Renting a 6 br House within a few miles of Disney @ Emerald Island/Windsor Palms, etc

[djm99]

Wow, I am so impressed with the prices that I found on the Home Neighborhood Resorts. During our August 2004 trip to disney (ignore countdown that trip is cancelled) I wanted to stay in a 6 bedroom house with private pool. I keep reading on the internet that Windsor Palms and Emerald Island are the closest to Disney, but of course all the properties are advertised as within minutes of disney.

What I'm asking is for anyone who has rented a 6 bedroom home (or anyone trying to) if they can reccommend any Homes in a resort like area Disney (within 4 miles).

 

[FLeisure]

The thing to look for when staying in a 6 bed home is the bedroom configuration. Are there two master suites or three, are there four, five or even six bathrooms. What beds are in each room ? Will it suit your family ?

As far as location is concerned, then Windsor Palms and Emerald Island are not the closest. Technically, Formosa Gardens is the closest. You have to keep this in context though because all of the following subdivisions are in the same area and within a minute or two of each other. In no particular order :

Formosa Gdns, Oak Island, Oak Island Harbour, Indian Creek, Sunset Lakes, Rolling Hills, Emerald Island.

All these subdivisions are within 5 minutes of WDW and you can be at Animal Kingdom in less time than that if the traffic lights are green !

To the East side of Disney and within 10 mins drive are the following :

Indian Point, Eagle Pointe, Liberty Village, Cumbrian Lakes, Lake Berkley, Hamilton's Reserve, Chatham Park, Montego Bay, Indian Wells and Windward Cay.

As for resort like area's, which makes me question why you want a house, then Windsor Palms would be the only one I would classify in that bracket. Park Sq. Homes , the builders of Emerlad Island, Lake Berkley and Terre Verde jumped on the Pulte (Windsor Palms) bandwagon of terming their communities "resorts". The fact is they don't have the facilities of Windsor Palms.

Having said all that, why are resort features essential to you ? Most homes are built in communities with features such as communal pools, tennis courts, basket ball court, jogging / walking trails etc.

The main reason why people rent homes is for the peace and quiet. The chance to spend quality time together and because it's great value for money.

 

[disneysteve]

Another thing to verify is if all 6 are true bedrooms. We rented a "4 bedroom" house once. There were 3 regular bedrooms with 4 walls and a door. The "4th" bedroom was actually more of a loft that overlooked the living room. It had a folding door to the hallway, but it was open along the 4th wall - just a balcony railing. So anyone in that room could see and hear anyone in the living room or kitchen area. That room wasn't dark until the rest of the house was closed up for the nite.

It was perfectly fine for our needs and we knew what we were getting when we booked it, but I can imagine that not everybody would be pleased with that arrangement.

Steve

 

[djm99]

FLeisure,

Wow, thank you for the info. I'm going to print out your info to make sure one of the Communities you mentioned are available. The reason I wanted a resort area was we are staying for 14 days and only 5 will be spend in Theme parks. Resorts tend to have a lot of other "free options". Any who, I look forward to Disney!!!!!!

 

[disneysteve]

djm99 - We're just back from Windsor Palms. We stayed in a condo so I can't specifically comment on the houses, though we did drive around and look at them.

The complex does have a nice clubhouse with pool tables, a few video games, VHS movie rentals, an exercise room and a little store. They advertise a theater but we didn't see it so I'm not sure what that is like.

A house would have its own pool, but there is also a community pool which was very nice. There were also tennis courts and, I think, basketball courts.

All of that said, however, the complex isn't what I think of as a "resort." There aren't any structured activities, no bike or boat rentals, no group functions, etc. Anything you do is strictly on your own, unlike a true resort. So if you are looking for a place that will have planned activities throughout the day, then you won't be pleased with any housing development.

Steve

 

[scanmom]

Vistana resort or Vistana village resort by Sheraton has gotten nice reviews... I think they have "activities" on site. You would have to get 2 three bedroom units or 3 two bedroom units instead of a 6 bedroom, but it sounds like this might suit you needs.

 

[tednvon]

Hello and good luck.
Emerald Island has a "resort" type clubhouse with a big pool, spa, exercise room, a very nice walking path through a wetland area, a big playground, sauna, video arcade and ticket service... the kind of amenties you would find at a nice apartment or condo complex. Formosa Gardens has no clubhouse but some very fancy homes!. I do not think Oak Island has a clubhouse. The six bedrooms there should be 6 real bedrooms. Ask if it is a two story home. If it is only one story, it will not be a true 6 bedroom. As Fleisure said all of these developements close to Disney, EI, Formosa Gardens, Oak Island and so on are about a 6-7 minute drive to the Animal Kingdom Entrance to Disney. In my opinion, Windsor Palms is about another 3 to 5 minutes from Disney and is a huge complex compared to the others as there is a golf course and lots of condos.
Just make sure you get what you are promised. Our 7 bedroom rents for $259 to over $350 on a very consistant basis. If the price for the 6 bedroom sounds too good to be true make sure you have seen the home and know what the extras (tax, pool heat, cleaning) will cost.
All the best and hope you have a wonderful time, Grandpa Ted

 

[martina857]

I agree with Ted, Emerald Island as a great resort like atmoshere without being as busy and bustling as Windsor palms,I have stayed at both and they are great but Emerald Island edges it.

