I'm overwhelmed...

[nelljay1973]

By all the possibilities.

We are in the early stages of planning our first trip to WDW..We are looking to go late Feb/early March 2008. We are on the hunt for good off-site accommodation - there will be 6 of us, 4 adults and 2 kids (will be 4 and 2 then) and are looking for good "family space".

We don't want anything too fancy as anyone with children know you don't want to stress the whole time there thinking that they will break or damage something.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Janelle

 

[meta]

Go to www.hotelkingdom and check out the 3 bedrooms at Cypress Pointe Resort or Cypress Pointe Grandvillas.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

You can try some pool homes, that will give you a good amount of space and they can be very cost effective compared to a hotel room. There are a bunch of owners on here.
Look at some of the trip reports.

You can try www.indiancreekflorida.com

 

[MYDISNEYHOUSES]

I agree, a pool home seems ideal for your party.

 

[dougsmom98]

I think a pool home or a town home would be great for you too. Now that we have stayed in them, we will never ever go back to regular hotel rooms. With 4 adults, you will want to look for something with two master suites. Having those private bathrooms makes traveling with other adults so nice. We often travel with my in-laws or my parents and I can't imagine trying to share a bathroom or coordinate shower times with them while on vacation. We would drive each other nuts. If the children have their own bedrooms, it is also nice so the adults can relax out in the living room at night and have a conversation and not worry about waking up the kids.
I also know what you mean about "fancy" things and worrying messing things up or breaking things. The private homes do a wonderful job of decorating and you feel like you are staying in a fancy home. As soon as I walk in, I quickly take the dishes that they have set at the table off and put them in the cupboards. I also take the nick nacks and flower arrangements off the coffee tables and put them in the closet or on a high shelf and call it good. After that, the only other thing I do is steer clear of red juice or anything that they can spill that would cause a stain. Even though my kids don't always eat at the table at home, they do on vacation. The open floor plan of these places makes it nice so that the kids feel like they are with everyone else even while they are sitting at the breakfast bar or the dining table.
I see there is a 2 year old. You may be able to find a place that provides a crib, high chair and/or stroller for free. It is so nice to have those additional amenities.
There are lots of rental sites out there. I like to use vrbo.com I am sure that others will post other sites to use.

 

[Kay1]

When I chose the home I did last Christmas, I looked carefully at the photos of many homes and went for one that didn't have too much white and was decorated in a casual fashion.

We rent a condo at the beach every summer and are very careful with other people's things. The boys only drink water, 7-up, and Capri Sun and I cover the dining room chairs with towels, just in case. The condo owner has some animal-shaped tea sets and a head-shaped doorstop in an upstairs bedroom - both too tempting for my youngest. As soon as we walk in the door I tell my older son to hide the tea sets and the head, and he does.

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

I agree with Dougsmom98 - once you stay in pool or townhome you will never go back to regular hotel rooms again. The extra space when travelling with kids makes such a difference to your vacation.

Try making a list of all the things that you are looking for in the home and on the resort, then try some of the various rental sites and match up as much as you can.

Happy planning,

Tracey

 

[isla bonita]

Dougsmom98

As soon as I walk in, I quickly take the dishes that they have set at the table off and put them in the cupboards. I also take the nick nacks and flower arrangements off the coffee tables and put them in the closet or on a high shelf and call it good. After that, the only other thing I do is steer clear of red juice or anything that they can spill that would cause a stain.

Kay1

The condo owner has some animal-shaped tea sets and a head-shaped doorstop in an upstairs bedroom - both too tempting for my youngest. As soon as we walk in the door I tell my older son to hide the tea sets and the head, and he does.

CoralCayTownHome

Try making a list of all the things that you are looking for in the home and on the resort, then try some of the various rental sites and match up as much as you can.

That's why our homes are in such good shape. They have such wonderful guests that treat them with so much TLC. Thank You.

It is not for every one that I am sure like everything else in life but I do know your vacatione will not lack relaxation time. That is an added feature. Even after rushing around the parks for days at a time there is so much more peaceful time to the end of the day. When every one is in ther own space.

 

[5mins2disney]

Here's a map of the resorts in the area:
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm

Most people on this board will recommend the closest resort areas such as:
Windsor Hills
Windsor Palms
Indian Creek
Emerald Island

as your best options!

You can find all of these resorts listed on the biggest vacation rental site out there....
www.vrbo.com but it's also the hardest to use, and you kind of need to know which resorts you're interested in before you visit it.

You can also check the reviews boards for lots of reviews from folks who have stayed in these various resorts, they are all pretty new and get great reviews, and by renting direct from the owners, you can get a great pool home / villa at a great rate. Most who have done this once would never go back to a traditional hotel room!

 

[nelljay1973]

Thank you for your suggestions.

I've already filled in an enquiry form from Windsor Hills so hopefully my inbox will be inundated with replies.