Anybody rent a villa?

[coastgirl]

It's SUCH a jungle out there trying to find something...so much to sort through. And if I have to pay for the works before I even get there, I want to know it's good. I've been searching vrbo, home away (the Brits love it) and trip advisor, and really getting a mixed bag. Any first-hand recommendations or cautions?

 

[ado121]

not sure if this is what you mean, but we rented a condo in windsor hills from a very nice couple. 3 bed 2 bath. excellent pool view. very childproofed. awesome rates. let me know if thats what you mean and ill forward you their info. we are going again since we loved it so much.

 

[i12go2wdw]

We are also looking for a trip over a year away. I have looked at literally hundreds and hundreds of villas and have norrowed it down to 6. The one I am most interested in is called Disney-licious and is Windsor Hills, the woman who owns it is from the Kootenys here in BC which for some reason comforts me
I think the only way to know for sure is to have someone who has rented from someone before tell you it is ok, other than that it is a leap of faith.
The chanes of picking one then finding someone on the DIS that has stayed there is slight based on the # of rental villas there are, but if you can get recommendations and pick from there it may be safer.
There are a lot of recommendations on the Orlando hotels board on the DIS
Good luck!!!

 

[ado121]

We are also looking for a trip over a year away. I have looked at literally hundreds and hundreds of villas and have norrowed it down to 6. The one I am most interested in is called Disney-licious and is Windsor Hills, the woman who owns it is from the Kootenys here in BC which for some reason comforts me
I think the only way to know for sure is to have someone who has rented from someone before tell you it is ok, other than that it is a leap of faith.
The chanes of picking one then finding someone on the DIS that has stayed there is slight based on the # of rental villas there are, but if you can get recommendations and pick from there it may be safer.
There are a lot of recommendations on the Orlando hotels board on the DIS
Good luck!!!

im from bc too! maple ridge...

 

[bob315]

We are renting a house for the first time in February. Typically we have stayed on site or my father has a condo in Sarasota so we did commute on one visit, but that was before kids. I have no idea if this will work but the house is in Bella Vida and works out to less than $100 per day for a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with games room and pool and hot tub.

Friends of ours are staying next door and the owner of that place put us in touch with the owners of our place. They are from Britain and have been very nice. I have sent British Pound bank drafts though they operate a US bank account for direct deposits if people prefer. The house looks great, is very close to Disney and near a 24 hour Super Walmart. There is a clubhouse for the resort with a pool, lounge and internet to which we have access if we like.

I will post to this Board when we get back on whether or not it is any good. They have a website with pictures and a booking calender. One of the things I have liked about them is that the original quote was for me, DW, DS and DD but then my mother and her friend decided to come. They said no extra charge even though it means all the bedrooms are being used. One of the concerns I had was so many places are being foreclosed on but ours seems to be booked solidly before and after which means they are getting rents. I did find a review site at one point which included all positive reviews, including one from New Brunswick but can not find it again.

I will let people know when we get back.

Bob

 

[sympatico]

It's SUCH a jungle out there trying to find something...so much to sort through. And if I have to pay for the works before I even get there, I want to know it's good. I've been searching vrbo, home away (the Brits love it) and trip advisor, and really getting a mixed bag. Any first-hand recommendations or cautions?

When are you planning to go and how big does the house have to be? Are you looking for a pool home, townhouse with splash pool or condo ? What do you want for amenities: disney themed rooms, pool, games room, wifi, nearness to Disney etc. If you figure out what you need then you can narrow it down better. Closer to Disney tends to be more expensive. Subdivisions with resort facilities will be a little more expensive.
We've stayed in a few places and could give you an idea of the area and the subdivisions.

 

[mtmbyck]

We have rented homes several times. Always on VRBO. You can deal with the owners directly. I have never been disappointed although some homes are in better shape than others. All of them had a property management co that we could call for issues. But sometimes you get a house missing appliances (one had no kettles we bought one at Walmart).

The neighborhood is the biggest issue. Google earth the addresses as some claim to be 10 minutes away but are really 30 or 40 given traffic. Best to stick with homes incomunities off Old Lake Wilson road. There are tons and they are very close.

I would not hesitate to rent from anyone on VRBO.

 

[coastgirl]

Thanks folks--we are on short notice and a lot seems to be booked, but on the other hand, some of the people I've contacted are willing to deal! I really want a private pool/freestanding house, but we are only 4 people so a small house is enough...have been looking at Indian Creek, which looks a little more modest, not as new, but hopefully well-maintained... Also looking at Davenport, which seems a little further out, but if we can get on the I4, it probably doesn't matter much. Any particulars welcome!

