Emerald Island

[katallo]

We are not familiar with Emerald Island. Is it similar in distance to WDW and safety to Windsor Hills? We have been looking for communities in nice areas close to disney. Thanks

 

[Candleshoe]

We are not familiar with Emerald Island. Is it similar in distance to WDW and safety to Windsor Hills? We have been looking for communities in nice areas close to disney. Thanks

Yes, very similar. It's only slightly farther away.

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/villa-map.php

 

[sympatico]

We've stayed there a few times and also at Windsor Hills and others in the area and Emerald Island is actually nicer as far as entrance and landscaping goes. It's maybe 2 or 3 min. longer getting to Disney. It's about a mile from WH as the crow flies. As far as safety goes it's the same in all that general area. I wouldn't leave anything laying around but I feel as safe as I would onsite.

 

[coastgirl]

Yep, agreeing with what's gone before. We found the neighbourhood very nice, and handy to everything. We felt quite secure. We were going to Universal, not Disney; Universal took about 20 min in good traffic. We did go to the Poly for breakfast one morning, and were surprised that we actually made it on time. (We are chronically late!)

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We stayed there two years ago but haven't stayed in WH yet to compare. Drive to all four Disney parks was quick and we liked the pool home. It was a nice quiet and safe community.

For a change of pace we're staying in WH in March so I'll have to report back with an update.

 

[pcstang]

I preferred Emerald Isle to WH. As another poster stated, the entrance was much nicer and I liked the feel of the neighborhood better.

 

[Dave1234]

My tuppence worth, Emerald Island (EI) slightly older than Windsor Hills (WH). EI was the number 1 short term rental resort until WH came along. EI is 3 miles to Disney, WH is only 2. EI is however a far larger resort plot so lots of woodland walks and greenery. EI also has wider selection of home styles and largest homes are bigger (7 bed) than WH (6 bed). EI has lovely pool area, is gated and secure like WH. As OP noted EI renowned for his grand entrance. Very impressive. We've stayed before and usually rented direct from owners. You'll find a wide selection of properties on EmeraldIslandPrivateRentals .com. Would highly recommend the resort don't worry about quality of resort or distance to Disney. Both perfect.
Dave

 

[Shea&Van]

We LOVED our stay at EI! I too preferred it over WH. The ride seemed the same to me, but I thought it felt more lush and quieter. WH is def nice too, but if all other things were equal, I'd got with EI.

Good luck!