questions about renting a villa

[tiff211]

I know I am pushing it because I need the first week of April but should I just give up the thought of getting a pool home with good amenties? I have been searching and searching. How long should I wait to hear back from the owners. I thought I had this place at Winsdor Hills I replied to her email for info about booking it and haven't heard anything. That was early yesterday.

Also, are some sort of safety features for the pool standard? I have emailing each rental asking what features they have.

I am so frustrated! Any tips?!

 

[5mins2disney]

Ohhh.... first week of April? I'm sorry to say you're pretty late looking for first week of April. I helped a lady yesterday find a place for that week, a poolside condo there...and I looked long and hard at everyone's availability calendars in Windsor Hills for that week, they're all mostly 100% booked solid.

That's THE most popular week for this spring due to spring breaks / Easter vacation. When we were making suggestions about which places you wanted to stay at, I was offering them based upon thinking you meant later in the year sometime.

I would suggest you put out a general inquiry on the windsorhillsrent.com website or on the Windsor Palms website and see what's available, unfortunately, you're not going to be able to be very selective in choosing places, you're going to have to go with what's available (that's not necessarily a bad thing, don't take that comment the wrong way..I just mean it's all mostly booked now).

They might not be responding to you quickly is all..many times people are at work, travelling, on vacation, etc, and take a little bit to get back to their emails, especially if they already know their place is booked up for the next 4 months.

 

[KayR]

Hi Tiff211

Pool safety features - on newer homes if they have a pool, they must have either a pool safety fence or alarms on all the doors leading to the pool. I don't know when this law came into effect, but the newer communities, including Windsor Palms, Windsor Hills, Emerald Island etc, all have one or the other.

As far as accommodation goes, it is a busy time. I need to ask a moderator about something I know of that might help you find somewhere. I don't want to fall fowl of any rules. Help. Is there a moderator out there that can email me so I can check on this issue...?

-Kay

 

[Acklander]

you can check at rentalo.com If you do a general inquiry, it goes out to a whole bunch of homeowners, and if anyone has availability, they will e-mail you back.

 

[5mins2disney]

you can check at rentalo.com If you do a general inquiry, it goes out to a whole bunch of homeowners, and if anyone has availability, they will e-mail you back.

I would NOT suggest rentalo.com... I'm on a lot of VRBO homeowner forums and not one person has ANYthing good to say about that site.

Try:
www.windsorhillsrent.com
www.vrbo.com
www.cyberrentals.com
www.indiancreekrentals.com
(There's one for Windsor Palms too I can't remember the URL)

 

[tnmom25]

houseofmouserentals.com is where I rented one for December. I've emailed her to see if she has anything available for the first week of April. I know the one we rented is not open, but she has two others. I found her through vrbo.com and she has been wonderful so far.

Good luck, I know what a headache finding a good house can be!!!

 

[5mins2disney]

I "bailed out" a guest yesterday actually who had somehow lost her reservation with another owner... she was in tears....I called our MC and they said out of all the homes they manage on WHR, WP, and EI..not one is open that first week of April..but they would check for any last minute cancellations for me just in case.. lo and behold someone cancelled in a poolside condo in WHR for that week the day before...so we managed to find this person a last minute nice place to stay! That's the only opening I am aware of in the resort though, I spent a good hour combing through everyone's calendars to find anything at all open with no luck...the problem is not so much finding a good home to stay in...it's finding a good home at the last minute for Easter/Spring Break on the busiest spring period in years, at this late date, everything is pretty booked solid we know of. You're definitely going to have to go with what's "left"...not going to have a lot of choices..I'm really sorry I wish we knew of some great answer for you if I'd known which dates you were after yesterday or sooner I could have connected you with the owner of that poolside condo... sigh.

 

[Kellydelly]

I would go to fabvillas.com and put out an inquiry for that date you want and I bet you will have a few offers. I find it hard to believe that ALL the good houses are spoken for already. Maybe lower your standards a little, though .

 

[tnmom25]

Well, my owner emailed me and she doesn't have anything until April 17. I really hope you find something.

 

[5mins2disney]

I'm sure there's something open somewhere....but it's also the busiest spring for bookings / vacations our MC has seen in 6 years now, and that's THE single most popular week. Gonna have to dig deep and look hard to find an open place....you might also want to check with various other management companies... Allstar Vacation Homes... IPG... Global... Villadirect to suggest just a few (google their names for their websites).

