Calling Floridians for Hotel Help

I'm trying to start planning for a karting tour with my son in January, February and March. The locations are Orlando Kart Center, Palm Beach International Raceway and Ocala Gran Prix. I'd like to stay under $100/night but under to $60 would be even better.

Trip details

1) Wed-Mon each trip. Have to fly as I can take off long enough to drive

2) I know there's probably a million places people will recommend we have to see. I appreciate it, but he's going to race karts. It's a big event, so it's up at 6 a.m., at the track all day and back at the room between 7-9 p.m. every day. There's NO time for sightseeing. (Trust me, I'd love to take him to Disney World and stuff, but he doesn't want to. He just wants to drive. I don't think I've ever had his level of determination about anything.)

3) I'm cheap but only because three round trip "vacations" in a row are expensive. I can't/won't stay in a place where you can get rooms by the hour or where most tenants rent month to month. Then again, we're not like the typical kart family with a huge trailer and the kid has a tuner, a coach and a mechanic...

4) Been looking a Priceline trying to decide whether or not to package deal it for a good rate or try to get each piece (car, hotel, flight) using Name Your Own Price. This is where some local advice on areas to select would help.

I think have Orlando covered (looks like near the airport or the Florida Mall are inexpensive but decent). I know to stay away from the $29/night dives at the Main Gate entrance (besides, that's like 20+ miles which would mean getting up at 5 to get to the track in time for warmup, ugh).

However, I need help for the other two:

Palm Beach - This will probably be the most expensive leg of the trip. Anywhere near the track (i.e. in Jupiter) seems to be at least $130/night. Looks like Riviera beach is touch and go (based on Priceline comments), but it's still a 20 mile trip. What areas am I not seeing? Any towns west of the track I should consider?

Ocala - Seems to be some pretty good deals/rooms close to the track. Days Inn is like $35/night, so I'm thinking that's what I'll take. However, I know it's one of GRM's favorite places to go, so I'm looking for any advice on the area.

On a different note, why in the world are economy cars in Florida $55/day? It's ridiculous!

So, anybody got some tips?

Thanks, in advance (so I don't feel like I have to reply with a thanks to every post).

-Rob

I'm in Fl, but not the areas you are visiting. I do have some tips I've used in the past though. I use Priceline and Hotwire to find good deals on hotels and cars. With Hotwire, you don't name your own price, but you also don't know the actual hotel or car rental agency you will ultimately get. I also use betterbidding.com to figure out what hotels I'm bidding on based on the amenities and what price will likely win (see the Priceline/Hotwire hotel list for your area). Using the sites combined, you can get a good rate and know what hotel it will be in advance.

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/vac/

Anywhere around the Florida Mall is sketchy. Try to find something that's away from Orange Blossom Trail.

http://allears.net/acc/faq_villages.htm

That place is nice, and that's a pretty solid deal if you can still get it.

In general, International Drive is a nicer area. OBT is full of "ladies" of the evening hawking their wares. Bewteen I4 and the Florida Mall on OBT, there are several "gentleman's clubs" and hourly rental places. It's NOT a place I'd want my family to be.

Some places on 192 are pretty okay. Some are really crappy. Online pictures don't really guide you well. Online reviews also seem pretty skewed.

You may be able to book a time share at a good rate if you're willing to do a tour.

The only thing I'm going to recommend as a must-do is a drive down 192. You'll see the Xanadu house sign, the giant orange, the giant wizard, 2 castles, and about 15,000 gift shops. The Winn-Dixie at the corner of 192 and Formosa Gardens is creepy. It's right at the entrance of an abandoned theme park, so it carries the park's theme. Not saying it's a must-do, but if you stay on that side of town, it's not too hard to stop in for some groceries.

I really don't like Orlando.