If you could rent for a month...where would you stay?

[tbssenterprises]

Hello...not that I can do it 'cause I'm still working, but my dream when I retire is to rent a place to stay for a whole month, get an annual pass, and visit WDW to my heart's content.

Was just looking through ARBNB (?), but I don't want to rent a house or anything. I'd prefer to rent a condo in a RESORT. Must be a resort with pool, etc., but can't break the bank.

Your thoughts?

 

[achang2001]

What’s your budget? If you’re lucky you can get WBC, one of the Hilton or Marriott timeshares for $700/wk. 4 weeks would be difficult...Those are probably the only ones I would consider for that length of time.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I can certainly understand your dream. I am blessed to say that DW and I are living it. Once I retired we started snowbirding near Disney. Like you we decided before I retired that we wanted to spend time near Disney. We also decided that we wanted a place of our own with some space for ourselves and occasional visitors. So we took advantage of the real estate crash a few years ago and bought a vacation villa for a very low price. We visited during my vacations and also did short term rentals for a few years until I retired.

I can also understand your desire for a resort experience. The only place we have stayed like that is Orange Lakes. Nice enough but I am sure there are others.

I will add that many homes in our development are rented for a month or more at a time. You can usually work a deal for 4 (or more) week rentals. If cost is important then I wouldn't completely rule out renting a pool villa.

Good luck with your retirement dream!

 

[Donna M]

We bought into DVC so we could spend about 3 weeks at Disney. Our plans will be to stay at Old Key West because it feels like Florida to us. Our dream has changed some since I offered to be the full time babysitter when our granddaughter arrives in Dec.

 

[cey]

We have spent 6 weeks each winter at Windsor Hills for the last 10 years in a 4 bedroom house with pool and spa! Since we don't holiday during the summer, this was the plan when we retired that we would become Snowbirds! It is something we budget for and look forward to all year!

 

[bankr63]

Personally, Sheraton Vistana Resort, but it is our home away from home and we are very comfortable there.

For a whole month, it might be easier looking for a VRBO type arrangement somewhere like Windsor Hills; it has nice pools and other amenities that you might like. Renting from an owner is easier to get a full month. The Timeshare Resorts like Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton, and Wyndham are all great options too and would include weekly housekeeping at least (daily also available at some) so no cleaning etc. The downside of a TS resort is that they probably won't guarantee a full month in the same unit. Most will try to accommodate, but you might have to swap villas mid-stay.

One thing to watch for at TS Resorts are the resort fees that seem to be cropping up at many. Paying $30/day or so for parking and/or other amenities can inflate the bill pretty heavily for a whole month stay. One thing we like SVR is that they don't have any resort or parking fees. There is a charge for premium internet, but we do fine on the free regular internet.

 

[writerguyfl]

If I were staying somewhere for a month (and didn't rent a house/serviced apartment), I'd make sure it was part of one of the major hotels chains. Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, and the others all have frequent guest programs that reward points based on what you spend.

For example, spending $100/night for 30 nights at a Hilton property (including their timeshare brands) will garner 45,000 points. That's before any special promotions that might be happening. Point redemptions start around 10,000 points/night for the cheapest of their brands. Most hotels are in the 25,000-50,000 points/night range. So, you're looking at a couple hundred dollars in "free" stuff just for joining the free frequent guest program.

 

[tbssenterprises]

No....budget would be about $2000-2500 for a month.

 

[hiroMYhero]

No....budget would be about $2000-2500 for a month.

HomeAway/VBRO for a condo in a resort in the Kissimmee area may fall within your budget.

We’ve rented houses in High Grove/Clermont with screened patios with pool and hot tub for around $80-$100 night. It’s about 20-25 minutes to get to AK from there.

 

[happilyeverafter7]

Hello, I would (have) stayed at Blue Heron Beach Resort. Love it! No question about it you will have a wonderful vacation staying there. The view alone is amazing add the huge beautiful pool, the dock, the snack bar, location, covered parking, and Disney fireworks......... it is perfect. I call the resort directly for best rates. Have fun.

 

[kathy884]

The Sheraton Vistana Resort would be great if you are planning to do a lot at Disney. I'm a tennis player, so I'd pick that one for sure as they have clay tennis courts. I think they have somewhere between 8 and 10, so for a tennis playing family it's fantastic. I like the spacious units that all seem to have balcony or patio with water view. My 20 somethings really like the pools and hot tubs. It's really close to Disney, but far enough away that you don't feel like you are in tourist alley. Some of the Disney college program kids stay in apartments right near there.

Like you I prefer the resort condos for the resort feel vs. the home rental route. I also enjoy the opportunity to chat with other guests, etc. There is nothing wrong with a great home or residential condo, but having done both I really prefer staying at/renting one of the great timeshare resorts in the Orlando area.

Because this resort is so large, it's very easy to rent for a good price from a timeshare owner on TUG2.net or Redweek.com or at least that has been my experience. I've rented two weeks in the same unit from the same owner too. Never had the vacation time or budget to try this for a month and you might need to do two rentals and move if going the economical owner rental route.

 

[lovin'fl]

We too have DVC and could do.....let me go calculate....BRB
Studio at SSR Jan 1- Feb 16
1BR at SSR Jan 1- Jan 26
1BR at BWV Jan 1- Jan 27 (would do with this).

Could do Jan 1-10 at OKW and Jan 10- 21 at BWV in 1BR with home resort points and then would have to use 125 HHI for whatever 1BR we could get (maybe AKV or even stay at BWV or back to OKW or Poly studio) 7 months Jan 21 to 26 or 27 (maybe adding some OTU).

 

[bearzabout]

We rent weeks at timeshares using Skyauction. We may stay two weeks at one resort before moving. It is nice to change things up and not have to clean. If you stay off season, 4 weeks can cost just over $1,000.

 

[greenclan67]

I have a lot of friends that rent this long at Orange Lake resort in Kissimmee, I just did one the other day for Jan 1st to Feb 28th....in a 2 bdrm condo. This is the 3rd year in a row this couple has done this. They love it.

 

[pjweaver]

My wife and I are doing 29 days this spring; The thing is we are taking her mother and aunt as the have time share points. Between them and renting we are spending under $1500 for WBC. We are driving down so will have a car, and getting AP so we can park for free. Since we are using multiple time share plans we will most likely need to change rooms, but we will be at the same resort.