I drive twice a year between Philly and Orlando to visit family. This hotel is starting to become a regular stop for my wife and I. In some respects, it serves our purpose as a "Route 95" hotel, but we also tend to enjoy the upscale surroundings.

Comments about trouble finding local restaurants are not overblown. We arrived at 9 on a Thursday night, booked our reservations while standing in the driveway, walked in and checked in at the desk (yes, it works that quickly), changed, and then headed back out to look for dinner. We, too, drove 45 minutes up and down the state highway it sits on, route 287. We initially found just one place open "that late", which turned out to be a cowboy bar with very loud live country music. Luckily, there was a much quieter BBQ place elsewhere in the plaza, One Hot Mama's, which was open, even if only to serve about 4 food choices after 10pm.

Still, the hotel is very clean, comfortable, with all of the trimmings you would expect to find in one of the "good" to "great" Hampton Inns. I enjoy staying there every time, but the construction on 287 is really quite annoying. Don't stay there and expect to walk to the beach. Its about 25 minutes away on a 55 mph road (or more with the heavy construction going on 7/2006).

If you're passing through on the way to or from Florida, it is a great stop on 95, with a number of good restaurants in the area, so long as you look for dinner before 9pm.