Who has rented from Vacation Central Fl/Dave for Windsor Hills?

DonnaBelle2005 · Jan 12, 2015

We had a fabulous stay at POR this past Nov 2015 - our family is 5 and we had one of the rooms with the fold down bed.

This year I want to being my 9 year old nephew since he hasn't been since he was 1 year old. I am thinking for economical reasons to stay offsite to not only give us more room - it will help cut our cost. We had free dining but our last trip was still about $6K. This year I'd like it to be more 3-3.5k.

Can anyone share your experiences with me? Am looking for a 3 bedroom preferably with 2 baths for Thanksgiving week again.

Thanks!
Donna in Charlotte

Gr8t Fan · Jan 12, 2015

We have rented from Vacation Central Florida at least 5 times over the years , most recently this past November in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse. Never a bad experience, but we have noticed the wear and tear on the units more lately especially since we rented a timeshare last month and everything was in perfect condition.

BadgerGirl84 · Jan 12, 2015

I have. You can look up my review if you want.

The unit did not meet my expectations in terms of wear and tear or cleanliness. I emailed Dave and did not get a call or email back, but a few of the things were fixed after I sent the email.

When I was contacted after my stay about how my experience was, I gave my honest answer--basically that he needs a cleaning crew and maintenance crew because if I was the owner I would not want to rent my property in that condition. Dave told me he wished I would have contacted him sooner (even though I did....) and also made a very generous offer to "make things right."

I would probably try renting through him again and give him the benefit of the doubt that it was a fluke.

sluggozmom · Jan 13, 2015

I stayed in an end unit TH in 2011.. same.. wear and tear and not as clean as a would have liked it. He did send someone out to by a brand new comforter, as the one on the bed was ....... gross
The dryer didn't work either... well, it worked, but it didn't dry.
I wouldn't go back.

Shea&Van · Jan 14, 2015

We have rented thru Dave as well and would likely go back given the price it right. I echo the above comments regarding wear and tear and cleanliness. Not a 100% match with my expectations, but it was okay. The price was definitely competitive though I think it was either $399 or $499 for the entire week. But, we had to pay taxes and a $100 cleaning fee. We had an end unit townhome with a private "splash pool."

We are a family of five as well and the extra space is awesome! There are LOTS of offsite places that offer extra space. Have you looked at VRBO. We've rented at Emerald Island and Windsor Hills. We've also spent time at the Buena Vista Suites (which has free breakfast!) and I think we paid like $89 per night. It was very nice!

I actually checked pricing for an upcoming trip with Dave and the price was over $1100 for the week, and - in my opinion - that is overpriced for what you get...especially considering the number of rental units available in WH! Comporable places at WH were going for much cheaper for our week. We actually ended up booking at POR for a super sweet deal so I'm delighted to read you enjoyed your previous stay there!

His communication at times aggrevated me. I'd ask direct questions and get answers like "check out our website" instead of answers to what I'd asked (and the information wasn't on the site).

One of the tips I actually read on this site was to find out which condos Dave actually owns and rent one of those. His properties tend to be better kept up (at least according to my research) than the properties he brokers for...

Don't mean to sound negative, because it really is a good value if you can grab one of his special deals. You may just have to overlook some minor things.

Good luck!

dogwoodflwr · Jan 15, 2015

We are staying here now in one of the units. I am not happy at all. Unit shows lots of wear and tear. Linens are worn out. We have a white notebook of what need to be done when we leave. Almost comes out and almost said you need to clean the unit before you leave but I paid a cleaning fee. Glad I didn't pay the $50 for the gas grill because the way it looks I wouldn't cook on it. Didn't know dryer was broken until property manger showed up the 1st morning we were to tell me they were sending someone to fixed had know since cleaners left after last renters. Never again.
wanted to add: went to cook on the stove and the 2 large burners were broken. It just keeps getting better and better.

100AcreWood · Apr 23, 2015

Any updates on VCF? We are planning to rent a 3 br condo this October. It's been three years and there seems to be more negative reviews.

