hotel or villa?

[eeyoreangel1]

We have been to florida four times and are embarking on our fifth trip next easter .Our previous trips we have stayed at
August 1998: The Rodeway inn
April 2000: Quality inn Plaza
April 2002: Quality inn International
May 2004: Holiday inn LBV
Easter 2006: Marriott village LBV
For a future trip we are thinking about trying a villa but don't really know where the best ones are or how you go about renting one?

 

[JANNYANS]

Villas are great they offer more space and facilites all in the price usually -but they are not for everybody as some don't feel as if they are holiday if they have to put dishes in a dishwasher and make the beds.
If you have teenagers then they offer each one their own bedroom and more than one tv so no arguments as to who watches what .You can also get homes with games areas with pool, airhockey, table football, table tennis and /or games consoles and computers and of course the pool outside the door as well as communuity facilites like tennis and basketball.
As for renting one there is the personal recommendation route -ask someone if they have rented one or do a search for florida villas for rent or such terns and you will get loads of sites to go through.
You have two options -one to rent from an agency /travel company or direct from an owner .Do what you are comfortable with and simply ask any questions you want

 

[tartangirl]

We go for a villa every time.

The only downside for us is that the kids dont get to meet other children around the hotel but that is a small price to pay for the added space that a villa offers.

It is difficult to decide on the best area without knowing what you are looking to do.

We always go for a private villa although you can get villas through the package holidays or specialist villa websites - but get ones where you pay per villa not per person to avoid the under occupancy supplement.

The way we go about finding a villa is to pick a couple of villa websites and broadcast to all owners giving the dates we need a villa.
We use www.orlandovillas.com and www.villas4all.co.uk and have been pleased with all villas we have got. There are other websites that are recommended on these forums.

You will be inundated with replies the majority of which will be good. Then you just have to decide which one to go for based on whatever criteria you choose and how long you are prepared to take wading through the replies. I would advise looking for a villa with a local management company (although we've never needed it) - just in case there are any problems.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We have stayed in a villa the last few years and would highly recommend it.

Our main reason was because we have a young boy who is Autistic - he is a bonny playful perfectly normal lad but just cannot talk - having a villa gives us much more room and flexibility.
A private pool is a big advantage too plus we get the chance to relax a bit more than we would in a hotel room.

There is only 1 downside, and that is there is nowehere within walking distance of the homes, you have to drive everywhere.
Often I find the evenings a bit of a let down, because my young boy is tired after a busy day and usually does not want to go out - having no entertainment on site as it were means occassionally I have to go out on my own.
However, the advantages are such that we overall never hesitate to book one.

Try and get one where the pool is south facing (gets the sun all day) and a fenced pool area for extra privacy is ideal too.
Would recommend staying just off the 192 in Kissimmee within easy reach of all the attractions, plus supermarkets/restaurants etc

www.villas2000.com
www.vr360homes.co.ok
both worth a try

 

[Celestine]

We've just come back from our first villa holiday. We don't normally bother as it is not cost effective, but this time we went with another family. It cost us £525 for the week & it was good. We booked online (www.orlando4villas.com) rather than through a TA. We stayed on the Emerald Island Resort which is up where Splendid China was & is 10 mins (max) to AK using the Sherberth Road cut through. It was the first time that I realised how dear groceries were & why Americans always seem to eat out! Would definately do it again if there was enough of us.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

It was the first time that I realised how dear groceries were & why Americans always seem to eat out! Would definately do it again if there was enough of us.

I agree , it can cost a fair bit with groceries, especially if you are sad like me and buy Baked Beans from Publix.
Anyone who has been to the 'ethnic' section of the store will know they sell things like PG Tips/HP Sauce etc - naturally they are very expensive.

