Anybody rented a Vacation Home?

[newmousecateer]

Hi

Just me AGAIN!! (Love it here)

Clicked on "vacation homes for rent" for the first time today. Has anyone rented one before? Are they as nice as they look in the pictures online? How far are they from DW? We planned on renting a car anyway because DS and DIL and grandkids want to go to Universal, etc. Can anyone help with any info?

Sorry to have to ask this but DH and I smoke - are any of them "smoking"? If not, we can always smoke outside (sorry if I offend anyone with smoking request)

LOL to all of you for all of your great help. After we get the details of where we are staying set, will need lots of help planning park tickets, etc. :)

[Robinrs]

Hi, and WELCOME newmousecateer!

I will be staying in my first vacation home in January. I, too, would like to hear about more experiences.

Like you, I did the VRBO route, a little skeptical of pictures vs. real life. I finally did a great deal with an owner I found right here on this site! I've been to Orlando 6 times in the last year and a half and this will my first time in a home instead of a hotel. The main reason? My son and his friend who will be coming with us, ONLY care about the pool! I would spend most of my evenings, when I wanted to be relaxing in my room, sitting by the pool watching them.

Well, not this year! :D The pool will be right outside my living room and bedroom, instead of a trek downstairs and outside!

I have friends who live in Orlando who gave me a thumbs up on the subdivision we will be staying in. It's gated and clean and only about 7 mins from Disney.

Do a search on "vacation homes" or VRBO and you will get plenty of information on these boards.

And again, welcome!

[BonnieA]

I've been in 3 rental homes near Disney, rented 2 of them myself. The ones I stayed in were as nice as the pictures. They were beautiful. I am now spoiled and wouldn't stay anywhere else unless I went alone. The extra room by itself is worth it but there is so much more, private pool, washer & dryer, kitchen. They homes were non smoking but I'm sure you could go outside to smoke. The location was close enough to see fireworks from the parks. If you have any other questions about the homes or neighborhoods, you can email me.

[newmousecateer]

Thanks to both of you for your replies and tips.

RobinR, so glad you found a nice subdivision to stay in. I will definately search for more info.

I will definately be e-mailing you BonnieA. So glad to hear you had such good experiences, and nice to know the homes are as nice as the pictures.

I will keep in touch with both of you. Thanks again. (I love these boards! :bounce: )

[pbans]

We JUST returned from a four day cruise and three days in Orlando at a rental home. The home was absolutely beautiful, every bit of the pictures on the website. We were the first ones to use this home, it was BRAND new. We rented through "Homes 4 UU". I felt that that management company (IPG) was not as responsive to some problems as they could have been. Our home had NO hot water when we arrived......it was 1:00 am, but left a message and was told someone would get back with us first thing in the AM....so eight Magic Kingdom sweaty bodies went to bed w/o showers.....they didn't respond until 3:30 the next day!

Luckily for us, we had friends nearby who had also rented and we scampered over there, but I was upset that they took so long to respond.....will be taking it up with Homes 4 UU and see what they have to say!

Overall, the location was quite convenient to the parks...within ten minutes of anywhere we wanted to go.....beautiful subdivision.....

I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.....even with the cold shower!!

[Mr D]

Our family will be arriving in Orlando thursday for a 2 week stay at a Families First vacation home. Its just outside the park at exit 26 and it too has its own heated pool. When I booked it last month I was able to get a daily charge of $66 a night, for a complete house! I will post my comments later about the quality of it, we leave in 28 hours! Hard to imagine WDW is 5643 miles away.

[Robinrs]

Have a GREAT trip, Mr. D! And we want a full report! :D

[SME]

We currently have reservations at Pop Century for March. Now with it not opening and haven't heard where they are going to put us, and with early entry gone we are really thinking about a home.

Are some better than others? Which are close by Disney?

Do we think early entry will return prior to spring break?

[pomcoach]

Our first 2 nights are at a hotel, but my husband promised the kids a real home for this vacation. So we are staying 7 nights in a house that looks really good on the website. Our stay is also in Jan., so we aren't too long off! Yippee! I believe we found ours on VRBO also. It's in Indian Creek in Kissimmee.
We will have our own King bedroom with locks on the doors! There are 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and our own pool and hot tub. I think we are spending way too much, (about $119 a nt.) but Dad promised, so you know how that goes. We tried to offer less, because so many people told us it was really easy to negotiate. Not so for us! This woman's rate was etched in stone. The trouble is, I've heard lots of people say, once you rent a home, you never want a hotel again. We'll see. I think if you want a home, you should go for it. I've read a lot of people's experiences and not one has been negative. Good Luck! Pomcoach:bounce:

[Robinrs]

Pomcoach, considering what you're getting I'd say $119 a night is a GREAT price! I was quoted more than that for 3 bedrooms!

When in January will you be going? I'm going the very first week so I can report back to you!

