Hotel Review of the Hilton Orlando in Florida, USA
Located just 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport, the Hilton Orlando was our first stop on our two-week stay in Orlando. We used the Hilton Orlando as our base for 5 days while we were visiting SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica Water Park due to its close proximity to all three of these parks.
Unfortunately upon arrival we had a trainee who checked us in who did not really explain any features of the property, including how to access wi-fi or what the benefits were for HHonor Diamond members. We were allocated a room on the 4th floor which overlooked the pool area and it was a pretty good size for two adults and two kids. Beds were comfortable and the room had a good sized desk to work at. We had two bottles of water waiting in our room which were replaced daily. There is an empty mini-fridge in the room which we prefer so we can stock our own drinks and snacks, as well as an in-room coffee machine. The bathroom has a bath and shower in one.
Pool and Recreational Facilities
Our kids loved the Hilton Orlando pool area which features two pools (one adults only though), a lazy river, water slide and a whirlpool spa as well as some pool basketball rings. There are poolside cabanas available for rental as well. We found the pool area quite busy on the weekends but pretty quiet during the weekdays as the Hilton Orlando caters a lot to convention guests who were away from the hotel during the day.
Recreational features here include a huge fitness centre, 9-hole putting green, jogging track and basketball courts which can also be used for tennis, volleyball and bocce ball. There is an eforea day spa and salon if some pampering is in order. There are also a couple of fire pits by the pool area to sit by and relax.
Dining Options
There are a vast array of dining and bar options at the Hilton Orlando including;
- Spencer’s Steakhouse (open Tues – Sat from 5:30pm to 10:30pm)
- David’s Club Sports Bar & Grill featuring indoor and outdoor seating with fire pits (open daily from 4:00pm to 1.00am)
- The Bistro (open daily for breakfast & lunch 6:30am to 2.30pm)
- Tropics Pool Bar & Grill (bar open daily from 11:00am to 11:00pm and grill open Sun – Thurs from 11:00am to 9:00 and Fri & Sat from 11:00am to 10: 00pm)
- Lobby Bar (open daily from 3:00pm to 11:00pm)
- The Marketplace (for snacks on the go – open daily 24hrs)
We ate mainly at Tropics Pool and Bar which is more casual than the other restaurants and as the pool is open till late, the kids can still enjoy their swimming time while the adults kick back and relax with a few cocktails. You can also grab a smore’s pack from Tropics Bar ($7 per pack) and let the kids make up and roast their yummy smore’s in the fire pits.
Another good restaurant to take kids is Davids’ Sports Club which had really good meals – must try the curly fries there, they were delicious!
Executive Lounge
If you are a HHonor Diamond member or have purchased an executive room you have access to the executive lounge for breakfast, snacks and evening canapés. Breakfast is continental style with only one hot dish, being scrambled eggs. There is also a waffle machine, bagels, muffins, toast and other pastries available. The evening drinks and canapés are available from 5.00pm to 7.00pm but be aware that alcoholic drinks are not free, you do have to pay for them (at a cheaper rate than the other hotel bars though). There is bartender service and we were able to set up a tab and just charge the drinks to our room. There are two hot canapés served which varied each night and plenty of cold snacks as well.
Location
The Hilton is located on Destination Parkway which is just off International Drive where you can hop on the I-Ride Trolley to explore the shopping and dining areas of International Drive or travel to the SeaWorld Parks – SeaWorld, Aquatica Water Park and Discovery Cove. The SeaWorld Parks are only five minutes from the Hilton Orlando – around $10 taxi fare and there were always plenty of taxis at the hotel waiting. There is a Hertz Rental Car on-site as well if you would prefer to drive around yourself. While there is a concierge desk at the resort, note that it is run by Expedia.
This part of Orlando also contains a lot of convention centers and the Hilton Orlando is directly connected to the Orange County Convention Center and not far from the International Drive Convention Center. For this reason the rates here can fluctuate quite a bit, depending if there are any conventions on in town. If you are planning to stay for family travel it is best to have a play around with dates to try and avoid any major conventions as it will be much cheaper.
Please be aware that the Hilton Orlando charges a daily resort fee of $22.00 + taxes so in total you need to add-on an extra $27.00 per night to any advertised room price when considering which hotel to book in Orlando.
You can also watch our following you tube videos of the Hilton Orlando;
For more information on the Hilton Orlando go to: www.thehiltonorlando.com
