Hilton cocoa beach????

Hello! My fiance and I trying to decide if we should stay at the Hilton or the Radisson the night before we leave for our cruise. We are sailing with some of our family and it is the night before our wedding so we want to stay somewhere that is nice yet affordable. I tried to look for pics of the Hilton and I know it's on the beach but the pics of the Radisson are really nice so we are just very confused on which way to go....Radisson or Hilton? We've seen A LOT of feedback on the Radisson and right now that is looking good to us but we are looking for some more input on the Hilton - photos would be great too since we can't find any!

Thanks!

I'm wondering about the Hilton also. Our group is booked there in two weeks, prior to our Mariner cruise. The two reviews I have seen on the hotel were not good; however, they were several months old. The Hilton was undergoing renovations prior to the hurricanes, and they closed completely after Jeanne (I think it was that one) and didn't re-open until Christmas. They are supposed to be a 4 star caliber hotel after their remodeling.

If no one answers this for us prior to our trip, I'll post when I get back and let you know!

THANKS!

Please do, let me know how it was! I have heard they got a big make over too, but there have not been any new reviews.

Hope you have a great time!!!!!!!!!!

I heard today from a friend who we are traveling with. He is a cruise/travel consultant, and had booked the hotel for all of us. He had also heard of some bad comments, and so asked the hotel what shape they are in. He got an e-mail back from the GM that said their renovation pre-hurricane was going to be $7M - it went up to being a $14M renovation. The rooms and facilities are completely updated and remodeled, and it should be the best hotel in the area when they are completely finished (apparently they are still working on the main restaurant). Of course, he has to make it sound good, but it was very reassuring at the same time.

I'll let you know when we get back!

Thanks again Grad girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please let me know.

Have a great trip!

We loved the Hilton! The staff was wonderful, especially friendly were the ladies at the breakfast buffet (downstairs; after the first morning we found out we could go the buffet on the executive level, and the attendant there was nice, but quiet). The rooms are beautiful: nice new carpet, granite countertops and tables, marble tile in the bathroom, and the beds! Soft as a cloud pillowtop mattress, cotton/satin thread blend sheets (real sheets, not icky hotel sheets), down comforters. The beach was really nice, and we spent a lot of time there.

You should be aware they are still remodeling, so there is construction noise during the day. And they don't have a full restaurant up and running yet. But if you have a car, that isn't a problem, as there are some nice restaurants around.

Let me know if you have any questions, I may post a hotel specific review this weekend.

Thank you so very much Gradgirl!!! That info, will help.

Do you have any pic??

How was your cruise??

Any how thanks again, and please if you have an pic. we would love to see.

I am considering the Hilton for our April cruise (pre cruise). I can get a very good price. Are all the rooms oceanfront or oceanview. We will only be there for one night so I just want a clean room, but oceanfront/view would be great. Also is the breakfast buffet included? Also how far away is the Budget rental car office? Thank you

Tiggg: The cruise was awesome. The best of the three I have been on. We had near perfect weather, even while we were at sea (except last day). Usually it is so windy at sea, but most nights it was quiet, still and warm! I plan on doing a full review, but have been catching up on my sleep so far this weekend (which is what happens when you come back from vacation midweek and have to go right back to work).

Unfortunately our (and friends) only pic of hotel is of the section that must have been hit worst by the hurricanes and they are rebuilding. It's just basically a shell of some rooms.

sl: Not all the rooms are oceanview. Our friends had a 'city view' room, but said they could still hear the ocean. I think their room did have a little more room than ours. My parents and I had a full ocean view, it was an upgrade as I am a Hilton HHonors gold member. On Sat when my friend arrived and I had booked a second room, my parents moved into a king bed room on 6th floor (executive level). It had 2 windows, one of which was a side view of the ocean.

As for the buffet, if you are booked on their executive level, or have a gold membership or higher, there is a free continental breakfast buffet on 6th floor: cereal, pastries, toast, fruits, etc. The full buffet downstairs you have to pay for, and it also includes eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. Or you can order off the menu.

The Budget office is less than 10 min away, just straight down the street towards the port. There is a gas station right next door to Budget, handy for filling up before dropping off the car. The people at Budget were very nice.

Another note about the Cocoa Beach Hilton: On our first morning when we ate at the downstairs buffet, one of the waitresses was telling us about the damage the hotel sustained during the hurricanes. She mentioned that the area lost a lot of jobs because so many of the hotels had to close while repairing. She said, though, that Hilton not only kept paying the employees a percentage of their salary, but fully paid their medical insurance for 3 months. She said the company had treated them very well while the property was closed, and I think it showed in how friendly the staff was. I'm always willing to patronize a company that treats it people well, and I wanted to pass that along in recommending this hotel.