La Quinta Inn & Suites Orlando Idrive Theme Parks

For a short Orlando visit when I'm watching the price, I'd stay here again. The grounds were clean and well landscaped, the lobby was spotless and smelled clean, and the employees I met were polite and professional. My room felt modern, was super clean, and had very comfortable beds. Management seems to be doing a great job. I usually stay at the same resort when I visit Orlando, but wanted a budget-friendly option for a shorter trip. Since La Quinta is near that resort and looked nice, I gave it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised because the La Quinta back home is usually bottom of the barrel, with rude staff and run-down rooms. Parking may be a problem when the property is nearly or fully booked. I overheard that it was full when I checked in, and after returning from Universal one night, I saw cars parked along the sides of the property and at TRYP, their sister property next door.

The staff were extremely kind and helpful, and my room felt updated and was very clean. It's close enough to the theme parks and convention center, yet far enough out to avoid much of the traffic. Breakfast was a little lackluster compared with other LQ hotels I've used, though it did the job. I highly recommend this hotel and the chain. LQ has never let me down from coast to coast.

The location was excellent, but I had a terrible stay and won't return. Breakfast had no variety over my four days, not even something basic like bananas. The pillows were tiny and poor quality for a king bed. Housekeeping mostly made the bed I'd already made, took out trash, and left fresh towels. Nobody vacuumed the floor over those four days, even with hair accumulating everywhere and sticking to shoes. The floor was disgusting. The mirror and sink were also left wet and dirty after the awful faucet splashed water everywhere, so I had to clean them myself with a towel. On December 31, the shower barely dripped water, and it was cold because the pressure wasn't enough to heat it. An hour and a half later, I got a text saying the water would be shut off for maintenance. First and last time at this hotel.

The biggest problem was the elevator: only one was working, and the other took forever to open. There are stairs if you're claustrophobic. The rooms are modest but clean, with comfortable beds and comforters, hot showers, and toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, and lotion. The microwave is slow, but there's premium cable and full control of the room temperature. There's a pool, jacuzzi, gym, and pets are allowed. Breakfast was okay, and probably their best feature. The hotel is close to things, about an hour from cocoa beach and 30 minutes from Disney with traffic. It's not too pricey. The two trash cans are tiny, and the bathroom fan needs replacing because built-up moisture could lead to mold. I'd call it a four-star stay.