Can you convince my wife that Vistana Villages is better than HIFS?

[jasper577]

We are a family of four with two DD ages 5 and 10. Can you convince my wife that Vistana Villages 2-BR suite will be nicer than a kidsuites at HIFS? From what I have looked at online, the rooms at Vistana Villages look far superior and are presently much lower in cost than HIFS ($99 versus $129 with the seventh night free at Vistana Villages). She thinks that the theming at HIFS makes it a more attractive place to stay with the kids. I think the pool, rooms, and grounds look a lot nicer at Vistana Villages and there is still a playground and zero-entry pool for the kids. There is enough theming at the "theme parks," I'd rather come back at night to a luxurious 2-BR suite and relax than a modified hotel room kidsuite with jungle-themed wallpaper. So can you either convince me that HIFS is just fine, or convince her that Vistana is better? Thanks a bunch.

 

[preb]

IMHO, your kids will like HIFS better and you'll like Vistana better. We've stayed at HIFS twice this year and enjoyed both of our stays. We have a DD that's 2 and she loves it there. The pool, playground, clowns, face painting, train ride, arcade, ducks and swans...she was in heaven.

Now, having said that, I am seriously considering Vistana for our next stay, simply to try something new and to have a little more breathing room.

Therefore, I am also very interested in anyones else's opinions!

Does Vistana offer free breakfast? Are there laundry facilities in the rooms? Patios/balconies? Full kitchens vrs kitchenettes? What's the difference between the two resorts? Where are they located? Do they offer decent and affordable restaurants on site?

Has anyone stayed at both???

 

[CDisney]

I've only stayed at HIFS (just recently in November). I'm leaning more towards Vistana Villages for our next stay because there is more space than HIFS and Vistana Villages has the washer and dryer in the room. The pool area also looks fantastic with its waterfalls, etc.

Many of the interactive water toys in the HIFS pool did not work, which disappointed my sons. Having come from the luxury of the Hard Rock Hotel, I found the beds at HIFS to be uncomfortable and the sheets scratchy. My sons had fun with the putt putt golf at the HIFS. I had to cut their time on the playground equipment short, however, when I noticed that the slides, tunnels, etc., had a strong smell of urine.

If you do a search on the trip reports board, you will find a very detailed description of Vistana Villages.

 

[Lucky'sMom]

I have a ressie at VV booked for Jan 22-31...just curious how you got the 7th night free. We booked through Hotel Kingdom.com. By the way, we stayed at HIFS on our last trip in Feb 2000, and liked it very much, but the rooms are very small compared to a villa. We're so excited to try VV!

 

[hercamore]

Hi Jasper,

I reserarched the HIFS and the VV for our trip this august. We ended up staying at the Residence Inn LBV, but that's another story.
You said it all in your post....the rooms at VV look to be beautiful and spacious and you are getting a good rate.

The only real plus of the HIFS over the VV that I can see is the HIFS has an awesome location just outside the parks. VV is a little further away, but still close too.If it were me, I would choose the beautiful VV over a Holiday Inn, however nice it may be.

Hercamore

 

[jasper577]

OK. You have all given me some hope that I can convince her to go with VV over HIFS, but I think I'll need a few more helpful posts to do the trick. Thanks to all who replied so far and I'm glad that most of those who tried HIFS had a nice stay. By the way Lucky's Mom, there are blackout dates for the seventh night free deal through hotelkingdom.com so perhaps your travel dates were among them. Preb, I believe VV have full kitchens with a full size refrigerator but no free breakfast and don't know about restaurants on site. They do have balconies or patios from what I've seen. Keep the post coming. Thanks.

 

[jdm]

We have stayed at HIFS and not at VV, however we do have a timeshare and are familiar with condo's such as VV. We were extremely disappointed with HIFS and the tiny-ness of it all. Extremely cramped when comparing it to a condo with a full size kitchen and lets' not forget the washer and dryer. One of your children is 10 and might find the kidsuite a little babyish. We had the endangered species room with all these Hawks staring at us (scaaaarey!). We are going in Feb and have a 2 bedroom at RI reserved but are going to try to do an exchange through RCI for Vistana Villages. Good luck convinceing your wife! I don't think you'll be sorry if you choose the largeer accomodations.
Jenn

 

[tsapen]

We recently stayed at the Vistana Villages---and absolutely loved it! We have a family of 6, and more than enough room for all of the suitcases, baggage, toys, etc. to be put in closets and out of the way. The villa was so big--- we had the two bedroom one-- that we were never falling over each other. It was so great to have the washer and dryer in the room--- those beach towels were always dry and fresh--plus we could wash and re-wear our favorite things! The Vistana Villages are definitely worth it! Our children loved the day we stayed back at the resort and used the pool. The recreation staff had bingo, pool relay games etc. for entertainment, too. It was spacious enough at the pool that we all had chaise lounges and plenty of room to swim. The drive from VV to WDW was very easy, and not that much further than HIFS. Good luck with your decision.

