The Peabody Orlando - Orlando, USA 

Where do I start? I travel a lot to Orlando with work/leisure and usually stay over the road at the Rosen Centre which I adore. Anyway tried Priceline and got the hotel for ?40($85)per night If I can repeat this deal I will never go back. To start witharrival was faultless, outside with the mini waterfalls to the ice cold a/c and the impecable check in staff, who greeted me by name, took time to talk to me whilst checking me in so felt like they were not just treating me as a number/"duty" The rooms were great, bigger than the Rosen Centre and better appointed, the bathrooms were bigger and with their own TV. There is also a seperate dressing area near the wardrobe with plugs and mirrors. The windows also open which unlike some other hotels in the area, Which I like- sometimes you just want fresh air rather than stale uniform a/c air!- may just be a "British" thing though! A nice little touch when you lose your room card they ask for photo ID- I stay at 4-5star hotels around the world and I have never been asked this- definately adds security value to your stay. As for previous comments re:piano noise, I was only on floor 7 and didn't hear a peep. Yes there is a $10service charge but for this you get wi-fi,bottles of water,gym access and free rides on the I-trolley- now I know some hotels in Orlando you may get one/some or even all of these facilities thrown in free, you definately get what you pay for and the hotels that do give these things away free are not to the quality of The Peabody. After paying $24 for one days internet access the previous week in the Westin Cancun, $10 seems reasonable. They seem to have got their act together with the parking issue, and offer Valet or off site parking at the Pointe- $6.00 per day with constant shuttle- as one departs one arrives. Yes again I know other hotels offer it free but not hotels of this standard. If you want something for free or cheaper... then go to the holiday inn further down I'drive. I may have got a bargin, but I would genuinely pay their published rates the service is spot on.

I just came back from an extended weekend stay and wanted everyone to be aware of the pros and cons of staying here. Needless to say, the valet parking is big problem but there are others. I've tried to summarize the likes and dislikes below. Pros: 1. The hotel is very nice and rooms are clean and comfortable. We especially love the mountains of pillows! 2. If you're staying at rooms facing towards Disney, you'll get a nice view of the Disney fireworks at night. 3. There are two nice restaurants within the hotel - the B-line diner and the posh Dux restaurant. More on this later. 4. Proximity to I-drive a great Chinese restaurant called Ming's Court. I've dine at alot of great Chinese restaurants in NYC's Chinatown and Hong Kong and this one ranks near the top. Cons: 1. Nickel and diming! We were charged a $10 per night resort (service fee) for wireless and pool access, 2 bottles of water and I-trolley vouchers. To add insult to injury, we were also taxed on the $10 per day fee! 2. No shuttle service to the theme parks so we spent alot of money on Mears shuttle service. Expect to pay $10 RT per person to Disney parks and $14 RT per person to Universal Orlando/IOA. 3. Construction next door. The Peabody is expanding so there will be alot of construction going on until 2010. Be warned! 4. Restaurants in hotel are expensive! At the less expensive B-diner, it's $3.50 for one plain bagel with butter or cream cheese and $3.75 for cup of yoghurt you can get at Shoprite for 50 cents! Outrageous! We ended up walking the 5 minutes to have breakfast at Denny's. All in all, our stay is pleasant but we wish we had booked at the Crowne Plaza or some other hotel with free shuttle service instead.