Has anyone stayed in or do you know anything about these Windsor Hills homes?

[Allabtprincesses]

I have researched many, but these two look nice. Will only need a house if brother and sister-in-law come along, otherwise will be looking for a townhome! Thanks in advance! (Oct.27-Nov.3)

http://www.housemickey.com/

http://www.ourdisneyhouse.com/index.html

 

[mtmbyck]

We are checking in to a 6 bedroom home this Saturday in Windsor Hills for 2 weeks so I will let you know!! We are staying at www.floridashaven.com and she gave us an amazing rate of $2400 tax and pool heat in for the 2 weeks! I have heard that Windsor Palms has an issue with a sewage smell (they back on to a water treatment area) but that Windsor Hills doesn't get the smell. Windsor Hills is quite new - the house we are renting is just over a year old. You are quite literally 5 minutes to the parks!! We have stayed just downt the street before in Indian Ridge Oaks.

 

[pnutsmom00]

I am looking at property to rent in Windsor Hills for our very first vacation to Disney! Yeah! We are going in Dec 2007(yes I know it is the busy season but with kids...) I would love to know all the details about your stay. This is our first time renting a home like this and I am nervous! Thanks a bunch!

Brandy

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi there
we went in Dec 2006 for 3 weeks. Didn't find WH to be too busy, although obviously around Xmas there were more people staying on property. We stayed in a 3 bed townhome rented from VRBO. The place was lovely & we would love to return (pity flights are so expensive!!).
WH is really near to WDW & traffic was not a problem. Please ask if you have any specific questions.

 

[5mins2disney]

I can't say I know those owners but the homes both look nice! (We do know a lot of WHR owners, we own townhomes there ourselves!).

It's a big place though, 1000 total pool homes, townhomes, and condos in the resort, so there's no way I could know everyone! hehe

- George

 

[pnutsmom00]

We were looking at a basic suite hotel in orlando and would be paying the same amount as these homes and condos. Thanks for letting me know that it was decent. What is VRBO? Any tips and hints for a sort of inexpensive trip to Disney would be very appreciated!

 

[5mins2disney]

You can use www.vrbo.com (which is the biggest vacation rental website, but is kind of a pain to use / navigate)... or for just Windsor Hills... try:

www.windsorhillsrent.com

 

[mtmbyck]

I like VBRO.com (vacation rentals by owners) becuase the owners contact you and then you can negotiate a price based on your stay. This is MUCH cheaper than using All Star Vacation Rentals. Windsor Hills is really new and while this will be our first stay at this community, we have rented in Lake Berkley, Indian Ridge Oaks, and others. Rental homes are the way to go with kids!!

Put them to bed and then sit outside around the pool drinking wine. Much better than crammed in a hotel room watching TV at 9pm when the kids go to bed!!

 

[5mins2disney]

I like VBRO.com (vacation rentals by owners) becuase the owners contact you and then you can negotiate a price based on your stay. This is MUCH cheaper than using All Star Vacation Rentals. Windsor Hills is really new and while this will be our first stay at this community, we have rented in Lake Berkley, Indian Ridge Oaks, and others. Rental homes are the way to go with kids!!

Put them to bed and then sit outside around the pool drinking wine. Much better than crammed in a hotel room watching TV at 9pm when the kids go to bed!!

www.windsorhillsrent.com is the same concept as vrbo.com just so you know...it's all of the individual owners that advertise there and you're dealing directly with the individual homeowners, hence, you're getting a much better rate by cutting out the "middleman".


All Star (not sure where they came into this thread) is a local property management company, one of many (they're a very good one by the way...nothing wrong with them!), and they rent out homes in Windsor Hills as well, but charge the owners (and hence you, the guest) for their marketing / booking services. So, expect to pay slightly more if you go through a management company, for the same homes! There are some minor advantages, for one, you're dealing with a large company, and not necessarily an owner (this makes some first time rentors feel more comfortable). Also, if you were to show up and there were some major problem with the property, chances are they would have alternate housing or accomodations available to put you in. (This is rarely if ever an issue though). Most homeowners have a large company like this or one of the many other local large managment companies that care for their properties and their guests anyhow, so even if you don't book the home through the MC, chances are, there's one of the same MCs looking after your vacation to make sure it's excellent anyhow! Most of the owners don't live in the area, so need to hire someone to take care of the property and their guests, and things like cleaning, pool upkeep, maintenance, etc anyhow!

