I have to drive up to Orlando for business for the day but am going to stay overnight and drive back in the morning. During the day, I'll be by the Waterford Lakes Town Center, but I want the hotel to be in an area where we can enjoy a good dinner and wife can maybe do some shopping. Is the Waterford Lakes area the best bet or is there a better area to stay in? Also, I'll be heading back to Tampa in the morning, so I don't mind an area that is on that side of Orlando.

Any recommendations?

I wish I could help... Waterford lakes is in East Orlando, just south of the UCF campus. That's like a whole 'nother country from where I am in Winter Garden, west of town.

That said, you are not far from some nice hotels in the Disney area; a Canadian business man I know always stays at the Hilton Bonnet Creek. You might also be able to get a decent deal and stay at one of the Disney hotels themselves. From Waterford Lakes, its an easy drive.

Downtown, there is the Grand Bohemian. Food there is pretty good, and you are right in the Church Street restaurant and bar district.

You might also be able to get a room at the Hard Rock at Universal, and have access to City Walk. Plenty of restaurants there.

That area is near Winter Park, lots of good shops & restaurants. East Orlando, near UCF, has Marriott Courtyard & Hilton Garden Inn.

Waterford has some shopping but it's your typical urban sprawl shopping area. I can't think of any really good eating establishments there but there are plenty of decent chain restaurants. If you like bbq, definitely stop at 4rivers for a bite. It's more of a lunch time/quick meal place though.

Winter Park village has shopping and good eats, but I'm not sure about the hotel situation in that area.

Second the grand bohemian in downtown. nice hotel, good food, nice bar. Kres is also good for steak, just down the street.

I live in downtown but work in research park by ucf, so holler if you need anything.

Stay in Winter Park at The Alfond Inn. Walk to dinner on Park Ave, there are several really good options.

Thanks for the recs!

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Stay in Winter Park at The Alfond Inn. Walk to dinner on Park Ave, there are several really good options.

^^^^^
THIS

A restaurant recommendation in Winter Park: El Bodegon.

It's Spanish, as in Spain, not Latin America.

Wife and I spent a year and a half in Barcelona, some excellent restaurants there. This one in Winter Park is as good as any of the better restaurants that we found in Spain.

The Paella Valenciana is really good, but it's hard to go wrong with just about anything on the menu.

Waterford Lakes is a nice area. The shopping mall is pretty chain store but good way to waste time if you so wish.

Can't recommend any hotels, though.

If you're into pho, try Vietnomz on University and Goldenrod.

Traffic can get quite crazy around the area, especially around the time class/work starts and ends. Roads affected are typically Alafaya, University, Colonial, 408 and 417. The numbered roads are tolls.

quote:

Originally posted by bigredfish:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Stay in Winter Park at The Alfond Inn. Walk to dinner on Park Ave, there are several really good options.

^^^^^
THIS

Yep, I think this is a very good recommendation. Winter Park is rather casual and caters to a more local clientele than many of the other more tourist driven areas.

Waterford Lakes is a nice but very busy area, there are plenty of places to eat (local BBQ place Bubbalous is just up Alafaya Trail from the WFL shopping complex.

Lots of places to shop but it's the normal best buy, target, and several smaller shops and a few other shopping centers have cropped up in the area.

Wintah Phark darling, creme de la creme, Park Avenue is the road, brick streets, tree lined, older and newer shops, some chains such as Williams Sonoma, and many local shops, plenty of non chain places to eat and Cigarz is right across from Starbucks...

Close to Winter Park Village which is a newer shopping complex in Winter Park with some good places to eat, great sushi.

The Alfond Inn

If you stay in Winter Park City of Winter Park you'll have a 30 to 40 minute drive to your meeting if during normal commute hours, Taking local roads.

You'd be close to downtown, and there is the original 4 Rivers BBQ Smokey Link (best in Florida hands down) on Fairbanks between 17-92 and I-4, get the brisket, I've heard a few Texans from Austin have decided to relocate to Florida because of this brisket.

There is also The Mall at Milenia, high end shopping, Benz, Jag, Aston dealers are there, Louis Vutton, Tiffany, all the places to burn the numbers off your Black Platinum Amex.

http://www.mallatmillenia.com/

And there are plenty of good eats in the I-drive area, yeah it's touristy but that doesn't mean there are not good places to eat or stay.