Whell, it's PRETTY close. But you can try the condos at the twin palms.

I recommend Sugar Beach Condos. Have stayed there twice for IMFL and twice for GCT. Is walking distance to start and on the run course. There is even a local pizza place on the walk back after the race. They are a little older, but reasonable price. http://www.sugarbeachcondos.com/

---

--------------------------------------------
Russ
"living the dream - so they tell me"

I satyed at the Gulf Coast Condos and had a very good experience. This condo is located right on the run course, were you make the first right off the main road and do that little S-curve up a slight grade. The condo is on your right as you are headed to the first mile aid station. It was a 23 story building and was 3 blocks from the host area. Very clean and quite and yes, i will plan to stay there in 08.

Kevin S.
www.roarkcycle.com

i stayed at the whispering seas and it was nice. about a 1/2 mile to the start, i walked and it was fine... no car rental. $20 to and from the airport.

i stayed at the beach broadwalk. right behind the swim start. i mean right behind. lil noisy but clean and compy. cheap too.would stay there again next year.

we were at the shores of panama...walking distance to the race (10 minutes tops), great condos and not too bad price wise...compare it to what I paid in Lake Placid the year before and I got r@ped in NY state! It's also right beside the waffle house, on the bike course and has a great pool!

---

_______________________________

Good athletes train when they want to, great athletes train when they don't......

Being close to the swim start = overrated. We were at the Moondrifter which was very close to the start. We unpacked but never stayed there, it was disgusting. We ended up moving to a place about 1 mile from the race site. It was brand new, very comfortable, quiet and perfect.

I stayed at the GulfCrest this year, my third time there. Built in '04, it's always been outstanding. It's at about the 0.6 mile mark of the run course. Biggest negative is that with only three elevators to service 23 floors, the wait at peak times is annoying, and "going to the car" is not so simple as walking out of your unit. This is, I am pretty sure, the same place Kevin S mentions in his post. Phone 800.584.9337 or 850.233.9369.

Ben

FWIW, the same condo building can have a really disgusting, outdated condo right next door to a freshly renovated condo. I stayed at the Moondrifter as well, albeit a privately owned unit, but it was far from disgusting. To all those condo hunting, use vrbo.com and book directly with condo owners. Otherwise, you'll likely pay more and may end up with a sub-par unit if you book directly with the office.

I second your idea. The shore is just lined with miles and miles of condos. There is no shortage! VRBO rocks have used it all over north america with great success.

How many days do you want? I know a 2bed condo (and it is gorgeous) in the Boardwalk new condo building. Owner wants minimum 1 week, but the week rate is less than 5 days through the hotel agency. You can watch the swim from the balcony.

---

Support Crew
This information contained herein has been assembled for your assistance and convenience. It is believed to be reliable, however, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All opinions shown are subject to change without notice.

Exactly. Anyone putting down non-refundable deposits or agreeing to minimum stays is.......uhh, getting suckered. There is plenty of availability. If there's one plus that IMFL has over most (all?) other NA races is that there is great condo lodging out the wazoo. Seriously, you could find a great place on VRBO even a week before the race!

I definitely agree. VRBO is for sure the way to go.

thanks for advise. Im going to take care of this now. The image of my wife opening the front door to a stinky, non-air conditioned place with crime scene tape across the bathroom door is motivation enough.