[pomcoach]

I guess I got a cool deal after all then. We're just hoping that the pool is warm enough to use for January, or at least the hot tub. We are going Jan. 4th - Jan. 13th. I can't wait! Hope the weather will not be too freezing for us both! Pomcoach:bounce:

[pats]

I definately vote for the house rental. I too rented through vrbo and was very happy with the house that i will never stay in a hotel again. We stayed in Davenport..west on 192 to 27. It was about 10 minutes till disney. Not a bad drive though. Having the room and the private pool was the greatest. We had 3 teenage boys with us and they loved it. Im thinking about loooking for a house in Myrtly beach next. Have a ball!!!

[horseshowmom]

Pomcoach,
I'm sure you already know this, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it - most of the pool homes in the area have pool heat available (although they usually charge extra for it). If your home owner hasn't mentioned it, you might ask them. Hope you have a great trip! You'll love renting a house.

[FLeisure]

SB - is that you from the old G2O site ? If it is...great to see you are still around.

Vacation homes.....things are picking up again now after all the recent turmoil and if you do want to stay around Christmas time I would strongly suggest you get your skates on !

If this is your first time in a home...you're in for a treat. More room, your own pool and your own little piece of Florida ! If there are a few of you coming, you'll find it is cheaper than staying in a hotel.

Pool heat....you will definately need it at this time of year ! Most homes have heaters these days and the rates do vary depending upon type of heater and management co.

Have fun !

[pomcoach]

Yes, we paid about $130 extra for pool heat. The tax was included in there somewhere. We figured what good is a pool of your own if it feels like Iowa! We are getting pretty eager, since there's not many days left. My husband was thinking they said the pool would be 88 degrees and the hot tub 102 degrees, but we really can't remember for sure. Can't wait to see the home and just escape for awhile! Pomcoach:bounce:

[horseshowmom]

Hi FL!

Yes, it's me. Good to "see" you too. I love it here, but I still kind of miss the old board. I've tried to keep a watch out for DisneyDave too, but I haven't seen anything that looked like him over here. Have you heard from him and how he is?

BTW, I still drop your name whenever I see someone ask about a home that will take pets. That's a major help for some of us animal lovers.

Glad to hear business is picking up. Best of luck for the new year!

sb

[FLeisure]

Hi ya !
Great to hear from you...I haven't heard from DD. A great shame that he hasn't come over here.:(
Take care.

[macdoodle]

We just returned from 8 nights in a 3 bdrm/2 bath villa in Davenport. I will NEVER stay in a hotel again! The house was beautiful and only 10 min from WDW. We had great weather and used the pool and hot tub every day. I would strongly recommend renting a house to anyone as it is so much more private. We only paid $80/night and it was well worth it!

[Robinrs]

Good news, macdoodle!

I know you were skeptical but it sounds like yours was a great experience. Welcome back and thanks for the thumbs up!

[FLeisure]

May I ask why people are so sceptical about staying in a home ?

What's so different between staying in a hotel ?

Frankly I just don't understand the fear.

[leebee]

Several years ago we stayed at Holiday Villas and they were teriffic! Yes, every bit as nice as they look in the photos, and the 2 br was $79/nite, 3 br was $89/nt. Each villa didn't have its own pool, but we have a snake phobia that is unmanageable and didn't want to even think about having to deal with this. The resort's pool was fine, maybe a little small but we aren't pool people (only went 2x during the week) so it didn't matter to us. I personally think a home is the way to go, especially if you are sharing it with another couple or family, which REALLY keeps the price down! We had two families in ours (me, DH and DD, my sis, bil and niece) and had plenty of space. Loved the kitchen, and also the washer and dryer. We had the 3br, but nover used the 3rd br (got the 3br as we were skeptical about homes, too, worried about space). Go with the home for a real vacation, where you have privacy and space!

[Robinrs]

FL:

I DO understand the skepticism... it all seems too good to be true! :D

I sent you a PM!

[SME]

My question is: Are we still better off to stay on-site. We have 2 families and 4 teens (ages 13-16) and were wondering if the little pools at the homes were going to be enough for these kids. We figured on-site they can take buses on their own.

[horseshowmom]

A lot of the houses do have what I call postage stamp pools, however when you check on the house get the specific dimensions of the pool. They will probably try to tell you that it's a regular sized pool. Make them give you the actual size. You can still find houses with 15' x 30' or 16' x 32' pools.

The last time we rented a house, we had 3 adults (me, DH, and SIL) and 7 kids (6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, and 18). We had a 3 BR house. My husband's parents rented a house across the street, but all of the kids wound up staying at our house. We rented with Hayes Vacation Home Rentals, and the pool was 16' x 32'. We had room for everyone and were very comfortable. We enjoyed eating out by the pool. The washer and dryer were lifesavers for everyone. I find it much more relaxing (especially with teenagers! LOL) to be able to have more privacy.

[FLeisure]

sbclifton is absolutely right regarding pools. The majority of builders are building a 27 x 13 pool thesedays so do check on the size. We are shortly going to revise our web site to include a pool description on each house. A 27 x 13 pool is fine for 4 - 6 people but if you have a larger family coming with you, you might want something larger.

