Hi,
I’m looking to organize a small training camp for our club next April. I would like to know if someone can tell me the best places to stay in the area (not too expensive, near training site, with spa or other great facilities, etc).
If you could also tell me how you paid to give me an idea of the rate there, I will really appreciate!
Thx,
Fred
You really only have 3 options if you want to be close. Closest to the NTC are the Hampton Inn and the Fairfield Inn (i.e., within a 1/4 mile). About a 1 mile further is the Holiday Inn Express. I’ve stayed at all 3 and they are of comparable quality. Not sure that any have “great facilities”. I prefer the Fairfield because it is close and has an outdoor hot tub (the Hampton does not). Anticipate $119 to $129 per night although I’ve snagged as low as $79 before tax. If you pay in advance you will get a better deal.
The Mission Inn Resort in Howey in the Hills, is located about 15 miles north of Clermont. Great resort with a spa. They have hotel and condo’s. Great cycling around the resort with some nice hills. You can bike down to the NTC and jump into their pool. Buckhill Road is a great clay road for running. Z
In your opinion, is it the best choice to stay close to NTC or there is better option in the area?
http://www.vrbo.com/34161 or something like it!
There are hundreds of vacation rentals down here. Some are condos in resorts, some are houses in subdivsions with pools and tennis courts… Some are single family homes on their own.
There are thousands of options for lodging.
Most of the roads in and around Clermont / Winter Garden / Oakland are good for riding. Lake Louisa state park and the “clay roads” are excellent running. NTC is nice, but you will only be swimming there, right? I would base lodging more on bike routes and ameneties. Personally the idea of a long hard day on the bike is made almost unbearable followed by another night in a hotel.
Not sure the nature of your “team”, but living together for the week in a nice big house with all the ameneties of home might provide benefits above and beyond the training you will endure.
Yes, there are hundreds of vacation rentals there (mostly on the south side) and I have been to a training camp in Kissimmee 30 mins south that rented 3 houses near each other, but they weren’t using the NTC facilities either. The answer to your question depends on how many are in your camp and how many have access to vehicles and what your agenda is. If you intend to swim at the NTC a lot and folks don’t have a car, then it is nice to be at the Fairfield where you can walk over to the NTC and to Crisper’s for lunch or Cracker Barrell for a cheap dinner. It’s about 2 blocks from a bike shop also. If you are in some vacation home then some folks may be highly dependent on others for transportation. It really depends on how much you want to cook for yourself. The NTC is centrally located if you want to bike north to Sugar Loaf or drive south to run the Orange Grove road or do some bricks in Lake Louisa state park. Plus the roads around the NTC have bike lanes and there are a lot of hills to run on. You can make a really nice hilly run loop from either the Hampton or the Fairfield to the bike trail they use for the GFT run out to to the GFT start and then back on roads to the hotel.
Check out AAA triathlon camp. They have lots of options from coaching to just hosting athletes on a training camp.
I stayed there last year between Clermont and Sarasota continental cups and it was really awesome, John and Jody are great.
I had the same experience with them last spring. They are really awesome. It may not be the most luxurious accommodation, but their hospitality more than makes up for it. They’re doing it for the love of the sport and the people. I would go back any time.
The idea to rent a house/condo for our group of 12 seems a very good idea!
Could you recommand me a small resort, house or group of condos near the NTC (within 10km) where you already stay and had a good experience?
I’m more incline to take a decision based on other experience than a simple Google search…
Thanks again!
Fred