanted me to make spaghetti. When I asked the desk for a larger pot, the woman disappeared, then came back to say they had none. She also wouldn't give us an extra pot. Customer service was terrible: I was told there was no manager on site, then Ethan said to wait while he asked his manager. I was overcharged for both the tiny VIP suite and parking, which was charged twice. The hotel didn't feel welcoming at all. There were signs everywhere saying guests couldn't carry a weapon, but we saw so many homeless people around the outside of the hotel. It felt creepy, especially at night, and we didn't see any security on site, just a woman at the front desk. Very disappointing.

The room itself was good, and the pool and spa felt refreshing with a nice open view. The place was very clean, and the front desk staff were cheerful and nice. My only complaint was the AC: it didn't seem to work, so our fourth-floor room got hot and stale. Sleeping was uncomfortable. Maybe the outside heat was too much for it, who knows. I'd still come back.