Needing tips on staying offsite/interested in vacation homes/condos

[loubelou]

We've been to DW twice before and stayed onsite at WL both times. Tuesday evening we found out Delta was offering airfares we couldn't pass up and decided to purchase tickets to Orlando. Our trip will be May 29 - June 5, 2007.

We are very interested in staying in a condo or vacation home this time. However, I have no idea where to start and who to trust. The rental sites are a little overwhelming and the prices seem to be different for the same neighborhood from site to site.

Any and all tips or recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[mbb]

Just our preference, we prefer to deal directly with the homeowners themselves

And that's sometimes where the price differences will come in. *Usually* you will find a better price when contacting an owner, as opposed to a rental agency.

Sites like www.orlandovillas.com www.onlinefloridavillas.com and www.villasflorida.com (all "sister sites", and the homes are all verified by the website owners) are great...you put in a "general enquiry", no strings attached, and you get back lots of responses from owners with availability for your time frame.

Sites like www.vrbo.com are good too, you can trawl through literally thousands of homes - anywhere in the world! - and start to see what you feel will appeal for your vacation home.

Other good sites like www.lastminutevillas.net www.fabvillas.com have all received good feedback from renters here on the boards as well

And we've got our own review Board, right up top, start there, and let us know if you have more questions

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=126

HTH!!

 

[sympatico]

Hey mbb what part of Nova Scotia are you from? I'm from NS too.
Loubelou, try starting with getting to know where some of the subdivisions are then what type of house/condo you want and then what each has to offer and the price. It can take a while to get what you're looking for. After you've communicated with an owner and find out their name you can look up tax records to see if they do own that property. On VRBO the longer a person has had a listing on there the better. If they weren't legit then someone would have heard about it by now.
Here is a map site to get you started.
http://www.onlinefloridavillas.com/Map.aspx

 

[isla bonita]

There are many Disers who have rented vacation homes and there are many other posts you can look uo that will fill you in on so much information.

When you have a good hour do a search and do some reading. If there are still questions after the great reads you will come across then ask away.

Don't let it become overwhelming. Start by making a list of needs.
ex. beds, private or community pool, spa ect..

Then wants games room, king beds, gated community etc..

I just gave out different scenarios. Your needs and wants are different from others. Then know where you want to be located. Here is another map that I find a little easier to read.

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm

There are many communities with many wonderful homes. You will have all your info, and have a good time peaking into others homes. It is great seeing all the options and many have guest books and you can read all about people who have stayed before you.

Have a wonderful vacation where ever you may stay.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I totaly agree with Deb. Look at some maps and look at the different websites, to get an idea of the area's you would like to stay in.
Then like MBB says look at the different websites and see what you like in a home.
The looking at all the different homes is a very fun thing to do! I know I had a great time and was in love with so many homes before we ever rented our first home. I spent hours and hours looking at all the wonderful homes out there.

Enjoy browsing for a home and have a great vacation!

 

[horseshowmom]

Cypress Ponte Grande Villas are about a mile from Downtown Disney (1, 2, or 3 bedrooms).

Windsor Hills is also convenient to Disney and has lots of options (but more from another direction, not particularly close to Downtown Disney).

I prefer to only use individuals/companies who take a credit card (so I have some form of protection in case of a problem).

 

[Schminston-Mo]

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on this thread, but I have a question too. How far ahead should you book a condo or villa? Is the sooner the better, or should you wait until close to the date for better deals.

 

[mbb]

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on this thread, but I have a question too. How far ahead should you book a condo or villa? Is the sooner the better, or should you wait until close to the date for better deals.

It depends, really...

Are you going over a holiday, ie, Christmas or Easter?
Are you "picky" about what type accomodations/sleeping arrangements/amenities the development/condo/home will have?
Are there particular developments you would prefer to stay in?

If your answer is yes to any of those, then start early

Like anything, the longer you wait, the better chance it will be gone.

And we've had some great deals by booking in advance, too. Owners are glad to know that their home is already rented for that time frame, so no "last minute" calculations for them.

If you're not concerned about any of those above questions, then have fun playing the waiting game!! LOL!!

Cape Breton, sympatico!