Good question to ask the homeowner during the inquiry process, who do they have, etc. The only thing is, guests are going to have a hard time judging who are the good vs mediocre MCs, and that's all I will say on THAT topic for fear of getting myself in trouble! (But I will say All Star has an excellent reputation just so you all know, they don't manage my property but I know the owner of All Star and he's about as honest and upstanding of an individual as you could ever hope to meet!).


And...now you know a little bit more about how it works "behind the scenes"!

 

[mtmbyck]

Sorry if I appeared to be taking a shot at All Star Home rentals but I did want to point out that they are significantly more expensive than renting the same home through the owner. We have rented for years and I know the pricing. Good point about having a reputable company behind the house though as most owners are overseas or not in Florida so it is good to have quality local assistance. We have rented homes where the property Management Company were AWFUL!

 

[5mins2disney]

Sorry if I appeared to be taking a shot at All Star Home rentals but I did want to point out that they are significantly more expensive than renting the same home through the owner. We have rented for years and I know the pricing. Good point about having a reputable company behind the house though as most owners are overseas or not in Florida so it is good to have quality local assistance. We have rented homes where the property Management Company were AWFUL!

I didn't take it as a "shot" ! I just wasn't sure where they came into this thread in the first place! LOL (no mention of them up until you mentioned them). Yes, they are more expensive, so are most MCs though! The whole point being, if you go direct to the owners you can get the same home at a reduced rate typically!

Now, not all owners even do this, some prefer just not to deal with it at all and let the MC do it all for them (big mistake if you ask me!).

Here's the sticky part though...you're right...not all MCs are good! All Star...even though they might cost a bit more...are excellent in terms of customer service. Mind you, I have ZERO connection to All Star, no ax to grind here in any way shape or form, I'm giving you guys feedback so you know who some of the GOOD companies are! Our MC, Oasis Vacation Homes... (www.oasisvacationhomes.com) is simply EXCELLENT! If it weren't for them behind the scenes doing an excellent job for us I wouldn't be able to have a home there! (Shameless plug for them..but they are really great!).

Now...you're right..and for fear of getting myself in trouble..there's a few big MC companies I wouldn't rent a home through, but I'm one of these people who will only say positive things about the good ones and won't say negative things about anyone who's not as good, so I'm not going to mention my opinion on this topic...hehe. Let's just say I've heard some interesting stories from guests who have stayed in our homes, and have stayed elsewhere in the past.

What you need to realize as a rentor, it's not the problems that come up...everyone has problems. Ever have anything break in your own home? (Of course you have...we all have!) It's what you DO about the problems that counts! Are you responsive? Do you react quickly to problems and get them resolved? These kinds of things. How do you judge this? Well....is the owner very responsive to your emails and phone calls during the booking and inquiry process? Hope so... if not...I'd be worried that they wouldn't be if a problem came up if they're not, for instance!

 

[Allabtprincesses]

Thanks for all of your input! What kind of questions should I be asking the homeowners? Also, if any of you have had a good experience with a particular homeowner/home, please PM me with the details! Is there a way to know what MC you will be dealing with ahead of time? I've read lots of good things about your home, 2mins2Disney, and would love to rent from you if I end up needing a townhome and yours is till available

pamela_nixson@yahoo.com

 

[5mins2disney]

Thanks! I've had good experiences with another owner we rented from actually before we bought there...my review / suggestion is posted on the reviews boards actually!

I would ask who their MC is....how responsive they are? Kind of judge for yourself how responsive the owner is.

Check their online guestbook (if they have one..hopefully they do!).

Look at their website (hopefully they have one...not all do!). Look for lots of current pictures. Of the interior and exterior of the home.

It bugs me when I see a website or ad (and believe me I've looked at 1000s of them!)...and all they have is pictures of the resort, for instance. Makes me think or feel like they're trying to "hide" something.

Is your place so ugly that you have to show off a dozen pictures of the resort before I get to what your place looks like?! LOL

Are their pictures and website good looking? (another tipoff...that gotcha called attention to detail!)

How many "hits" are there on their rental calendar(s)? Is their calendar 90% empty and you're one of the few looking at it? If it's a brand new place that's one thing...if they're one of the few that isn't booked...what are they doing "wrong"? (I care about this an an owner so I don't make the same mistakes as other people!)

Most of the time I can tell you (I have a pretty "Seasoned" eye at this now) what they're doing wrong. It could be bad pictures, bad decorating, lack of amenities, lots of times it's just a poor website (or lack of one altogether)...or they do a poor job of communicating with guests, that sort of thing.

