The Holiday Inn Express Palm Bay is located about an hour south of Kennedy Space Center. While it may be a bit of a drive to see all the amazing things there. You won’t want to stay anywhere else.
With its amazing rooms. Great Food and a truly awesome location. This is a place you and your family will love. Not to mention you are only a half hour away from a number of great beaches.
These beaches are a great place to catch a sunrise or even some surf. Just don’t forget the towels and umbrellas. The Florida sun can be brutal just about any time of the year.
Room
The standard room at the Holiday Inn Express was very clean. All the furniture was in great shape. While the room wasn’t huge, it was your typical size.
The two queen beds are very comfortable. The mattresses are on the firmer side but that’s how I personally like them. It makes for a great night of sleep after a long day on the road.
The desk area left you with plenty of room to use your laptop or eat. The chair was also very comfortable too. Plus you had a decent amount of outlets and USB outlets.
The TV on the other hand, sucked! Not sure if it was the TV or just the cable service. I am pretty sure it was the cable service. It was a pain to try to get the TV to turn on and actually show a channel.
The room also comes with a mini fridge, microwave, and Keurig. I felt like I was able to put more in the mini fridge than I have at other places. The addition of a Keurig over the normal hotel coffee is a great thing. Hotel room coffee is horrible. Having a Keurig at least gives you a chance for a decent cup in the morning.
Now to the bathroom room which is a great size. You won’t feel cramped at all with plenty of room to move around. The one thing it lacked was water pressure. The sink barely had any. The shower was a little better.
The toilet also wasn’t great when it comes to flushing power but it’s enough. I’ve stayed at places where the toilets struggled flushing paper. You don’t have that issue at the Holiday Inn Express Palm Bay but it won’t suck down a golf ball.
Back to the shower. The pressure was okay, just not great. Finding the perfect temperature of the water was pretty easy. Getting a hot, cold, or warm shower shouldn’t be a problem. The Holiday Inn did also get rid of the individual use shampoos and soaps. There are refillable ones in the shower and sink areas. I must say, I am really liking that new addition to hotel rooms.
Hotel Overview
The Holiday Inn Express at Palm Bay is a four story hotel. Just like the rooms, the hotel was very clean. I would see someone mopping the lobby area a couple times a day. The hotel never looked like a mess.
There is a small but nice little fitness area. You will find an elliptical, treadmill, and free weights. It may not be much but it’s perfect to get a quick workout in, while on vacation.
Now the pool is also very small. The pool almost felt like an afterthought at this hotel. It is kind of surprising when you consider the hotel is located in Florida.
Sure I bet I know what you are thinking. “Hey I’m close enough to the beach, I’ll just hang out there”.
While you are “close” to the beach. It’s still about a half hour drive. Overall, that’s not too bad. However, sometimes you just want to relax in the early evening hours down by the pool. And sure you can do that here. It is just a little tight if a couple of families are out there.
Now the main reason I booked the Holiday Inn Express Palm Bay was for the breakfast. Breakfast is included when you book a stay here. The breakfast was pretty good overall.
The Breakfast I had at the Holiday Inn Express in Pekin, Il was much better but the one in Palm Bay was good. Here you will find both hot and cold items. On my most recent visit we had scrambled eggs, biscuits, and sausage links each day. We also had cheese omelettes and ham slices each for one day.
There was also oatmeal, cereal, bagels, bread, muffins, and cinnamon rolls. You can also make your own pancakes. The pancakes only take a minute to make and you get two of them. They are pretty good and nice and fluffy.
Local Area
The Holiday Inn Express Palm Bay is in a great location. It is located right off of Interstate 95. If you planning on visiting the Florida Keys and coming from NC or further north. It makes for the perfect place to stop for the night.
However, if you are not planning on visiting the Keys, Palm Bay is still a great spot. You are close to a number of amazing beaches. Plus you are not too far from Kennedy Space Center or even Port Canaveral if you are taking a cruise.
There are a number of beaches to visit that are within a half hour. Places like Cocoa Beach, Pineda Beach Park, Satellite Beach, and many, many more. All of these beaches make for the perfect place to catch the sunrise. The couple of beaches we visited were also very clean. However, you do have a little bit of a walk but its really not that far.
Kennedy Space Center is also within an hour drive from the hotel. This was the main reason I was staying in Palm Bay. The hotels are much nicer than nearby Titusville and cheaper than some of the coastal areas.
KSC has a lot to offer the space lover. Even those who are not huge fans for all things space, will still have a fun and amazing time. See what NASA has done and what they are currently doing.
You won’t have a hard time trying to find good food nearby either. Sure you have your normal Fast Food and chain restaurants. However, why not try some local eats.
We checked out two different locations during our visit. Long Doggers was one place that has a few different locations. The food here was delicious and you don’t just need to get hot dogs. The fried shrimp and clams were amazing.
The hot dog was pretty good too. I can recommend the High Life dog. Get it with or without chili.
Another amazing place to check out is The Pig & Whistle. This little place is packed full of flavor and delicious choices. The fish and chips were cooked perfectly. The portion size was huge and the prices were reasonable.
One more thing around the local area. If you are lucky enough you might just be visiting when a rocket is launched. I was lucky enough to witness a night launch of a Falcon 9 rocket.
You won’t even have to go far. I was able to see the sky light up to a bright orange from the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express. Not only could I see the sky light up, I could also hear the boom and of course, I could see the rocket heading into space.
Are you planning a visit to the Space Coast? If you are make sure to check out the Holiday Inn Express in Palm Bay. With a great location and amazing room. You will be happy with your pick.
Kozmo Photos 