Hotel Review: The Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront in Cocoa Beach, Florida

While planning our last family vacation to Florida, we decided to stay at the Cocoa Beach Hilton Oceanfront, in Cocoa Beach, Florida- and we are so glad we did! Even though the majority of our trip was planned for Walt Disney World, our family had collectively decided to make a point to stay at least one night of our trip at a beach, as my 4-year-old son had never seen the ocean. After doing some research to find the most "family-friendly" beach destinations in Florida, we settled on Cocoa Beach, which is located on the eastern side of Florida, just south of Daytona.

An online search for Cocoa Beach hotels brought up plenty of choices, and so we took the time to visit each site to check out availability and prices, as well as the location for each hotel. Since we were traveling in December, we had no problems finding a room, and often at very reasonable rates. We looked at countless sites, and when we happened upon the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, found here, we knew that this was it! It was beautiful in all the pictures, and seemed to have everything we were looking for- located directly on the beach, an outdoor pool, lots of local shopping close by, and reasonable rates, especially when I applied my AAA discount.

When it came time for our trip, we flew into the Orlando International airport, and rented a car. The minute we packed up our rental car, we were on our way to Cocoa Beach! We had received directions from the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront website, and they were extremely easy to follow. The drive was simple (basically one road the entire time), and only took us about 45 minutes.

The Cocoa Beach area was pleasant; very clean and not crowded at all, although again this could have been because it was December. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from, and great shopping. One place I would absolutely recommend checking out is the world-famous Ron Jon's Surf Shop, which can be seen here, located about 2 miles from the Hilton.

We found the Hilton easily, and arrived early. Check-in wasn't scheduled until 3:00 pm, and it was only about 11:00 am. While we were able to check-in early, there was not a room available yet, so we were invited to explore the hotel, or walk down to the beach. The doorman and the girls behind the counter were extremely friendly, and we stayed in the lobby to chat for a few moments with them- they told us about all the local attractions, and where we could go to get some lunch while our room was prepared. During the conversation, we mentioned that it was my son's first time to see the ocean, and the staff seemed genuinely excited for him- it was so nice to see such a huge grin on my son's face while everyone was talking to him!

We took a quick stroll through the hotel- the lobby has huge vaulted ceilings for a very grand, and yet still somehow cozy feel. There are 2 elevators centrally located adjacent to another small lobby area that contained flat screen tvs and some comfy leather chairs and couches to relax on. There was also a very nice fitness room, which we did not have time to take advantage of. There is a small, heated outdoor pool, with an outdoor eating area next to it. There was nice landscaping on all hotel grounds, and we loved sitting next to a palm tree in our bathing suits during December while eating a snack outside! There was a wedding on the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront beach while we were there. It took place around dusk, and the reception was on the beach after dark- the sand was lit with luminaries and tiki torches, and was just beautiful to see. There was music, and plenty of partygoers, but the celebration was never a bother to guests of the hotel; everyone was very respectful that there were families around with small children, and the hotel did a great job of making guests feel that we were not "intruding" if we wanted to walk by on our way to the beach. We actually felt that it was a fun experience to be able to witness something that was obviously such a big moment for the young couple's life!

We went for a quick lunch, and then took my son down to the beach for a short stroll while we waited for our room to be ready. At about 1:00 pm, we returned to the front desk, and were told that our room had just been finished! We were informed that we had been upgraded to a deluxe oceanfront view room (the most expensive room category), because according to the staff, since it was my son's first trip, he should be able to see the ocean for our entire stay! We were also surprised when they brought out a gift for my ecstatic son- a pail and shovel to use at the beach.

Our room was absolutely stunning. We have learned over the years that you cannot always assume that the rooms will look as nice as the photos on websites, but in this case, they were every bit as beautiful! The rooms are decorated with bright colors, and definitely have that tropical sort of feel to them. The beds are extremely comfortable, and the carpet was brand new- no wear spots. One of the "make or break" traits that we judge our rooms on is the condition of the bathrooms- there was certainly no disappointment here! There was a beautiful vanity with granite sinks, plenty of room, and Crabtree and Evelyn amenities.

The best part of the room in this case however, was the view. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking- wall to wall windows with a view of nothing but the ocean! Also, since we were located so close to Port Canaveral, we could see all the cruise ships coming and going in the distance. After a full day at the beach, we were able to watch the sun set over the water from the comfort of our room, and we even got to see the sun rise the next morning, which was a perfect way to finish our stay at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront.

We were so pleased with our stay at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, that we were disappointed that we had only booked it for one night. Since we had to move on to our Disney Resort the next day, we didn't have time to stay any longer, but we are making plans to extend our stay on our next trip. We can't wait to stay here again!