Holiday Inn Express & Suites South Lake Buena Vista by IHG — known as the Calypso Cay area hotel — sits on Calypso Cay Way near Disney World.

I pulled into the Holiday Inn Express Calypso Cay parking lot and the first thing I noticed was broken asphalt and potholes. Not a great start after a 9-hour drive with kids in the back seat.

Walking toward the lobby, a guy stepped out of a beat-up car and stopped me. He didn't have a credit card. Could I book his room and he'd give me the cash? He was good for it.

I said no and kept walking. Why does someone hang out in a hotel parking lot asking strangers to put a room on their card? That question answered itself. 

Parking is $5 a night. The amenity fee is $25 — $28.28 with tax. On a five-night stay that's over $165 that never appeared in the room rate. Yes, Holiday Inn Express Calypso Cay has an amenity fee.

Inside, the setup was tired. Small breakfast, nothing memorable. One washer and dryer for the entire property — one machine for every guest on every floor. If you're doing laundry on a Disney trip, you're waiting in line for it.

The room itself was functional but uninspiring. Nothing broke. Nothing wowed.

It felt like the kind of place you book when you run out of better options, not when you're planning a $4,000 family vacation.

Holiday Inn Express Calypso Cay sits in the Calypso Cay area near Disney World. It's not Flamingo Crossings — where the six hotels all include free breakfast and sit minutes from the parks — and it's not Disney Springs. The location works logistically but the property doesn't deliver what a budget family needs as a Disney base camp.

One more thing before you book.

I've stayed in 36 Disney-area budget hotels. This one made my list of four I won't go back to.

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