Monumental MovieLand

we went to this hotel 3 years ago and went back sept 10. it w
as dirty in corners .rude on reception wont be going back
pool was thick grime round edges

4 readers found this review helpful

The Monumental Movieland as it is now known is a basic but clean 3 star Hotel. It is situated at the top end of I-Drive and faces Wet n Wild. It is close to loads of attractions, shops and restaurants. We were on the 3rd floor facing the pool. The room was small but clean, with a basic bathroom / shower. The kettle is actually a one cup perculator which was old and made the water brown (we bought a boiling pot at Walgreens next door for $10). The TV has 40 channels which include a good tourist channel if this is your 1st trip to Orlando. We had the bedding and towels changed daily and the room also cleaned daily. The staff were friendly but most of the cleaning staff only spoke Spanish. We did not use the pool but plenty did whilst we were there.
The Ice machines did break down but as there were 2 on my floor we were ok. There are also several lifts. You also have to pay a $2.50 resort fee per day. You get a safe in the room and the air conditioning although noisy is very welcome. Whilst there we got some very hot weather hitting 40 degrees but feeling like 44. In the summer you get some very heavy afternoon showers / storms with a lot of lightning. If this happens just stay indoors. Take your own light rain kagool as the ones you can buy in the parks are expensive. If you are on a budget then this hotel is ideal. It is also a 5 min drive to Universal and 20 mins to Disney.
The Americans do a lot of Buffet style meals and one of the best is Ponderosa. The Black Angus which is attached to the hotel we found average and very dark with little natural light. If you budget a bit more then I recommend Johnny Rockets (Pointe Orlando) but mostly T-Rex and Rainforest café (Downtown Disney) which are fantastic. Planet Hollywood has gone a little downhill.
Bubba Gump is also quite good at Universal.
When in the parks have a plan and decide which attractions are the ones you want to do first.
I Reccomend:
Epcot – Soarin, Test Track & Mission Space
Magic Kingdom – Character meetings for kids
Animal Kingdom – Expedition Everest, Finding Nemo, Kilamanjaro Safaris (Do 1st to see the animals), Lion King also Dinosaur is new but was very dissapointing
Hollywood Studios – Rock n Roller Coaster, Star Tours (this will end soon with a new star tours ride), Backlot Tour, Toy Story (Did not do as queue always in excess of 2 hours), Playhouse Disney (Great for Kids), Lights camera action car stunt show.
Seaworld – Kraken, Manta, Shark Deep Dive (Must be booked well in advance online at Seaworld.com), Atlantis and Shamu shows
Discovery Cove – This place is fantastic but must be pre-booked as only 1000 people let in.
Aqautica – Excellent waterpark.
Universal IOA – Hulk, Spiderman, Bluto & Popeye Bilge Barges, Dudley Do Right and from 2010 harry Potter world.
Universal Studios – Revenge of Mummy, Jaws, Terminator 2, Shrek, Men in Black, ET, Simpsons (Dissapointing).

2 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from Best western movieland found hotel very clean and staff very friendly, we had a party of eight including children ,hotel in great location handy for all theme parks. Can certainly reccommend Best western Steak house next door great meals and all you can eat. Staff great. Angus steak house good also , staff friendly, some meals like take away steak steak sandwich not great, but has sit in meal on last night and found that ok.

1 reader found this review helpful

This hotel was very clean and we had a really good time. It is located at the top of International Drive opposite wet n wild, so is in a great location for the parks, especially universal. There is a fantastic choice of restaurants, bars and attractions surrounding the hotel. The huge "American Malls" are only a short drive away.
The hotel is quite modern in design and has a heated outdoor pool with sun terrace set in lovely gardens. You wouldn't know you were on one of the busiest roads in Florida!
The rooms are comfortable with 2 double beds and bathroom. It is quite basic but it is also cheap. In my opinion you get more than you pay for! All rooms have a safe which is an excellent idea for storing your passports and holiday money.
The hotel also has a restaurant, Games room, gift shop, laundry, and fitness centre. They also offer free transportation to Universal and sea world but we didn't use this as we had a car. Might be a good idea to take up this offer as parking at the parks is $10. We didn't realise how much the parking was.
Overall a great holiday destination, The hotel is great for those on a budget. Not sure of its official star rating but it was the cheapest we could book on a package and it exceeded our expectations.

1 reader found this review helpful

This hotel was absolutely amazing, we enjoyed it very much.
Had loads of stuff to do, didn’t do the same things twice unless we wanted to.
I would definitely encourage people to come here for their first holiday to Florida. The staff are very friendly and are willing to help you with any of your needs.
I really do advise you to go here!

1 reader found this review helpful

Having been to Orlando twice before we knew that this hotel was just a motel and that there were not many facilities.
Room was large and kept clean. Lots of painting going on when we were there, the ground floor is a bit tatty but the whole of the hotel guests have to walk these corridors, so the carpet was very worn but they were changing this.
Ideal location, both previous times we have stayed on the 192 and found that a car was essential but this location is ideal for having a stroll down I-Drive in the evenings and it was nice being able to walk to restaurants if you wanted to.
Fantastic location for Universal studios and just over the road from Wet and Wild no need to park and pay $10 for the privilege. Pool bar is closed and needs to be torn down it is not used at all.
I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone wanting a clean bed in an ideal location particularly if you are out all day at the parks as we were.
We often left the hotel for breakfast at 8am and didn't come back until gone 9pm, just to wash and change and then head out again.
If you are looking to use the pool a lot I would suggest going to somewhere with a larger pool with more facilities around it.
We stayed around the pool on the last day and I think everyone in the hotel had the same idea, so it was a bit crowded, and with no bar, going to the restaurant next door for refreshments was a bit of a pain.
All in all the location was the best bit for us and would highly recommend I-Drive over the 192, purely for the fact you can leave the car and actually walk along a pavement, which is a rarity in the US.

Hotel was very basic and the decor was a bit tatty, but it was getting painted whilst there and was starting to look good. Great Location, very helpful reception. I ride bus stops outside the Hotel.
Thomson gave a welcome meeting and I found the info really good i.e.: what buses to get to go to Disney, Walmart, Sea world etc. If you don't want to drive then the transport is really good and cheap. It took about 30 mins to get the bus from the hotel to Disney Park. The I-ride costs $1 that is from one end of international drive to the other and I think the Lynx bus is $2.50 from wherever you get on to wherever you want to go. You can buy weekly tickets if you want to on either buses.
Couldn't have asked for a better holiday.

Well I have nothing but good things to say about Orlando itself. There are lots and lots of shops and restaurants nearby and as the hotel is on International Drive, the theme parks were only a short car journey away.
The hotel itself, was clean and the rooms were thoroughly cleaned each day. The decor could do with a bit of updating but there were great pictures of movie stars past and present and posters of the movies they had starred in. I would recommend this hotel as it is comfortable and has a large TV in each room.
As an extra tip, I would highly recommend the all you can eat breakfast at the restaurant next door. If you were standing looking at the front of the hotel it is on your left hand side. I had great fun on this holiday. I'm sure you will too if you decide to go.