Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive Rating: 3.5 Pearls

International Drive, Orlando, Florida

Well-kept, landscaped grounds

Though it calls itself a "Floridian-style family resort" on its website, the sprawling, 1,052-room Wyndham Orlando is a mash-up of convention center, roadside motel, and a few token "family friendly" features like its pools and landscaped grounds. Most of the musty guest rooms face exterior corridors, overlook parking lots, and have dingy bathrooms, chipped paint, and old tube TVs. Given the hotel's location between Universal Boulevard and International Drive (two busy, strip-mall and car-dealership laden thoroughfares) and its lack of a security gate or consistent monitoring the property (anyone, guest or not, can come and go as they please), the property tends to feel like a larger-than-usual roadside motel.

Unlike most other family resorts in Orlando, the pools are just pools -- there are no elaborate water parks or themed play areas. Other on-site features and dining options for the family are minimal, plus there are no park services other than infrequent shuttles, and seem to be overshadowed by the large convention center and business-oriented amenities (including a large business center).

Families can actually do far better than the Wyndham at a similar price point by staying at one of Disney's "Value" resorts (such as Disney's Pop Century Resort or Disney's All-Star Movies Resort), or off-Disney, at the Nickelodeon Family Suites. But business travelers too can fare better at the nearby Doubletree or the Westin (often for a little more cash), as both have far nicer rooms and facilities.

However, renovations are planned for 2012 through 2014 totalling at $50 million. About 300 of the hotel's guestrooms will be converted to retail space as part of the larger I-Shops shopping center that is being constructed next door. The remaining hotel rooms and meeting spaces will be renovated by 2013, and a new lobby is also in the works. A new hotel room tower will be added by 2014, and may feature spas, formal restaurants, and coffee bars, but exact plans are not finalized.

Check-in and dining are the only times that you really feel "served" at this hotel; much like a motel, once you check in you're pretty much on your own. Staff members are posted at restaurants and at the fitness center, but otherwise the service is very basic.

• Bell services, but only available by request
• Turndown service, also only available by request
• Room service available throughout the day

View on a Larger Map

The Wyndham Orlando's location, wedged between busy Universal Boulevard and even busier International Drive, is a good compromise between proximity to some of Orlando's most popular business and theme park hubs. It's a five-minute drive to Universal Studios and the Orange County Convention Center, a 10-minute drive to SeaWorld, and a 20-minute drive to Disney, give or take (depending on traffic). Shuttle service runs between the resort and Universal, SeaWorld, and Disney World, but it runs infrequently, and renting a car is a must anyway -- the roads are loud, busy, unsightly, and far from pedestrian-friendly.

• Five-minute drive to SeaWorld and Wet 'n Wild parks; the hotel provides a free shuttle, but it runs very infrequently
• Five-minute drive to the Orange County Convention Center
• Five-minute drive to International Drive (aka I-Drive), a 14.5 mile road parallel to Interstate 4 that's full of hotels, strip malls, outlet shops, restaurants, including the Pointe Orlando Shopping Center and its good selection of shopping and restaurants.
• 20-minute drive to downtown Orlando; Orange Avenue has a notable dining and nightlife scene, and non-theme-park attractions like the Orlando Science Center and Harry P. Leu Gardens, but otherwise there's not much to see.
• 25-minute drive to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom parking lot, followed by a 15-minute ride on a tram and monorail to the park itself; similar commute to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios
• One-hour-and-25-minute drive to Kennedy Space Center
• 20-minute drive to the Orlando International Airport

The Deluxe Room

The guest rooms might be more affordable than those at many other Orlando resorts, but the reason for the low rates shows in the rooms. Expect improvements as all rooms are slated to be renovated by 2014.

• Dank, musty smell in the rooms; unlike most Orlando resorts
• All rooms are inside two-story buildings and open to exterior corridors (much like a motel).
• Poor noise insulation
• Standard rooms are 300 square feet; a comfortable size, but somewhat small for Orlando.
• Standard rooms have either one king- or two double-size beds. The hotel claims they can squeeze an extra rollaway bed into any room, but there isn't much space for one, even in a room with a single king-size bed.
• Beds are basic: conventional mattress (not a pillow-top); cotton-polyester-blend sheets; thin, synthetic quilt bedspread (not a duvet).
• Old, tube TVs; cable and pay-per-view movies
• Small, but functional bathrooms; True Blue Spa brand toiletries
• No minibar or mini-fridge; just a coffee machine
• Daily fee for wired in-room Internet; Ethernet wire must be requested from the lobby

Large, staffed fitness center

• Three pools on-site -- two are pleasant and have plenty of lounge space, but one is directly next to International Drive, divided from the sidewalk and traffic by a just few bushes
• Fitness center (locker rooms and sauna are only open when the fitness center is staffed)
• Massage therapy available in treatment rooms off of the fitness center
• Business center open business hours on weekdays
• ATM in the lobby

West Pool, one of three large pools

It might have three pools and it's close to Universal Studios, but the comparitively small guest rooms and poor security make the Wyndham a less-than-ideal choice for families. For the price, you can get a far more kid-friendly resort inside Disney World -- the Pop Century Resort, or any of the All-Star resorts, for example, are also a bit basic, but they offer bigger rooms, more kid-friendly dining, better pools, and a few more on-site activities geared toward children. Also, consider the Nickelodeon Suites Resort or check our our picks for the best kid-friendly resorts in Orlando.

• All standard rooms have either one king- or two double-size beds; cribs (free) and rollaway beds (charged per night) fit in the standard rooms, but just barely.
• Kids' menus at some restaurants and on the room service menu
• Noisy exterior corridors and no security gates make the property feel less secure.

I wouldn't call the rooms unsanitary -- housekeeping visibly cleans the property all day long -- but they're consistently musty, and furnishings are worn and dated. However, the grounds are very well kept and the pools are routinely cleaned.

Lunch at Augustine's Restaurant

• Augustine's Bar & Grille serves continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Augustine's Deli serves Starbucks coffee, beverages, and a small selection of snacks and sandwiches to go.
• Augustine's Lobby Bar has a full bar (hours are seasonal).
• Screams Ice Cream Parlor serves Haagen-Dazs ice cream and Starbucks coffee, as well as pastries and cookies to go.
• Gatorville Pool Bar & Restaurant serves drinks and snacks next to the East Pool; sandwiches, pizzas, and burgers are served.
• Room service available throughout the day
• Plenty of fast-food dining along Universal Boulevard.