Florida Tourism: The Best Moderately Priced Places to Stay

Home > Travel Guides > North America & Caribbean > USA > Florida > Introduction > The Best Moderately Priced Places to Stay

The Best Moderately Priced Places to Stay

hide display ads

Florida Travel & Vacation Deals

Sponsored Links

Sandestin Vacation Deal

Book Now and Earn Double Membership Rewards® Points
www.Sandestin.com/Amex

Orlando Vacation Offer

Buy a Universal Orlando Vacation Get 7 days of Unlimited Admission
www.UniversalOrlando.com

Hyatt Dream Vacation

Enter the Hyatt Family Challenge For a Chance to Win A Dream Trip!
www.HyattResortsSummerGiveaway.com

Abbey Hotel (South Beach; tel. 888/61-ABBEY or 305/531-0031): Off the beaten path, this '40s-revival boutique hotel gives you good reason to get off the main drag and revel in its quiet elegance.

Lily Leon Hotel (South Beach; tel. 305/673-3767): A true value, this charismatic and hip sliver of property has won the loyalty of fashion industrialists and romantics alike. Built in 1929 and restored in 1996, the hotel retains many original details such as facades, woodwork, and fireplaces.

The Creek (South Beach; tel. 866/445-4800 or 305/538-1951): Part Playboy penthouse and part Jetsons, the Creek is a kitschy haven for hipsters who don't feel the need to spend $400 a night for a cool hotel. Of the three types of rooms, the Waterway Standards are the way to go: 18 signature rooms designed by local artists and designers. With an 8,000-square-foot pool deck, 40-foot fully stocked bar, outdoor barbecues, Ms. Pacman, pool tables, and theater, The Creek is somewhere you wouldn't mind being stuck without a paddle.

Pelican Hotel (South Beach; tel. 800/7-PELICAN or 305/673-3373): Owned by the creative owners of the Diesel jeans company, the Pelican is South Beach's only self-professed "toy-hotel," in which each of its 30 rooms and suites is decorated as outrageously as some of the area's more colorful drag queens.

Indian Creek Hotel (Miami Beach; tel. 800/491-2772 or 305/531-2727): A charming Key West-style hotel that's full of character, the Indian Creek Hotel takes you back in time, with period furnishings, attitude-free service, and a quaint pool and garden completely lacking water slides, Tiki huts, or calypso bands.

Whitelaw Hotel (South Beach; tel. 305/398-7000): With a slogan that reads, "Clean sheets, hot water, and stiff drinks," the Whitelaw stands apart from the other boutique hotels with its fierce sense of humor, but it never compromises on the fabulous amenities found at some of the area's more serious properties.

Conch Key Cottages (Marathon; tel. 800/330-1577 or 305/289-1377): This oceanfront hideaway offers rustic but immaculate and well-outfitted cottages that are especially popular with families. Each has a hammock, barbecue grill, and kitchen.

Banyan Marina Resort (Fort Lauderdale; tel. 954/524-4430): These fabulous waterfront apartments located on a beautifully landscaped residential island may hear you vow never to stay in a hotel again.

Hotel Biba (West Palm Beach; tel. 561/832-0094): The mod squad has adopted -- and adapted -- this '40s-style motel into a Jetsonian, jet-set hangout that provides swank and sleek shelter from the upper-crusty hotels that surround it.

Island's End Resort (St. Pete Beach; tel. 727/360-5023): A wonderful respite from the madding crowd, and a great bargain to boot, this little all-cottage hideaway sits on the southern tip of St. Pete Beach, smack-dab on Pass-a-Grille, where the Gulf of Mexico meets Tampa Bay. You can step from the six contemporary cottages right onto the beach. One unit even has a private pool.

Disney's Port Orleans Resort (Lake Buena Vista; tel. 407/934-7639 or 407/934-3400): Here's good value by Disney standards. It has dual Southern charm in its French Quarter and Riverside areas, and the pool has a water slide that curves out of a faux dragon's mouth.

Staybridge Suites (Lake Buena Vista; tel. 800/866-4549 or 407/238-0777): Close to the action of Downtown Disney and the theme parks, this resort's one- and two-bedroom suites have full kitchens and are larger and more comfortable than most of the competition's. And to help you relax, the resort will do your grocery shopping for you, so you don't have to deal with the hassle.

Casa Monica Hotel (St. Augustine; tel. 800/648-1888 or 904/827-1888): Built in 1888 as a luxury hotel, this Spanish-style building was gutted and restored to its previous elegance in 1998. Most interesting of the guest quarters are suites installed in two tile-topped towers and a fortresslike central turret. One suite in the turret has a half-round living room with gun-port windows overlooking St. Augustine's historic district.

Gibson Inn (Apalachicola; tel. 850/653-2191): Built in 1907 as a seamen's hotel and gorgeously restored in 1985, this cupola-topped inn is such a brilliant example of Victorian architecture that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Inns. No two guest rooms are alike (some still have the original sinks in the sleeping area), but all are richly furnished with period reproductions. Grab a drink from the bar and relax in one of the high-backed rockers on the old-fashioned veranda.

hide display ads

State Guide

Florida Tourism: The Best Moderately Priced Places to Stay

The Best Moderately Priced Places to Stay

Florida Travel & Vacation Deals

Florida Travel Deals