Apopka, Florida, is a city you shouldn’t skip out on. With its charming wedding venues, beautiful landscapes, and serene nature trails, this city is quite underrated compared to the other cities in Central Florida. Given that there are so many things to do in the area for anyone who visits, it’s no surprise that Apopka also has plenty of hotels. Visitors have a few options from the Holiday Inn Express to the Hampton Inn & Suites.
However, in this article, I share the hotels Apopka has to offer starting with my visit to the Hilton Garden Inn Apopka City Center, and why this should be your first hotel choice in Apopka.
Before I get into my visit to the Hilton Garden Inn, I should disclose that I did not stay in this location because I live close by. However, I have stayed in several Hilton Garden Inn before and have always had a great experience. Also, I got the opportunity to visit this hotel due to an event that was being hosted there.
Hilton Garden Inn Apopka City Center
Located at the new Apopka City Center, Hilton Garden Inn is surrounded by trees away from the bustling of the main street. It is also conveniently next to The Highland Manor, a gorgeous and highly-rated wedding venue. They offer over 10,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor space perfect for meetings or events.
During my visit, I got to experience their catering, The Garden Grille and Bar, and I also received a tour of this lovely hotel.
The Lobby
Upon arrival, I noticed the front desk and right next to it was the little market full of snacks. I didn’t pay enough attention to the market since my attention went right to The Garden Grille and Bar. While the lobby is quite clean and spacious, the layout differs from what I am used to. I’ve been to hotels that would separate their bar from the check-in desk, but right when you walk in, you have the check-in desk on your left-hand side and the bar on the right.
However, this wasn’t a deterrent. I would still stay in this hotel. Plus the space itself is quite lovely due to the decor of The Garden Grille and Bar. There is also a section where you can sit away from the Grille and Bar.
The Garden Grille and Bar
One of the things you will notice when walking into the hotel is the lights hanging around the Garden Grille and Bar. The decor is quite stunning and it is also very spacious. While I did not get a glimpse of the menu, you can get an idea of what they serve by checking out the Bite30 Menu for their $35 Prix Fixe Dinner.
I did get to try some of the things you will find on their menu and catering. From pizza to spring rolls, we received a full spread at the event. If you’re looking to host an event here, I will say it was an excellent time – the food, the setup, and the space were perfect. You could even have a rehearsal dinner here if you’re getting married at the Highland Manor next door.
The Food
I don’t normally dine at hotels. Whenever I stay somewhere, I like to venture out and explore local eats as well as restaurants outside the hotel. But whenever I’ve had dinner at the hotels, I’m always pleasantly surprised by the food’s quality.
While there were a few dishes I would pass on, such as the pizza and shrimp, I was quite surprised by how much I liked the spring rolls.
That wasn’t all I ate though. We were surprised by a second room full of food. After eating our appetizers, we were taken into another room, which is the events room. This was another nice space with round tables and a spread of food at every corner. Here, I got to try sliders, soup with brisket grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken and waffles, and I also got to make tacos.
There were two kinds of sliders: the pulled pork sliders and chicken sliders. The sliders were pretty good, not the best I’ve ever tried, but overall I wasn’t disappointed with the spread. Plus the table looked beautiful with the decorations around it.
The brisket grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup were a nice addition to the spread. I didn’t think I’d find this at a hotel, but I was proven wrong. This was very tasty and much better than the sliders.
The next dish I tried was tacos, but what I loved about this was the setup. Instead of having pre-made tacos, they allowed us to make our own, giving us all the ingredients needed to put them together. There were two types of proteins to choose from and different toppings for our tacos. This was a nice touch to the setup and I appreciated the choices.
However, my favorite out of everything I tried was the chicken and waffles. This was so good. I’ve tried my fair share of chicken and waffles, and this was superb. Not only was the chicken cooked right with a crispiness to it without drying out the chicken, but the waffle was just as crispy and fluffy. Adding the maple syrup gave it the right amount of sweetness. I cannot tell you how many times, I’ve tried waffles that were soggy or chicken that was dried out, but this dish was perfect neither dry nor soggy.
Coffee, Tea and Dessert
After an amazing dinner, we were served coffee, tea, and desserts. This was out next to The Garden Grille and Bar. While I did not touch the coffee or tea, I did make a run to the dessert table and was excited to see the varied options.
They had cheesecakes, mini cakes, macarons, and petit fours. Having a sweet tooth did not make this an easy choice, so I opted for the cheesecake, at first.
We didn’t have any labels along with the desserts, so I wasn’t sure what flavor I was picking. However, the cheesecake I ended up with was a nice strawberry cheesecake. The other cups of cheesecakes looked like chocolate and vanilla. Though I could be wrong on that vanilla one.
This was such a good dessert. It wasn’t too sweet, but it was also not lacking sweetness. It was a perfect balance of the strawberry flavor and the cheesecake flavor. I also appreciated the fruits on top.
The next thing I tried was the mini cakes. Again I wasn’t sure what I was choosing since we did not have any signs, but I ended up with something that tasted like a lemon cheesecake. I’m sure the others weren’t cheesecake, but mine tasted like a lemon cheesecake. I did end up trying the Petit Fours and the Macarons, which were both just as delicious.
The Rooms
As mentioned previously, we also did take a tour of the hotel. This included a glimpse of the pool, the business center, the fitness center, and the rooms. While I did not take photos of the business center, fitness center, and pool, I did get a chance to take photos of the rooms, which to me are more important than the rest of the amenities only because I do not spend enough time in hotels when traveling. However, you can find photos of the amenities on Hilton Garden Inn’s website.
One of the first rooms we got to check out was the 2 queen bed. This was a nice room with a large desk, swivel chair, and HDTV. The bathroom was also quite nice and very clean. The room also has a mini fridge, coffee maker, and a microwave.
What I liked about this room the most was that it had a connecting room, which was a king-bedroom suite. Instead of instantly seeing the bed, the door opened to the living room space. This is the perfect setup for a wedding party, family, or a group of friends traveling. Get two rooms – one suite and one two queen bed, and you’ll get this nice setup.
The living room area is quite nice with a nice seating area, a 55-inch LCD TV, and you’ll also find the coffee maker and microwave. The couch does turn into a bed making this suite perfect for four people.
The suite has double doors to the bedroom, which is nice when one person wants to go to sleep and the other doesn’t. There is also a TV in the bedroom and you’ll find the desk there too.
The Hilton Garden Inn Apopka City Center is a nice stay for anyone visiting the city. It is within 7 miles of Rock Springs, Emerald Run, and Wekiwa Springs, and if you’re in the city for the holidays, you’ll also be close by to the Apopka City Hall, which is stunning to see during the holidays.
A Few Things to Know
There are a few things to know before you go to The Hilton Garden Inn.