And how are you doing, loubelou? You've received lots of great ifo from everyone...Hope it helps

 

[horseshowmom]

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on this thread, but I have a question too. How far ahead should you book a condo or villa? Is the sooner the better, or should you wait until close to the date for better deals.

I agree with mbb completely. If you have a certain kind of house in mind with very particular amenities, you'll be happier booking ahead.

In my case, I prefer to wait until a month or so before to contact the owners with my dates. I tell them that I'm looking for the best price available. As long as they meet my very short list of needs, the best price wins. I had a house from VRBO in the middle of June, 2005 for $480 total. It was 4BR/3BA with a screened pool in a gated community on Hwy.27. We loved it! I had several offers that were comparable (including a 3BR/3BA condo with splash pool at Windsor Hills for $485).

That said, we've got a condo at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas already booked for December. I booked it last month, because I got a very good deal from an owner on ebay, and because I specifically wanted to be very close to Downtown Disney on this trip.

 

[minnie29uk]

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on this thread, but I have a question too. How far ahead should you book a condo or villa? Is the sooner the better, or should you wait until close to the date for better deals.

If you find a house you like - book it!
Ive just taken a booking for 2008.Nothing worse than being disappointed.

Happy hunting

Try www.lastminutevillas.net

Lynn

 

[Schminston-Mo]

Thanks all! I think you have all pulled me over to the off-site dark side!

Thanks, Loubelou, for the thread...sorry for the hijack

 

[loubelou]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I was just now able to check back after a long day at work. I've booked marked all the sites and now I just have to start looking.

I'm very interested in being as close to Disney as possible. Right now I'm mostly looking at condos/townhomes. However, some friends of ours are now considering joining us. So, if they decided to tag along we'll be looking for a 4-5 bedroom house.

Thanks so much for the fantastic information!

 

[FLParadisevilla]

You will love the space of a 4 bedroom house. Also the convience of a private pool and spa!
Enjoy looking at all the homes I know you will find the perfect one for your trip!
Make sure if you have any questions about the home you are renting to ask the owner all you can.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

You can try www.indiancreekflorida.com as well all the homes in there are 4 miles to Disney!
You will like the convience to stores and resturants, as well.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Please Please do not book with this person http://www.sunstaterentals.com/

We left after the first night (would have avoided night one but arrived too late to find other lodging). House was dirty, door to garage could not be locked, there were bugs in one bathroom, and mold in the other. We made arrangements two months in advance for a crib. After several phone calls (once we arrived) owner's uncle finally delivered a crib at 9:30pm by shoving it at us as we opened the door. It was unassembled and there were no sheets.

Owner also doesn't mention (until after he has your nonrefundable deposit) that if you'd like the pool heated that would be an additional charge. That should be upfront on his website.

He is also 20-25 minutes away from property border, not the 5 that he claims on his website.

Sorry for ranting but it caused us to have a somewhat stressful vacation as we also spent our days on the phone and sending Master Card our reasons for requesting a refund. We did prevail (we took video and pictures), and recovered all but our first night.

 

[isla bonita]

Good for you. There is no reason why the home should be in that condition. I am glad you got your money but that still leaves a bad taste in your mouth about rentals.

Just so you know they are all not like that. Hope you finally got on track and got yourselves some place great to spend the rest of your time in.

 

[FLParadisevilla]

I cant agree more with Deb!! All owners and homes are not like that!
I hope you still had a great vacation!

 

[IluvKingLouis]

We still had a good vacation, and we may try a home or condo again in the future. That trip was with my mother, so it made sense to look into a house. Normally there's just me, dh and dd3.5 so a hotel is fine for our small group.

I have heard more good then bad (in fact very little bad) when it comes to home rentals, I just want to caution folks about this particular owner.

 

[spiceycat]

I have heard more good then bad (in fact very little bad) when it comes to home rentals, I just want to caution folks about this particular owner.

thanks so much for the warning!!!

 

[spiceycat]

He is also 20-25 minutes away from property border, not the 5 that he claims on his website.

So sorry you went through this.

WDW property is big. lots of it undeveloped. Lots of the hotels, condos (including Orange Lake) are next to the property line. but the entry is miles away....

I do love CWR and they claim next door - they are next to WDW property - but lately they have gotten more honest - 4 miles to WDW.