Miscellany: Floridays Resort

The condominium-hotel, or "condotel," is either an interesting attempt to get around the securities laws or a valid real estate arrangement, depending on how you look at things. It's essentially a hotel (complete with checkout desk, room service, pool, etc.) but with many of the rooms actually owned by disparate individuals who get rent money when people stay there.

I stayed in one of these condotels, a place called "Floridays Resort," and I have to admit, I was impressed. Here's a YouTube video shot by a random family in the resort - you can see how stocked the rooms are:



Yes, there's a full kitchen, a washer/dryer, a big bathtub, and a flat-panel TV. This kind of luxury would be almost unthinkable in most developing countries, but at Floridays, you'll pay a nominal room charge. Ours was around $140 - not bad for a three-bedroom suite that could comfortably sleep and house 8 people.

The location is good too - right down the street from Sea World, and fairly close to all the Orlando theme parks; there's free shuttle service to the parks if you need it. The hotel staff was courteous and professional, with many of them students or grads of UCF's prominent hospitality management program.

I'm not sure what kind of return on investment you'd get if you bought a unit at Floridays, but I can say it's a pretty decent hotel.