Three nights in Lake Mary for a field hockey showcase.

The original plan had been a nearby Hyatt Place, booked as part of a broader Hyatt mattress run. When that run was dropped (covered in The Malta Mattress Run I Almost Took), the Lake Mary stay needed re-evaluating.

Cash rates sat at $650.58 for three nights.

At the same time, Wyndham points had been purchased at ~0.87 cents per point. This property prices at 15,000 points per night, or 45,000 points total.

That puts the effective cost just under $400.

Cash rates had been roughly even between the Hyatt and the La Quinta. Once points were introduced, it wasn’t close.

A standard king room, set up much as expected.

The desk space proved useful, but not during the day. Once we left for the event in the morning, we didn’t coming back until later. It was mainly used early mornings while everyone else slept, and in the evenings.

The microwave and fridge sit slightly apart from the main room, in a small nook by the bathroom. Both got used.

Slightly dated, but does what it needs to.

The hallway was longer than expected from the room location. More noticeable was the temperature variation. At times, a window had been left open at one end, which made parts of the corridor noticeably cold. Not constant, but it came up more than once.

Inside the room, the issue wasn’t temperature, but noise. The heater had a steady whir that became noticeable enough at night that we turned it off rather than leave it running.

There was also no daily housekeeping during the stay. No bed making or towel replacement. That may be standard for the property, but it’s worth knowing.

Breakfast was included.

On the first morning, the room was full. The field hockey event had drawn a large number of families to the same cluster of hotels, and timing mattered. By the time we arrived, the hot items were mostly gone, and what remained was basic: bagels, fruit, coffee.

The next morning was different. I was up early and went down before things got busy. As staff started bringing items out from the back, I asked whether I could take a few things up rather than come back later.

They went out the back and brought out bagels, yoghurt and fruit. I took them up to the room with the coffees I’d already picked up.

A number of items had been ordered from Dell to use Amex credits before year-end. Some had been sitting at the hotel for over a week before arrival.

Staff had no issue storing everything and bringing it out when we checked in. No fees, no complications. Just handed over as we arrived.

The hotel sits within reach of a retail and dining area, but not especially close.

Walking to the cluster near Topgolf takes around 15–20 minutes. That’s walkable, but not how most people nearby seemed to approach it.

Uber was the default. It worked consistently, both to the Boombah Sports Complex and for dinners. No meaningful surge pricing across the stay, even with the volume of people in town for the event.

Pickups at Boombah weren’t always obvious, with traffic control in place, but drivers generally managed to stop just long enough to load and move on.

One night was spent at Don Julio’s nearby. Another, at Fishbones, in a different retail area entirely, following a stop at Publix. Both worked well for what was needed.

After the final morning session at Boombah, we returned, checked out, and stayed for a couple of hours in the lobby.

The staff were relaxed about it and provided internet access without issue.

From there, a final stop at Cheesecake Factory, using up accumulated gift cards, before heading out.

This isn’t a hotel you stay at for the hotel.

It works when the inputs line up. Cash prices were elevated around a fixed event, points were already held at a known cost, and the stay needed to absorb logistics rather than deliver an experience.

At 15,000 points per night, with that cost basis, it did exactly what it needed to.

Change those inputs, and a different choice likely makes more sense.