As the name suggest, this is a budget place for longer stays. However, I used this Florida hotel for a transit stay of one night and it was just fine for that. It's location beside the highway is perfect for a quick drive to Tampa International airport. The rooms are very basic and clean. They do have internet, but during my stay it was not working for most of the time. I would assume it was an unlucky coincidence. The only thing that I really did not like was the positioning of the climate control. It was placed right beside the bed and would blow beside my head. It's not very comfortable at all to have a heater or aircon blow air into your ears, so I left the heater off, to make sure I could get s good nicht sleep. Actually it got a bit cold at night so I had to turn in on and off all night to feel comfy. You may want to ask if they have rooms available that don't have the climate unit right beside the bed. If interested in staying at this place: book online.

Two standard beds with a climate control in between
What a nice place this Hampton Inn in Largo is. I was initially looking to book a hotel close to the beach, but due to the high season in January they were fully booked or totally overpriced. The Hampton Inn is a 15 minute drive away from Clearwater Beach so still close enough if you are a beach addict. The location is very central for the Tampa Bay area and the rooms are comfy. I had a great big kingsize bed with 5 different pillows, a huge bathroom with very hot water and all amenities you can imagine for a 3 day stay. A lot of parking space was available for my rental car. The only disappointment was the small gym, but hey, it's a comfortable transit hotel and not a luxury place like a Sheraton or Hilton. I will certainly stay again at the Hampton Inn in Largo when I travel back to the Tampa Bay area as I know my way from the International airport and just like this place.

A lot of space around the kingsize bed. It would be suitable for handicapped people.
A one night stay in Miami and I did not want to spend to much money. I was looking for a good location close to the airport as I was coming in from Orlando by car. The Holiday Inn Express in Hilaeah was a perfect choice. I booked it over the internet from the IHG site as usual. While they had some construction going and 826 highway was right next to the Miami hotel I had no noise to complain about. The heating and aircon worked fine. It's one of the more basic hotels that offer a decent bed at a perfect strategic location for travelers with a car. The bathroom is a bit small and the rooms just have one window, so it's more of a transit hotel than a vacation paradise. I included information about their internet connectivity speed inside the hotel rooms in the full post.

Ample parking in front of the Holiday Inn Express in Hialeah Miami. The hotel is located next to 826 highway approximately 20 minutes by car to Miami International airport
This is a great Florida hotel in Indian Rocks Beach. It is located in the Tampa Bay area close to Largo, St. Petersburg Beach, Treasure Island and Clearwater Beach. As a member of Priority Club I made advance reservation and was greated with vouchers for two welcome drinks upon check in at the lobby. Now, this place ain't cheap, but it is not overpriced. You get a great 1 bedroom suite with a nice view over the intercostal waterway that separates Indian Rocks from Largo. The distance to the beach is around 300 meters and the location is quiet. It's a hotel with personality, not just a place to stay overnight. My 1 BR had a living room with a large kitchen and a bedroom with 2 queen sized beds. It was a non-smoking room.
When you think of Florida and the beaches you probably think of warm weather. Well, during my visit it was freezing cold in mid January. Their climate control worked like a charme. It heated the room as well as it cooled the place during the hot summer season.
There are small shops and a restaurant on site, ample parking is available in a garage and in front of the building.
I really enjoyed my stay. The only downside were constant problems with the WIFI connectivity. Plenty of stations would show up to connect to, but speed was slow and connections were weak and broke down every couple of hours.
I would definetely stay again at the Holiday Inn in Indian Rocks. If you are interested in booking the Harbourside Holiday Inn you need to visit the website of the Intercontinental Hotel Group and enter your data into the search form or you can book via Agoda.
Bedroom w/ queen beds |
Living Room with kitchen |
Garage for parking |