As you arrive at the Peabody, along the tourist-friendly and always moving International Drive, you will be entranced with the beautiful, delightfully smelling greenery and cascading waterfalls. This extravagance continues on the interior, after checking-in you will find a spacious sitting area again featuring a waterfall and lavish marble fountain. Here you may relax, enjoy the complimentary wireless internet access and order a drink at the bar.

Next, you can head up to your room. This high-rise hotel features 891 rooms on 27 floors, but the elevator takes just a moment to whiz you to where you want to go, most of the time. During our stay at the Peabody hundreds of fellow teens from the Future Leaders of America were also staying at the Peabody and there were some problems with the elevators as dozens of them would try to squeeze into one elevator. Once the group checked-out the problem did as well.

Upon arrival at your floor the doors of the elevator will open to a nicely decorated foyer with plush carpeting and wide hallways. From here you will enter your guest room, which you will no doubt find spectacular. No matter whether you are staying in the cheapest room or the most expensive you will absolutely love your accommodations! Each guestroom is luxurious, but not to the point to where you don’t feel as though you can touch anything. The bed, which has a pillow-topped mattress with down comforters, is the best I have ever slept on, far better than even the bed I sleep on at home. (view picture)

From my room I had an amazing view of the hotel’s Olympic-size pool and the skyline, including the Orange County Convention Center (across the street), SeaWorld and the outskirts of Disney. At many points during my stay I sat just enjoying my view.

The extravagant touches of the Peabody continue into the bathroom. Each bathroom features marble surfaces, very large mirror, thick towels, full personal care items, soothing showerhead, plush robes, and even a flat panel television to entertain you.

If you want to unwind after a day at the theme parks, The Peabody has the right stuff. Younger kids can play in their own pool, which has a waterfall, leaving us older kids with plenty of room in the almost Olympic-sized pool. If you are just looking to sun bathe you can kick back in one of the many chaise lounge chairs that surround the pool. There is also a large whirlpool right nearby, along with multiple tennis courts and the Peabody Athletic Club.

After a long day either walking the parks or just relaxing outside in the sun you will return to your room and find the bed turned down along with a couple chocolates and a flower. This is such a nice touch and really makes you realize just how much those small touches matter. (view picture)

Overall, The Peabody Orlando hotel is one of the finest hotels in Orlando. It is a four-star, four-diamond rated hotel and boasts the only four-star rated restaurant in Orlando, the Dux. If you are looking for a cool, relatively inexpensive restaurant I recommend the B-Line Diner. The hotel is located along International Drive, which is the main strip through the tourist areas of Orlando, and takes just 5 min. to get to SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. If you choose public transportation, which is what I did, you will find stops for Lynx and the I-Ride Trolley right in front of the hotel. If you can afford even one night of luxury while in this magical city then definitely stay at the Peabody Orlando.

For more information please visit www.PeabodyOrlando.com

- Chad Kennedy, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief