La Quinta Inn Tampa Bay Airport???

[newlife_2010]

Has anyone stayed at La Quinta Inn Tampa Bay Airport??? I am currently booked at Holiday Inn Rocky Point (which has wonderful reviews albiet far from everything). La Quinta Inn is closer and around dining and shopping. I have read Trip Advisor but the reviews are outdated.

 

I trust you guys opinion - what is the verdict?

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Has anyone stayed at La Quinta Inn Tampa Bay Airport??? I am currently booked at Holiday Inn Rocky Point (which has wonderful reviews albiet far from everything). La Quinta Inn is closer and around dining and shopping. I have read Trip Advisor but the reviews are outdated.

 

I trust you guys opinion - what is the verdict?

 

 

The LaQuinta Tpa airport is nice. It's not fancy, but clean and has a nice pool area. They offer a continental breakfast and free airport shuttle. The port shuttle is $5 pp. There is an IHOP adjacent to the hotel and many other restaurants within walking distance. Leroy Selmon's is one that I have dined at and it was fantastic. Their BBQ is great. I had the BBQ quesdillas and they were very good too. The International Plaza mall is just across the street. The hotel offers a free shuttle to the mall but it is a quick walk. The area is on the upscale side and the road that the hotel is on is more of a side road not a main road so crossing wouldn't be too bad.

 

International Plaza has some great shops and dining. There is a little wine shop in there that is very nice. Great dining too. They have a few restaurants that boarder a courtyard area and in the evening sometimes there is live music. My daughter and I had lunch at a gourmet sandwich shop in the courtyard area and it was so peacefull sitting outside enjoying our meal. The mall also has a large food court that has a Subway, and other typical mall eateries. You could easily spend the entire day at the mall. It is very nice.

 

As far as the Holiday Inn Rocky Pt, it is really not that far from the mall either. The HI is on Rocky Pt which is just on one side of the airport (apx. 2 miles) and the LaQuinta is just off airport property, on the opposite side (apx. 1 to 1.5 miles) The HI RP does offer a free shuttle within a 4 miles radius, and the mall would fall into this area, but it just depends on what you want to do while at the hotel. The LaQuinta will offer LOTS of dining options and shopping directly accross the street while the HI has a great view of the bay, lovely tropical pool area and free port shuttle to and from the port. The only restaurant within walking distance of the HI is the Bahama Breeze.

 

 

Good luck to you and have a great cruise. Both hotels are nice so either choice you wont go wrong.

 

Cari :)

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Just wanted to add that since the LaQuinta is in more of an upscale area, IMO it is much nicer than the typical LaQuintas. It is by no means 4 or 5 star but still very nice. The prices are really good too especially if you have AAA.

 

Here are the web address for both Leeroy Selmon's and the Int'l Plaza.

www.leeroyselmons.com--------------- www.shopinternationalplaza.com

 

We dined at Leeroy Selmon's on a Saturday evening and there was a wait for the dining room but no wait to eat at a table in the lounge area. We opted for the lounge and ended up with a large booth. The service was very quick and it wasn't really loud like some lounge areas can be. Just thought I'd throw this out there in case you decided to dine there and there was a huge wait for a table. The restaurants around the mall area can get pretty busy on Fri and Sat evenings as it is a popular area with the locals.

 

Cari

[newlife_2010]

Thank you very much!! Yes, AAA rate is amazing at the La Quinta Inn.

[newlife_2010]

How much is a a cab from LaQuinta to the port?

[FlaGrl4Evr]

How much is a a cab from LaQuinta to the port?

 

A taxi from TIA is $25 plus tip for up to 4 passengers. The LaQ is just on the other side of the airport, so if the taxi follows the same pricing, it should be about the same or just a few dollars less.

 

Hope you have a great time and sunny weather. :)