 

[minnie56]

I have rented a couple of times off of VRBO and had good luck. Rented a 5 and a 6 bdrm home in Highlands Reserve both overlooking the golf course. Very lovely homes and the owners were willing and easy to negotiate with. Both times they threw in pool heat and dropped the price as it was a month or so prior...good luck!

 

[A&CsMom]

We just agreed to rent a home in Indian Creek. We decided we wanted to be close to restaurants in the Formosa Gardens area (love Carraba's!) and we wanted a pool, free standing hot tub, wifi and a private yard, either fenced or lots of shrubbery, so that's how we decided. There are also 4 of us, and we ended up with a 4 bedroom. We went by the pictures. Indian Creek is older but it is all how the house is kept up. This will be our 4th time renting and we have done something different each time, this time it was location and amenities, then price, other times it was price first and we drove a little further. Decide what is most important and search using that criteria. Last minute bookings will give you less selection but you will get better deals. If you are going to Disney, it is nice to be closer if you plan to go back for a break during the day. Good luck, and have fun searching and negotiating!

 

[i12go2wdw]

im from bc too! maple ridge...

Hello fellow BCer, not many of us from the west coast on these boards!! My husband's very large family live in Maple Ridge, do you know any of the Herman clan?
Do you have a trip planned to WDW? Did you enjoy Windsor Hills? Is it a really big property, how far would the furthest house be from the clubhouse? I never took that into consideration when weeding out places to stay. We will have 5 teens and a 9 and 12 yo with us so it isn't a huge issue I guess.

 

[ariel68]

We have rented a 4BR house that sleeps 10 in Davenport, for our trip in March. Private pool, hot tub, and games room. Very beautiful property in gated community (Westhaven). We paid 595 for 6 nights and chose to pay for the optional pool heat for an extra 50 per day. Although not in right in the center of the action if you plan only on visiting WDW, it is still a very reasonable distance to most of the major attractions in and around the Orlando area

10 min Disney
15 min International Drive
15 min Seaworld
25 min Universal
50 min Busch Gardens
60 min Kennedy Space Centre

Owner has been great to deal with and is very accomodating. This property is also on the VRBO, Home Away, and Flip Key sites. Although, I would be more than happy to send you the direct link to their personal website also, if you want to send me a PM.

 

[RainbowsMist]

Thanks folks--we are on short notice and a lot seems to be booked, but on the other hand, some of the people I've contacted are willing to deal! I really want a private pool/freestanding house, but we are only 4 people so a small house is enough...have been looking at Indian Creek, which looks a little more modest, not as new, but hopefully well-maintained... Also looking at Davenport, which seems a little further out, but if we can get on the I4, it probably doesn't matter much. Any particulars welcome!

What are your exact dates? We just cancelled a 3 bedroom pool home in Tuscan Hills (we stayed in the sub division last year so I know it's nice). The price was really great too! I can PM you the info/website if your interested.

My parents have decided to join us for a week of our vacation so we needed something bigger

 

[irisesareblue]

I've used homeaway and they have rental insurance - I think it was about $20-30 for the house we rented - it gives you another sense of security - it is a good website and you deal directly with the owners as well.

We have now rented from the same place out in Crescent Lakes twice and another in Davenport once. We love the place out in Crescent Lakes, but I must admit it's a 25 minute drive to the parks, but we keep renting from the same folks because we feel comfortable with them and their management company is fantastic.

there are some questins you can ask to help you feel more comfortable - ask for the owner's full name, then search the county records for their names/address and make sure they are not in foreclosure or behind in taxes (for most of the counties, this is all public information there and available on their county websites). You can also ask for a copy of a utility bill or some sort of proof they are really the owner.

Pay them through paypal and on your Visa - two more ways of securing it. If you pay through paypal you should have recourse - as well, if they renege and you have paid through Visa, you should have recourse there as well.

 

[sjsjbrook]

We rented from Dreams Villas, you have to stay 7 or more days.

They are 10 minutes from the park and in a gated community.

The process of renting has been great, they even booked my ADR's for me. I would highly recommend them.

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

We have rented a few from HomeAway with no issues. I try to only rent from ones that have reviews and hope for the best

 

[coastgirl]

Man, that is a mind-boggling process! We just made our decision, on a villa in Sunset Lakes. The community is small, and looks lovely. Here at home I have a lake view out my front door--looking forward to a lake in the front a a pool in the back!

Got a really good offer from a Canadian family with a villa in Tuscan Hills, also. Would've booked it except it's a town house--attached on both sides, though it's only a 3-unit and doesn't look like a townhouse, if that makes sense. Dh hates sharing walls, though they only adjoin at the garages.

Anyway, now I'm excited!!