Pool Homes Sticky...

[mbb]

So yours truly is going to gather up some info - with your help - about pool home rentals, and we'll sticky it at the top of the page.

So what would you like to see, in a "tips for successful rentals" type thread?

We're not looking for specific home recommendations, more of a "here's what we considered" in finding a vacation home...did you rent with other family members/friends to share costs? How did you determine who pays and how? Did you talk about anything beforehand, or wish you had?

What finally determined your home/condo selection?
What surprised you when you arrived? Would you rent again?
What would you determine/ask/wishlist differently in your next rental inquiry?

What are the critical must haves?
..the not-so-importants?
...the wow, never thought I'd want that, so glad we have it..?

How important is new construction to you in considering a rental?
.......location?
.......resort amenities, if applicable?
.......owner/managment company contact?

And just generally...if you have some info that you've learned along the way, please share Pool heaters, and how they work would be a great sub-section!!

Thanks...and hopefully with lots of various input, we'll have a great sicky

 

[minnie29uk]

Ask how you gain access to the home-Id recommend homes with keys/key pads at the home.Surely nobody wants to be driving round looking for a Management Companys Office to pick-up keys.

Most owners have comprehensive websites detailing all that is freely provided in the home.If in doubt,do ask the owner for clarification.

There are many great pool homes to enhance your Florida vacation,

Lynn

 

[mbb]

that's a good point!

...and tips from owners are certainly most welcome too!

 

[dgaston]

I look at the bedding, preferring a king over a queen bed. Pool heat and/or taxes included in the price is nice too.

 

[Kath2003]

None of these places ever have a teapot. Everytime we visit a new vacation rental, we buy them one. They're usually still there if we return

 

[mbb]

None of these places ever have a teapot. Everytime we visit a new vacation rental, we buy them one. They're usually still there if we return

We always end up using the pot from the coffee maker!! LOL!


Kath, dgaston..how do you folks chose the homes you're staying in? What makes you say.." this is the one for this trip!" ???

 

[isla bonita]

When you left the home was it exactly how they advertised? Was there anything you needed that could have been provided?

 

[Kath2003]

We always end up using the pot from the coffee maker!! LOL!


Kath, dgaston..how do you folks chose the homes you're staying in? What makes you say.." this is the one for this trip!" ???

We just looked for one with the requirements and went on the way the listing was presented and the photos.

We found our Orlando villa through vbro or similar - we were looking for a 5-bedroom pool home in a gated community, and this one fitted the right spec and was reasonably priced...plus the guy who owned it was from Hull and since my Mum is a northerner, this swung it (she's a crazy lady)

We really enjoyed our stay there, just because of the space (there were 8 of us). We decided to go back last summer even though there were only 5 of us (we could have had our own bedroom each!) because we enjoyed the space so much - three girls aged 20, 18 and 15 in a hotel room does not a fun trip make! Mum was overwhelmed with the bathroom and obviously her shopoholic girls loved the walk-in wardrobes! The guy from Hull gave us a GREAT rate (I think it was just under £500 for a week) and although he later sold the villa, he did so on the terms that our booking was honored.

We chose our Marathon villa through vrbo - this was the one place where we weren't disappointed, it met all our needs, but because of our budget we felt a little more cramped as the property wasn't very big. We probably wouldn't go back there.

We chose our Sarasota villa from a website I found - it was a lovely villa but didn't feel very homely since it was so new. It had plenty of space, though, and a great pool - but the "road" was actually a dirt track - the area was still being developed and they hadn't gotten around to fixing the road yet!

We chose our Bonita Springs villa through vrbo also - this is a GREAT property. It's not got any fancy gadgets or anything and is nothing compared to the elegant villas that line the road, but it was the ONLY property within our budget that fitted our requirements (2bed, 2 bath with a pool) and we LOVE it. We've stayed there three times, it's just the PERFECT location, right across the road from the beach and feels really homely

We've had some great times in all the places we've stayed. We have enough space that we feel like we're spending family time together but we're not under each other's feet (last thing I want on vacation!). We have great memories - like a rapid-photo-sequence of my youngest sister and I man-handelling my other sister and then throwing her in the pool; and my Uncle taking my cousin (16) to the bathroom when we first arrived, pointed out the sign which said "US toilets are not designed to take anything other than human waste and a small amount of tissue paper - even too much waste can block it! Please be careful!", turned to my cousin and said "YOU'VE BEEN WARNED".

Awww good times , I wanna go back now, I'm going to Orlando this year but not with my family

 

[Kay1]

Interesting thread as I just got interested in these homes last week and booked yesterday. I spoke with a couple of DIS posters who are also owners but their homes were booked for the dates I wanted. They were both very kind and helpful. There are a few things I learned and can share.

