Just Back From my Terra Verde Resort Townhome...

[Christine]

... and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!

I don't think I can ever stay at a hotel again. My God, it was wonderful (yes, I am GUSHING). It was so great to have all that room.

The place was wonderful, clean, comfortable.

The resort itself was on the smaller side, very quiet, very clean, well-kept. Nice clubhouse, pool, etc., although we did not use it at all because of the ROTTEN weather!

It took us about 15 minutes to get to the parks each morning--about 5 minutes longer for Universal, but this was at speeds of about 50 mph.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer!

 

[5mins2disney]

Awww...sorry to hear about the weather...but glad you loved the place!

 

[isla bonita]

Staying in a town home or rental home is something you either get it or don't. I will never again sleep in a hotel room again. We get it and love it.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

Christine,
GREAT NEWS! I am so glad you had a great time!!
Welcome to the side of renting homes over hotels....

 

[Christine]

Christine,
GREAT NEWS! I am so glad you had a great time!!
Welcome to the side of renting homes over hotels....

So, I've come to the "dark side" have I??

I'm sure that no one reading this thread is an "on-siter" but I have to say, this is really the way to go.

Now, I have to tell you, I am/was a DIE HARD on-site fan. Big time. And fairly snooty about it , though I tried not to let it show.

One time, I did stay at the Sheraton Vistana Resort because my FIL had a timeshare there and it was free for us. I really, really disliked the Vistana. Believe me, it did not convert me.

We always get Shades of Green reservations and it is an extremely nice hotel. And I won't go so far as to say I would never stay there again. But having this townhome was SOOOOO nice. I cannot tell you how relaxing it was.

On top of it all, both of my kids got "sick" on the trip. Thankfully, they were relatively short illnesses but we did have to change our schedule and spend a lot more time at our home than planned. All I could think was "OMG, what if we were all trapped in one room, with two beds and one bathroom for all this time." It would have been miserable.

This townhome was 4-bdrm and we each had our own room and our own TV and we could all get away from each other and just get some downtime. It was wonderful for me. While we didn't cook while there, the kitchen had everything if we wanted too and, while the kids were sick, it was nice to be able to prepare some chicken soup, some fresh brewed tea, etc.

I am just amazed that I have "come to the other side!" Honestly, I am one of the last people I ever thought would get into this because I was so hard core into being on site. I wish I had known about this when my kids were younger because it would have been SOOO much better with little ones.

Now, my one and only complaint about my townhome was the mattresses. I will tell you that, when it comes to mattresses, I am a true princess. So I know that 99% of the time, wherever I go, I am not going to be happy. Most nicer hotels (including the Shades of Green) have acceptable mattresses and I adjust to them within a few days. Now, these mattresses were the worst I've been on, but they weren't great. The bed that I was on was just a bit flimsy. It certainly wasn't old or worn, but just lightweight enough so that when I turned over or something, the mattress would move. It didn't have a lot of support either. All the mattresses seemed to be this way and my son wasn't happy with them either. But, I know that in that regard, I'm spoiled. And I know when people are furnishing rentals, the last thing they want to do is plop down $2,000 for each mattress.

But, it did impact my sleep and I wish *that* one part could have been better. Otherwise, the place was perfect in every way.

 

[5mins2disney]

But, I know that in that regard, I'm spoiled. And I know when people are furnishing rentals, the last thing they want to do is plop down $2,000 for each mattress.

Hehe...we did! Bought the best they have in fact...LOL.

We're spoiled at home too, we spent a small fortune on mattresses and linens, and did the same at our place in FL!

Nothing makes or breaks a vacation home more in our opinion in fact...we rented a condo in Colorado over New Years and it had bad mattresses...linens like sandpaper...it was awful..especially after a long and tiring day of skiing.

Welcome to the dark side! LOL I used to be the same way...I kept telling my wife I wanted to stay onsite and just wanted to stay in a super "nice" place...regardless of the cost. Boy was I ever wrong...and yup...there's lots of "onsite" snobs...now I kind of feel sorry for them! LOL

 

[Mainebound]

Welcome to the dark side, Christine!

After your second pool home stay, we teach you the secret handshake...

 

[isla bonita]

Christine

Could not pay for better advertising glad you had a great experience. Hope you tell all your friends.

 

[5mins2disney]

After your second pool home stay, we teach you the secret handshake...

