Cheapest Place to Stay in Orlando: Don't Get a Hotel, Rent a Time Share!

I live in the Orlando area and I often have vacation-bound friends from other states calling me, requesting advice on where to find a cheap hotel near the major attractions. In response, I advise that there are NO cheap hotels near Disney or Universal Studios. The cheapest hotels in those areas are still going to cost you around $70 or $80 a night. Stay there for five nights and you will pay close to $400!

My best advice is this - screw the hotels! You are not going to find a steal of a deal at a hotel near a place like Universal Studios. If you want to find a good bargain, then don't look at hotels. Look at something a little different. Look at time share rentals! You will find some very cheap and affordable deals if you look in the right places.

I advised one of my friends to check out a time share location called "Westgate Resorts," which was about five minutes from Universal Studios. He looked it up and made some calls. Later on, he called me back and informed me that he had gotten a room for five nights for an incredible price of around $180! Not only that, but his package included free tickets to Sea World! How's that for a good deal? This is not some run down establishment, mind you. This resort has SEVERAL pools (with a bar at each one), free miniature golf, karaoke nights, a basketball court, tennis courts, shuffleboard and horseshoes. Plus, it is connected to a large alligator-free lake, where you can use a free paddle boat and jump in the water for a quick dip. If $180 isn't cheap enough for you, then you can actually use your negotiating skills to get even a cheaper deal. I know another friend who was able to get the price down to $100, which also included the free theme park tickets and a free rental car.

So what's the catch? Well, there are two harmless catches. The first catch is that your room is not going to be very spacious. My friend's room was a studio-style room, which included a bed, a pull-out sofa, a mini fridge, cable TV and a balcony. Don't worry, there is a bathroom and shower, too! There was no place to sit and eat and there was hardly any room to "roam around" in this room, but hey, you're on vacation - you're not supposed to be spending your whole day in your hotel room, anyways! Your room should only be used for sleeping!

The second catch is that you will have to sacrifice one of your mornings to go on a tour of the resort and listen to various sales people as they continuously try to hassle you into buying a time share. This can last up to three hours, but it usually includes a nice free buffet breakfast. Some of the sales people can be very pushy, and even rude at times, but as long as you keep saying "NO," they will eventually give up on you. It's a pain in the butt, but considering the price you got for your room, I think it's definitely worth it. I would suggest using this day as your "chill at the pools" day, especially since they have already wasted three precious hours of your day. You may be bitter about sacrificing that time, as you could be at a park during that time, but trust me . . . if you are in Orlando for five days, then you will need a day off from parks! If you spend five consecutive days at theme parks and attractions, then you will literally wear yourself out. So I suggest planning it out where you can spend your "sales tour" day at the resort, just chilling by the pool, sipping on drinks, playing some miniature golf and doing some paddle boating. Overall, that's still not a bad day!

Take my advice and browse around for time share rentals. You will save a bundle of money, which will come in handy when buying all of those useless souvenirs at the parks!