This was our second time staying at the Rosen Plaza Hotel on International Drive so it was about time we got a review up and shared our thoughts on our choice of hotel in the Orlando area.
Rosen Plaza is situated on International Drive next to the convention centre and across from Pointe Orlando. The hotel itself is pretty big (14 floors in total) and despite the fact that both times we’ve stayed there have been during peak season and there’s been many events going off at the convention centre, it’s never felt crowded. The hotel lobby plays host to a hotel shop, a Starbucks, a bar, a restaurant and a 24 hour conveniance store. It’s also where you can access the hotels club. The hotel pool is accessed through the lobby, just to the side of the Starbucks. The pool area has plenty of sun beds and towels are provided for guests, the pool itself is pretty large and there’s a small jacuzzi. There’s also an outdoor serving hatch for the Starbucks and a pool bar serving food and drinks. Our favourite thing about the pool at this hotel is that it’s open until midnight which means when you’ve had a long day at the theme parks you can come and dip your aching feet in the pool and it’s absolute heaven!
The standard rooms, like the one we stayed in are pretty big. When you walk in the room there’s a large wardrobe that houses an ironing board, iron and hairdryer as well as a suitcase rack. Across from that is a large vanity area with a sink, a very large mirror and a small magnifying mirror, this area then leads off into the bathroom where there’s another large mirror, toilet and bath with a shower over it. There are also In the main part of the room there is a large set of drawers which has a TV and coffee machine on top then large drawers to one side and a cabinet at the other end where the safe and fridge can be found. There are two double beds in the room, separated by another smaller set of drawers that have a lamp and an alarm clock on them. There’s also a large desk with a chair and another armchair in the room. The windows in the room are very large which are perfect for either a pool view or an International Drive view. The rooms have an air conditioning system too.
So now we’ve covered what’s actually in the hotel and rooms, lets get on to our thoughts. There are many reasons we chose to stay at the Rosen Plaza again this year but overall it’s because we love the hotel. Obviously we’re out most of the time at the theme parks but it really is the perfect base for us. The hotel is just over 3 miles away from the Universal Resort and the furthest Disney Park (Animal Kingdom) is just over 12 miles away. It’s situated at what we think is the nicer end of International Drive and is a short walk away from supermarkets, bars and restaurants and Pointe Orlando is straight across from it which houses some lovely restaurants and bars. The rooms are bright, clean and big and you’re provided with plenty of towels every day. In all honesty we wouldn’t think twice about booking the Rosen Plaza again. The staff are friendly and the hotel is exactly what we want on our holiday. There’s free WiFi which you do need to log into every 24 hours but honestly that’s not a problem at all and the biggest selling points for us are definitely the late opening time of the pool and the fact the hotel is across from Pointe Orlando as we just love going there for a relaxing evening out of the Disney bubble.
If it wasn’t obvious from our review, we’d highly recommend the Rosen Plaza hotel if you’re looking for a place to stay off Disney property because we honestly can’t fault it. We know we’ll be booking again in the future!
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