 

[jasper577]

All your posts have been very helpful, but it's not working. She thinks she wants more of the hotel-type experience at HIFS with more food choices, though she admits that the grounds and villas at Vistana Villages are more luxurious. How would you decsribe the difference in atmosphere between HIFS and VV? How do the pools compare? Can someone provide a detailed description of the food options at VV and nearby locatiosn that are within a couple of minutes drive? Thanks again. Also, based on current rates, we would save $270 at VV and she is the one that is more budget-conscious than me so you can see how much convincing I still need to do. Oh, I do love her dearly so you know who is going to win this one in the long run

 

[sandyneck]

I also was between the HIFS and VV. We picked the Villages and LOVE IT. We are going back there again in March. If you didn't see my other post, you can also get a 7th night free at the VV to sweeten the deal. There are a few black out dates, but not many. Food choices are limited at the VV. They have a deli which has Boars head sandwiches and Starbucks coffee(all I needed to convince me!) and they also serve some hot items like chicken nuggets, burgers, etc. There is no room service. It is very close to The Pointe which is an upscale outside mall which offers quite a few dining options and also has a huge FAO Swartz toy store. The rooms are absolutely fabulous. We have stayed in many hotels in many places and this is my favorite room(2bedroom Suite) It has full kitchen, washer dryer, huge master bedroom with big jacuzzi--not one of those bathtub ones, a full size seperate one-the kids loved it. It has two double beds in the other room-2 full baths-screened in balcony with table and chairs. As far as luxury is concerned there is no comparison. Now, my sister stayed at the VV with us last year and this year she wanted the food choices like your wife so they stayed at the Vistana Resort. This is the VV sister resort in LBV. The place is enormous and has about 7 restauants. You may be able to talk her into that easier. It is sometimes a little more than the VV, but the rooms are about the same. I have 2 kids 5&7 and they were very excited to learn we were going back to the VV in march, and they are very picky about hotels believe it or not, must be in the genes!! Good Luck and have fun. Making these kinds of decisions is half the fun of the vacation!!

 

[jtryan]

Although it seems to me that your wife has made up her mind, I would like to add my opinion for the Vistana Villages. We were there for the first week of December and we (myself, DH, DD age 5 and DD age 7) absolutely LOVED this place. We have not tried HIFS and probably never will. As a prior post has stated it is not much farther although it does not offer much in on-site dining. However, we didn't have to drive much more than 5 minutes to find a restaurant. The unit was very comfortable and had everything we needed. We also had daily maid service which was nice. We were on the second floor and so we had a screened balcony with a table and chairs and a ceiling fan. We will definitely stay at Vistana Villages again on our next visit. Have fun whatever you decide!!

roxanne

 

[jasper577]

Thanks sandyneck and jtryan. Now maybe if I can get about another 500 posts before the end of the day I'll be victorious!!!! Really, thanks for all the fabulous posts on this topic.

 

[sandyneck]

Just some more help, there is a post from 12-13 about how disappointing HIFS was to the people who just stayed there, maybe if you show that to your wife you will get some leverage. Does she know we are all ganging up on her? It is for her own good after all!!

 

[ljsmom]

My family was also torn between these two resorts...

We did not select HIFS, but did stay at Vistana Villages in October. My kids loved it (2 & 5) just as much as my husband and I did. The pool is beautiful with zero entry, a fountain and activities. The only thing I did not like is they did not rent life vests (you could buy one). I have read numerous posts about the pool at the HIFS being closed one or more times each day due to babies doing their "business" in the water. You may be able to find some of these posts on these boards.

The two bedroom at VV is quite spacious and beautifully decorated. I don't believe the HIFS are as big. The VV is also a brand new resort. I think it has only been open for a little more than one year. Everything is top notch.


The resort is just a tad farther away from the Disney parks than HIFS and it is closer to SeaWorld. It would have been nice if there were more of a selection in terms of food, but that would certainly not deter me from staying there again. In fact, my husband says he will not stay anywhere else.

If you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer.

Good luck!

 

[hercamore]

Since you are both "set" on different lodging, I don't suppose you would want to split your stay between the two.

Many, many, people split their time between two hotels. I have done it several times. Kinda gives you a chance to experience something different.

