Looking to book a room soon for Ironman Florida and I see mixed reviews on places. So far on my radar I have Summit/Sunbird and Top of the Gulf; what would be your pick?
I am going to stay for 4 nights with my girl; looking for a place that isn’t dirty/smelly(unless its me after the race)/from the 1970’s…
Also with .5 mile walking distance to start
Thanks
I’ve stayed at all three for IM Florida over the years and liked the Summit best. I went through VRBO and got a good deal on the Summit. Close to transition and nice rooms. I got a 2nd floor room which was great. Didn’t have to use the elevator. Steps were right outside my door.
I have also done this race 4 times and stayed at the Summit each time. Nothing flashy, in fact it is an older complex. But if you want cheap, 4 minute beach walk to transition, this is the place.
Top of the Gulf is the nicest of those three choices in my opinion.
x2 on the Summit. Depending on how they set up the finish line this year (it was in two different places the 2 different years that I did it), it could be closer to the finish line than any hotels/condos. It IS definitely closer to the morning special needs bag drop off area than the host hotel or any other hotels/condo for that matter.
In a good way, I am having much difficulty in booking for this year’s IMFL because of the excessive glut of places to stay
I am between Laketown Wharf and Shores of Panama (each less than 1/2 mile from start/finish) as they are newer and they seem to have the most 2 or more bedroom units with intenet, and I believe Laketown Wharf each unit has internet.
But trying to go through VRBO is frustrating and few owners even write you back.
I have stayed at the Laketown Warf twice and it was great. Very short walk to the race, clean and comfortable. I can’t imagine finding anything better for that race. I highly recommend it.
X2 - clean, roomy, and comfortable. Internet access in every room is a great plus. Also, Waffle House is just a stone throw away 
The only negative is the long wait for the elevators on race weekend.
Been there the last 10+ years and stayed at the Summit many times.
The nicest has been the GulfCrest, less than 1 mile from the site.
VRBO is the way to go for Florida.
Whatever the location you pick it all depends on the set-up as each unit is individually owned, some have been renovated and some have not so
make sure you see if it has been renovated.
Top of the Gulf is the nicest of those three choices in my opinion.
The Gulf doesn’t have balconies, does it? If I remember correctly, that was a drawback for me. I love to sit out on the balcony and watch the waves come in. Very soothing.
My 2 cents.
I’ve stayed at 3 condo’s for the two Gulf Coast Triathlon & one IMFL that I’ve done down there.
Stayed at Boardwalk Condo’s…probably sold out for IMFL so that’s a no-go.
Shores of Panama…next to Pineapple Willy’s directly on bike course. Maybe 1/2 mile from start/finish. Ocean side views. Pretty pricey. In-door heated pool.
Lakeshore Resort…directly across street from Pineapply Willy’s. Directly on bike course. Maybe 1/2 mile from start finish. Ocean side view, but does not directly abutt the beach. Very cheap relative to the other two mentioned above. I would definitly recommend Lakeshore. The wife, who is uber-picky, loved it as well. If you call for reservations, they will give you a 15-20% discount if you mention you are doing IMFL. Overall, the price for lakeshore was 1/3rd less than the other two mentioned above.
Good luck!
thought i would bump this up and see if people had the same or different opinions… have had good luck contacting top of the gulf owners…
how is this proximity to start/finish areas? walkable? before AND after?
thought i would bump this up and see if people had the same or different opinions… have had good luck contacting top of the gulf owners…
how is this proximity to start/finish areas? walkable? before AND after?
since you bumped my thread I thought I would answer. I stayed at The Summit…it was clean/really reasonable/large 1 bedroom/balcony/ample parking/walking distance to IM start/the IM run goes right by this condo/alot of other athletes will be staying here/decent pool. Couldn’t have been a better place IMO…wish every IM was that easy to navigate.
(Start and finish in same place)
In regards to top of the gulf owners no clue
I’ve stayed at Shores of Panama 3x and Boardwalk Condos 1x plus another condo couple miles down the road from transition.
Many of the units in condo building are being foreclosed. I rented one last year and had an issue with getting parking pass, and having a foreclosure notice on the door. At Boardwalk Beach Condos I think 25% or more of units were under foreclosure. I’d ask about that if renting thru vbro.com like I did.
I stayed in Shores of Panama first year it opened and it was great. 2 years later place was really beat up, elevator buttons missing 6 months after Spring Break, and some units if you rent from owners don’t look like the photos they took a few years ago.
I was able to rent my Boardwalk Beach condo 2 months before the race probably since it was being foreclosed in December at a great price. It is super convenient for both athletes and spectators.