Contemplating staying off property (sigh), feedback on vacation home companies???

[Daddy2Abby]

We're giving some thought to renting a 3 BR condo / townhome (within 5 miles or so) of WDW (Sept 2010, 11 nights). This is the first time we've stayed off property (minus an accidental overnight trip a few years back), and are looking for some recommendations. We've been looking at AllStarVacationHomes.com and a few others...has anyone had any really great or really bad experiences?

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving!!!!

[mdinme]

www.vrbo.com

[Brian Noble]

www.windsorhillsrent.com

We've spent about half our stays onsite, and half our stays off. The Windsor Hills stays have all been fabulous. Excellent prices, and wonderful homes.

[Lynne M]

I'll move this over to the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board for ya.

[neonurse]

I love staying off property because of all the space we have. Our kids have there own room and we have a full kitchen which cuts down on cost for breakfast and lunches.
I have booked through vrbo several time without any problems. I have stayed at condos and rental homes. I loved the space of the rental home but I must admit that I prefer the condo's pools. The house pools don't get warm enough (and you pay extra for the heat) depending on the time of year you go and our hot tub (spa) that was attached to the pool was exactly the same temp as the pool. Not the hot tub I was hoping for. I know windsor hills has 3 bed/2bath condos that overlook the great pool. Sheraton vistana villages has 2 bed/2bath condos. It had 2 double beds in the one bedroom, a king master bed and a pull out couch!
Good luck!

[chuckml]

As a PP stated, we have found 2 great homes on VRBO.com, and you rent directly from the owner, so its much cheaper. The last 2 times we have stayed in Indian Creek, which is very close to the parks.

The house is owned by a gentleman from England named Paul. He was absolutely great to deal with, and the house was awesome. You can check out his site at coralcove.com, and it shows pictures of the house and info on renting.

he was very affordable, and the next time we have a large group, we would not hesitate to call him again.

The last time we stayed there was in December of 2007, so it was low season, but he only charged us around $700.00 for the entire week, taxes and pool heat included. Its a 4bed/ 3bath home.

Hope this helps,and if you talk to Paul, tell him the Lankford family say hello!

Feel free to PM if you want any more info

[DonnaL]

I agree with above poster who said a home pool/hot tub just doesn't get warm enough. We were in a large 7 bdrm home Jan 2009 for a family reunion and while air temps were very nice....in the evening when we wanted to use the pool.....the water was just a bit too chilly and the hot tub was also part of the pool and the same temp. Other than that, we loved having the space of a house. We're staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in a 2 bdrm (can't get any closer to onsite) this year for two nights before our DVC check-in at BLT. I know they also have 3 and 4 bdrms there......however, I booked directly thru the Wyndham hotel site, not the Wyndham Timeshare site and was only offered 2 bdrm. I would imagine you would need to find an owner to rent from in order to get a 3 or 4 bdrm. I've seen other posters on these boards who have booked directly from owners at Bonnet Creek.

[Mom of DisKids]

I will give a shout-out to Florida Sun Vacation Homes. Very organized and available for all questions. But most importantly they helped me in a BIG way when I left something behind after checking out. As I walked through the MK on our last day and saw a little girl wearing a princess dress, I thought to myself "I should have let Clara wear her dress today," and then "OH MY GOD, I forgot the dress!!!" My MIL and I had hand sewn a pink dress for her and I left it hanging in the closet. I quickly called them and they sent someone to the house at WH, packed it up, and made arrangements for me to pick it up on our way out of town. They went WAY above the call of duty

[mareed]

For those who have experienced issues with a pool not being warm enough in a home, was there a pool blanket provided and did you use it? We found that the pool blanket makes a huge difference in the winter months and we had no problem keeping pools at 2 different homes warm enough in Dec during some pretty cold night temps.

[Brian Noble]

It might also be the form of heat used---I vaguely recall that there are a couple different options, and some are more effective (but more expensive) than others. In our February visits, with a pool blanket, we most often find the pools run a little hotter that we like, but we could be renting homes that use "good" heaters.

[neonurse]

For pool heat it also depends on whether anyone was in the house prior to you. Are you just maintaining the heat or starting from nothing.

[sjanus]

Pool home heat is usually higher than resort pool. Resort pools are usually 80 to 82 degrees, whereas pool homes heat varies by owner/mgt. co. but usually is between 85 and 88 degrees. Most spas are set at 104 degrees, but you must turn them on ahead of time to warm them up as they warm at a rate of 5 degrees at a time higher than the temperature of the pool.

If you have a pool blanket make sure you use it especially in cooler night temperatures, even when you go to the parks. If you are renting from an owner or management company ask the question as to what the pool and spa temperatures are set at and if they have a pool blanket if you are going in the cooler months.

Sandy

[44sun]

We've stayed offsite and at Wilderness Lodge - we prefer offsite because we don't feel like we're being held hostage.

Our friends have used vrbo.com with excellent results.

That being said, I'm in the early stages of planning a 2010 trip and worried about booking a house then having it go into foreclosure. Thoughts? TIA

[sjanus]

Originally Posted by 44sun

We've stayed offsite and at Wilderness Lodge - we prefer offsite because we don't feel like we're being held hostage.

Our friends have used vrbo.com with excellent results.

That being said, I'm in the early stages of planning a 2010 trip and worried about booking a house then having it go into foreclosure. Thoughts? TIA

Some ideas:

If you know the owner's name, you can check on the county site to see if the taxes are paid up.

Be leary of too low prices with empty calendars. With low revenue they won't be able to afford to upkeep their place and may not be able to pay the bills, some exceptions probably apply.

Use your charge card it gives you extra protections.

Buy vacation insurance!

Rent from an owner with a reputable management company, preferably that provides you with a management company contract (worse cased scenario you still will have some rights with management company to transfer booking).

Rent from an owner that has market value prices with lots of bookings in place (more chance they will afford to stay in business!)

Call the owner and have a conversation, sometimes that gives you an idea of comfort level or the situation.

Keep good communication with the owner throughout. Send them an occasional e-mail or call.

Look at reviews, but sometimes they can be glorified.

Rent from someone who provides you with good communication and lots of details, gets back to you right away, etc.

Look for someone who upkeeps their home, adds things to their home, it means they have some income or funds to keep their home going.

Go by your gut feelings and look for red flags.

Enjoy the search!


Sandy

[TrustedTraveler]

I agree whole heartedly with nearly all of the points made by the PP. The exception being, there are deals to be found and that doesn't mean the owner is in foreclosure or out to scam anyone.

I will agree that a 5 bedroom pool home in Windsor Hills is worth every cent of the $200 per night typical fee, plus 13% tax and $150 for pool heat. (Ave. $1,700 total in low season) But I found several Windsor Hills owners who were willing to negotiate and I received more than a couple of offers between $1,000 to $1,250 tax and pool heat included. For us right now, $600 is more important than somewhat better furnishings and drapes.

The six bedroom we usually rent in nearby Rolling Hills is under $1,000 but was booked the week we wanted.

Do your homework, talk with the owner, but if you are vacationing off season and come across a good deal, check it out before you run for the Hills.

As to the OP: September is a great time for deals and there are many, in fact too many beautiful 3 bedroom apartments and townhouses available close by to WDW. I suggest you go directly to the owner and I'll be surprised if you aren't thrilled with your off-site vacation