Renting a house.

[smdms88]

There will be four of us going down to WDW in May. We were planning on staying off property to begin with. I then discovered the wonderful website of airbnb. Has anyone stayed in an airbnb home before? I'm not concerned about getting places as we will have a car, and I know my way around there too. I've just never used airbnb, and I curious about other people's past experiences.

 

[disneysteve]

We haven't used airbnb but we have rented offsite homes many times. We usually rent either through vrbo.com or http://www.windsor-palms-florida.net/ as we're partial to that development.

 

[smdms88]

Awesome. I am glad to hear that you have rented as well. Have you ever experienced any problems?

 

[disneysteve]

Awesome. I am glad to hear that you have rented as well. Have you ever experienced any problems?

Not at all. It is really the only way to do Disney in our opinion. If you scroll through this forum, you'll find tons of threads about renting homes. It's a great way to travel. We have even rented homes in other places like Stowe, VT and Richmond, VA. I've helped some coworkers rent in places like Maui and Turks and Caicos.

Definitely rent a place. For the cost of a tiny value room onsite you can get a 3-bedroom single home with a private screened-in pool and so many amenities that just aren't available onsite.

 

[robinb]

Airbnb has become a very popular way to rent accommodations around the world. I have looked at airbnb in the Orlando area for our July trip and I didn't see any real bargains. I have rented a 4-bedroom pool home and a 2-bedroom condo in the past through vrbo.com. It takes some effort to find a great place at a great price. You have wade through a lot of offers to find the one that clicks. My one recommendation is that it costs you nothing to ask for a quote and often the quotes I would receive by email were less than the rates posted on the websites.

 

[disneysteve]

My one recommendation is that it costs you nothing to ask for a quote and often the quotes I would receive by email were less than the rates posted on the websites.

I would second this. Get quotes. Don't hesitate to ask for "your best price". We've often paid less than the listed rate, especially when booking for 2 weeks. I also don't hesitate to mention that we are 3 adults (DD is 19) so that the owner knows there's no chance of little kids running wild in the home.

 

[powellrj]

We rented through trip adviser this time. Before we have used homeaway and vrbo and never had a problem.

With the house we have rented for this trip, the address was in the reviews, so I am able to google maps it to see what it really looks like and what the neighborhood looks like. From what I have seen from the trip adviser reviews and google I think we will be happy.

 

[Ametista]

My suggestion would be to look at vrbo, homeaway, flipkey (trip advisor), as well. Find a place with a private pool, even if it's a smaller splash pool. I am always trying to economize (less money per vacation equals more vacations!) but I eventually ended up with a place with a private pool and I was instantly a spoiled brat. The very best part was coming home from a 1 am close at Magic Kingdom exhausted but still wound up. Taking a little swim at 2 am with a glass of wine (plastic cup of course) and just totally relaxing, it's hard to describe. Plus if you have kids with you it means you won't be constantly dragged to the resort pool.

Resorts to look at would be Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms, Paradise Palms, Emerald Island. Those all have 24 hour guarded gates. There are several others without the security (probably don't need it) that are cheaper. I am staying at a timeshare resort next trip (October) but at least it's at DTD so I am ok even though no private pool. But if it's doable financially, definitely get the pool.

 

[prairiesarah]

We are going in December and staying offsite for the first time. We booked a 6 bedroom house in Windsor Hills through vrbo.com for a very reasonable price. The owner has been excellent to deal with so far. Because we are going with my dh's extended family, we wanted space for all of us and a pool. The cost of the whole house per night (which will sleep all 11 of us) is less than the cost of the value resort rooms over Xmas break, so it is very economical for our group.

 

[7165red]

We have used www.orlandovillas.com, never a problem. We would find it difficult staying in a hotel room

 

[Woodview]

Also try " IPG Florida Vacation Homes " www.ipgflorida.com

 

[KJMAX1]

We pay 80.00 a night for a 5 bdrm on a golf course, mins from Disney. We love having our own pool and space to move.

 

[Judyat]

We have used airbnb many times and have always enjoyed our stays. We like to read the reviews and that helps us a lot. Most recently we did airbnb in Seattle, Portland and Louisville. All were week long stays and all went well. The airbnb hosts were great and always answered questions quickly. I like airbnb's layout. It gives plenty of information on the available properties. I have tried using VRBO but I don't care for their layout. It just isn't as user friendly.