Tampa hotels

[sloper12]

I have reservations at Hampton in Tampa 5628 W. Waters Avenue. From the looks of it using Googlemaps, it looks like that area has lots of restaurants and stores nearby. My husband and I like to be able to walk around the hotel area. I'm also looking at Hampton at 5329 Avion Park Drive. This is new and not open yet but will be in January when we will be in Tampa before our cruise. Anyone know these areas and whether one would be a better area than the other?

[TN.CruiseControl]

Congrats on your cruise! They are all a blast. My DH and I (both 55 ish) cruised out of this port last year and had a great time. I'm sure any Hampton Inn would be comfortable, but I think you may want to be a bit closer to the terminal. Maybe you should look at any Channelside or Rocky Point Hotel.

 

We were there pre-cruise, a Sunday evening, and walked around and had dinner in Ybor City. I wouldn't recommend it on a Fri/Sat night- it can get rowdy. However, it was fun for a bit of adventure.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Mary

[teachatthebeach]

I live in Tampa and would not stay at the Waters Avenue location. It's perfectly safe, but there's not much to do there. And as for restaurants, there's a BBQ place, PDQ, Panera, etc. Nothing special. The hotel on Avion is in a much better location. It's right by International Mall and has tons of dining options...everything from Ruth's Chris to Cheesecake Factory, Maggianos, PF Changs, etc. It's not the easiest area to walk, but certainly possible. And your hotel might have a shuttle to the mall area. It's still a good distance to the port, closer than the Waters Avenue location.

[sloper12]

I live in Tampa and would not stay at the Waters Avenue location. It's perfectly safe, but there's not much to do there. And as for restaurants, there's a BBQ place, PDQ, Panera, etc. Nothing special. The hotel on Avion is in a much better location. It's right by International Mall and has tons of dining options...everything from Ruth's Chris to Cheesecake Factory, Maggianos, PF Changs, etc. It's not the easiest area to walk, but certainly possible. And your hotel might have a shuttle to the mall area. It's still a good distance to the port, closer than the Waters Avenue location.

 

Thank you for the information. Is the Avion location good for getting to a grocery store/Walmart, and to a Chase bank? We will have a rental car so we can drive where we need to. The main thing is that usually we like to just be able to walk to dinner. We are getting into Tampa 3 days prior to our cruise and since we will have a car, we also like to get to a grocery store for room snacks and go to a bank just before our cruise to get cash to pay for our excursions and tips.

[sloper12]

Thank you for the information. Is the Avion location good for getting to a grocery store/Walmart, and to a Chase bank? We will have a rental car so we can drive where we need to. The main thing is that usually we like to just be able to walk to dinner. We are getting into Tampa 3 days prior to our cruise and since we will have a car, we also like to get to a grocery store for room snacks and go to a bank just before our cruise to get cash to pay for our excursions and tips.

 

I've decided to change my reservation to the Avion location. After reading your recommendation and then looking again at Google Maps, it does look like that location will give us not too difficult driving to anything we would like to get to.

[teachatthebeach]

Yes, you are close to a Chase bank and both Walmart, Target, and Publix (grocery chain in FL). You're also right off the Interstate, so it will be quick to jump on if you want to go to downtown or over to the beaches. It's not scenic as in views of the water, but it is very convenient and lots to do.