There's a secret handshake!!?? I feel left out! LOL

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I have to agree the mattresses are a BIG deal! We had the same kind of mattresses in our home when we bought it, and on our 2nd trip to the home I looked at my husband and said " I can sleep on these things and we went out and bought new mattresses for the 2 master bedrooms the next day" now everyone who has stayed in our home Raves over the mattresses and wants to know where I got them and how they can get them for their own home!

Its amazing to me that they are so important, but honestly I understood after a couple of nights on the old one compared to the new one!!!
That would be a very important question for me with renting a home is what kind of mattresses are in the house.

I am so glad you enjoyed your stay and your home! I am also so glad we could convert you to a home renter! Now we need to convert lots more like you!

 

[sympatico]

Thanks for the review Christine. I've never stayed onsite and probably never will because we've stayed in homes for the last 12 years and I can't really see myself going back to a hotel room after that. As Jed Clampett used to say :" A man would be a dern fool to leave all that."
Could you tell me if the clubhouse pool had a zero entry area or kiddie pool. And from the looks of the pictures for the 4 bedroom the pool is fairly big, is that right?

 

[Christine]

I
That would be a very important question for me with renting a home is what kind of mattresses are in the house.

I am so glad you enjoyed your stay and your home! I am also so glad we could convert you to a home renter! Now we need to convert lots more like you!

The problem is you cannot get an objective opinion from anyone about this if you don't know them. Now, I did not have a lot of "choice" when I was renting this time, but I did specifically ask the management company how the beds were. She told me that she had slept there a few times and she felt that the mattresses were pretty good and not the "thin, flimsy ones." I will agree with her that they did not "appear" to be thin. They just weren't great. But if you're not used to "great" at home then it probably doesn't bother you. Most people I know seem to take pride in the fact that they've been using the same mattress for 25 years!!

Anyway, as far as advertising, I've been "getting the word out" on some of my posts on other boards. I just posted on the Theme Parks Strategies board with two of my best tips: one was to arrive at the parks at opening if going during Easter, the second tip was to rent a vacation home!!!

 

[Christine]

Thanks for the review Christine. I've never stayed onsite and probably never will because we've stayed in homes for the last 12 years and I can't really see myself going back to a hotel room after that. As Jed Clampett used to say :" A man would be a dern fool to leave all that."
Could you tell me if the clubhouse pool had a zero entry area or kiddie pool. And from the looks of the pictures for the 4 bedroom the pool is fairly big, is that right?

Yes, the pool was bigger than the picture made it appear. It went from 3 to 5 feet and and room for a few kids to splash around comfortably.

As far as the clubhouse, I did not step outside to look at the pool but my parents did--it was VERY cool when we were there (and rainy). When I talk to them, I will ask about this as I think they spent more time at the clubhouse.

 

[snowbunny]

I'm sure that no one reading this thread is an "on-siter" but I have to say, this is really the way to go.

Now, I have to tell you, I am/was a DIE HARD on-site fan. Big time. And fairly snooty about it , though I tried not to let it show.

I'm an on-siter...we stayed in a Grand Villa at the Boardwalk last fall and it was divine.

However that is out of the question this year, so we are headed for a 3BR townhome with splash pool at Windsor Hills, which is actually going to cost less per night than the moderate resort we were booked into originally. Supposedly it has pillowtop mattresses, I hope that's true! I do know that the main pool is zero-entry.

 

[sympatico]

First of all I agree about the mattresses 100%. I've even gone so far as to by a foam topper when the mattress was too hard.
We've stayed at WH in townhouses twice and know the resort quite well. We're going again in Nov with whole family which includes 4 little ones ages 2-4. We're planning to stay in a 6 br at WH but if that doesn't work out and I have to stay somewhere else I want it to have a zero entry community pool or a separate kiddie pool for the kids. Just gathering info about other resorts that would have that. Thanks for any info.

 

[5mins2disney]

These are exactly the kinds of things I try and tell people to look for when booking a home! I think people get caught up mostly in the price....and tend to pick the lowest priced place. (I hear this a lot as we definitely don't have the lowest prices in Windsor Hills! LOL). But, you get what you pay for! If you want to sleep on a flimsy cheap mattress.....yes, you can find a place much less expensive than others! Pay a tad more and you'll be living in total luxury, to some it matters, to others, not, but I'm with you guys, to us it makes all the difference in the world! Of course when it's your place you want it to be the way you want it for yourself too, so we went all out! Can't WAIT to go sleep in those beds in TWO days!

