The La Quinta Inn: Ocala, Florida

On our last trip to Disney World, my husband and I managed to do some pretty poor time-management. We ended up just an hour or so away from Florida on the afternoon before we were scheduled to check into our room at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Based on my previous trips to the Orlando area, I thought better of trying to find a hotel room at the last minute in the Orlando area. The prices can be highly overinflated near any theme park. Instead, we opted to stop in Ocala, Florida. We searched for motels and hotels and decided to go for the most outwardly visually appealing. It was vacation after all.

That hotel was the La Quinta Inn and Suites. This is a well known national chain, and out of all my road trips, this is one chain that I had never stayed at before. So I was eager to see what the chain had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised on so many levels, that I almost don't know where to begin.

For starters, everything was remarkably clean and well-organized. The lobby was comfortable, the desk staff was amazingly friendly and helpful, and therefore my first impression of the hotel was an overall pleasant one. Parking was plentiful and close to the hotel. When we got to our room, I was also happy to see that our hotel room wasn't traditionally laid out. It may seem silly, but how many countless hotel rooms have you been in that offer the same two bed, rectangular layout, TV on a dresser, boring set-up? Too many, especially when you're on a road trip and desperate for a little variety? This La Quinta Inn had a unique corner-based set-up and a large bathroom. The room was clean and had a generous amount of light and all the standard hotel extras. One of the best extras here? The free high-speed internet.

Also, the hotels are pet-friendly, which made for a fun time just walking the halls and seeing all the dogs! We immediately suited up for a trip to the pool and hot tub. The pool was perfectly warm, extremely clean, and beautifully landscaped. Some great hotel pools are ruined by sparse surroundings, but this was subtle and beautiful.

We had a great night's rest, the bed was comfortable, and the next morning, the complimentary breakfast tasted great. We left that morning very well rested, very relaxed from our swim, and ready to get to Walt Disney World energized for our first day of fun! I would highly recommend that anyone stay at the Ocala La Quinta Inn and Suites. I would even go one farther by recommending that if you are road-tripping it to Orlando for any reason, you plan to stop here the night before. You'll have a pleasant experience and get to Orlando feeling completely refreshed! It was a happy accident that this happened to us, and I now think that you should employ it as a Florida road-trip technique.