Considering Windsor Hills or Similar - advice needed

[DavidNYC]

For the last 5+ years we've been staying at Bonnet Creek. Typically we'll (me, wife, 9-year old twins, au pair) get a 3-bedroom and then my parents would come for a few days and they'd get another 1 bedroom (or two bedroom if my father has been snoring . . .).

Been thinking about looking at options for something with 4+ bedrooms so we don't have to deal with 2+ rooms. Have been hesitant to move further "off-site" but looks like for places like Windsor Hills it may only be a few extra minutes in the car (and we probably save a few minutes not having to deal with parking).

I've seen a lot of different website for researching and booking but would love any advice people have for best ways to go about looking for a place (or things to be careful of) for a first time renter. And welcome any suggestions of places other than Windsor Hills (would hope to stay in the $200/night range) in early November.)

Would also love to hear any thoughts from those who did a similar move from a bonnet creek type place to a larger townhome.

Thanks!

 

[bigbabyblues]

Windsor Palms is a community very similar to Windsor Hills, and it is maybe a mile or mile and a half further away than WH. We stayed there in June and loved it. I did a review under the "Accommodations Reviews" sub-forum above.For 4 bedrooms, you will need to rent a vacation home/villa, the town homes only have 3 bedrooms.

 

[birdiegirl9800]

I like booking through AirBNB or Homeaway/VRBO. They give you a layer of protection, in that there is a third party that handles the transaction and allow for appeals in the event of a dispute. Most homes have an abundance of reviews as well, so you can get objective opinions. You should have no problem finding a 4 BR home with a pool in your budget range. We found that we aren't the type to take a midday break from the parks, so we were perfectly fine staying a little further away. We did Windsor Hills last time and found it very nice. This time we're staying in Davenport. We have teens/young adults, so having the space and separation are HUGE for us! We also enjoy homes with game rooms (usually a converted garage). Good luck!

 

[ParkHopperFan]

We have stayed in many off site locations over the past ten years and have found Windsor Hills to be our favorite. The location and proximity to the parks and restaurants is perfect for us. They have done a nice job keeping the resort up and have recently added a new water park that our kids love. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a nice pool home within your $200/night budget. The home we stay at most often is www.villaparklane.com. The owners are great to deal with and very responsive. Otherwise I wold recommend searching for a property on the resort's website www.welcometowindsorhills.com

Another poster mentioned booking through Homeaway. We have done that for several trips and have had good luck until recently. Now it's just problematic. They end up charging you a pretty hefty amount just to book a property and where they used to be good to deal with with dispute resolution are now very hands off. They told us to contact the owner.. They just seem to be greedy and not too interested in customer satisfaction.

 

[gatormom2tots]

We love Windsor Hills (but have also fallen in love with Bonnet Creek). We timed it over Christmas- literally 10 minutes from the gas station outside of MK to the entrance to WH. I hope this is allowed....this is our "go-to" house when we spend a week or more and bring the in-laws down. http://www.villaoasisdisney.com/

 

[lelesmith11]

WE LOVE WINDSOR HILLS, WITH THE SHERBERT CUT THROUGH ITS VERY CLOSE TO AK , WE ARE DOING THE OPPOSITE AND LOOKING AT BC, WE NEED THE LAZY RIVER, WH DOES NOT HAVE THAT/ NEW SPLASH AREA AT WH LOOKS NICE/ WE ALWAYS RENT FROM DAVE AT VACATION CENTRALFLORIDA.COM, MANY TOO CHOOSE FROM