Good hotel around the Florida/Georgia line?

[disneymomma2010]

Every year we drive down from Tennessee. We leave anywhere from 3:00-5:00 am and arrive at Disney World from 1-3 pm. Last year my husband feel asleep at the wheel. We didn't wreck but almost did, hitting the guard rail. Not only was it an awful way to start the trip but we were exhausted the whole trip. Seems like the older we get we don't have as much energy.

Anyway. This year I want us to leave the day before check in, sometime in the afternoon, and get a room somewhere around the state line so we can wake up fresh the next morning and be at Disney in just a few hours.

Does anyone else do this? Is there a hotel that you stay at yearly? I can pick any hotel but I'm just wondering if this is a tradition for anyone and if there's one around that is pretty good.

Thanks!

[1DisneyNut]

We do exactly that on the trips when we leave in the afternoon after work. We usually stay in Hilton brand hotels which include Hampton Inns. There are 3 in Southern Georgia on I75 that we have stayed in and don't have any complaints. There is one in Adel that is a little farther North of the state line that is usually a little cheaper. There is one in Valdosta and then another in South Valdosta/Lake Park. Those two are usually about the same price I believe and if I remember correctly, the one in Valdosta close to the conference center is the nicer of the three.

Of course pricing changes all the time, so I always just go to Hilton's website, search for Valdosta and go from there. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

We did stay in a Days Inn in that same area once and it was ok for one night but it has been a long time. I marked Days Inn off the list probably 8 years ago after a couple of bad experiences.

The nice thing about leaving the afternoon before and then staying in Valdosta, is you get to WDW before lunch the next day which gives you most of that day to go ahead and jump into your vacation.

[disneymomma2010]

Thanks! I will check those out!

Yes, I'm very much looking forward to having plenty of time to unpack, explore the resort, swim and rest before our evening reservations. We usually have to rush rush.

[joonyer]

My son is a college student in Valdosta and we visit down there several times a year. We like the Best Western. It is a top rated hotel on TripAdvisor, and we usually can get a rate around $100 or less including tax. Clean comfortable, good service and a good free breakfast. 3 hours from WDW. Have a safe trip!

[Scott C]

Another vote for the lake park Hampton Inn. There is not much south of the border until you get to lake city FL.

Scott

[buzznwoodysmom]

We pretty much gave up on driving straight through years ago. We drive from Louisiana, and its a 12 hour drive. We usually stop in Lake City, Florida. When we travel we try to stay in Hampton Inns. They are always clean, safe, and not expensive. They also include free breakfast. We use military rates and it seems no matter where we travel Hampton Inn's military rate is $89 a night. My mom has an AARP card and her discounts at Hampton Inn have also been $89.

Another chain we like is Comfort Suites. Sometimes we travel with more than just our family of 4 (mom or cousins joining us) and the Comfort Suites have inexpensive rooms that sleep 6.