Lakeside Inn

Lakeside Inn is under new ownership. The new owner is in the process of upgrading and restoring the Inn as the previous owner seemed to let things slide considerably. One has to understand that improvements to a building on the National Historic Register can take a long time and cost an enormous amount of money. There are strict standards that have to be kept being a NHR property. This can lead to delays in permitting and construction. Many of the buildings restorations are well under way and in some cases complete. With that in mind, I believe the Lakeside Inn is well on its way to reliving the glory days of historic Florida. This is the type of hotel that still has the room keys in wooden slots behind the counter. If you're expecting the Westin or Hilton hotel with all the modern technology and luxury amenities, this is not the hotel for you to stay at. The Inn is charming. It's small. Yes, the TVs are older and you still have a real room key, not a swipe card. Sitting on the porch in the evening watching the sunset over the lake with a glass of ice tea is the perfect end to a relaxing evening. The Inn even has a real sea plane service that can fly you on a sightseeing tour (I believe approx $50/person). The tour is limited to certain times of year. I'd recommend calling ahead to check on availability. How cool is that? How many hotels do you know that can provide a sea plane sightseeing tour? Perhaps the most amazing part of the Inn is their lobby. Several seating areas allow for a nice place to spend the evening catching up with friends. Speaking of friendly, don't be surprised if other guests stop and say hello to you. The Inn's lobby actually creates an environment where people are amazing social and friendly to each other and get to know each other. It's within walking distance of the 5th Avenue shopping district (just one block away). If you're looking for something off the beaten path. Away from the insanity of the hotels on Disney or Universal Studios property, the Lakeside Inn is definitely worth it. It's charming get away. more

I would give them NO stars if I could. This was absolutely a ridiculous experience to say the LEAST. First of all, the amount for the wedding ceremomy, JUST the ceremony..not including any kind of music or anything waaws $963.00. This was a supposed ""package,"" which included a grooms cake, a $60 bottle of champagne, an officiant, and site of ceremony, as well as a ""bridal suite"" which included a 1985 tv set, and dusty dirty air conditioning that was 30 years old. Upon arriving, the suite was not available as promised, we were told we would have a guest room until the room was cleaned. WELL, that took over 2 hours! The front desk staff were RUDE and incompetent! A few hours after check out, we were told that we would be fined $100 for the smell of smoke in the room. Even though I had informed her that nobody smoked INSIDE the room. Kim, decided to argue this with me. There is an entrance to the outside, which any smoking was done OUTSIDE of the room on the stairwell. SO, I decided to bring to her attention that the so-called ""champagne"" I was to recieve was actually an $8 bottle of ""sparkling wine."" I even brought the bottle in to show her. Brushing me off, she said that ""was another issue."" I then notified her that the grooms cake that was included actually turned out to be a BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH BALLOONS ON IT!! How embarrasing is that?? I called Publix and spoke to Tony, the assistant store mgr for those of you who would like to confirm this. He informed that the order made was for a ""chocolate fudge confetti cake,"" and that this was not the first time that they have had issues with the wedding planner regarding this sort of matter. However, he was excited to rectify the situation and offered us a refund on the cake. Normally, I would have let this go, but to have the nerve to even ATTEMPT to charge us for a fine with so many discrepensies and not even apologize, KIM, is ridiculous!! We payed $963 for a HORRIBLE ""package,"" and $300 for the wedding planner fee. Yet, nobody wants to take responsibility. I had to close my accounts and reopen so they would not be able to charge me for a fee I was not going to pay. Oh, and lets not forget that during the 2nd visit with the wedding planner, the bar served my 2 1/2 yr old daughter a MIMOSA. GET OVER YOURSELVES. OVERPRICED SCAM, DO NOT USE THESE WEDDING SERVICES!!! more