At Windsor Hills now-very nice resort

[LeahA]

Headed there at the end of January. Staying in one of the 6 bedroom villas. Can't wait.

That sounds nice!!! Have a great trip!

 

[nugov2]

We rented a 6 bedroom for June. I am glad to read the good reviews. I didn't want to pay the price for a 2bdrm suite on site. I am a little nervous b/c it is the first time off site, but just need the space to spread out. With a waterslide, private pool etc. the kids will have a blast and we have a ton more money to spend doing extras.

 

[LeahA]

We rented a 6 bedroom for June. I am glad to read the good reviews. I didn't want to pay the price for a 2bdrm suite on site. I am a little nervous b/c it is the first time off site, but just need the space to spread out. With a waterslide, private pool etc. the kids will have a blast and we have a ton more money to spend doing extras.

This was our first time offsite in many, many years, and I was nervous too. We did miss some things about staying onsite, but if you have to stay offsite this resort was very nice. We saved so much money, and I refuse to give Disney $400-$500 Per night for a room. It will be a different experience but it will be nice.

 

[addicted2mickey]

I am so glad to hear positive reviews on Windsor Hills since we have been an on-site family. We will be there this summer and have rates that are phenomenal!!! 2 bedroom Condo with living room, full kitchen, washer and dryer for just $424 TOTAL Saturday to Saturday!! Disney just can't match this price with any type of discount.

 

[LeahA]

I am so glad to hear positive reviews on Windsor Hills since we have been an on-site family. We will be there this summer and have rates that are phenomenal!!! 2 bedroom Condo with living room, full kitchen, washer and dryer for just $424 TOTAL Saturday to Saturday!! Disney just can't match this price with any type of discount.

Wow! That's a great deal! I love Disney resorts but they are flippin expensive no matter what anyone says!

 

[mikkiwikki]

We used to stay exclusively onsite -
But once we found vacationcentralflorida.com that all changed.
I am not paid in any way to say that...

Honest review...

Instead of paying 400+ a night for deluxe accomodations...we could pay 89 bucks a night and have 3 bdrm condo with MORE space than disney.

After going to Windsor Hills I fear we will never stay on site again.

read my trippies below..Worth every penny. We are planning another trip to windsor hills for this upcomming summer. The only decision is a condo or a Townhouse with a splash pool....There is not even a thought for a second about going back onsite...we love Windsor hills and the pool is beautiful

 

[auprincess]

Can anyone tell me about the community pool? Is it just a pool, or is it themed nice? have a slide?

Also, I was looking at some townhouses and noticed that they have a private pool. This makes me a little nervous with our young children. Probably a dumb question, but there is a locking door to the pool, right?

Is there a difference between the townhomes and condos?

 

[LeahA]

They have condos, townhomes and houses.

The townhomes have a splash pad in the back and the homes have a pool. I assume there is a sliding glass door that leads to both.

The main pool is fairly large with the zero depth entry, and there is a slide. There is those little fountains that shoot up from the ground, and there is a hot tub area. As far as a theme, just a pool, palm trees, chairs.

 

[IncredibleboysMom]

Can anyone tell me about the community pool? Is it just a pool, or is it themed nice? have a slide?

Also, I was looking at some townhouses and noticed that they have a private pool. This makes me a little nervous with our young children. Probably a dumb question, but there is a locking door to the pool, right?

Is there a difference between the townhomes and condos?

We stayed in a 3BR townhome last spring with the splash pool. My kids were 6, 8 and 12 at the time. The home we rented had a locking sliding door out to the pool area and a gate that locked across the front of the pool. I dont think that they all have a gate, it seemed to have been added by the owners.

The townhome is two level. There is a living room, kitchen and one bedroom/bath combination on the first floor. The stairs are fairly steep (IMO) and there are two more bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. Our unit also had a washer/dryer upstairs. You can pull right up to the front to park. The townhome was very nice and my kids enjoyed the pool a lot.

Next month we are renting a 2BR on the first floor of the building closest to the main pool. Members of our party have mobility issues and, as I said, the stairs were steep. We gave up our splash pool, but are hoping that the weather will be nice enough to go in the resort pool or at least the hot tub. I assume the parking will not be right in front of the unit. We paid $800 for the townhome for four nights over spring break last year, and are paying $623 for 7 nights Presidents week for the condo this year. The townhomes are not located right around the resort pool although I dont think all of the condos are either. We had a short walk to the resort pool last year.

Hope that helps!

 

[richmo]

Just piling on what just about everyone else has said...

We've stayed at WH twice, once two weeks and once for one week. Very happy with it.

A few comments :
- The condos are pretty close to the pool. The pool is locked...you press a keypad with a code given to you on your parking ticket. When we were there last, the back gate to the pool had a broken lock so you could just go in, but I would think they've fixed that by now.
- It is so nice to spread out!
- The vacationcentralflorida folks are great to work with. You don't have to go to a realty location...they'll send you a keycode to your door, so just show up. Their rentals are pretty strictly Saturday to Saturday; if that doesn't fit your travel plans, you might need to look elsewhere.
- By the way, "show up" time is usually on Saturday about 2:00 or so. The line at the security gate can be intense around then. The rest of the week will be fine. (It might be OK to show up a little early and use the pool...but give the cleaners a break and don't try to show up at your condo until you're supposed to)
- By all means, learn the Sherberth Rd entrance. US-192 is a lot better than it was a few years ago, but it still gets crowded. If you are returning to WH from Disney, follow signs for AK and AKL. Just before you get to AKL, make a left at the light.
- Yes there are grocery stores (Winn Dixie, Publix), mostly on 192. But here's another tip -- when you leave WH, instead of turning left to head for 192, turn RIGHT. You'll be in far less traffic...just travel about 3 miles and there's a Publix (it might be in Reunion, but I'm not sure about that). The distance may be slightly longer, but travel time considerably less.

