Any feedback on Magical Vacation Homes or Villa Direct?

[katallo]

We are looking for a rental and hoped to get some input. Thanks

 

[Heluvsme]

We have used Magical Vacation Homes 3 times in the past 4 years, and are reserved for this summer again. We love them! Extremely clean, which is so important to me.... I even go in with my Clorox wipes, but honestly everything is sparkling already. Their mattresses and pillows have never felt worn out or in need of replacing, very comfy beds and linens. Their kitchens come stocked nicely with a few dishes and silverware, we've never wished for something that wasn't there. Remember to bring replacement garbage bags, standard procedure at rental prop's.

Hope this helps!

 

[Woodview]

Have a look at another Co. Called IPG Florida Vacation Homes

They rent out villas for owners.

 

[Jedimom]

I would never ever ever book through them again. If you do a search in this forum, you'll find another thread which contains similar negative reviews. Seems they're fine so long as nothing goes wrong. But if it does go wrong, expect no resolution.

I wrote the following on a Thursday night, midway through our vacation. I feared they'd hold my security deposit or something if I posted it right after staying (retaliation -- silly, I know) so I held off posting this anywhere until now:

I wish I had read the negative reviews before we booked. We're here now in condos at Windsor Hills and have had a few issues (and when I say "we" I mean me and my family in one unit and my sister and her family in another unit -- both rented through Magical Vacation Homes).

Overall my unit is nice. It's well decorated, has a good selection of kitchen utensils, everything I've used seems to work sufficiently. It doesn't have a bathtub which is a negative, and it doesn't have a deadbolt (eek! thank goodness it's a gated community, but still...). But what gets me is the tv. Silly as it sounds, cable or satellite tv is a must-have for us when we vacation. We don't have it at home, so it's a nice luxury we look forward to. The listing for our unit boasted recently upgraded cable tv package and cable tv in all rooms. The only cable appears to be in the living room. Bedrooms have what I would call basic cable (which to me isn't really cable at all - it's just the normal over-the-air channels, a couple of public and local channels, a few religion channels, and a QVC). After a few (frustrating) rounds of discussions with Customer Service, including a work order request they say was fulfilled but which didn't change anything, frankly I've given up expecting any sort of resolution. The kids'll just continue to monopolize the living room TV and I'll turn Netflix on my tablet like I do at home. Chalk it up to experience.

My sister's unit? Not so nice. Very stark with minimal furnishings. Somebody went to IKEA. I think she must have known that from the photos; in any case she didn't seem terribly bothered by it. More concerning to her was the broken toaster, lack of a cooking pans, and broken washer. The toaster burns everything when set on it's lowest setting. The washer doesn't drain, a fact she learned 3 days into her vacation when she attempted to do laundry only to find housekeeping had left a rug in her washer, now mildew-y from sitting in water for at least 3 days. Witnessing the dealings I've had with Customer Service, she didn't even bother contacting them choosing instead to try to make the best of it.

The icing on the cake for us both, though, was a note attached to the our doors when we returned from the parks on Tuesday afternoon (we're in the same building). It's from the Windsor Hills Condo Association, and it reads: "Wednesday & Thursday TIME 10:00AM UNTIL 6:00PM Please be advised that the floors of the hallways are schedule for painting in this building. Weather permitting!! Please either remain indoors during this time or plan your day to leave or arrive before or after these times. This is for the safety of all guests and unit owners."

As a guest who has paid good money to rent the condo, who is ON VACATION, who has made PLANS which contradict this mandate, I WAS LIVID! I can't imagine that the homeowner/property management companies weren't made aware of this in advance. I don't feel they should have even rented the unit out to me (and my sister's family as well -- they got the same note and were the same LIVID!) if they knew these capital maintenance projects were going on. That's just wrong. I "get" that they'd be losing out on rental income, but hey, that's the cost of doing business.

At this point I'm just trying to salvage what's left of our vacation. I wouldn't book through MagicalVacation Homes again.

*****

I thought it might, but time really hasn't given me a different perspective. It still makes me angry, and sad, that our vacation didn't go well. I'm not a "high standards" kind of gal at all.......I don't sweat the small stuff........but it was just all too much. The whole "be gone from your unit" became a problem as the "mandate" extended an additional day without any warning. I know for many it might not be a big deal, but we aren't go - go - go type vacationers; we do a lot of down time and this put a serious crimp in things.....having to be gone all day and not able to come back for lunch and a swim.

My sisters unit only became more wrought with broken items. By the time she left, she'd found more and more broken appliances, furniture, and lack of basic utensils. She was a die-hard Windsor Hills lover and is seriously reconsidering somewhere else for her next vacation.

 

[peterluke]

We had a wonderful stay at Windsor Hills. We had trouble with an element not working on the stove top which was resolved during our stay. Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Windsor Hills and were also very pleased with the ratification of the stove element within a 24 hour period by Magical Vacation homes. Thank you for a truly Magical Vacation!

 

[Heluvsme]

Our experience with Magical Vacation Homes has been nothing but positive and good. Perfectly working,mp erectile clean, and yes... A very good cable selection in all the bedrooms. I feel bad for the previous poster, but the positive reviews do outweigh the negatives, and not marginally but heavily.

I hope wherever you decide, you have a great vacation!

 

[Jedimom]

If it helps, my unit was the one with the pirate kids bedroom. Like I said nice enough unit, but don't expect cable, a bathtub, or a deadbolt on the door. And bonus -- they repainted floors when I was there so you should avoid that little problem.

I don't know what the other one (my sister's) was called on their website, but if you see stark Ikea furnishings you definitely want to avoid.

 

[katallo]

Thanks. We are trying to rent directly from an owner but I'm sure many are managed by these companies.