 

[Ali and boyz]

As you can see from below we have stayed at villas about 5 times mostly near the 192 although this year it was near the 27.

we always loved the villas but this year will be our last. felt the 27 was a bit to far to travel from villa to parks and back when there wasn't anywhere local to eat (we love to eat out). plus the kids are now older and when they were younger they loved having the pool to themselves but now they are a bit like us and are looking for something to do at night i.s. boardwalk or DTD. the directions did say 10 mins to AK but it never was . we would have loved to have done the parks go back for a swim and then out to dinner but we found ourselves staying out rather than trek home and that for us spoilt it

I think you will love the villas as we have done over the years . just now our priorities have changed and we now look for something different. I found this site really helpful orlandovillas.com all the villas (and there is loads) seems to be privately owned both from the UK and USA and most have full descriptions and pictures. I personally would stick to one nearer the 192 but hey everybody is different . we stayed in the villas at sommerset one year and although they aren't single homes sitting on their own the location and amenities were ideal.

let us know how you get on

 

[Miffy2003]

Wow this is such a hard one to answer. I have stayed in a villa, onsite and offsite in hotels and they all have pros and cons to be honest. It's deciding what's best for you and your family!

The villa is great for all the space it gives you. There is nothing like having your qon pool for a dip in the evenings! It's also nice to have the washer / dryer, fridge freezer etc - even if you do no actual cooking it's handy for beer, juice, milk etc. The big drawback of a villa (for my family) is that you have to drive everywhere - unless you are lucky enough to get one in walking distance of shops & restaurants which is pretty rare!

Hotels - obviously you don't have the extra space and it's noone's idea of fun (I don't imagine) to share a bedroom & bathroom with their children (if you have them). We like the amenities at a hotel though - often with a choice of several swimming pools, park for the kids, restaurant etc.

If you think you can tolerate the driving - I would say try a villa. For my family though I agree 100% with Johnny:

Often I find the evenings a bit of a let down, because my young boy is tired after a busy day and usually does not want to go out - having no entertainment on site as it were means occassionally I have to go out on my own.

Hope that helps a little

 

[Ali and boyz]

just a thought but if you liked the idea of the villas but liked also to get out at night not to far away why not try the diney home away from home resorts. Although......... I have never priced these so unsure how that would compare price wise.

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
I think that is one of the great benefits of DVC the "villa" style accomodation with the benefit of onsite facilities. Sitting on the balcony with a beer watching the EPCOT fireworks is priceless imho. You could try and rent points from a member if you fancy trying the accomodation without joining.

Mick.

 

[Dimplenose]

We did our first villa holiday this year and I found it rather disappointing. We had had 2 previous trips to the All Star Sports and were looking forward to having the extra space this time but the villa did not have any magic for me. DH liked the space, DD loved the pool but DS and I really missed being in Disney 24 hours a day.

The villa itself was lovely - I couldn't fault it - and it was only 8 minutes from AK (I timed it!) but I wished I'd spent the extra money on two rooms at ASSp.

Libby

 

[Shooby doo]

Just a thought but you could also look at the "suite" hotels,we,ve stayed in a "triple" suite which slept 8(don't know what the difference is but we had actually booked a 2 room suite which also slept 8!).We stayed at the Staybridge Suites (Summerfield at the time) full kitchen,dishwasher etc.I think the trick would be to either book direct or find a company that would charge you a per/suite per/night/week as opposed to per adult. We have looked at villas before but always felt that they were a bit out of the way.
SD aw:

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think it all depends on personal preference, we have considered buying into DVC having looked round the Boardwalk.
I fully agree that having entertainment on site is a big plus, particularly at Disney.

Like I said earlier, it is a disadvantage being a bit isolated in a villa.
However, overall for us it's the best thing, with our young son.
If there was just the 2 of us we would be at a Disney resort without doubt, but the extra room and privacy in our circumstances are the most important thing.
We try to a degree to relax a bit on holiday, we do not always get the chance whilst at home, having a villa enables us to do that but yes sometimes having to drive everywhere is hard work, especially when I want to go out in the evening and our boy doesn't.

From next year we are just going to Florida once a year, 3 weeks every August so we are going to have a week travelling around, going back to Miami and Fort Lauderdale etc so we will not be in a villa for the whole 3 weeks.

At the end of the day we all just have to find what suits us best, there is no wrong or right way