Few Affordable Lodging Options for Visiting Legoland in Florida

I’ve written a few times about my family’s love for Legoland.  If you have small kids, definitely consider coming here after you get your Disney “fix”. Or (crazy thought?) skip Magic Kingdom and focus entirely on Legoland during one of your trips to the Sunshine state.

In my opinion, the best age to bring kids  is 4-9. Any younger, and they won’t be able to go on most of the rides. And older kids will probably be a bit bored. My son keeps begging us to get annual passes, but we have a lot of bills coming up. Still, I’m kind of tempted because it’s a great value for family. Plus, we live only one hour away.

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p style=”text-align: center;”>A photo from 2015 when my son was 4 years old

If you are vacationing in Disney area and plan to visit Legoland for just one day, there is no need to switch accommodations. It takes about 50 minutes to get to the park, and you can take Legoland Shuttle that costs only $5 per person roundtrip. I’m not familiar with this service, but it looks like a hassle-free and cost efficient mode of transportation. Remember, you can park your car for free in their Orlando lot, plus, you won’t have to worry about parking fees in Legoland. Of course, you can drive your own car if you prefer.

If you want to spend several days, however, you’ll need to come up with a lodging plan.

Hotels on points

The easiest way to check your options is by using sites like Awardmapper, Pointimize or HotelHustle. Here are the results from HotelHustle search:

There are three options, and neither is super close to Legoland:

Holiday Inn Winter Haven (20,000 IHG points per night)

Hampton Inn Winter Haven (20,000-30,000 Hilton points)

Howard Johnson Inn in Winter Haven (15,000 Wyndham points, or 3,000 points+$55)

I would probably skip Howard Johnson due to mixed reviews, but the other hotels can be decent value during peak season. A reminder: official offer on IHG co-branded credit card is currently increased to 80k points. Read about it here

That said, you may want to save your hotel points and just use cash.

Unique lodging options not available via hotel points

I did a quick search via Booking.com and there were quite a few results. If you don’t have Booking.com account, you can join via my referral link and get $25 credit after your first stay. Thanks in advance!

My search resulted in a plethora of choices. Here are two unique options  that caught my eye (prices are for March of 2018):

Lake Roy Beach Inn property has a pool on premises, so it would be fun for kids. You get a two-bedroom suite, and breakfast is included. If you happen to have Citi Prestige, you can get your fourth night free here.

Little Lake Nest option looks super fun, and my kids would go nuts for it. You basically get a tiny  home (similar to a camper), located right by the lake. This option won’t work if you have older kids because there is zero privacy. But then again, you wouldn’t be visiting Legoland with older kids, would you? You can see more photos of the unit here

Read Nancy’s post Seven best credit cards for “off-the-charts” hotel redemptions for ways you can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.

Expensive on-property options 

If your budget allows it, you may want to splurge on Legoland Florida Hotel or Legoland Beach Retreat  The former is located at the entrance to Legoland, so it’s quite convenient for visiting the park. It’s also a bit more expensive. If you are coming during spring months, prepare to pay a lot for both hotels. Expect $300 per night rates or more. The rooms, not surprisingly,  are decorated with Lego theme in mind.

If you are flexible, staying during fall months can be a good deal. Here is a special advertised on Legoland website:

This is a very good deal for both properties, but not really a viable option for families who don’t homeschool children. Both of my kids really want to stay in a Legoland hotel (either property), so I’m trying to figure out how to make it work with our calendar. The problem is, if we go, they will beg to visit the park as well, and there goes our budget!

If you plan to only stay one night and want to maximize your time in the park both days, it may be worth it to splurge on the Legoland Hotel property adjacent to the park, even if the rate is $300 per night. You will save time and potential frustration, and that’s worth something. Plus, your kids will definitely appreciate it.

Readers, if you stayed in the area, share your thoughts!

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