Coco Key Hotel and Water Park!
My family and I enjoyed a quick one-night stay at the Coco
Key Hotel and Water Park June 6th 2014. I highly recommend this hotel.
LOCATION
This resort is located on International Drive. Its only a 2 mile drive from Universal
Studios and 9 miles to Disney.
ROOMS
This hotel was built in 1971 and doesn’t have the best curb
appeal but don’t worry the inside is much nicer. The rooms were very clean and recently
renovated. We stayed in a standard
room, with two double beds, although there are several types of rooms to choose
from. The desk had extra outlets built
in that made it easy to charge phones and iPads. Free Wi-Fi is available and
not as slow as I expected it to be. A
small fridge is included in each room and there were ice machines on each
floor. From the photos I’ve seen, some
of the bathrooms have slightly different layouts.
Our bathroom was spacious and had 2 doors. The first door leads to the sink area. We had a long counter top with storage underneath. This gave us a little extra privacy and was a great place to get dressed. Behind the second door was a smaller area for the toilet and tub/shower. The shower curtain bar was curved out, which is a simple thing, but one I appreciate.
There was not an elevator anywhere near our room, so we
hauled our luggage up the stairs to the second floor. Guest rooms are located in 9 different
buildings and there are elevators located ONLY in building 6.
FOOD AND DRINK
Hi, my name is Trena and I have a Diet Coke addiction. I could host an addiction support group at
this hotel because it is a Pepsi property!
There were plenty of places to get a soda, vending machines, gift shop,
quick service food court, and tiki bars…but they only had Pepsi products. So, bring your own Diet Coke. If you love Pepsi…and I’m ok with that…they
do offer refillable souvenir cup for $9.99 for your hotel stay. It was a simple plastic cup….small, maybe 16
oz, no lid or handle, not
insulated.
The Breakfast buffet cost $10 per adult and $5 per child and
is served 7:00 am to 11:00 am. The
scrambled eggs were from some sort of mix and would have been better if there
were hot grits to put over them! The
French toast was a little soggy and limp.
They did have a waffle station to make your own fresh waffles. I don’t know what type of batter they use,
but it was WONDERFUL! The bacon was
nicely cooked and bacon is the most important meat of the day! My son assured me the Froot Loops were top
quality. There were several types of
juice, white and chocolate milk, and coffee to drink. The dining room was smaller than I expected
but it was not completely full. The
staff was very friendly and pulled two tables together for my family of 5. The staff was pleasant while busy keeping the
tables and dining room clean. I did like
the convenience of eating at the hotel.
We had lunch in their food court. I had a personal size Pizza Hutt Pizza. My son had a cheeseburger and fries. The food was fine, and was brought to our
table for us.
WATER PARK
The water park is really perfect for young children. There are 14 slides of various heights and 4 heated pools. There is a large shaded area for toddlers. Near that is an area called Parrots Perch where kids ages 12 and under would enjoy, although it is large enough for parents to play too. Yes, I tried the slides there! It was fun.
There are 3 large slides big enough for teens and adults to enjoy. I was brave enough to ride 2 of the 3. Surfers Splash Tube Slide (yellow slide) has a 42” height requirement. It is mild and you can get tubes for 2 riders—so you can ride with your child if YOU are scared. It was my favorite. The Boomerango Tube slide (red) has a 48” height requirement and has a steep drop that really surprised me. It gives quite a thrill! The tubes are for 2 people. Over the Falls Body slide (orange & blue) has a 40” height requirement. My 8-year-old son loved all 3 slides.
You can purchase a day pass to the water park even if you
aren’t staying at the hotel. There are
large locker rooms at the water park for changing your clothes. There are
lockers to rent if you need to secure your valuables. It was hard to find a chair in the shade so
get there when the park opens and claim your spot. You are not allowed to bring in coolers.
By Travel Time Agent Trena
trena@traveltimetravel.com