booking Villa?

[wideeyes]

I am not planning on going for 2 years yet however I usually stay at a disney hotel but decided that a villa will be better suited to us now.

I have never booked one before, infact I have hardly ever stepped foot of WDW property so in need of some help.

Where is the best place to stay, we want to be near disney?
Where do I look to book a villa, My parents booked through virgin but I want to go for the cheapest option so will DIY.

How soon do we need to book a villa?

Thanks!

 

[madmumof2]

I stayed in POP last time and this time have opted for a villa too. I looked around a lot and the best deal ended up being a package deal with Cosmos. We'll be in a Disney area villa which are all around 15 minutes from Disney so close but you'll need a car.

 

[wideeyes]

Thanks, I just looked up cosmo for next years prices though we are looking for 2013. They are quite good, better than I expected anyway!

We do need it to be as cheap as possible..

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We too like staying in a villa. Last Christmas we booked 5 nights at POFQ followed by a stay in a villa with Virgin. We had booked for a specific community and 2 weeks before we were due to go Virgin wrote to us to say they couldn't fulfil our request. I wasn't pleased

We have stayed at Windsor Hills a few times in a 3 bedroom town home. We really like it there - it is gated a really near to WDW. Just a short drive and lots of places to eat nearby. We got this off VRBO.

The first time I looked it was really difficult to choose - try and think what you want and how near you want to be (drive time wise). A lot of people like the communities around Formosa Garden - such as WH, Emerald Isle and others.

Have you started searching yet?

 

[london75]

If you want to save some money, look on vrbo.com at Rolling Hills, it's literally over the road from Formosa Gardens and no different in drive time to Disney but a touch older and a lot cheaper. We had a 4 bed villa with pool this year for £400 per week.

It's not gated but we've never sensed any problems. To be honest, if I were stealing from villas, I'd jump over the fence of the more expensive gated resort than drive into the cheaper community with mostly locals.

Cosmos are ok, we used them once but their villas are not as good as you can get on your own using vrbo or similar sites and at least then you know exactly what you're getting and where etc. And cheaper for that matter.

 

[Pegasus928]

We have always stayed in villas on our trips, and from a distance point of view they are much of a muchness. The ones that are furthest away from Disney are closer to Universal and vice versa.
The communities that are furthest away are the ones on the H27 - but even those are only around 20 minutes to AK, and that compares with some of the bus trips from what I have read on these boards.
I would suggest you look at renting direct from the villa owner ratehr than througha TA. The advantages of this are that you can pick the villa you want rather than being allocated on arrival, and the price is cheaper and can even be negotiated in some instances.
A couple of places to start are
http://www.vr360floridavillas.co.uk/
http://www.orlandovillas.com/

Both sites are very easy to use and just need you to put your requirements in for a list of villas to come up.
Things that we insist on when looking for a villa - and we have no trouble finding them as there is plenty of choice out there:
South facing pool that is not overlooked by other villa owners, preferably with a lake or conservation view.
Free wi-fi and international calls
Games room

Hope this helps

Kenny

 

[wideeyes]

Thanks for your help.

All these areas mean nothing to me so have a bit of research to do!

 

[Pegasus928]

There are some really good maps out there that show the locations of the different communitites in relation to the major attractions.
Here's a couple to start you off

http://villasforflorida.co.uk/map.htm
http://www.orlandovillas.com/map.aspx

 

[Beep]

Try holiday rentals - we've had a couple of really good villas from that site at Rolling Hills.

We go back to the same villa now as we know it is good, always immaculate and well maintained and a good price.

Rolling Hills is a great location, only 4 miles from Disney gates and a lovely community. Formosa Gardens is only 1 mile away with a supermarket, eateries and loads of options on the 192.

 

[disneyvillainlover]

I would always book a villa DIY as you have control of what you are getting..

I have things on my list which are important ..for example

1. must have a jacuzzi
2. as go in the winter months must be gas/electric heated pref gas
3. covered lanai
4. southish facing
5. not backing onto another pool area
6. enough double rooms
7. having the pool heating on later 11am - 11pm (we swim later)

distance isnt that important to me but some areas are a little too far out.. I like hampton lakes and highlands reserve