Anyone rented through them recently?

rebeccalizzie · Apr 28, 2015

This is making me nervous...we have one of his townhouses rented in September. I'd better do some more research

Gr8t Fan · Apr 28, 2015

rebeccalizzie said:
This is making me nervous...we have one of his townhouses rented in September. I'd better do some more research

If I'm paying $299 or $399 a week for one of their properties, I'm willing to overlook a few things. However, we went over Spring Break last year and paid about $950 for the week in a townhouse and were very disappointed by the state that it was in. We haven't booked with them since.

rebeccalizzie · Apr 28, 2015

Would you mind telling me (or PM'ing me) which town house? I've heard if you book one of the ones Dave owns that you are good. This is not one of his

100AcreWood · Apr 28, 2015

I rented 204B almost three years ago. The only thing we noticed was a nail that was sticking a little out of the floor between a bedroom and bathroom (we noticed it before someone stepped on it). Also the towels were definitely wore out. I brought my own towels anyway so I didn't really care.
I'm definitely curious to hear if something has changed since then. I thought the condo was clean and we loved having the extra space. We booked for this Fall and we're staying at a condo that Dave manages but does not own.

Gr8t Fan · Apr 28, 2015

rebeccalizzie said:
Would you mind telling me (or PM'ing me) which town house? I've heard if you book one of the ones Dave owns that you are good. This is not one of his

I sent you a PM (I think - not really sure how this new board works).

rebeccalizzie · Apr 29, 2015

Thanks everyone for the feedback (and the PM!) It does sound like the town house is probably pretty worn, and I'm considering bringing towels and buying new pillows when we get there (we are driving and I'm planning to stop at Super Target right when we get to town anyway). I got one of the $399 weeks, so for that price my expectations aren't crazy, and I can spend some money on pillows and towels and still likely not find a town house that cheap anywhere else

As long as it's clean and comfortable and the kids can play in the pool, we'll all be happy.

Gr8t Fan · Apr 29, 2015

We drive down as well and we put beach towels on the seats in our van (to soak up any spills, catch any crumbs) and use on vacation when we're at the pool. We simply wash them when we get there so we're ready to swim at any time. We bring pillows for the drive too.

BadgerGirl84 · Apr 30, 2015

We are trying out a 2 bed/2 bath condo in a couple of weeks. My DH REALLY wanted to give him another shot after we weren't satisfied with our stay last September. There weren't any of Dave's condos left so the unit we are renting is owned by another person. I will be annoying as heck calling the owner and Dave if the unit is not as clean as I would expect.

The other thing I really wonder about these rental units is how/IF they wash the bedspreads. There is a short turnover time between the property getting transitioned from one renter for the next. How would they possibly wash ALL the bedding including the bedspreads/comforters. Would the king size comforters even FIT in those small washers? I was thinking about that this morning and grossing myself out.

100AcreWood · Apr 30, 2015

Unfortunately a lot of hotels don't wash bedspreads/comforters either. In my last job I toured hotels because I scheduled stays for out of town visitors. One of my co workers loved asking how often they washed the bedspreads/comforters and they admitted they did not get washed between guests.

I hope you guys are pleasantly surprised. But please let us know how it goes!

BadgerGirl84 · Apr 30, 2015

100AcreWood said:
Unfortunately a lot of hotels don't wash bedspreads/comforters either. In my last job I toured hotels because I scheduled stays for out of town visitors. One of my co workers loved asking how often they washed the bedspreads/comforters and they admitted they did not get washed between guests.

I hope you guys are pleasantly surprised. But please let us know how it goes!

Yuck, that's what I was afraid of. I just emailed the owner of our unit asking all sorts of questions and included asking specifically how the bedding is washed between guests. Worst case scenario, we will take the king comforter off the bed and wash the twin ones and use those when we arrive. My daughter will be in a pack n play so she wouldn't be using them.

100AcreWood · Apr 30, 2015

I hear ya! The first I do when I walk into a hotel is throw the bedspreads in the corner of the room. When we rented at WH I actually brought my own sheets and towels from home (we drive). I'm sure most people would think I was crazy :rolleyes:

.

JenLanDisney · May 21, 2015

We rented through Dave in November 2014. It was owned by someone else who collected the payment and sent us the rental agreement/ door code. We had no problems with cleanliness or functioning equipment.

We traveled with my mother who only complaint was the lack of proper coffee mugs. It was a great deal for the price!

100AcreWood · May 22, 2015

BadgerGirl84 said:
Yuck, that's what I was afraid of. I just emailed the owner of our unit asking all sorts of questions and included asking specifically how the bedding is washed between guests. Worst case scenario, we will take the king comforter off the bed and wash the twin ones and use those when we arrive. My daughter will be in a pack n play so she wouldn't be using them.

BadgerGirl84, how was your most recent stay?

Who has rented from Vacation Central Fl/Dave for Windsor Hills?

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