Hercamore

 

[Tense]

Hi... We haven't stayed at the VV yet(will in April though!) But we have stayed at the Vistana in LBV. We are Disney freaks... love Florida, been several..ok tons of time.. Stayed at HDISS and others off property and many on property too. YC/BC Swan, Dixie landings, CB, BUT by far, for the $$ and even NOT for the $$ The Vistana was Par Excelente! There really isn't any comparison between a HDIS and the Vistana. Vistana is Luxury,Holiday in is just a room with a divider,and not a full kitchen. Vistana has a full kitchen which you might not want to cook, but it sure is nice in the morning to have coffee, and sit at a table and just have toast or cereal while the kids and everyone is getting ready. Also there are 2 bathrooms, Mom and Dad can actually have some private time since the are 2 bedrooms. As much as I love to be on Disney Property, I will never go back as long as I have kids with me. It is too hard squezing them into 1 small room. Hope I helped alittle!

 

[Belle5]

We were at Vistana Villages in September and let me tell you--it is gorgeous! Sooo clean and well kept, too! Very luxurious! Our balcony overlooked a gorgeous waterfall.

 

[jasper577]

Unfortunately, my wife is the only one in the family that is not willing to switch to VV from HIFS. DD 5 and 10 are fine with the switch. Her reasons:

1. Wants to be able to walk to a variety of places to eat in the hotel and have a free hot breakfast.
2. Wants to be in a hotel with hotel-type hallways, a hotel lobby, game room, nighttime activities for the kids, etc.

I really don't get it. She admits that VV is more luxurious with nicer grounds, but insists it will be a boring atmosphere compared to HIFS. My theory is that after a fun but long day in the parks, we would all enjoy coming back to a more relaxed VV-type atmosphere and nicer room that a themed hotel like HIFS.

Assuming that she continues to resist, I just hope HIFS is nice and not as crowded, loud, and dare I say cheesy as the first impresssion I have of it.

Maybe there is a "hotel" that is nicer than HIFS (Caribe Royale???) with better rooms and nicer grounds that will work for both of us, but it seems a shame we are passing on VV. The other alternative is to split the vacation between the two places with the added inconvenience of papcing everything up for the switch.

 

[Tense]

Sorry you can't convince her....Now that I've stayed at a 'real' Suite (villa) I could not imagine going back to a crowded hotel room especially with kids. Would you have your kids sleep in YOUR bedroom at home, eat play and watch TV there...ughhh NO... so why are you willing to do that on vacation IF you don't have to. I've stayed at the Holiday Inn and Suite in LBV. The food was ugh ok did it once never again, the kids check-in wasn't open when WE checked in. The programs for the kids were truely disgusting(I'm going back 6 years now, things could have changed and all properties aren't equal) but it was a room equal in size to a hotel room packed(really 15 kids) with kids. Just a babysitting service.Our daughter picked up some bug in there and was sick..sick ..SICK the whole vacation.... So going by my experiences, you can see why I am not overjoyed with the hotel scene. The room is small(yes even with the suite)and why your wife wants a hotel lobby...you spend 15 min there to check in and check out, and well, I have nothing nice to say about hotel hallways, so I'll say nothing. But your wife never has had these experiences, and as far as food and walking, we went to the parks ate mostly at the parks and NEVER walked anywhere(not an option ,when you have 2 kids who were tuckered out after the parks)..loved coming home to the villa and tucking them into there own beds in there own bedroom, and my husband and I could stay up watch the news and have an adult conversation(uninteruptted) with a glass of wine in our had, and sleep when we felt like it....Sorry this is soooo long...but I feel pretty strong about it....Any way you go..YOU'LL have fun..but you just might not be all that comfortable in h inn...

 

[CDisney]

jasper577,

Your wife's reasons for wanting to stay at HIFS are the same as the ones that made me choose this hotel.

1. I wanted the free hot breakfast/free kids meals - Unfortunately the food was hot only one of the six mornings we ate there for breakfast and the eggs were pretty yucky. We were only at the resort for one lunch to take advantage of the kids eat free program. We were at the parks having fun the rest of the time. Even with the kids eating free, the evening buffet was expensive and previous reports from the DIS boards said it wasn't very good, so we ate off-site for dinner, either at the parks for convenience or off-site for price, variety, and atmosphere. In other words, I didn't save the money I was expecting by eating at the HIFS.

2. I was also intrigued by all of the extra activities for the kids. Well, after being in the parks all day, my boys wanted some down time to watch television or swim. We played putt putt once, but I couldn't interest them in any of the other activities. It was the parks, the pool or the tv. So, much for picking a place based entirely on what I thought they'd like.

We've taken our boys to Disney five times in their short lives. We've stayed on-site twice, rented a home twice, and stayed once at HIFS. We've learned that our enjoyment is directly related to the amount of space we have to spread out in. The more space, the more we seem to relax. Also, since I'm the one that does the laundry - the washer and dryer is very important to me. No matter how much I pack, I still have to wash. It's nice to be able to put a load of clothes in the washer overnight.

You'll still have fun, because you're with family. But, I think you'd be more comfortable in Vistana Villages.