One of my travel fantasies is to spend a night in Cinderella’s castle at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Unfortunately, the Cinderella suite at Disney’s Magic Kingdom has only been made available to winners of sporadic contests, so the odds of making this particular travel fantasy a reality are slim to none.  However, there is a hotel in Orlando that can come remarkably close to making my princess dreams come true – no luck needed!

Doubletree Castle Hotel in Orlando, Florida

The Doubletree Castle Hotel on International Drive in Orlando, Florida may not be located in the Magic Kingdom or boast a Disney Princess pedigree, but it does offer guests a chance to dine on a rooftop terrace surrounded by castle turrets.  And it certainly looks an awful lot like a castle.

These regal accommodations are surrounded by shops, restaurants, mini golf courses and numerous other tourist attractions.  Guests will also have easy access to the area’s many theme parks, including Universal Studios and Wet n’ Wild.  In fact, the hotel offers free scheduled shuttles Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.

How much does a night in a castle off Disney property cost?  Rooms can be find online for as little as $72 a night.  Hilton Honors members may also qualify for discounts and upgrades.

If you’re allergic to the odd microbe or two that usually get left behind inspite of the best efforts of the minimum-wage maid, then you want to take refuge at the Doubletree Universal Orlando – they’re offering an entire floor of PURE® Allergy Friendly Rooms.

PURE rooms at Doubletree Orlando

That’s 24 brand-new PURE rooms which create an allergy-friendly environment and remove up to 98% of bacteria and viruses.

Bill Worcester, General Manager of The Doubletree Universal, said that his hotel is proud to be the first hotel in Orlando to offer these rooms capable of taking care of the needs of guests with asthma, severe allergies or chemical sensitivities.

So what exactly is a PURE room? Apparently its a 7-step purification process – the room is treated to remove allergens and irritants from all surfaces, fabrics and air flow. Once all the squatter bacteria, dirt and mold have been kicked out, a high ozone shock is administered which takes out any lingering odors left behind.

A shield and an air purifier is then installed, along with a hypo-allergenic mattress and pillow encasements, to prevent the return of the bacterial Jedi.

The 742-room Doubletree Orlando is located at the Universal Orlando Entrance. The King Bed Rooms offer floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Universal Orlando, plush-top king beds, flat screen television with cable, coffee/tea makers, mini refrigerators, a safe and a lot of other stuff which you’re never going to use.

Hotel amenities & services include free wireless internet in public spaces, a heated outdoor pool and whirlpool spa, fitness center, shuttle to Universal Orlando and Seaworld and an airport shuttle, 5 restaurants/bars/lounges plus a Starbucks in the main lobby, a gift shop and ATM, self-laundry and valet dry cleaning. 

Photos – PURE & Doubletree Orlando

More info: www.doubletreeorlando.com/ & www.pureroom.com/

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World's largest Doubletree Hotel

Orlando, Florida is officially home to the world’s largest Doubletree Hotel.

Technically, Orlando does not have a new hotel, but rather an old hotel has a new name and a new face, and Doubletree has another property in the middle of this infamous tourist destination.

Formerly known as the International Plaza Resort and Spa, the hotel on International Drive recently underwent a $35 million renovation and a name change, becoming Doubletree Resort Orlando – International Drive.  This property spans 28 acres and houses 1,094 guestroom and 60,000 sqaure feet of event space, making it the largest of all Doubletree hotels.

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“I think it looks bigger than it really is,” my son commented as we sat in the front lobby of the Doubletree Guest Suites in Nashville, waiting to check out.

We were nestled into modern sofas inches away from the automatic front doors and a few feet from the hotel restaurant where we’d had a breakfast buffet.  I looked up at the three floors rising above me and reflected on the past night’s stay.

“Yeah,” I nodded my head at him.  “I think you’re right.  It sure feels like a big, fancy hotel, doesn’t it?”

In reality, the Doubletree Guest Suites on Atrium Way in Nashville, Tennesse offers only 138 suites on three easy to navigate floors.  There’s one front door and one back door, accessible by room key, and you can get to any place in the hotel quickly and easily.  But at first glance, you almost expect a sprawling property with winding corridors and banquet rooms.

The Doubletree does an excellent job with the space they have, especially considering their rooms start at just $85 per night.

This is an all suite hotel, meaning each room comes with a bedroom and a well appointed sitting room.  My family of four plus two grandparents spent a night on the sofas and chairs in one of the living rooms, and there was ample space for the two kids under 10 who insisted on running around.  The bedrooms themselves offer comfortable beds in spacious rooms with oversized bathrooms attached.

The bed was fantastically comfortable, right down to the numerous fluffy pillows for both the bed and the pullout couch.

I love a hotel that doesn’t skimp on pillows.

The Doubletree also features an indoor and outdoor pool.  The indoor pool was reserved for a party during our stay, so we were limited to splashing around in the outdoor pool.  The pool ran from 3 feet to 5 feet with wide stairs for my four year old to lounge on in the shallow end.  The pool itself was surrounded by cushioned chaise lounges and umbrella’ed tables.  And while it did takes us three trips to the front desk to convince them that there were, in fact, no towels available poolside – when the hotel employee finally arrived, we were pleased with the large, soft towels we were given.

My only complaint about the hotel was the breakfast situation.  When we booked online, it said that breakfast was included.  However, when we made our way downstairs in the morning, all we saw was an open hot and cold buffet with a gold plaque announcing “$9.95 per person”.  There was no wait staff to question, so we sat down to eat.  Upon finishing our meal, an employee who seemed to be a bartender asked if we had meal coupons – which we did not.  Insist on breakfast coupons when you check in. As far as free breakfast buffet goes, it wasn’t bad – but it’s barely a $10 per person breakfast.

The hotel is located near the airport, and it would make a great pit stop before or after a Nashville flight.  I would also recommend this hotel for family vacations with kids.