They are the "big" local MCs, have reservation centers / agents and can query 100s of vacation homes for you at one time.

 

[tiff211]

Well, I need a little pixie dust thrown my way. I had heard back about a condo in WH earlier this week and it was available but the pics the owner sent were of the wrong location. I emailed her back and she sent me the right pics. I emailed her back immediately to book (it was only 2 beds, I was looking for 3) but it sleeps 6 so it still works. She didn't email me back so I got nervous. Last night, she emailed me to tell me she had it empty on her calendar but her MC had booked a couple of days for someone. She had emailed them to see if they can find somewhere else to put them since it only for a couple of days. She is waiting to hear back and will let me know today. If not, then WH is out, I throw in the towel. I have gotten lots of reasonable repsonses for pool homes and condos so I am sure we will get something........not 1st choice but better than a hotel room!

 

[heathera]

Try excel villa rentals for availability google for website or try vcbo.com

 

[spiceycat]

I have gotten lots of reasonable repsonses for pool homes and condos so I am sure we will get something........not 1st choice but better than a hotel room!

I would get one of the others fast.

Orlando in generally is quickly selling out for that week.

Good Luck!!! hope you get what you want!!!!

 

[spiceycat]

this is behind the outlet malls - Lake Buena Vista Factory Store

but it has availability for the first week in april.

http://www.lbvorlandoresort.com/index.cfm

there is another place that is also new and might have some - forgot to get that link.....

 

[Brian Noble]

that's THE single most popular week.

That's really interesting information. I had always heard that the week *after* Easter tended to be a bit busier than the week *before*.

 

[5mins2disney]

That's really interesting information. I had always heard that the week *after* Easter tended to be a bit busier than the week *before*.

You might think that...but based on inquiries, email volumes, and also on the crowd index listings from the UG website (which you can't post the link to on the DIS! LOL), it's an unusually busy spring. By 4/14-4/21 it's died down a bit. Our MC tells us this is the busiest spring for bookings in the area they've seen in 6 years... I just read also in the Orlando Sentinel that vacation levels / crowd levels have finally reached and passed pre 9/11 levels (which I think is just a GREAT thing for the economy, the tourism industry has been depressed for a few years now!).

Also, what surprised me, is the last 2 weeks in March are absolutely jam packed as well this year, it's because everyone has spring break then I think (our kids do too). Roughly 3/23-3/30..

We actually had an email yesterday go out to all of the WHR owners from a MC (VERY unusual) who is "desperate" (her words) to find open home in Windsor Hills for Feb/March.

 

[KayR]

Windsor Palms Homes can be found at www.windsor-palms-florida.net

--Kay

 

[Mainebound]

I know I am pushing it because I need the first week of April but should I just give up the thought of getting a pool home with good amenties? I have been searching and searching. How long should I wait to hear back from the owners. I thought I had this place at Winsdor Hills I replied to her email for info about booking it and haven't heard anything. That was early yesterday.

Also, are some sort of safety features for the pool standard? I have emailing each rental asking what features they have.

I am so frustrated! Any tips?!

At my suggestion, my old college roomie just put in an enquiry on windsorhillsrent for Easter week and got about 40 replies with vacancies, from condos to 6 bed homes, from that website alone.

So, although you may not have the largest selecton, I find it incredible that there's nothing left.

For example, I found this 3 bed townhome which appears to be available for your dates at Windor Hills:
http://www.vrbo.com/116438

Or this 3 bed townhome at WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/119332

Or this 3 bed condo at WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/96190

Or this 3 bed condo at WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/65739

Or this 3 bed condo at WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/78681

Another 3 bed condo in WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/75532

2 4 bed homes in WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/10592

Another lovely 4 bed in WH:
http://www.vrbo.com/33035

don't be afraid to inquire about larger homes. Our 6 bed home in WH March is $1100 for 9 nights including all taxes and pool heat -- that's only a hundred or so over what many townhome and condo owners are asking for a week!

fabvillas.com and orlandovillas.com both also have a lot of great homes, and you should trysending a general inquiry through those sites as well.

 

[idyll2]

I might know of a cancellation that week if it mght help- PM me- and I will try and help-

 

[idyll2]

I may know of a cancellation that week- If you would like me to send it to you, please feel free to e-mail me- Good luck!