 

[PotteryGal]

We used to stay exclusively onsite -
But once we found vacationcentralflorida.com that all changed.
I am not paid in any way to say that...

Honest review...

Instead of paying 400+ a night for deluxe accomodations...we could pay 89 bucks a night and have 3 bdrm condo with MORE space than disney.

After going to Windsor Hills I fear we will never stay on site again.

read my trippies below..Worth every penny. We are planning another trip to windsor hills for this upcomming summer. The only decision is a condo or a Townhouse with a splash pool....There is not even a thought for a second about going back onsite...we love Windsor hills and the pool is beautiful

We are hoping to rent thru vacationcentralflorida.com as well. First time back to WDW in 4 years, and the cost of the on-site hotels make me ill, honestly. We are just waiting to get a confirmation on my hubby's vacation dates, then we're making a ressie at Windsor Hills!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I have heard very positive things about Windsor Hills and I have done a bit of research about different companies to rent through. There are a lot of options if you are interested in condos, townhouses, or larger vacation houses and it seems like the rates are pretty reasonable and competitive across the board. A lot of the condos and homes feature Disney themed bedrooms too. It seems like the majority of people that have stayed here agree that it is a short drive to the parks from this community. I also like that it is a secure and family friendly community. The rental/management companies I've researched include: vacationcentralflorida.com, magicalvacationhomes.com, floridasunvacationhomes.com, and allstarvacationhomes.com; and there is always the option to rent directly from the owner (vrbo.com or windsorhillsrent.com). I really like the rates and units offered by vacationcentralflorida.com and they are at the top of my list; but like other posters mentioned they only rent Sat-Sat which may not always work for everyone. The other company at the top of my list is magicalvacationhomes.com as I really like the 3 bedroom condos they offer, their rates are reasonable, and you don't have to book Sat-Sat or do a standard week long stay (can do shorter or longer than 7 nights).
Maybe we should make this a Windsor Hills info/fan thread

 

[LeahA]

We booked through windorhillsrent.com directly from the owner and we stayed Wednesday-Wednesday. Maybe the management companies are more strict, not sure.

 

[auprincess]

Thanks for all the responses! We don't really needa a 3 bedroom, as long as a 2 bedroom condo allowed 5, we would be fine. I have researched a little and like the idea of one of the bedrooms being Disney themed ~ I think my girls would really like that!

 

[pantherlj]

We are hoping to rent thru vacationcentralflorida.com as well. First time back to WDW in 4 years, and the cost of the on-site hotels make me ill, honestly. We are just waiting to get a confirmation on my hubby's vacation dates, then we're making a ressie at Windsor Hills!

We rented through vactioncentralflorida a couple of years ago and had a great experience. We stayed again this fall and the townhouse we rented was rather dirty. Long term dirt such as built up dust and short term issues such as some substance streaked on the kitchen wall, hair on the bathroom floors, etc. Remote was overly worn out, phones weren't charged - never could get them to work. Lots of small things. I sent the owner an email letting them know we were disappointed in how dirty it was but never had a response.

I won't rent from them again.

 

[LeahA]

We rented through vactioncentralflorida a couple of years ago and had a great experience. We stayed again this fall and the townhouse we rented was rather dirty. Long term dirt such as built up dust and short term issues such as some substance streaked on the kitchen wall, hair on the bathroom floors, etc. Remote was overly worn out, phones weren't charged - never could get them to work. Lots of small things. I sent the owner an email letting them know we were disappointed in how dirty it was but never had a response.

I won't rent from them again.

That stinks that this happened to you! We rented directly through the owner and upon arrival there was a note on the fridge if we did not feel the condo was clean enough we could contact the cleaning service directly. We lucked out, ours was so clean!

 

[Saskiwi]

Just adding another WH contact: www.storytimeorlandorental.com[url]...have disney themed kids rooms and look great.

 

[tantoria2]

We just rented a 3b 3b townhouse from magical vacation homes for April. Looks great, recently refinished and comes with a sit and stand stroller as well as a gate across the pool, granite counters etc. Hope it is as great as it appears. I did a ton of research and I hope I made a good choice The cost was $1100 total with tax. Oh, and that is for 8 days

 

[LeahA]

We just rented a 3b 3b townhouse from magical vacation homes for April. Looks great, recently refinished and comes with a sit and stand stroller as well as a gate across the pool, granite counters etc. Hope it is as great as it appears. I did a ton of research and I hope I made a good choice The cost was $1100 total with tax. Oh, and that is for 8 days

That sounds like a great rate! Have fun!

 

[Jules123]

I am so glad to hear positive reviews on Windsor Hills since we have been an on-site family. We will be there this summer and have rates that are phenomenal!!! 2 bedroom Condo with living room, full kitchen, washer and dryer for just $424 TOTAL Saturday to Saturday!! Disney just can't match this price with any type of discount.

That sounds like a great deal! Who did you rent through?