You need to find out the full price of the home, including taxes and pool heat. Pool heat is something most of us would never think of when chosing a place to stay but pool home owners usually make heat an option. Not all, but most, and the price can vary. Then, there are more amenities to consider than one would think. A lot of these homes are very well stocked and some owners have converted their garages into really cool game rooms - or games rooms as some would say. Also, you can find places with strollers, cribs, baby monitors, high chairs, etc.

Finally, I've found www.onlinefloridavillas.com and its sister sites to be very helpful plus they have a forum. The owners all have pix of their homes and seem devoted to providing renters with quality rentals. Unfortunately, looking at all those pix can be quite addictive and ate up at least two days of my life.
It was fun, though.

 

[tricia451]

When we rented a home we looked for location, pool & pet friendly. Having onsite management came in handy when the air conditioning unit broke the first day (they fixed it in the morning but brought us over 3 fans to get through the night), and also when Hurricane Charley was coming (they supplied us with candles, put the patio furniture in the pool & told us our location so that when we watched for tornado warnings we knew exactly what county to listen for). I would do it again in a minute!!!

 

[mbb]

When we rented a home we looked for location, pool & pet friendly. Having onsite management came in handy when the air conditioning unit broke the first day (they fixed it in the morning but brought us over 3 fans to get through the night), and also when Hurricane Charley was coming (they supplied us with candles, put the patio furniture in the pool & told us our location so that when we watched for tornado warnings we knew exactly what county to listen for). I would do it again in a minute!!!

More good points for hurricane season travelers (and for our homeowners too - although like tricia said, a good property mgmt co., should be on hand for renters)..ie, emergency preparedness information in the home?? etc..

Keep posting, everyone..

 

[Robinrs]

What finally determined your home/condo selection? Mostly location, price and the amount of TVs n the home! Also, if the back is private.

What surprised you when you arrived? Would you rent again?

No surprises, and yes, I love renting homes.

What would you determine/ask/wishlist differently in your next rental inquiry?

Nothing I can think of.


What are the critical must haves? Jacuzzi, garage door opener

..the not-so-importants? Proxmity to WDW.

...the wow, never thought I'd want that, so glad we have it..? A laundry room that is NOT in the garage.

How important is new construction to you in considering a rental? Very important. I prefer newer homes.

.......location? Extremely important. I prefer the side where Windsor Hills is, the Formosa Gardens area, because the area is wider and easier to navigate.

.......resort amenities, if applicable? N/A

.......owner/managment company contact? I like to have 24 hour management help in case of emergencies. One time our alarm went off while we were asleep and someone came over immediately to help us out.

And just generally...if you have some info that you've learned along the way

How the home is situated depends on who will be coming with us on our trip. Once my sister came and I wanted a second room with an adjoining bath. Once my Mom was coming and I needed wheelchair access. My son, when he was younger, liked bunk beds. Now all he wants is a big screen TV.

Also, I prefer people who do NOT want the money upfront. Since I am a caretaker, my plans can change on a dime. I cannot afford to put out all of the money upfront and have had good experience with people who accept a down payment and the balance on arrival.

 

[JrsyDebs]

Shopped around for the lowest cost before deciding. There seems to be quite a big difference in rental costs thru private owners for similar properties in the same community. I picked the absolutely lowest price available for the community I wanted to try, and the home was great!!

Advice for renters going during cooler weather: Make sure the pool heater is on/working ASAP when you arrive. Our rental price included pool heat, and we went thru two cool nights of arguing about how to work the heater. Well, it turns out that you basically have to turn the dial to the "on" position, and that's pretty much it! We finally broke down and called the management company on the third day, and what had happened is that they had not turned on the device so that we could use it. I guess it stays turned off unless you pay for the heater. We went in November (Jersey Week, to be exact!!) and definitely needed the heater.

Our unit was a 4-bedroom home. The only negative thing I can say about it was that there were not enough/big enough pots and pans to use. I had considered an easy meal of spaghetti, but there was no pot big enough to cook it in...

Have fun choosing your pool home!

 

[Kycha]

We also had a positive experience renting a pool home 1 1/2 years ago and would definitely do it again. We had two issues: First, We couldn't figure out how to turn on the pool heater or the hot tub pump. Second, we were told that we were renting in a gated community. Well, that was true. But, because this was a new development, the gates were always up to allow easy access for the construction crews.

