IMFL places to stay

We stayed in the gulf crest condos and are staying there again this year. They are very nice and are within walking distance of the start/finish. They are also right on the run course so you pass them 4 times in the run.

VRBO definitely has some of the best offers.  How many in your group?  Are they all staying with you or are you getting your on seperate room/condo?  If you are going in a small group, I have stayed at the Sunbird which is very close, but only has 1BR condos (sleeps 4).  If you have a bigger group you can get larger condos at the Boardwalk Beach Resort (host hotel right at race site) or you can do like I am doing and get one at the Shores of Panama which is about block away from the race and right on the bike route and it looks to have all the amenities to keep your family distracted.  Many others available, but I like the locality of these.

Edited by Cavu9 2008-01-26 8:51 AM

My wife and I loved our condo at the Boardwalk Beach Resort. It was beautifully appointed, had a mini kitchen and a balcony with a view. Plus, it was nice to be on race site to calm our nerves. We also had family that stayed at the Boardwalk Beach Resort hotel, which was a different story. Their room wasn't the cleanest and was in serious need of a facelift ... or at least a coat of paint.

Train hard and then enjoy the day. Best of luck.

I stayed at Gulf Crest through VRBO as well - great unit and walking distance to transition (even after 140.6 miles...!). You can see the swim course off your balcony (wouldn't spectate it from there though). Also, across the street from Wendy's for a much deserved triple cheeseburger after the finish.

Highly recommend it.

JG

Look at the shores of panama condos.  they are walking distance and brand new. 

I stayed at the Inn at St. Thomas Square and was pretty happy. I got a 2 bedroom condo for somewhere around $100 a night. There's also studio places for super cheap - $50?. They have extra fees for cleaning and such but it is still super cheap. Of course, it's not right on the beach though. I prefer to stay away from the excitement of races. Things are stressful enough as it is. I found the race site very easy to walk to from the condo, and didn't even mind walking back and forth after I was done, to see the last hour finishers come in. The walk is about .4-.5 of a mile.

This is a fairly good joint to get last minute, as I saw places available even heading into the last month.

I love the Gulf Crest Condos. I've stayed there many years for Gulf Coast and IM. Very close by (walking distance) but not in the thick of things.

Stayed at Sunbird. great location with views of the Gulf. Walking distance to all race related locations. It is listed on places to stay on IMF website.

Another vote for Gulf Crest.......I've stayed down in PCB at everything form the Travelodge to Gulf Crest to the new Boardwalk resort condos.
Gulf Crest is by far the best of these places......I booked mine through VRBO and had a huge place with great views, plenty of room, 2 nice hot tubs and as someone else mentioned that while it is in reasonable walking distance to the race venue, it is not in the thick of things traffic and noise and distraction-wise.
One of my best moments was walking along the beach the day before IM heading to the practice swim....quiet, serene....gave me a chance to reflect on how lucky I was to be where I was and healthy/ready to go and gave me a chance to really mentally re-focus!

Hope this helps,
Paul

Just booked Shores of Panama. A 2br/2ba with a bunk room for $590 for the week, including taxes and cleaning fees.

590!! wow, did you have to put down the full amount, or just a deposit? Did you go through vbro?