It is the closest resort type, Oak island is closer by about 200 meters but is not gated which I did not like, Formossa gardens was not a favorite of mine for various reasons and Sunset Lakes was a bit shabby and tatty. I have never stayed at Indian Creek.

 

[djm99]

disneysteve,

Where did you rent a condo from and how much was it? I already booked my 6 bedroom, but I have friends that want to meet us in Florida and asked if they had condos or townhomes. Thank you in advance!!!!

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by djm99
disneysteve,

Where did you rent a condo from and how much was it? I already booked my 6 bedroom, but I have friends that want to meet us in Florida and asked if they had condos or townhomes. Thank you in advance!!!!

The site I rented from was:
http://www.windsor-palms-resort.com/

The actual condo we rented is:
http://www.windsor-palms-resort.com/capelin.htm
Wendy was wonderful to deal with and I'd highly recommend renting from her and Terry if their unit fits what your friends are looking for.

We were there 11/2-11/8. The rate was $100 per nite but we got 10% off for paying in full when we booked so the final cost was $90/nite. They did charge a $65 cleaning fee because we were staying less than 7 nites, so total cost with tax came to $669.80. It was a great deal, especially because we were splitting the cost with my MIL, so it only cost us $55.83/nite.

There are less expensive 3-bedroom units. Ours cost a bit more because it is the largest model (1400 sq. ft.) and it was very nicely furnished and equipped.

Steve

 

[tednvon]

Hello again...if you want to be together and you choose Emerald Island try www.villadirect.com The have some 3 and 4 bedrooms at Emerald Island where you will be in the same community...Ted

 

[martina857]

You could also try Daystar villas There seems to be quite a lot of Emerald Island places on there.

 

[djm99]

Thank you all very much. I booked today at Windsor Palms. Got a great looking home. The owner emailed me both pictures and a video tour of the house. The owner appears really easy to deal with and they take paypal. I've already received confirmation. All that's left is the time on the countdown. Thanks again to everyone for their post. If you want to see the house I'm renting see the following website: http://tours.360house.com/viewer.cfm?house=68670&RefURL=tours.360house.com

I'm too excited for my vacation to be this far away!!!!!

 

[hulagirl]

djm99 That is so funny! I was just going to pm you wth Paul's website. We just got back from his other villa "Disney Daze" and had a fantastic, relaxing time. He is absolutely wonderful to work with and the villa was gorgeous. We were there for 7 days and never even left the house for 3 of them - we were so comfortable there and the kids just wanted to stay and swim in the pool. I think you will be extrememly happy with your choice. My kids enjoyed the playground, rented movies and there was a play station in their room which they got a real kick out of. Have a great trip!

 

[djm99]

Originally posted by hulagirl
We just got back from his other villa "Disney Daze" and had a fantastic, relaxing time. He is absolutely wonderful to work with and the villa was gorgeous. We were there for 7 days and never even left the house for 3 of them - we were so comfortable there and the kids just wanted to stay and swim in the pool. I think you will be extrememly happy with your choice. My kids enjoyed the playground, rented movies and there was a play station in their room which they got a real kick out of. Have a great trip!

Thank you very much for that feedback. Paul does seem very nice via emails, but its good to hear someone else say that. Renting directly with owners was a little scarey because your dealing with individuals instead of companies so I was reserved initially and was willing to pay more with a "company." Thanks AGAIN!!!!!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DISNEY DAY

 

[hulagirl]

You're welcome! Just so you know, Paul's management company is VillaDirect - (I think it's the same for Disney Dreams as it is for Disney Daze). When we first got there the pool was a little cool and one of the smoke detectors was beeping softly due to a dead battery and they came out within an hour to take care of both things. They will take care of anything you need while you are there. Also, Paul called me at home before we left. I think renting through him directly was a much more personal experience. He took care of a few small details for me without my having to chase down the management company. Last year we rented through a management company and that was fine too. I suppose you have to be careful about these things but in this particular instance, I can certainly vouch for this owner and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to any of my friends...If you have any other questions before you leave, please feel free to send me a pm!