Avanti Palms

I had mixed feelings about staying due to some reviews. However the price was right and the pictures looked good so I kept it. All in all it was fine and would consider staying here again. If you’re on a budget is a great hotel for room stay and cheaper international drive dinners. On arrival, to which we were two days late due to the hurricane, they were perfectly fine. They ask for a credit card for $100 deposit which should be refunded back at the end of your trip. But then they charge you $12 a night resort fee. With taxes on top I ended up with a $189 bill which they won’t allow you to pay in cash, it comes off your credit card. I booked through love holiday and purchased the breakfast included package. They said that the bed and breakfast tag I had on the confirmation was not enough for them to see I had paid for breakfast and that they couldn’t help me and wouldn’t issue vouchers. And that they wouldn’t help until I had spoken to them. Which I couldn’t do abroad so I ended up having to pay out for breakfast each morning which was a cost I had not anticipated. That was the biggest downfall to be honest. As their food in the cafe is highly priced. They do have an oatmeal option which is fine for $6 but the only other thing is they use so much plastic for this without a separate recycling bin. The room was very spacious. The air con is loud as it’s old machines but if you’re having busy days you soon get used to it. The walls are also thin. I heard the people next door to me the entire time we were there. Not too much of an issue if you don’t have loud neighbors. The only other thing was that I had to ask for the floor to be cleaned. As each time we showered our feet got dirty quick. They did apologise and it was sweeped after that but it wasn’t properly cleaned so was still dirty. The bed was nice and big, and they give fresh towels each day. The shuttles are ok, again they are probably more accommodating to families on budget. They only ever drop you at one disney park and pick you up from another. So you are always having to leave earlier on both occasions to get to where you want on time and to get back on time. There’s only two pick ups from Disney, one at 6pm which is always packed as it’s first come first served. Then another at 9pm, which is quite a wait if you miss the first one. Additionally to that, luckily the Disney shuttle comes to this hotel first. So you should always get a seat on the two early shuttles. But it then goes to another 4-5 hotels. And they never tell anyone they can’t get on, they just continue to overbook. So on multiple occasions there was a fully stuffed mini bus packed in on top of each other which makes the ride uncomfortable and claustrophobic. This hotel is a universal partner so those shuttles are better and easier to use. I assumed we’d spend more time at those parks so it would be fine. But Disney does offer more and has more to see so it ended up getting expensive as you’d end up having to get an Uber or taxi back. Because if you stay for fireworks for instance, you’ll never make it back for a 9pm pick up when they start past 9pm. They also say they offer an 11.20pm pick up if magic kingdom is open later than 10pm - I.e. mickeys not so scary Halloween party. Again though, this would mean getting through the huge crowd and back to the bus within 10-20mins; or leaving the show early just to make it. The hotel itself really was fine. If you’re doing a park holiday it’s fine for room only uses. Yes it’s a bit old and rusty but it’s fine. The pool area is nice and you get free towels. Although I didn’t personally use the pool itself as there was some rubbish in it. They have computers and printers that are free to use if you need them. It also is a great location for universal as stated. From our room volcano bay was outside our window, with the hogwarts castle not far in the distance. There’s also an I-trolley stop right outside the entrance which is good if you choose to use that method of transport. I did also ask them about refunding me for the two nights we didn’t spend there for the storm and they again said they couldn’t help and I’d need to speak to my holiday provider. But the receptionist was plenty nice and helpful. Read less

My family and I took the time to read through the reviews and understood that some people are full of drama . My family loved the great location . The front desk manager Edwin was a pleasure . The employees in the cafe were fantastic and couldn’t do enough for us . The best food we had was fantastic made fresh by Cesar !! The service from Steve was fantastic he made sure we had everything we needed when he came to our table . It’s nice to see managers helping guest rather than just taking complaints from them . Keep doing what your doing it’s much appreciated .Our room is as grat with a good view . Very clean and everything we needed for the stay. Very big TVs in the room with nice beds . Read less

We booked this hotel on either side of a cruise because we flew in and out of Orlando. I chose this hotel due to it's price of under $80 with resort fee and it's location near Universal CityWalk. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Even though we arrived early and our room wasn't available they were able to hold our luggage while we explored International Drive on foot and found somewhere to eat. We were renting a car from about a mile down the road so we took our time walking to pick it up. The area is surrounded by attractions, restaurants, and souvenir shops and there is even a free trolley stop right outside the hotel to go up and down International Drive ($2 one way or $5 all day). The rooms were nicely updated and modern. You could tell that it was a much older building with a major facelift due to the cement walls and some of the older plumbing but I was very pleased with the comfort, size, and decor. Both times we stayed we received a call almost immediately upon checking into the room to ask if there were any problems or if we needed anything. The pool was very nice with a depth ranging from zero entry to 7 feet deep as well as a hot tub, kids play area, and waterfall. It was a great, relaxing way to cool off from the Florida heat and it had comfortable lounge chairs and towels available for your use. My only complaint is that I wish they had a shuttle to Universal CityWalk because parking is expensive. Although it is free after 6pm on weekdays and 10pm on Saturdays. Read less