When we were looking to rent, it was nice to see alot of recent pictures of the home, both inside and outside. If the owner only had one or two pictures on their website, I asked to see more. If they couldn't provide any, we moved on.

 

[jeffreyml]

We generally look for a home that suits our family needs. This year the kids wanted a home with a Hot Tub and a Game room. We searched for homes based on this criteria. We also prefer home with the Pool facing South.

Pool Heat: Most if not all the rental homes have a pool heater. If you request the pool to be heated during your stay, one thing to check is if the heater is actually on and working. A majority of the heaters are run on natural gas. They are usually set to automaticlly turn on when the pool pump runs. There is a pilot that stays lit when the heater/pump are not running. If you believe your pool heater is not working , make sure the pool pump is running and hold your hand slightly above the heater to see if hot air is coming out. If you feel no hot air the pilot may have blown out or the pool may be at the top temperature. Most of the rental homes we've been in have a securtity box covering the heater panel controls to prevent tampering and adjustments.

Pool water levels: Ocassionally in the Flordia sun the pool water evaporates. Sometimes this leaves the water low enough or below the skimmer level which prevents the pool pump from running for lack of suction(head) pressure. This can be rectified by adding some water to bring the level back up to the middle of the skimmer. Most of the homes will have directions instructing you what to do if there are any problems. When in doubt, call the management company.

Every home we've stayed in usually had a company that comes and checks the pool chemicals/pumps/filters/chlorinators/ etc once a week.


Lizards: Just about every home we've stayed in there were lizards sitting out in the sun with us. My kids loved trying to catch a few. This may scare or freak out some people but they are fairly harmless and usually run away when you get to close. The homes with pools are also usually screened in. We've noticed that this screening actually acts as a sunscreen to protect from UV rays. I've read that some screens offer differing degrees of UV protectant.

It seems that the homes facing the South get more sunlight during the day around the pool area. We always look for a home facing South. Some homes also have a fenced in yard. This offers a bit more privacy if thats what your interested in. The houses tend to be tightly packed together in most of the subdivisons.

Regards,
Jeffreyml

 

[dgaston]

To answer the earlier question about how I select the home. Sadly, I'm able to spend a lot of time on line the first two weeks of January when the college I do counseling at doesn't have a lot going on. I discovered vrbo.com and really look at rental communities near Disney. I found a home in 2003 that included pool heat in the price and we had a great Christmas stay there with my brother's family too. We booked the same home again for 2005, staying with DH's brother and wife. I like Windsor Palms and looked on one of their sites windsor-palms-rent I think, and found a 2 bedroom condo with the king bed we like and a second twin bed room for DS17. Next time we stay off-site, I think I'll be looking at Windsor Hills for their lazy river and pool slide. If we're going with extended family, I may look for a game room in the garage. Price is probably my over-riding consideration. I am frugal!

 

[hezell123]

TIPS

1. Location was #1 for me. I wanted a home in Formosa Gardens, Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms, Emerald Isle, or Indian Creek. The feeling I get from a lot of people is that Windsor Hills has the best resort pool area. Emerald Isle was not too far behind.

2. Some of these neighborhoods have a forum of owners. You can make a general inquiry and they will forward it to all the owners. The first time I did this, I got a bunch of offers with a little higher rate than what I wanted to pay (around $1300/wk was the ave.) A month later I sent out another inquiry saying that I needed a home incl. pool heat and taxes under $1000. I got several emails with homes in my price range.

3. There are so many homes that you should hold out for one with spa and garage game room if that's important to you. Many have PS2 and/or X-Box.

4. There also are backways from many of these neighborhoods to WDW, etc. Ask the owners and they should be able to tell you fastest way to Disney, grocery, etc.

 

[jennobrn01]

Thanks alot for this thread! Subscribing!

 

[hercamore]

The firstr thing I look for in renting is the bed mix. I have to have at least 3 real beds, no pullouts.

I have an adult dd and ds, enuff said. More than one bathroom is a plus, but not a deal breaker.

Next I check out the prices. We travel on a budget.

herc.

 

[kimbac3]

The house I rented wasn't as nice as I thought it would be. There were holes in the bath towels, the batteries in the remotes didn't work, the house seemed unloved on the whole. Also there were no cookie/baking sheets. We wanted hot pretzels one night and had to buy disposables.
This time I looked for a nicer/more luxurious home. Also, I appreciate a friendly owner. I don't want to feel like I'm bothering them with alot of questions. Also we looked for a garage that ended at the driveway rather then the ones that you have to go down the driveway and "turn" into. We have a large truck and that was a little hairy.
I guess my deciding factor was good value. What we get for the money.
Kimba