Input in choosing a villa?

[sunsetandgower]

I have made a reservation at Old Key West, but for a slightly higher price, I can stay at Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas. This is for a four night trip in Feb.

Does anyone have input they can share with me of what the best experience would be? I am traveling with my parents - so they will get the bedroom, and I'm stuck on the couch in the living room area.

I'm really looking for a nice resort experience. We stayed at Port New Orleans last year, and to me it felt like a dressed up motel. I would like to ensure that this year I feel more like I'm at a vacation spot and not someplace to sleep while I am in between parks.

If you had the choice, which of the three would you choose, and why?

 

[sarcasticblonde]

Well, of the three Villas you mentioned, I have stayed at 2: OKW and BWV.

Old Key West is very relaxing. Lots of lush greenery and palm trees. It's on a golf course and near DTD, so it's kind of on the outskirts and away from the hustle and bustle.

I really liked this resort because of the seclusion. We were in a studio across from a quiet pool at South Point. Our view overlooked the golf course. It was very quiet. We would take the bus to the Hospitality House and the boat to DTD.

The thing about OKW that a lot of people dislike (and this applies to SSR as well) is that it feels very spread out and similar to a hotel. There are no interior hallways and all exterior doors are outside. You park right outside of your villa.


A year later (two weeks ago), we are staying at BWV. We were steps away from the bustling boardwalk area and we'd walk to Epcot and take the boat to MGM. It was great to get to walk down the Bakery or ESPN Club. When we had reservations at Flying Fish, we weren't hurried to get to our reservation because we were so close. And the boardwalk area at night is beautiful.

The thing that people complain about with BWV is the LONG hallways. We didn't have that problem. Our room was 5 rooms away from the elevator. And even though we had a Preferred Garden/Water View, we could see Epcot and part of the Boardwalk.

I didn't think the theming of the actual Boardwalk Hotel was all that great though. It felt a little generic to me.

So, which would I choose? Beach Club! It has the same amenities that BWV has (close to MGM and Epcot and still within walking distance of the boardwalk area) but with a better pool (Stormalong Bay) and much better theming. I think we're going to try there for next year.

Hope that helped

 

[sunsetandgower]

it sounds like there are some major pros and cons here. The big plus is the size of the villa at OKW. Mostly because I don't get my own bedroom, so I would get some semblance of having space there. And I think as long as I am on the first floor, the other big plus would be the parking situation, and the lack of having to deal with stairs.

The con though is definitely the fact that you are outside, I'm not sure if being away from it all is necessarily a con, the relaxfulness of it would be a unique experience for me.

One major concern I have is rain - last year I was staying at Port New Orleans, and we had day/night where it literally rained the entire time, heavily, and there was nowhere to go/nothing to do, I felt like I was stuck in a motel room. Would that experience be better at OKW? Is the Hospitality House a decent option to hang out in when you really can't drive anywhere?

For me definitely as a single, after my parents leave for that last night I am going to move to the Contemporary, where I am meeting my friend for a more youthful last day But there are definitely pros and cons to weigh for the four nights I am staying with my parents, and trying to make myself as comfortable as possible, and not repeat some of the mistakes I made when booking PNO.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Given that you are moving to the Contemporary after your parents leave, I'd think that OKW might be the best place for you when it is all 3 of you. BCV and BWV have much smaller rooms, and you will definitely feel cramped when the hide a bed is pulled out. At OKW, the living room is a huge open space, and even with the bed pulled out, there is plenty of room to walk around. Also, at OKW, the laundry room adds a lot of extra space and the bathroom is much larger. One word of caution though....If you stay at OKW, request 1st floor (if you don't want stairs) and as for a building number 30 or higher (they go up to 64). The buildings under #30 do not have a way into the bathroom except through the master bedroom. Those units in 30 and above have an extra door to the bathroom through the laundry room, and you will be able to use the vanity, shower and toilet without disturbing your parents.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I thought you might like to see this map as well.

Our favorite buildings are 45, 46, & 55 in the "over 30" group.

 

[photobob]

You have pretty well got a hold of the pros and cons. BC and BWV are big location advantages and if you enjoy being in the middle of everything either would be a good choice. If you want to relax and get away from it all while at the resort then OKW would be a better choice. As far as rain goes I would think that BWV or BC would be the better place to be since they are one large , everything attached facility.

 

[Donald is #1]

OK, first the disclaimer: Of the 3 resorts that you are asking about, I have only stayed at OKW. I will be staying at BWV and BCV in December.

Will you have a car? If you will have a car, then you can park much closer to your villa at OKW than at BCV or BWV. It will also let you drive up to the Hospitality House area.

One of the big differences between OKW (and SSR for that matter) than the other DVC resorts is that it is a group of separate buildings. So to me, it has more of a "condo" feel than a hotel feel. So my next question is: what type of resort do you prefer? Do you prefer the separate buildings/condo style or do you prefer something more like a hotel?

Now, to be the big plus for BWV and BCV is their proximity to Epcot. If you are going to be spending a lot of time at Epcot, then I would recommend either BWV or BCV.

So, what is my summary?

OKW:
Pros:
1) Very relaxing
2) Will be quietier than a "hotel" style resort
3) Larger rooms
4) Parking is closer to your villa

Cons:
1) Very spread out
2) You need to take a bus to every park (not a big deal in my mind)


BCV & BWV:
Pros:
1) Can walk to EPCOT and DHS. BCV is closer to Epcot and BWV is closer to DHS
2) Right in the heart of the action -> lots of restaurants that can be walked to
3) More compact than OKW

Cons:
1) BWV: hallways can be long
2) BWV: depending upon your room location, the noise may be loud from the BW
3) BCV: not much for views

 

[crisi]

If rain really concerns you, the only resort that you can get to restaurants without going outside is BCV. OKW has seperate buildings - and limited parking by Oliva's. And BWVs put all its restaurants so their doors are on the Boardwalk - you can dart under awnings to get to the restaurants, but you won't do it completely dry in the rain.

As for not feeling like I'm in an ordinary hotel room - I get that at VWL and VAKL - neither which is on your list. Boardwalk I like in part BECAUSE it feels like a hotel to me.

 

[disneyobessed]

we have stayed at BCV and BWV and I say BEACH CLUB... Ive never stayed at OKW..... I like the decor of the rooms better at BWV.. than BCV but overall.. BCV wins hands down.. We have ressies for AKV in July and are going to try to changed it to BCV...

 

[sunsetandgower]

Thank you everyone for your input - I took this all into consideration, and changed my reservation this morning to a 1 bedroom villa at the Beach Club. I think this is a much better choice for my situation, and I'm really looking forward to this trip. I expect I will have a much more pleasant resort stay than I did last year.

Now I just need to not so patiently wait for February to arrive.....

 

[sarcasticblonde]

Thank you everyone for your input - I took this all into consideration, and changed my reservation this morning to a 1 bedroom villa at the Beach Club. I think this is a much better choice for my situation, and I'm really looking forward to this trip. I expect I will have a much more pleasant resort stay than I did last year.

Now I just need to not so patiently wait for February to arrive.....

I think you are making a great choice and we will hopefully stay there on our next trip in October 2009

 

[dianeschlicht]

THe RAIN part of your question....If you are going early in February, there wont be a lot of chance of rain. We rarely have rain in that early part of the year. The worst rain we have had at Disney was September.