international palms hotel coco beach is it good? (Orlando, Merritt Island: where to stay, sales)

[hyechica]

so i am trying to find out if this hotel is any good the international palms hotel in coco beach? we are heading to florida next monday. we are going to a timeshare presentation we are seriously thinking about getting a time share and they are in turn putting us up three nights in coco beach and three nights at the holiday inn in orlando near universal. i did some research last night on the international palms coco beach and all i saw was a mix of reviews some very positive and others negative as to say the place is run down and has roaches


does anyone know if its a decent hotel to stay at? we are seriously considering just taking the hotel for three nights at orlando and just finding a place elsewhere to stay. in coco beach based on what reviews i saw but i would like to get an opinion from the locals as we are not from florida

[clnewman]

Never stayed at the International Palms, but thoroughly enjoyed the Doubletree and Hilton in CB. The Hilton has a great new outdoor tiki bar and they mix a good drink.

Time shares: We own 3 of them... all bought new many years ago. A friendly piece of advice: buy on the resale market. Go to the presentation, and get all the freebies, but stand firm and look for used. Lots of great values out there for 10-20% of the new price.

Just my 2¢.

[Nypafl4u]

I have stayed at the International Palms on several occasions, the last time being about a year ago. At that time, they were still renovating many of the rooms so it really was a mixed bag. I can say that we never saw roaches but did see those tiny ants that come out at night on the vanity on several occasions. They ended up moving our room to the 2nd floor and we were OK.

The most disturbing thing though that happened on my last visit, any why I never went back, was that when I made a same night reservation, the person answering the phone insisted on taking my credit card number AND three digit security code, over the phone, as a requirement to hold the room. I explained I would be in town in an hour and was just grabbing some dinner. The person insisted, so I gave it knowing it was late in the evening and rooms were selling out that weekend. About a week later, I looked at my bank statement and discovered eight unauthorized charges for small amounts of $50 to $110 for internet purchases of phone cards and even a website design from Go Daddy. It took about a month of fighting it and I wasn't liable for the charges, but they were the only place I used the card the entire trip, so I know it was them.

So this may not apply to your stay if not booking with your credit card. The rooms may be renovated now and possibly cleaner form a year or so ago. But I will never stay there again. Better off going across the street to the La Quinta. They have rooms for a little more but you get a decent buffet breakfast, its a cleaner place and I never had any card issues there, ever.

As for time shares, its true you can get a better deal in most cases on the secondary market. But if you really like the place and feel more comfortable buying directly, never accept their first or second or third offer (this is common practice as you drink their overly sweet juice to hype you up). Stay strong and politely decline. After you meet the floor manager for the last attempt to close you, let them know you need the night to think about it. They will say you won't get the same deal if you leave. That is a sales tactic. You can come back the next day if you did decide to change your mind, regardless of what they say, they will NEVER turn down a sale the next day. I did this on two occasions and it worked out fine. Just don't sign anything no matter how hard they push. Also, only buy if you like that specific resort enough to stay there every year. Then it can make sense. Forget the trade in value or resale value. It rarely exists. That is why you can get similar time shares on the secondary market (like eBay) for so little. You may lose a bonus week from RCI (which you may never use anyway), but you will save 80% in most cases if not more. I go to the sales pitches for the freebies and to learn what you get at that resort if I like the place. Then I can shop on line in the secondary market. If it's not the same type of deal, I can always go back and seal the deal with the last and least expensive quoted price from the floor manage. If you don't get that final floor manager price, you sub-combed too soon to the initial sales person and you are not getting their best price. Eat a good meal before going in and ask for their best price early on with the floor manager present. That will clue them in that you know more than the average walk in and will save you about 90 more minutes of high pressure negotiating. Have fun with it and don't take anything they say about their "best" resort seriously. There is always another person who is not educated in these tactics that will pay top dollar and pay for all those freebies you are enjoying...

