Help! Which Neighborhood - EI, WP, WH?

[MEredhead]

Hi Everyone - like a lot of others, I am going crazy trying to pick a villa. I can't seem to just pick one. First I had planned on Regal Palms because of the community pool with slides, but Im just afraid its too hit or miss there. Anyway we are going to be travelling with a 1, 3, and 14 yr old (taking niece to help babysit!). We have decided to definitely rent a villa with a pool - but now can't decide which neighborhood. Windsor Hills looks nice with a great playground for the children and a slide at the pool - but from anyones past experience - is this worth the extra $ and was it utilized? We are planning on being there a week in March but only doing a couple of days of Disney - going to be relaxing the other few days. Any input would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[spiceycat]

I haven't stayed at any of them.

but I have heard only good things about Emerald Island

 

[crjack]

Honestly, I think you will enjoy any of them. Personally I have stayed at Windsor Palms in two different pool homes and loved it. For our next trip we are considering Windsor Hills. I wouldnt hesitate to stay in EI either.

All 3 have beautiful homes to choose from and have good commutes to the parks. Take a look at the community ammenities and see if there is anything that is really important to you. Other than that, look for a villa that best suits your needs. Some offer more ammenities for families traveling with toddlers, etc.

You'll love staying in a pool home!

 

[isla bonita]

I think you have to decide what is a priority for your family. For us it is having enough bedrooms for all to sleep comfortably. By that I mean no pull outs. Turning the livingroom into a bedroom. It just does not work for me and my family. We require a pool and spa. I do not want to travel to the club house pool or community pool. After that any thing is gravy. Some need internet, games room.... Make a list of must haves. Then go from there.

The communities are all pretty great. Some offer more amenities then others. You seem to have young children All of the communities I am aware of have some type of tot lot. All homes should have safety gates and if they don't it is a big violation. A lot of the homes provide portable cribs, high chair, and umbrella strollers. Some might have the baby monitors and toys for the little ones. If you are planning to be spending a lot of time hnging out at the home I would try to get a home that was more child friendly. Some homes have easy clean surfaces and such. A vacation is not fun having to try and getting grape juice out of the carpet.

Try to put onto paper what type of home you are looking for and a lot of the sites have a list of what you want to have so it will eliminate looking thru what you would not have wanted any way. There is a perfect home out there for your family and there needs. Good luck in your search.

 

[Mainebound]

Hi Everyone - like a lot of others, I am going crazy trying to pick a villa. I can't seem to just pick one. First I had planned on Regal Palms because of the community pool with slides, but Im just afraid its too hit or miss there. Anyway we are going to be travelling with a 1, 3, and 14 yr old (taking niece to help babysit!). We have decided to definitely rent a villa with a pool - but now can't decide which neighborhood. Windsor Hills looks nice with a great playground for the children and a slide at the pool - but from anyones past experience - is this worth the extra $ and was it utilized? We are planning on being there a week in March but only doing a couple of days of Disney - going to be relaxing the other few days. Any input would be helpful. Thanks!

Hey fellow Mainer! We stayed for one week at a four bedroom pool home in Emerald Island in March 2005. We loved EI.

Our boys are 3 and 5. They loved it, and preferred it to the WDW resorts we had stayed in the past three years.

I will say this: for us, distance is a big factor. 192 has a lot of traffic (not as much as I Drive, but very bad compared to anything in Maine except maybe Bar Harbor in July). EI was GREAT as would be any resorts close to it (Oak Island, Windsor Palms, Formosa Gardens, etc.), because you are only on 192 for a very short time before you can take the "back road" (Sherbeth Road) onto WDW property.

Also: For us, "resort amenities" mattered little. These are housing developments, quiet and private. People do not socialize at the common pool like at hotels. We never used the public amenities at EI because our rental home had a pool, indoor and outdoor spa, games room, broadband computer, five tvs, Playstation, etc, etc.

Happy hunting!