Where To Stay, Eat & Drink In Orlando

Whether you are flying, driving or taking Brightline's high-speed train between Orlando and Miami for a quick trip - we've got you covered when it comes to places to stay and where to eat in both cities. This guide will cover Orlando and our next guide will cover Miami.

Where to Stay in Orlando

If you are flying or taking the Brightline train out of Orlando then the Cambria hotel is a great choice as it is only around 2 miles from the Orlando Airport, which is also where the Brightline station is located. During our stay our room was quite and clean and we enjoyed having an onsite bar and restaurant.  If you are looking for an easy breakfast option before you head to the airport we'd recommend trying the pork belly tacos with fresh fruit onsite. 

Where to Eat & Drink in Orlando

If you have a bit of time before you have to head to the airport or train station, we have two recommendations for you, our first is But First. Coffee Shop. This cafe offers some unique menu items like an Ube Sweetened Milk Iced Latte and a Spanish Latte. On top of that they make most of their syrups in house and offer seasonal menu items. During our visit we tried the seasonal Banana Bread Latte and it tasted exactly how you would expect banana bread to taste. 

Our second recommendation is Mecatos Bakery & Cafe. Mecatos started as a family owned business and has expanded to several locations in the Orlando area. We stopped at the Edgewood location due to its proximity to the airport. This could be a stop for a quick coffee, juice and pastry - but it also offers full hot meals as well. During our visit we tried a stuffed arepa as well as stuffed yuca. While both items were absolutely delicious, our favorite was the yuca, and we couldn't leave without grabbing a soursop smoothie to enjoy while on the way to the airport.

Orlando's Brightline Station

If you are planning to take the Brightline and have to park a car at the airport you do have a few options. We parked in the economy lot which was $14 a day. The shuttle to the airport was free, but quite slow. The shuttle dropped us off in Terminal C, we then had about a 10 minute walk to get to the Brightline station, thankfully there are plenty of signs within the terminal to direct you to the station. Brightline does partner with Wally Park , where you can park offsite. It is a few dollars cheaper per day when compared to parking in the economy lot.

Parking was the most stressful part of our Brightline experience, once we got to the station it was smooth sailing from there. 

If you are considering taking the Brightline and are curious what it is like riding in a standard car, we'd recommend watching the episode linked in this guide. If you are curious about the Premium (first-class) experience, we'd recommend watching our first-class episode, which will be linked in our upcoming Miami guide. 

Once we arrived at the Miami Brightline Station we had a short walk to our hotel, The Elser Hotel Miami. More of our experience at this hotel will be included in our upcoming first-class episode and our Miami itinerary.

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