[hyechica]

we have been to a few time share presentations
one was for silver leaf time shares it was the oak and spruce resort in lee ma we live in connecticut so it was like a 2 hour drive for us to lee we had the same sales tactic they even tried to sell us someone elses old deals that they took over but none of them were good enough.

we also went to one in lincoln new Hampshire it was inseasons pollard brook. they two did the whole speal and even had the mananger come they were less pushy and wanted to sponsor us to come back but we still had to pay money to come back. they gave us a free weekend stay at there resort that was undergoing some maintenance and the indoor pool was a non heated pool and this was in the middle of october

our free gifts with this time share are 200 towards amusment park tickets we can use it at disney
hotel stay in coco beach at the international palms resort for a few days i think 4 nights then 3 nights at a holiday inn in orlando we really wanted to be in the orlando area i hear there is more to do, but we are considering not taking the free hotel in coco beach and finding something elsewhere in coco beach and spending the extra money. we are in florida from monday till sunday then sunday we are catching a carnival cruse out of miami, i would have rather ported out of orlando but we both really wanted to see miami.


off topic what is there to do in the coco beach area where is the nearest shopping mall? are there fishing excursions anywhere my soon to be husband likes to deep sea fish. what is the night life like. are there any country and western bars?


what are some local places to shop.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by hyechica

we have been to a few time share presentations
one was for silver leaf time shares it was the oak and spruce resort in lee ma we live in connecticut so it was like a 2 hour drive for us to lee we had the same sales tactic they even tried to sell us someone elses old deals that they took over but none of them were good enough.

we also went to one in lincoln new Hampshire it was inseasons pollard brook. they two did the whole speal and even had the mananger come they were less pushy and wanted to sponsor us to come back but we still had to pay money to come back. they gave us a free weekend stay at there resort that was undergoing some maintenance and the indoor pool was a non heated pool and this was in the middle of october

our free gifts with this time share are 200 towards amusment park tickets we can use it at disney
hotel stay in coco beach at the international palms resort for a few days i think 4 nights then 3 nights at a holiday inn in orlando we really wanted to be in the orlando area i hear there is more to do, but we are considering not taking the free hotel in coco beach and finding something elsewhere in coco beach and spending the extra money. we are in florida from monday till sunday then sunday we are catching a carnival cruse out of miami, i would have rather ported out of orlando but we both really wanted to see miami.


off topic what is there to do in the coco beach area where is the nearest shopping mall? are there fishing excursions anywhere my soon to be husband likes to deep sea fish. what is the night life like. are there any country and western bars?


what are some local places to shop.

1. You could not port out of Orlando if you wanted to, it is in the middle of the state.
2. Merritt square is right on 520 in Merritt Island. Ron Jons(tourist plus the usual surf brands for clothing(open 24 hours) and the other surf shops are good. Shops at the pier etc.
3. You can book charters for deep sea fishing and there is a party boat
4 Nighlife'...... the pier, the Sand Bar,Coconuts, etc. Not sure about Country Western

[hyechica]

@rabflmom thanks for the info i have not been to florida in years, thanks for the info.

how far is orlando to coco beach

[chrisnkatelyn]

Orlando to cocoa beach is about 60 miles just over an hour drive

[hyechica]

yes we figured it was going to be an hour. we are planning on spending some time in orlando when we land and then check into hotel at coco beach in the late afternoon we have a presentation the next day at the time share then wends is a fishing trip fir my husband and i am going to explore the area.

thursday friday and saturday is orlando friday we are hitting epcot, then saturday afternoon we are heading to miami and sunday its the cruise

[SanyBelle]

fyi if you are using a GPS, the proper name of the city is Cocoa Beach. Have fun!

[Nypafl4u]

You should give Cocoa Beach a shot. Its quieter than the usual tourist spots in Florida, yet has a comfortable personality of its own. We like it so much, we are closing on an ocean front condo this week, for future retirement. The mall is close in Merritt Island, not the newest or fanciest, but it serves its purpose. Frankly, in the years I have been coming to this area, Merritt Island in particular, I never find myself shopping in the mall. There are enough shops around that if you are vacationing, are far more interesting than the usual mall chain stores. The smaller surf shops and boutiques offer more unique options in my opinion.