Hotel of the Week: Sonesta Suites, Orlando

Bev Fearis, her partner and three-year-old son Freddie, checked into the family-friendly Sonesta Suites Orlando for a four-night stay.

The Sonesta Suites are about midway up International Drive, Orlando’s answer to the Vegas Strip. High rise chain hotels, shopping malls, themed restaurants and vast convention centres sit side by side bizarre attractions like the CSI Miami, the Titanic Experience, Pirates Cove crazy golf and an upside down house that’s home to the interactive attraction Wonderworks. Freddie: "Why is that house upside down?" Me: "We’re in America".

The Sonesta Suites are completely geared up for families, with 146 two-bed, two-bathroom suites with a decent-sized living space and a fully-equipped kitchen – electric oven, dishwasher, toaster, microwave, full-sized fridge freezer and a coffee maker, but no kettle (another characteristic of being in America).

Having a suite made it feel less like a hotel than an apartment block. We chose the all-suite Sonesta because it meant we could put Freddie to bed each night, close the door to his room, and still have a bit of time to pootle about before bedtime. As it turned out, the delights of Disney, Universal and Seaworld meant we were flaked out the minute we’d put him to bed.

Breakfast starts at 7am and we were the first there every morning, due to us all being on UK time and waking up at 5am. It was the all-American breakfast buffet, with waffle machines (we didn’t brave a go), bagels, muffins, sausage, creamy yoghurt and an array of brightly-coloured sugary cereals.

There’s a 24-hour shop selling the basics and a laundry room ($1.50 a load). The five floors of rooms are set out in a square around the large heated swimming pool in the middle. We didn’t have time to use it, but we watched other families splash around in it as we took the glass elevator up and down to our suite. There’s also a small fitness centre, which we didn’t have time to use either!

Parking is free and surrounds the hotel building. We were able to park in the corner right next to an elevator to our room, which was a bonus when loading and offloading.

We returned each day to find our suite had been cleaned and tidied, soaps, towels and tea towels replaced. The beds were comfy and, although the air-conditioning was a bit on the noisy side, it did the trick.

A courtesy bus runs from the hotel to the theme parks, although the timetable is a bit restricted. The Disney bus goes at 7.25am, which suited us early risers but wouldn’t suit everyone. It took us to Epcot, from where we took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The return bus leaves at 6.45pm, 9pm (perfect if you want to stay and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks), and again at 10.30pm.  

The Universal bus leaves at 9.30am, which was too late for us so we drove instead (10 mins). For everywhere else, we used the i-Ride, a bus which runs up and down International Drive. A three-day pass cost $7 per person, children ride for free.

If you can’t afford to stay at the parks (or prefer not to be completely immersed in the themed magic 24 hours a day), The Sonesta Suites is the perfect place to base yourself in Orlando.

http://www.sonesta.com/Orlando

Read Bev’s daily blog  – Day 2, Magic Kingdom