Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Busch Gardens Area

There are plenty of food choices within a 10-minute drive, which worked well with my vegetarian wife and kids who wanted different cuisines. The location is handy, with a shuttle to Busch Gardens, ZooTampa about 15 minutes away, and the aquarium a 30-minute drive. The rooms have easy-to-clean laminate floors, plus a mini-fridge and microwave that were great for leftovers. The gym had a good mix of machines and free weights, and the heated pool was a nice surprise. One large bush is missing, though, so the pool area had little privacy from the parking lot. Breakfast was pretty good, with waffles, a decent hot selection of scrambled eggs, sausage, and potatoes, or standard continental food. The bathroom setup was definitely not ideal. I don’t think any of the rooms’ bathrooms have locks or vents, so there wasn’t the privacy I expected while traveling with my daughters, ages 3 and 6. If you can, bring your own pillows, because the ones provided were super soft. I needed at least four to get comfortable. Good value overall, but that bathroom issue matters.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and check-in was quick and easy. My room was spacious and well cared for, with housekeeping every other day. The elevator needs maintenance because it didn’t work very well. Breakfast was ordinary, and I’d skip it. Parking is available at the hotel. The fitness area is roomy, but some treadmills weren’t working. An early morning staff member worked hard to get them going, calling someone and continuing to work on the machines at 5AM. He’s a real star, and these five stars are for his effort.

We were there for three nights while visiting Busch Gardens and St Pete. Our room was clean and beautiful, and facing the back meant it stayed really quiet. We never heard cars, and the staff were super polite and friendly. Breakfast was great, with scrambled eggs, biscuits, bacon, cheese, a waffle maker, bagels, cereal, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, juices, and more. Their shuttle wasn’t running that Tuesday, so we took a Lyft to Busch Gardens for just $5-7 each way. We’d stay again.

I was traveling alone for one night to visit Busch Gardens, since I’m a coaster junkie. The front desk women were very kind, and the inside was clean. I got there at 11:30 and was told my room was ready, so I could check in early. Then I took the free shuttle to the park and stayed until 7:15. Miguel, the absolute best driver, picked me up with complimentary water. I felt safe, and it worked perfectly for my Busch Gardens trip. I didn’t go anywhere else, so I can’t comment on the surrounding area, though McDonald’s across the street looked easy to walk to. Breakfast was free. It wasn’t my favorite, but I did like the waffle.