Are you planning a trip down to Florida from the Northeast travelling down I-95? If you are, we got the perfect place for you to stop for the night. The Residence Inn in Florence, South Carolina is only 6 hours and 15 minutes away from Orlando, Florida. Plus it is under 10 hours from New York City.
Driving to Florida from the Northeast can save you a lot of money over flying. However, it can be a very long trip in the car. Finding a good stopping point is never a bad idea. The Residence Inn is a nice clean hotel that won’t blow your budget.
We recently stayed here in August 2023 for one night while traveling to Orlando. While I could have driven farther, it was nice to have a place to stay for the night already booked. Keep reading below to find out our thoughts on this easy to access hotel right off of I-95 in Florence, SC.
Room
We stayed in a one bedroom suite for one night. The room was huge. If we would have stayed for a week, I know we wouldn’t have any troubles of being on top of each other.
The room is split up into four different areas. You have the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom areas. None of these areas felt small and cramped.
The Kitchen area is stocked with everything you might need to make a quick meal or just to heat some leftovers up. You will find plates, cups, and bowls in the cabinets and silverware in the drawer. You will also find pots to use on the electric stove top.
Don’t worry about the dishes either. There is a dishwasher in the kitchen too! Plus you won’t need to bring anything from home. The stuff for the dishwasher along with a scrub pad can be found here too.
There is also a small desk located in the area as well as a table that seats four. It’s not a small table either. We all sat at the table and still had plenty of room in front of us and next to us.
The living room is the next area you enter after you go through the kitchen. Here you will find a sleeper sofa that is fairly comfortable. A TV is also located in the living room.
The couch isn’t huge but if you have a smaller family you all might be able to sit on it together. We were able to have one adult and two 12 year old girls sit on the couch together. There may have even been room for myself to sit down on it.
From the living room you go through a door into the bedroom. The bedroom had two queen beds with plenty of outlets next to the bed for charging all of your electronics. The beds were very comfortable, especially after being on the road all day.
The beds are a little on the firmer side. However, that is how I prefer my bed. The pillows were also very comfortable. It was like laying my head down on a cloud. There was also plenty of light coming into the room from the window and when we used the lamps in the room.
Next to the room is the bathroom area. You will find the sink outside of the bathroom. There was a ton of room around the sink for all of our hygiene products.
The bathroom was a decent size. Now I am a pretty decent size (5’11” 290lbs) and I had plenty of room to move around and change in the bathroom. Not once did I think it was too tight.
The toilet had good flushing power. The shower had nice water pressure too. It wasn’t hard at all to find that sweet spot for the water temp either.
One of the things I have been noticing more and more in hotels are the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash being in pump bottles attached to the wall in the shower. It seems like more and more places are getting ride of the small bottles they use to give you. I must say that I think I kind of like the bigger bottles being in the shower.
Around the Hotel
The Residence Inn in Florence, SC isn’t a huge hotel but it does have a lot of things to offer. There is a small pool that is quite refreshing. You will also find plenty of areas to sit around the pool too.
The entire outside area around the pool is actually very nice and comfortable. It was a great place to just sit and relax after a long days drive. I found it to be very peaceful.
A small fitness center can be found at the hotel too. I must say I was very impressed with what they had in there for it being such a small space. You will find dumbbells’, a small bench, elliptical, and treadmills. You won’t be able to get a full workout in but you can get enough of one in to make you feel good about yourself.
If you want to sit and relax in the lobby, you are in luck. There are plenty of places to sit. Plus I found the lobby to very relaxing and calming. Not sure why that as but I did.
Breakfast is included with your stay at the Residence Inn. The breakfast was pretty good and they had a nice selection of hot and cold items. On they day we visited they had biscuits and gravy, sausage links, and scrambled eggs. There was also oatmeal and grits.
You could also make your own waffles. They had fresh fruit too. You can also find bagels, muffins, bread, and cereal. They had a really nice selection of food that is sure to fit anyone in your families needs. Plus the lady working the area was very nice and full of that famous southern hospitality.
Local Area
There is plenty to see and do in the surrounding area too. The Magnolia Mall is located across the street. A Target, Kohls, and Walmart can also be found near by. If you forgot anything back home you can surely find it in one of those stores.
Now this area has no shortage of places to eat. Everything from fast food to those big chain restaurants. You can find Arby’s, Taco Bell, Chick Fil A, and so much more. What ever you are in the mood for you can find it in the local area.
Could you ask for a more prefect place to stop for the night while heading down to Florida? Don’t Forget the Florida Welcome Center off of I-95 is just under 4 hours away. Even if you are planning on driving all the way to Miami you are still looking at under 9 and half hours.
Do you travel from the Northeast and stop overnight while traveling to Florida? Let us know where you stop for the night in the comments below.