30 x 15 pools and larger are becoming rare and are usually to be found in older houses - 5-10 years old.

Something that you may want to consider...more and more houses are having a spa. This can act as a kids pool and is great fun.

[SimonV]

Vacation homes ARE big news in the Orlando area, and they simply represent great value for money, especially for larger groups.

However, I can understand some of the scepticism because there are some 'rogue' operators out there who have less than high standards and have given the business an unfortunate reputation in some areas. It is important to ensure a company can back up its claims with a substantial organisation like the Better Business Bureau or Central Florida Property Managers Association. Three companies I will always vouch for on a personal basis in this respect, because I've seen what they do and know they guarantee a consistent, high-quality service are: Premier Vacation Homes, Alexander Holiday Homes and Florida Leisure. They all also boast excellent web-sites, and what you see IS what you get!

[Mr D]

This was a wonderful home with an oversize master bathroom tub and a separate shower room and wc room (toilet) the property was immaculate the overall impression was great care was given to this home, it had three bedrooms but I was only billed for two which is what I requested, the pool was screen enclosed and just the right size and heated, again at no additional charge (it was posted on the website at $150 a week for heating) I was never bothered by salesman or anybody at all! The only people I saw were the groundskeeper and the bug guy spraying. The kitchen had all the latest in appliances and a good central airconditioning. There were several homes nearby also displaying the Prestige Vacation Home Emblems, it was like a countryclub feeling. The home itself was a few miles south of hiway 192 towards Haines City off of Loughman Rd. it was a straight shot north and then a mile to the main entrance of WDW. There was a large TV in the main room and another in the master bedroom, both with cable. There was a central fire/intrusion alarm system and electronic door locks. I would have gussed this place to rent for $250-300 a night but again I paid only $66 a night, I came back home to Alaska last thursday night with over $1600 left over from my original booking to stay at the Disney Institute which I cancelled and recieved the refund the day before we left for Orlando. Again the website is; Families First (http://www.familiesfirst.com) I am not getting anything back for endorsing this service it was just a limited reduction of pricing due to recent tourism dropoffs but I would definately stay there instead of in the park even if the lodging prices were the same. We had privacy, it was soooo quiet no kids running around, no late parties nothing but the birds and the sun and of course the groundskeeper once in a while. my kids kept talking more about swimming at this home than WDW, which they have already forgotten about. I may possibly consider moving to Florida and for my first month till I find permanet lodging I would rent this home, it made me feel like I was wealthy.:D

[FLeisure]

Mr D
Glad you enjoyed yourself !
Families First are a booking agency and do not have any control over where you actually end up. They rent homes from management companies.
At the moment business is slow everywhere and that is the reason you got such a great deal -fantastic deals are around now and even for Christmas, which is normally peak season.
From a buying a home front, if you are serious, there isn't a better time to do it - there are many bargains to be had. Take your time, do your homework and do not rush things - the market will stay like this into the New Year.

[newmousecateer]

Thanks to everyone for responding. After reading what everyone had to say I definately will not hesitate to rent a house. Love the idea of all the space, own pool, and being able to "raid the fridge" with the grandkids and rest of the family.:cool:

[Jennie4647]

Hi,

we are renting a home with Travel City who I belive use Orlando Vacation Homes (property management company). - Anyone know anything about this company? Apparently we are on an 'allocation upon arrival' deal but I do know it has 3 bedrooms, in the Kissimmee area with a heated screened pool and is classed as 'Luxury' but not 'Executive' - any help would be appreciated.

Also, I was thinking of asking for the Villa to be decorated for us (we arrive on 21st December - 4th Jan). Anyone know if this is possible - would like a Xmas tree and some lights?

Thanks,


Jennie

[Robinrs]

Thanks for the review, Mr.D. Glad you had a great time. It makes me even MORE sure that I want to go the vacation home route!

[FLeisure]

Jennie,
Orlando Vacation Homes.....do you have a contact name or address? Travel City use various local management companies.
Most management companies won't do Christmas decorations but if you can get a small friendly company they will. We do it for guests who request it but it normally costs in the region of $125 depending on what the guest actually wants.

[Jennie4647]

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I do not have a contact name or address, TC were not very keen to tell me the name of the Property Management Company. Once we are there I could try and arrange to have the decorations put up while we were out one day - the kids would love to come home to that. What I would like is a tree and some inside decorations only. Not too bothered about the outside being lit - the problem we have now is time. We go on Friday AM and I finish work today - I do not have access to the boards after this afternoon - if you could recommend a contact before 3.00pm my time - 10.00am your time - that would be fantastic.

Many thanks

Jennie

[FLeisure]

Jennie,
The cheapest solution would be to buy a tree and some decorations yourself. Have some fun with the kids setting it up ! I don't know of anyone who can do this for you as they will need access to the house via your management company. The MC is the best bet if they will do it for you...try giving them a call - I've tried looking them up in the phone directory but they aren't listed in my book.
Have a great time.

[Jennie4647]

Hi,

Yes you are quite right, that is exactly what we will do. Thanks for your help.

Jennie