Rental property in Orlando. Advice

[gigi from canada]

Hi everyone!

We went to Disney last year for the first time. We stayed on site at the POR.

This year we want to go again for longer 17 days in February/March. We also will do other stuff that will require a vehicle. We will be 4. We plan on doing Disney, universal, outlet shopping, discovery cove, seaworld. We may go to the beach if it's warm. We are looking for a house with a private pool.

Given the above, can someone give me general advice on what areas I should be looking at, any recommendations on websites, things to look out for? Also, since we are Canadians, is there a need to pay extra for a heated pool??

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Ametista]

Well I don't know what your budget is, but here goes. There are some 3 bedroom townhomes at Windsor Hills and 3 and 4 bedroom townhomes at Paradise Palms that have private pools. If you want a freestanding house then there are also houses at both of those resorts. Both of those are gated/manned 24/7. That is where I would start, and yes you should get pool heat at that time of year if you want to use the private pool. I would look on VRBO, HOmeaway, Trip Advisor, FlipKey, Vacation Rentals dot com.

It should definitely be warm enough at least a few days to go to the beach, and I would head west to the gulf where water is warmer (think St Pete, Indian Rocks, Clearwater Beaches).

Just FYI we started looking for our March spring break this week and already many places are booked, both in Kissimmee and the gulf coast beaches. We were pretty bummed, don't know if we will get to do our normal 4 days at the beach or not since the only things left are expensive. So I would get booked asap because its a very busy time of year unless you do February which can still be busy but is still warm enough for a beach day.

Also, if it were me and given the time of year, I would consider the 2 bedroom units at Marriott Harbour Lake and even Sheraton Vistana Villages. I think they might have 3 bedrooms also. Main reason being that you don't need a private pool that time of year (July is a different story) and the location can't be beat if you are doing Seaworld and Universal parks in addition to the Disney parks. I would stay at Marriott Cypress Harbour every trip if I could afford it.

 

[Itinkso]

We will be renting a home through vrbo. For the housing area we wanted, Clermont - Highgrove, the cost to heat the pool was approximately $15-20/day though we won't need to use the pool. In addition to the backyard pool, the Clubhouse has a very large community pool. I believe most private rental properties charge for heating the pool.

 

[sympatico]

Yes, get the pool heated. Even we Canadians need it. We like the Formosa Gardens area which includes a number of subdivisions. You can find rentals on vrbo and homeaway for the Kissimmee area.
Here's a map to help you see where they are located. Windsor Hills is #1 on the map, then just click the blue markers to the left to see other subdv. in that area. Pink markers are Disney.
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=...8.272032,-81.608849&spn=0.068335,0.11055&z=13

 

[gigi from canada]

Thanks for everyone who responded. I will definitely follow your suggestions. I thought since we're from Nova Scotia we didn't need a heated pool, but I guess I'm wrong. We will be there from February 26 ro March 14. 16 days. We'd really like to keep our accomadation cost under 2000$.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We tried once to give up pool heat in mid May and the water was still very cold. We didn't use the pool once!

 

[7165red]

Yes, pool heat is extra and check out the taxes. I have rented through www.orlandovillas.com and they have their own forums, which should be helpful. We have always enjoyed renting villas.

 

[thenewgirl]

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