Cape Canaveral, Florida / Residence Inn by Marriott, local restaurants

February 2018, Weekend, 1-night, 2-bedroom 2-bath suite #407

I had some difficulty getting a room at this hotel. I started checking quite far in advance, and there was no availability for several months. I kept checking, and room availability kept going from zero to some rooms being available. I booked a 2-bedroom suite as soon as I saw one available. The AAA rate was $256, which I thought was pretty high. A few weeks before our trip, I decided to change it to the pre-pay, non-refundable rate, which saved us over $35.

Sunset from the walking trail across the road from Residence Inn

Gold perks and check-in

I did not receive any recognition or extra perks for being a Gold member. We could not receive a room upgrade, because we had already booked the most expensive room type. Although the cost was steep, we decided we did not want to take the chance with a possible upgrade. And, the hotel was pretty full. Premium Internet access is complimentary for Gold members.

Another view from the walking trail

Check-in time is 4:00 PM, and we arrived around 3:00 PM. I had contacted the hotel via Facebook to let them know we would be arriving early. I received a reply two days after I had sent the note, with an apology for the delayed response. I have the Marriott app on my phone, and I received a notification that the room was ready at 10:00 AM! Made us wish our flight had been arriving even earlier.

Suite #407

When we arrived in the guestroom, I saw that my profile preferences for extra pillows had been fulfilled! 😊 This guestroom is located on the top floor in the northeast corner. There is a view of the Exploration Tower, and a partial view of the cruise port. The room was comfortable, and it is in a quiet location.

Kitchen and entrance

Amenities in the guestroom include a complete kitchen with a full-size fridge, range, microwave, dishwasher, and table with four chairs. Coffee, tea, condiments, and one pack of microwave popcorn was provided, as well. The sink faucet dripped every time we used it, and we could not get it to shut off completely. My husband was happy to see that the ice maker had been turned on, and there was ice in the freezer.

Living room

The living room contained a sofa, soft chair, flatscreen TV, end tables, and coffee table.

East bedroom

Each bedroom contained a closet, TV, armoire, nightstands, clock, lamps, king bed, and a complete bathroom with shower/tub combination. One of the bedrooms also contained a work desk and chair.

West bedroom

Food & Beverage

There is a tiki bar at this hotel, which we visited in the evening. I thought the beverage prices were higher than most hotels. It was over $25 for three mixed drinks; two were basic shot and pop drinks, and the third was a margarita.

Breakfast is included with the room rate, and it included the usual fare: scrambled eggs with salsa and fixings, sausage gravy and biscuits, pork sausage, waffle maker, cereals, oatmeal, breads, fruits, and yogurt. I had the scrambled eggs with tortilla shell, because there were not any whole-grain bread choices. The oatmeal was made with rolled oats, rather than instant oatmeal, which is also a top breakfast choice for me. We did not have a problem finding a seat in the breakfast area when we visited just before 8:00 AM. The dining area was packed when our son went down about an hour later. He waited in line, and then ate outside on the patio.

Pool and outside areas

The tiki bar is outside between the pool and an outside fire pit. The hot tub in the pool area was a good size, although it could have been a tad warmer. It was cool the night we stayed; in the 60s in the evening and windy.

Pool area. Hot tub (not shown in photo) is located to the left.

There were many loungers around the tastefully landscaped pool area, and the outside fire pit near the tiki bar was nice.

Misc. and area restaurants

Hertz car rental is located adjacent to the hotel. We booked a rental car for after our cruise, and I am working on an area transportation post, which will contain information about that experience. Burger King is located in the same area, as well.

Inside Florida Beer Company 

Florida Beer Company, and a few restaurants in the port area, are within walking distance. It is a bit difficult to cross A1A in front of the hotel, as the road is quite busy. You can cross over under A1A and the bridge over George King Blvd.; however, that intersection did not look much less busy than the area in front of the Residence Inn. Homewood Suites is located directly across from the Residence Inn. Homewood Suites is a newer hotel, and it is located on the desired side of the street. The only reason we chose Residence Inn over Homewood Suites is because Homewood Suites does not have a hot tub. The amenities at both locations are otherwise pretty much the same, and I have status with Marriott and Hilton.

Disney Fantasy leaving port; view from Rusty's

We visited Rusty's Seafood and Oyster Bar on the water because we had a coupon for a free beverage, and they have Happy Hour specials. If you get one of their beverage coupons from a local guide, it is not good on all draft beers - it was only good on Bud Light and Miller; a whopping $1.85 value. Happy Hour promotions for BOGO were a good value. We had the Seafood Au Gratin appetizer, which was good, although I wish the dippers had also included some fresh veggies.

Let me know if you have any questions!