 

[Christine]

These are exactly the kinds of things I try and tell people to look for when booking a home! I think people get caught up mostly in the price....and tend to pick the lowest priced place. (I hear this a lot as we definitely don't have the lowest prices in Windsor Hills! LOL). But, you get what you pay for! If you want to sleep on a flimsy cheap mattress.....yes, you can find a place much less expensive than others! Pay a tad more and you'll be living in total luxury, to some it matters, to others, not, but I'm with you guys, to us it makes all the difference in the world! Of course when it's your place you want it to be the way you want it for yourself too, so we went all out! Can't WAIT to go sleep in those beds in TWO days!

The worst thing is when you pay luxury prices and STILL get a crappy mattress. This happens to me all the time when I rent at the beach near our home. Weekly condo rentals go for approximately $2,000 and each and everyone of them has basically been a FLEA BAG!! I've slept on several mattresses that were like rowboats and it really ticks me off, but everything is like that there.

How can you guarantee, at Disney, that you will get decent mattresses in a top-dollar place?

 

[sympatico]

Have a good trip, George and family, and hopefully good weather!!

 

[tuzanne]

So, I've come to the "dark side" have I??

I'm sure that no one reading this thread is an "on-siter" but I have to say, this is really the way to go.

Now, I have to tell you, I am/was a DIE HARD on-site fan. Big time. And fairly snooty about it , though I tried not to let it show.

One time, I did stay at the Sheraton Vistana Resort because my FIL had a timeshare there and it was free for us. I really, really disliked the Vistana. Believe me, it did not convert me.

We always get Shades of Green reservations and it is an extremely nice hotel. And I won't go so far as to say I would never stay there again. But having this townhome was SOOOOO nice. I cannot tell you how relaxing it was.

On top of it all, both of my kids got "sick" on the trip. Thankfully, they were relatively short illnesses but we did have to change our schedule and spend a lot more time at our home than planned. All I could think was "OMG, what if we were all trapped in one room, with two beds and one bathroom for all this time." It would have been miserable.

This townhome was 4-bdrm and we each had our own room and our own TV and we could all get away from each other and just get some downtime. It was wonderful for me. While we didn't cook while there, the kitchen had everything if we wanted too and, while the kids were sick, it was nice to be able to prepare some chicken soup, some fresh brewed tea, etc.

I am just amazed that I have "come to the other side!" Honestly, I am one of the last people I ever thought would get into this because I was so hard core into being on site. I wish I had known about this when my kids were younger because it would have been SOOO much better with little ones.

Now, my one and only complaint about my townhome was the mattresses. I will tell you that, when it comes to mattresses, I am a true princess. So I know that 99% of the time, wherever I go, I am not going to be happy. Most nicer hotels (including the Shades of Green) have acceptable mattresses and I adjust to them within a few days. Now, these mattresses were the worst I've been on, but they weren't great. The bed that I was on was just a bit flimsy. It certainly wasn't old or worn, but just lightweight enough so that when I turned over or something, the mattress would move. It didn't have a lot of support either. All the mattresses seemed to be this way and my son wasn't happy with them either. But, I know that in that regard, I'm spoiled. And I know when people are furnishing rentals, the last thing they want to do is plop down $2,000 for each mattress.

But, it did impact my sleep and I wish *that* one part could have been better. Otherwise, the place was perfect in every way.

I agree with you about the mattress which is why when we furnished our villa I insisted on having upgraded ones.

As for staying in a hotel all in one room, I just can't understand why anyone would want to do this when they can have all the space of a home to relax in. It is particularly important when you have very young children as they need their rest and sleep and who wants to sit in the bathroom reading the paper while they get it. How much nicer to relax in a comfortable lounge while they sleep watching a DVD provided by your villa or townhouse owner.

Also even when your kids get older how much better it is for you to relax with a nice glass of wine, or read a book sunbathing while your active kids play in the villa games room on the pool table, or with the playstation in their own bedrooms.

The only reason I can see to actually stay at a Universal or Disney hotel is that you get some extra concessions in the parks. Why not get the best of both worlds and stay a few nights at a Disney Hotel to take advantage of these and then spend rest of holiday at a villa or condo.

Just make sure when you book a place that you find out exactly where the home is as you don't want long drives after a long day at parks. Terra Verde is in great location only 10 mins drive from Disney and 20 mins from Universal.