Lots of times the places themselves though are nicer than they pictures would lead you to believe, it's amazing how hard it is to take great looking pictures of a rental property! People "cheap out" and try and do it themselves and do a poor website themselves, rather than spend a little $$ and hire a pro. (You spend $100s of $1000s on a place and then the last little bit suffers! I scratch my head sometimes..) That being said though, it doesn't mean the place is a bad place or anything, just that you kind of have to "see through" a lot of this kind of stuff.

It won't surprise you to hear that the people who don't do well at these kinds of things are the ones who's places aren't all that booked up.

Sometimes it's the place itself, sometimes it's just the way it's presented. Bottom line...take a good hard look and make sure you're happy with what you're looking at! At least in our resort (Windsor Hills), the good news is that it's all brand new, so it's very hard to go wrong.

It's not like a dating website where you show up and the picture of that person you met was from 20 years ago! ROFL (Best funny analogy I can think of at the moment!)

 

[ClanHarrison]

Wow, 5M2D. I really appreciate your very detailed and informative posts. I just wanted to chime in for support of All Star and what you had to say about them.

You are dead on with what you said because in 2005, our first and only time we've traveled that far with our kids (not to mention another part of my family and there kids), I was soooo scared and leary about what I was planing. I thank God for this board and all here who had no problems sharing their experiences and suggestions. We specifically chose to rent from a Man. Co. just for the reasons you stated. We didn't know anything about Florida and didn't know the people that owned the homes or what we were walking into. So I opted to stick with a company so at least I had some recourse if all didn't go well.

I knew we were paying extra. But I rationalized the cost against our perceived safety, those GORGEOUS amenities, and the fact that this was our first trip, so we were going to do it BIG. And let me tell ya.....I was NOT disappointed. All Star was EXCELLENT. When ever I had a question, they had THE answer (not an answer)...right down to where the closest hospital or urgent care facilities were. When we checked in late that night, the office was closed, but I took my list of concerns to the office the next day (not many and none were serious) and they were resolved quickly. One of my concerns that I listed and documented with my camera (because I didn't want to be charged for it later), was that the media room's carpet, which was a light tan, had LOADS of red juice stains all over it. Well, when I go to their website now, I can see that they have totally replaced this carpet. There was an ant problem in the kitchen (tip coming up), which we solved by sprinkling talcom (sp?) powder around the perimeters of the counters and resolved that (Arcadia Estates is a development that's still under construction so ants make sense), but I let them know and they assured me they would double up on the exterminator to help combat that problem.

They may be a little more expensive, but they are worth it. I just planned for the expense and could not have been more pleased. In fact, when we return we will rent the same villa because, although I have viewed 1000's of other homes at the time & since, I just simply can't find another home with the same bed/room configurations (too many twins out there) and amenities that this home has. It was perfect for us!

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I am looking at property to rent in Windsor Hills for our very first vacation to Disney! Yeah! We are going in Dec 2007(yes I know it is the busy season but with kids...) I would love to know all the details about your stay. This is our first time renting a home like this and I am nervous! Thanks a bunch!

Brandy

No need to be nervous! I am sure you will find a GREAT owner who will walk you through renting a GREAT home. Christmas sounds like a great time to rent a home! I hope to be there for Christmas one year or at least New Years!

 

[Maria395712]

mtmbych
I will be at WH march8-15 so if you see someone walking a 3lb chihuahua it will be me say hi I will be in the townhomes section have fun
maria

 

[Mainebound]

Is there a way to know what MC you will be dealing with ahead of time? [/email]

Yes, just ask the owner.

However, there is really no way for the occasional visitor to Orlando to decide whether one MC is good or not. These companies change names and owners, new ones spring up and older ones fade away. You really have to base it on the owner, the website, the guest reviews, and your intuition.

By the way, you can find guest reviews on tripadvisor.com for specific rentals in WH. Not too many but some.

The owner of the WH home we are renting in March said something to me (over the phone -- he called me from Scotland when we were in the final negotiations -- which I appreciated) like, "Well, it's all down to the management company, isn't it? They have to be good." It was clear to me that he understood how important a responsive MC was, and that made me feel confident.

But we'll see... I'm batting 1000 with my house rentals so far (not just in Florida), but I will certainly give an honest review when we return!

 

[goofymom23]

We will be there March 18-25. Our first time staying in a rental home but we are looking forward to it. It sounds great especially for the price! Private heated pool also is going to be awsome.