Advice please - villa holiday May/June!

[Carriegriff]

Hi there, we are planning a two week holiday to Florida May/June (flexible on dates), we have a little boy who will be about 14 months then and want to visit Disneyworld, Animal Kingdom, Universal etc but also want chilling time so fancy hiring a villa with pool in the vicinity rather than staying in a Disney hotel/resort. We'd like to stay in one of the resorts that has some facilities but there are so many I don't know where to start - let alone choosing a villa - there are hundreds! Could anyone recommend one of these resorts in particular? Some that look good include Terra Verde, Emerald Island, Windsor Palms .. the list goes on! Having nice scenery to walk around would be nice, children's play area and near to '192' as I hear it is good for eating/shopping? It would help to narrow our search down to one or two of them. Also, would May be a better time to go regarding the heat or is it likely to rain a lot? Thanks in advance! Caroline

 

[Beeincrazy4 da mouse]

Hi dont know if this helps but we recently stayed in Indian creek in Kissimmee, and have also stayed in rolling hills which is nearby, Indian creek had a play area in the vacinity, good market store just down the road from it and all the resturuants etc,. May is a good time at least it was for us as the temp hasnt quite hit its high yet. Hope it helps .Angie

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi,

A villa is a sound choice and gives you the freedom to be able to relax, cooking facilities plus all that extra room too,
all perfect if you have young children.
I have stayed at quite a few different developments and viewed many others.

In my opinion you are better off in the Kissimmee area where you would be close to Disney and I4 for Universal.
Wherever you stay along the 192 there are restaurants everywhere plus several supermarkets all close to the villa developments you list.
You will have to drive everywhere though, there are no restaurants or shops within walking distance - this is quite common for all villa locations.

There are 2 main development areas, Formosa Gardens and Poinciana Boulavard.
All 3 of the ones you list are based there, Emerald Island and Windsor Palms at FG and Terre Verde at PB.

I could list many other places for you but to be honest the 3 you have quoted are all very nice indeed and any would be a good choice.
I would suggest you just find the home at the 3 thats suits you best.
They all have the advantage of having a community swimming pool and a clubhouse too.

Formosa Gardens is probably a slightly better location, you are literally a 2 minute drive to the 192/FG junction with a Publix supermarket less than a mile away.
Poinciana Boulevard is a long and sometimes busy road with several villa areas spread out over a long distance, fortunatley Terre Verde is the closest to the 192 junction, but still a good 10 minutes or so drive.

Our next holiday in Easter 2008 we are staying at either TV or WP so you have made a good choice so far.

The weather in May and June will just be starting to warm up for the summer, with temps. in the mid 80s at least, it may be best to go as early as you can in May so it will be a little cooler. Rainfall shouldn't be too bad, as you move into June you would be likely to see more, especially afternoon thunderstorms.

villa websites to check:

www.vr360homes.co.uk
www.villas2000.com
www.holiday-rentals.com

Please feel free to send me a personal message if you have any more questions.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi
We went at Xmas to Windsor Hills which is built by the same builders as WP but newer. You can walk from the town homes to the main pool & there is a childrens play area. It is only just off the 192 (quite near to Formosa) & only 6/7 minutes from Disney AK.
I really liked our home & would go back again.
Please ask if you have any specific questions - I know I looked for ages before choosing this resort & did so because it was near to everything.

 

[wicket2005]

I cannot recommend anywhere but would say, I think, with having a small child a villa would be ideal for you.

 

[KayR]

The communities in the Formosa Gardens area (Windsor Palms / Hills, Emerald Island, Rolling Hills etc) are very close to Disney. In fact you can be at the parking lot in AK in under 10 minutes, especially if you use the back road into Disney.

From the dates you were looking at (May/June) I would recommend May over June. The weather should be warm, but not too hot (or humid) and it should be better for the little one (and mum and dad). Crowds should also be lighter so little or no waiting in line for any of the rides.

The newer communities have more amenities and most communities have a play area for little ones. Emerald Island feels more grand and spacious to me. Again it has play areas (two), a nature trail and an on-site concierge that can help you with attraction tickets, reservations and general information on the area.

If you are interested in homes at Windsor Palms you could look at www.windsor-palms-florida.net. There is a separate toddler pool at the clubhouse and a nice play area there as well as a sundry shop and a movie theatre.

For Emerald Island Homes you could look at http://emeraldislandresortvacationhomes.com/

Just down the road from the Formosa Gardens area is a shopping / eating area with a few restaurants including TGI Fridays, Outback, Red Lobster, Cracker Barrell. Most, if not all. of these restaurants are very child friendly providing child menus, crayons etc.

If there are just 3 of you, you could get a home with a private pool, or a townhome/condo (condo is an apartment / a flat, and a townhome is a terraced home). Condo's and townhomes are usually located close to the clubhouse so that you have easy access to all the amenities there. Homes may be a little further away, but usually still within walking distance.

Look for a home that has child friendly amenities (portable crib / high chair) etc. Some have baby monitors, child locks on kitchen cabinets etc, toddler toys.

Enjoy.

-Kay

 

[Disney owl]

We enjoy the flexibility of staying in a villa even though our kids are teenagers. It's nice to have your own space & with a little one you can put him to bed & still have somewhere comfortable to sit. We also take adventage of a mid afternoon break from the parks & return to the villa.

On our last visit we stayed at Windsor Palms & were very impressed & would stay there again.

 

[Carriegriff]

Thanks so much for all your replies, very very helpful! I have narrowed it down to Windsor Palms or Emerald Island so we'll book our flights first (we want to use our Virgin points to upgrade and upgradable flights are few and far between so I think they'll be harder to find that the villa!).
Carrie x

 

[caz]

We have 3 young children and always go in May in a villa.The weather is fantastic .Last year we stayed in Emerald Island and are returning this year.For distance to parks and peace and quiet this is definately the best villa community we have stayed in so far .

 

[martina857]

Hi there, we are planning a two week holiday to Florida May/June (flexible on dates), we have a little boy who will be about 14 months then and want to visit Disneyworld, Animal Kingdom, Universal etc but also want chilling time so fancy hiring a villa with pool in the vicinity rather than staying in a Disney hotel/resort. We'd like to stay in one of the resorts that has some facilities but there are so many I don't know where to start - let alone choosing a villa - there are hundreds! Could anyone recommend one of these resorts in particular? Some that look good include Terra Verde, Emerald Island, Windsor Palms .. the list goes on! Having nice scenery to walk around would be nice, children's play area and near to '192' as I hear it is good for eating/shopping? It would help to narrow our search down to one or two of them. Also, would May be a better time to go regarding the heat or is it likely to rain a lot? Thanks in advance! Caroline

You have just described Emerald Island Resort, Windsor Palms is nice but if you are after relaxing scenic walks and childrens play areas then EI wins hands down.

Martina

 

[Haworthfamily]

Hi
We enjoy Emerald Island it is just right for us and DD who is 5 - enjoyed the play area, but for us we enjoyed a lovely clean gated community.
Good luck

 

[juliebro]

We like Emerald Island too. We're going there for the second time very soon.

Julie

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

I agree that a villa will be a great option for you.

We have done both hotel (on and off site) and villa rental and in the end loved the villa and have ended up buying one Our kids are now 11 and 6 but the space that you get in comparison to a hotel room is soooo worth it.
Anywhere off the 192 is between 3 and 10 mins from Disney so you will be fine in that area.

I would also opt for May - we have been then and got very hot weather with a few afternoon showers (a few years back now) but friends went the following month and rained a lot. - then again who can tell the way the weather is going these days

Good luck with the planning and have a great trip.

Tracey