First Time- Villa?

[Laurafoster]

We are getting married in Disney next december and my fiance's grandparents and uncle have decided they want to stay in a villa. Where would be the best place for them to stay? They have never been before and his uncle will be driving so ideally i wouldnt like them to be too far away from the "main hub". Money isnt too much of an issue but i think they may just want to go for 10days?

Any suggestions you have would be great!

 

[Shropshire Saint]

Laura
Where are you getting married? If its Disney, the closest homes are on or around Formosa Gardens. There are some beautiful homes there & lots of choice. Alternatively there is Davenport on Highway27 which in my opinion is more peaceful, or Lots of communities off the 192 on Poincianna Blvd which are also close enough to everything, normally within 15-20 minutes.
If it were me, I would ask your in-laws to be what are the most important things to them on their vacation ie, close to the parks, large pool, on a lake etc. I personally dont mind a 15-20 minute drive, for me the not being overlooked at the back of the pool & homes that are not right on top of each other is a priority. I dont like my neighbours 10 feet away, privacy is important.
Others like south facing pools, games rooms etc.
Its really up to the individual.
Happy to go into more detail if you have a community in mind. PM me if you want.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Laura, just off the 192 in Kissimmee is ideal, close to Disney/the I4/restaurants and supermarkets.
I have driven around most of the developments.

There are 2 main areas Formosa Gardens and Poinciana Boulevard, at FG you have FG(naturally!), Indian Creek, Windsor Palms and others..at PB, you have Terre Verde, Eagle Pointe, Indian Point, Liberty Village and Cumbrian Lakes.

I would recommend one at either, IC and CL - both have a good balance of different sized homes.

Formosa Gardens area has the slight of advantage of being in a better location, Poinciana Boulevard is a very long road and it can depending on where you are staying take 10 minutes at least to get to your villa from the junction of the 192.

I would try and get one that has a south facing pool , gets the sun all day, and a pool that is fully fenced for extra privacy ( I agree that it is much better not to be overlooked at the back). This is a must for us.
In addition, in my opinion, the newer the property the better, hence IC & CL are our personal choices.

There are some very nice developments on the US27, but personally do not like the location and is definitely further away from the attractions.
We also stayed in the Davenport area once, but found it a bit too far south - but again that is just my opinion (everyone has different preferences).

try:
www.villas2000.com
www.holiday-rentals.com
www.vr360homes.co.uk

 

[Shropshire Saint]

Johnny,
Do you not find new properties right on top of each other?
I am sure on all the developments there are exceptions, but a lot of the properties appear really close to one another. That leads to a distinct lack of privacy IMHO.
In about 15 visits I would say the developments with the most space are either the really big places at Formosa or Crescent Lakes.
Terra Verde has a lot of houses about 8-10 feet apart. Indian Creek was even worse. As I say I am sure there are exceptions.
Do you like the fencing? We find it quite intruding. I prefer a lake or conservation.

As you say, we are all different.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Johnny,
Do you not find new properties right on top of each other?
I am sure on all the developments there are exceptions, but a lot of the properties appear really close to one another. That leads to a distinct lack of privacy IMHO.
In about 15 visits I would say the developments with the most space are either the really big places at Formosa or Crescent Lakes.
Terra Verde has a lot of houses about 8-10 feet apart. Indian Creek was even worse. As I say I am sure there are exceptions.
Do you like the fencing? We find it quite intruding. I prefer a lake or conservation.

As you say, we are all different.

Hi - yes we are all different..the one's we stay at on Indian Creek are more new(ish) than brand new, they tend to be 3 or 4 years old.
To be honest I really haven't noticed regarding the properties being really close but you are probably correct in what you say..I do agree about a lake/conservation area, some of the homes we have stayed in have been fenced on either side with a L/C view at the rear, which I agree is ideal.

Our basic aim is to find one not overlooked at the sides by other homes, we really want the privacy of a fence, but yes having a nice view at the back is good to have.

Terre Verde is one of the newest one's and we have considered maybe staying there, especially as they have facilities on-site, but just haven't found the right home I guess...we are a bit fussy, we really want a lounge with carpet also as we find tiles a bit cold, and are frightened Joshua may slip.

To be honest our fussyness comes out of a disaster the first time we rented, which was in the Davenport area, direct off the owners..the home was 10 years old and falling to bits, it was horrid..the pool area was frankly a disgrace, with litter all over the place as well as fallen plaster from the walls, we kicked up a right stink and ended up moving to another home after a week.
We were devestated to see the state it was in, especially with Joshua loving water so much..so we vowed never to make the same mistake again, no disrespect to the majority of home owners, but we really look for a newer property now.
Hence the websites on my earlier post.

Formosa Gardens, like Indian Creek, is ideally situated but having looked a lot of the homes are 5 bedroomed or more which is a bit big for us really, Crescent Lakes is on Poinciana Boulevard but is one of the more distant developments from the junction of PB/192, I think it is probably just a bit too far for us..Cumbrian Lakes is just that bit nearer, although as I said the FG area is probably better allround.
Poinciana Boulevard is a pretty fast road but it does get busy and it can take a good 10 minutes to get to the 192.

