Help me find my resort - I'm clueless!

[ekmom]

We've been to Disney many times, in the early years we stayed at basic motels and the last 3 or 4 trips we've stayed onsite moderate. This time we're looking for something different and there seem to be so many options that I don't know where to start.

We would like a place with 2 or 3 bedrooms in a resort sort of atmosphere with nice grounds and a nice pool. We will have our own car so transportation isn't a concern. Kitchen will be used to carry food in, we don't plan to cook. Kind of like a Disney moderate but with more space to spread out. Doesn't have to be right on top of Disney since we may not even do any Disney parks, although we might do Universal. Budget is $150-$200 per night, I'd like to stay on the lower end. This is for March 5th-12th and there are 4 adults in our party (me, DH, DD24, DS21).

So far I've booked Floridays, that looks more or less like what we want although I'm not sure it has the nice grounds. Thanks for the help!

 

[peterox]

We stayed at World Quest last summer and it was great. Beautiful grounds and a large salt water pool. The Villas were awesome with granite countertops full kitchen, wahers and dryer, 2 or 3 bedrooms to choose from. They even have free continental breakfast. The price was great we paid $110.00 per night for a two bedroom which had a king bed in the master and two twins in the second also two bathrooms.

 

[sjanus]

Vista Cay on Universal Boulevard is a short-term rental resort, only one in Orange County and is located on Universal Boulevard. You can find 2 and 3 bedroom units on www.homeaway.com, www.vrbo.com, and www.vistacayrent.com. I would check these out, just 1 mile from International Drive, 3-4 miles from Universal, 1-2 miles from Sea World, and 6 to 8 miles from Disney. They are reasonably priced and upscale accommodations, very spacious, with a 10,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse, a lovely pool overlooking a lake. By same builder as Windsor Hills.

Sandy

 

[Upatnoon]

Check out the "We looooove Bonnet Creek" thread.

 

[ekmom]

Thanks for the suggestions so far! Bonnet Creek looks nice but the 2 bedroom is well over our budget for those dates. I'm a little hesitant about Vista Cay as I'd rather not deal with individual owners.

 

[Detailor]

We've been to Disney many times, in the early years we stayed at basic motels and the last 3 or 4 trips we've stayed onsite moderate. This time we're looking for something different and there seem to be so many options that I don't know where to start.

We would like a place with 2 or 3 bedrooms in a resort sort of atmosphere with nice grounds and a nice pool. We will have our own car so transportation isn't a concern. Kitchen will be used to carry food in, we don't plan to cook. Kind of like a Disney moderate but with more space to spread out. Doesn't have to be right on top of Disney since we may not even do any Disney parks, although we might do Universal. Budget is $150-$200 per night, I'd like to stay on the lower end. This is for March 5th-12th and there are 4 adults in our party (me, DH, DD24, DS21).

So far I've booked Floridays, that looks more or less like what we want although I'm not sure it has the nice grounds. Thanks for the help!

Floridays is a relatively new resort so you might be right about the landscaping not being as complete or mature as some of the older resort. Though I understand that Floridays is a nice place. However there are a lot of other very nice timeshare resorts in Orlando that would likely meet your needs. You might try the Sheraton Vistana Villages or Sheraton Vistana Resort (link at the top of the page to Dreams Unlimited). Or Cypress Pointe Resort or the adjacent Cypress Pointe Grande Villas - some excess availability is offered through sites such as hotelkingdom.com.

I understand your hesitancy to deal directly with an owner but I'd suggest that that works out just fine for the vast majority of renters. It is, though, a big leap of faith the first time that you try it. If you decided to try a direct rental then you might go out to a timeshare rental/sales site such as redweek.com to see what's available for your specific timeframe - there always seems to be a lot to choose from at that site. And if you end up selecting a 2 bedroom villa (there are a lot more of those in Orlando than 3 BR villas) make sure that you ask about the bed arrangement in the second bedroom (guessing that a single queen size bed wouldn't work out for your children).

I hope that something works out for you.

Dick Taylor