The semi-circular driveway in front of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort property was crowded with people and clogged with cars; but I managed to find a temporary place to park my rental car so that I may check in at the busy front desk.
Review: Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort — With Breakfast, Divided
As street parking is at a premium — meaning that virtually no available free parking spaces are available near the resort property — I had no choice but to park in the gated parking lot across the street, which costs $17.00 per day. The attendant was an older woman who was quite gregarious and sweet.
Flavored water infused with pineapple and herbs was available near the elevators; but the taste was rather bland and off-putting.
The following message was printed on the small sign:
Thank you for being our guests. Please feel free to enjoy our infused water by using our provided cups.
Should you need to fill your water bottles, water fountains are located near the Grand Ballroom restroom area.
The Room
The beds were comfortable enough on which to sleep — each bed had four pillows on it — but they were nothing special or extraordinary…
…but I was upgraded to a room with a view of the beach and the Atlantic Ocean — photographs of the view are shown later in this article — and I enjoyed sleeping at night with the glass door opened while listening to the sounds of the ocean. A very narrow terrace which is barely wide enough on which to stand and overlook the beach is on the other side of the glass door.
The furnishings in the room — including a white dresser with three drawers, a wooden desk with one drawer for stationery, a chair on rollers at the desk, a small nightstand between the beds, and a chair near the glass door — were rather sparse and dated; but they were adequate.
The room was not equipped with a microwave oven or a small refrigerator.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was also rather dated in terms of appearance; but it was also adequate. Amenities which were offered in the bathroom included two bars of soap, shampoo, conditioner, cotton swabs and body lotion.
Plenty of towels were available in the bathroom, which included a toilet, tub and shower head — again, all of which were adequate and showing their age.
A second sink, mirror, towel and washcloth are located just outside of the bathroom for anyone who needs to wash up, brush his or her teeth or check how he or she looks in case the bathroom is occupied by another person who needs his or her privacy.
Opposite of the second sink just outside of the bathroom and adjacent to the entrance to the room is a standard closet with a sliding folding louvered door; and it contains an iron, ironing board, safe, a portable luggage rack, and wooden hangers.
One Breakfast, Divided
A breakfast buffet is located in Doc Bales Grill, which is a restaurant located adjacent to the lobby of the resort property…
…and what I found interesting was that the buffet area was divided into two areas by stanchions with retractable belts: the full breakfast area, which comprised of both sections; and the continental breakfast area, which was only one section.
I have been to hotel and resort properties which simply have one buffet area but either have the continental breakfast on one side and the remainder of the full breakfast on the other side with no divider; or the guest is simply told to which breakfast items he or she is entitled as part of a room rate or elite level status. I had never seen this type of setup before, which is clearly marked by large signs.
The area of the buffet to which only guests who were entitled to a full breakfast included such items as smoked salmon, strips of bacon, and omelets which were prepared fresh at a station; while hot items included in the continental breakfast area included such items as oatmeal and potatoes.
The quality of the food was not the best, in my opinion — so much so that I left the restaurant still somewhat hungry rather than go for additional helpings of food. Even the orange juice did not taste like it was freshly squeezed — and this resort property is located in the state of Florida.
A choice of cold cereals and assorted baked goods were also available. Most — if not all — of the baked goods were packaged instead of fresh and were rather forgettable.
The View
Part of the view from the room looking towards the southeast is The Daytona Beach Coquina Clock Tower, which was built in 1937. It is located within the Daytona Beach Bandshell and Oceanfront Park Complex historic district; and it was entered into the United States National Register of Historic Places on Thursday, February 25, 1999.
Also known as the Main Street Pier, the Daytona Beach Pier — which is the structure jutting into the Atlantic Ocean in the background — has been around since 1925. At 1,000 feet, it is centrally located along the Daytona Beach Boardwalk and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area. The Daytona Beach Pier is open seven days per week, with access from the famous Daytona Beach Boardwalk — as well as from the foot of Main Street itself.
The photograph above shows the view from the room facing east; while the photograph below shows the view from the room facing northeast.
The View at Sunrise
I woke up early to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean; and I saw the Daytona Beach Coquina Clock Tower in a whole new light — literally — to me, anyway.
Off in the distance is the famous Daytona Beach Pier.
Capturing all of the vivid colors of the dawning of a new day was impossible.
The Daytona Beach Coquina Clock Tower and the Daytona Beach Pier became silhouetted after their lights were automatically turned off.
The sun peeked over the water and low layer of clouds off in the distance.
A closer view of Daytona Beach Pier shows that dozens of people were already on the pier — either fishing or just enjoying the sunrise.
The clouds added a nice texture to the sunrise.
Other Views of the Resort Property
This is what the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort property looks like from the beach…
…and this is what the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort property looks like from the Daytona Beach Pier.
The Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort property — which has 746 rooms — was an Adam’s Mark hotel property until July of 2004, when it switched over to Hilton.
Summary
If not for the view of the beach and the Atlantic Ocean, my stay at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort property would have been nothing more than ordinary. Nothing was bad with my stay — but the service was good; the room was reasonably comfortable; and the food at the breakfast buffet was fair to mediocre for the most part, in my opinion.
This resort property has no executive lounge.
The rate at which I initially booked my reservation was for $115.20 per night before taxes and fees; but when I checked only five days after booking my reservation, the room rate decreased to $98.40 per night — which is a savings of $16.80 per night before taxes and fees. If you have a reservation booked with which changes are not restricted, always periodically check the room rate to see if it had decreased — and if so, change it.
Keep in mind that you will pay $32.00 more per day plus taxes for parking and the daily resort fee. I was able to get the agent behind the front desk to eliminate the resort fee for one night; but he said there was nothing he could do about the parking fee.
Still, I recommend staying at this resort property if you plan on being in Daytona Beach and secure a good rate per night — generally less than $100.00 per night as the threshold, in my opinion — and especially if you are able to upgrade to a room with a view of the Atlantic Ocean without paying more for it.
Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort
100 North Atlantic Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida, 32118
1-386-254-8200
1-386-253-0275 Fax
Parking fee: $17.00 per night.
Resort fee: $15.00 per night includes the following:
- Guest Internet access
- Five dollars in credit for food
- 15 percent off of facial or massage
- 15 percent off gift shop on the regular price of clothes
- One hour rental of board or bicycle
- One select D-Dawgs arts-crafts
- Breakfast free for children 12 years of age and younger off of the kid menu with parent
- Local telephone calls and toll free telephone calls
All photographs ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
