advice on choosing a villa

[susie2]

hi, we are going back to disney in november but we are looking to stay in a villa this time, we have only ever stayed on site, so we have no idea where is the best place and area to pick a villa, there are so many to choose from our heads are spinning lol, so please any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank susie2

 

[babystar]

We like staying on the US27 as then we are close to both the 192 and the I4 and there is also a walmart, publix close by. Have stayed on kissimmee a few times (last time in 2007) but my personal opinion is it was getting a little old and tired in that area.

Other than that we really just search high and low until we find a villa that ticks all the boxes - it takes ages but I love getting the ball rolling.

Also another thing for you to consider is if you want to stay on a gated community for a little more security.

HTH!!

 

[paul_toria96]

Last time we went we stayed at the Manors South, Westridge on the 27, it was a 4 bed with pool and very very nice.
We are going back to the North this year. It is a gated community and very safe for kids.
Hope you find something suitable

 

[Dimplenose]

Are you really sure that you want a villa? I'm only asking as after 2 trips where we stayed onsite we rented a very nice villa but were disappointed with the lack of atmosphere. I had persuaded myself that it was the most suitable accommodation after reading so many positive reports and "you must stay in a villa" type messages both on here and another disney message board.

The villa I couldn't fault and it only took 8 minutes to get from driveway to AK car park. We were staying at Windsor Palms which was a very nice, gated community. We had a couple of very minor problems with the villa (loo handle broke and pool alarm battery needed replacing) but the management company sorted them out very quickly. The part we did appreciate were the electric garage doors - easy parking and a cool car when we wanted to go out.

We had chosen a villa because wanted more space than in one hotel room but with just 4 of us even a 4 bed villa was vast and we didn't see anything of each other when we were in the villa as the kids just went to their own rooms.

We found the perfect solution for us by having 2 interconnecting rooms on our last trip and being back on site was, to coin a phrase, like coming home.

I just wanted to give you a different point of view (one which I didn't see - or overlooked when planning my villa holiday). That said I had a lovely holiday it was just missing "something".

 

[susie2]

hi, thanks for all your replys, we have narrowed it down to either lindfields or sunset lakes, we have stayed of site before but in a hotel in lake buena vista, but this time we fancied a villa to keep the costs down, thanks again susie

 

[TraceyL]

We have a new favourite location (used to be Sunset Lakes) - we're going back to the Poinciana area (Bella Vida more precisely). It is just so central compared to everywhere else we've stayed

 

[Pegasus928]

We have only ever stayed in villas during our trips to Florida as this is what works best for us as a family.
If I was to chose one that stood out for us with regards to proximity to Disney, local amenities and pretty much in the middle of everything we love about Florida it would be Cumbrian Lakes on Ponciana Blvd.
Up to now this is probably the only one that we would stay in again because it ticked all the boxes for us.
We have also stayed on the H27 a few times and while the villas here are excellent, and there are some very good amenities close by, I would always try to find out where on the community the villa is located due to the noise from the H27. We fell foul of the once and the noise at night from the passing lorries was very noticeable.
You probably already have these but here are a couple of websites that are very good for villa rentals. They put you in direct contact with the owner and verify the villas advertised on a regular basis.
http://www.vr360floridavillas.co.uk/
http://www.orlandovillas.com/

 

[UKDEB]

Villas are roughly grouped around three main areas - US27, Formosa Gardens and Poinciana Blvd.

The US27 intersects with the extreme west of US192 (the main tourist corridor in Kissimmee). There are a few villa communities heading north on the 27 and lots heading south.

The Formosa Gardens area, west 192 near marker 5, has a high concentration of sub-divisions located immediately south of WDW property at its most westerly corner. These communities are the closest to Disney and it's possible to be in the parking lot of Animal Kingdom within 5-10 minutes using the Sherberth Road. Due south of the FG area are several other communities including ChampionsGate and Reunion. Don't write these off as, although they're further away, they're right next to exit 58 of the I-4 which makes for a very easy hop to WDW, UO and SW.

Poinciana Blvd is a rural stretch which runs south from the 192 east of Disney. Where the two roads intersect, you just need to hop across the 192 and onto the Osceola Parkway for a quick and easy drive onto WDW property. Obviously the closer you are to the 192, the quicker your journey. Cumbrian Lakes, which Kenny mentions and where we've also stayed, is about 4 miles south of the 192. BellaVida, where Tracey has stayed, is around 2 miles south. Any of the communities north of the US17/92 is fine, but I wouldn't advise straying into territory south of that.

This map gives a good overview of the area's rental communities. This interactive map, whilst a little out of date, shows the communities in greater detail. Click first on the links to the individual maps, then follow the links to villas (click the ones which say "map" rather than the ones which say "book"). You'll then find a list of sub-divisions in that area. Clicking on the name of a community will take you to a map which shows where it is in relation to the others.

In addition to those already mentioned by Kenny, I like this site for scouting out the options.