 

[Shropshire Saint]

Thanks for your answer.
Its interesting what you say about carpet, because we always wants tiling! We are always worried that our 3 & 5 year old are going to spill something on them! And we dont want them to drip on the carpet when they get out of the pool. We put towels down on the tiles to walk on if they are desperate for the loo.
We had a bad experience on Indian Creek with neighbours 2 inches away all the way around us. That with the road put us off forever!
We like Davenport as all the supermarkets are close, as is I4 (champions gate).
Differences are what make the world go round!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for your answer.
Its interesting what you say about carpet, because we always wants tiling! We are always worried that our 3 & 5 year old are going to spill something on them! And we dont want them to drip on the carpet when they get out of the pool. We put towels down on the tiles to walk on if they are desperate for the loo.
We had a bad experience on Indian Creek with neighbours 2 inches away all the way around us. That with the road put us off forever!
We like Davenport as all the supermarkets are close, as is I4 (champions gate).
Differences are what make the world go round!

Hi again - yes know what you mean, we had a change of thinking when Joshua dropped a candle on a tiled floor and broke it in half, it was a large rectangular one. Despite the fact we phoned up the Management Company and paid for a new one , the owner appeared a bit cheesed off about it (a bit over the top really)..and sometimes when you are coming in from the pool tiles are not ideal, although we usually ensure Joshua is completely dry anyway.
The homes we have rented on Indian Creek have tended to be either corner plots (like next year) or on a bend where I think there appears to be more room..I will remember your comments when we go next year, tape measure in my pocket

The Publix Supermarket near IC is probably just over 5 minutes away which we find convenient, sorry any mention of Champion's Gate just makes me think of that horrid villa - and I didn't even mention the state of the 3 piece suite and bed-linen.

Like you rightly say though, it's nice we all have different preferences, otherwise it would be pretty boring.

 

[Shropshire Saint]

Champions Gate........I love both of the golf courses, its another reason I like Davenport.

 

[Laurafoster]

You know what i never even thought about the tiles or carpets - i always saty in a hotel as i havent been old enough to drive out there lol. Thanks for all the info thought, sure it will be a great help!

 

[isla bonita]

I think the homes with the restrooms close by to the pool are the best.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

You know what i never even thought about the tiles or carpets - i always saty in a hotel as i havent been old enough to drive out there lol. Thanks for all the info thought, sure it will be a great help!

It can make a big difference, obviously for the home owners carpets need more maintainence and replacing etc - just personally we find tiles a bit cold and if you slip (or drop something!), you may have a problem.

 

[JANNYANS]

The ceramic floor tiles we just had put down have a non slip surface so are safe.One of the problems with having carpet is that the water from the pool contains chlorine and if someone drips on the carpet it can leave spots where the colour has been bleached out.Having little accidents happen are part and parcel of owning a holiday home if a tile or glass gets broken most owners would look upon it as an accident plain and simple -something that couldn't be helped .
As regards the 27 I heard yesterday that there is a notice near the Wal Mart at Cagans Crossing that reads Recruiting for Bahama Breeze- now thats quite a way from their established restaurants so they may be opening one in the Four Corners area.Also there is a Taco Bell and Long John Silvers opening near the Bank of America plus a Ruby Tuesday just by the 54 area.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

The ceramic floor tiles we just had put down have a non slip surface so are safe.One of the problems with having carpet is that the water from the pool contains chlorine and if someone drips on the carpet it can leave spote where the colour has been bleached out.Having little accidents happen are part and parcel of owning a holiday home if a tile or glass gets broken most owners would look upon it as an accident plain and simple -something that couldn't be helped .

Yes that makes sense Jan - it is just personal preference, I mean with guests staying at the homes the carpets do get dirty and I am sure you are right about the chlorine.

I think the owner of the home where Joshua broke the candle was a bit wierd really, I am sure the majority would be perfectly okay.

 

[isla bonita]

When we bought our home someone gave us this advice. If you will be upset if it breaks don't put it in your rental propert. Have a well apointed home just no family heirlooms. Good advice. Life happens. I like Jan also have tile it is easy clean. Always looks nice. We do have a few throw rugs that can be thrown out and easily replaced.

 

[Laurafoster]

Think personally id rather have the carpets - from a safety point of view - they are quite elderly and i would hate for them to have an accident!

 

[magicgirl]

We have stayed in Indian Ridge and Indian Ridge Oaks which are just off the 192 near Formosa Gardens. On Wednesday it took us 8 minutes to get to the car park kiosks at Animal Kingdom. We find that the area is mainly residential rather than holiday lets,is lovely and quiet and close to Disney and all ameneties.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Think personally id rather have the carpets - from a safety point of view - they are quite elderly and i would hate for them to have an accident!

Yes the makes sense Laura, and they are better for little one's too!