Renting a pool home

[sapereaude]

Subdivisions in the Formosa Gardens area: Those that have a manned security gate: Windsor Hills, Emerald Island and Windsor Palms; those that have a code gate: Formosa Gardens Estates, Acadia Estates, Sunset Lakes; those that have no gate: Rolling Hills, Indian Creek, Oak Island Cove and Harbour and a little further away Indian Ridge and Oaks, Lindfields.

Most of Lindfields is not gated, but there is one section that is - I forget the development name, but there are about 10 houses on crayson ct and sunrise walk, all pool homes, we are renting in there now. It is gated, clearly meant to be a larger community that stopped development when the bust happened, but the streets are monitored with surveillance cameras. We are very happy with the location, its quite close to Disney, but I will say its clearly the seedier side of WDW (West), just from the stores and gift shops you pass, there aren't any really super fancy resorts this way. However the house was really inexpensive and very nice - $93/night for 3beds w/pool including all taxes, fees, etc.

I am loving renting a house! Our family of four came with my mother, so we would have had to rent 2 hotel rooms, instead for less than the price of a single room at a value we have a private pool and the kids can swim while we relax in the evening, we love it.

 

[jenian]

we are renting this property from Homeaway.com and are looking forward to it..
Rental 230406

edited to add.. that the price for one week during the fall season was approx $1400

 

[Frothy]

We used to stay at a house in Sunset Lakes and a lot has already been said about the west side of Disney. We now stay on Cumbrian Lakes which is to the East side of Disney and is generally a lot newer than the sub-divisions to the west.

The house we stay at is around 4 miles from US 192 on Poinciana Blvd and there are a few other developments on that road. Cumbrian Lakes is a gated community and we love it because it is closer to Sea World and Universal. We love dining out and we have found we can get to the great restaurants on Sand Lake Road in about 20 minutes even at the busiest times. Disney is about 10 to 15 minutes, Sea World 15 to 20 and Universal 20 to 25 mins from this side. From the west side you can add on another 10 to 15 minutes to SeaWorld, Universal and Sand Lake.

We have always rented from a management company and they are wonderful. Always looking after us and providing a great home and some nice extra touches. The company is Florida Leisure and they have 6 and 7 bedroom homes available. I have to say, they are more expensive than most of the others I've researched but the homes and the service are fabulous.

 

[torinsmom]

We just got back from a house in Sunset Lakes. It was incredibly close to Animal Kingdom (we went to Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast at Boma one morning) using the Sherbeth Road shortcut.

The owner was excellent to deal with and kept in communication. We paid $100 per night total during Christmas week (didn't get pool heat because I knew we wouldn't use it). He advised me that he could make a better deal during times that weren't considered high time.

The house had 5BR/4BA and was backed up to a lake. It had a private screended pool, a pool table, air hockey, and foosball. It also came with strollers, etc. if anybody needed them.

The house had two master suites and 3 other bedrooms (with either two twins or a twin and a bunkbed - some were Disney themed).

They have a management company that handled problems. When we arrived, we turned the heat up (it was very cold in FL that week) and left for dinner. When we got back, it hadn't heated up at all. We called the owner who told us to contact the management company (this was about 10 p.m. on a Saturday night). They had somebody out to the house quickly to fix the problem. We were very pleased with the service.

Do you mind giving me more info(like a link)on this rental? It sounds like just what I am looking for.

 

[Darcy03231]

We stayed here:

http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/32411.html

and I would go back again in a second! We were able to rent the home for $700/wk inclusive of all taxes and fees (we stayed for 2 weeks).

I found it took us about 15 minutes to get to WDW main gate. House backs up to conservation land and is at the back of the subdivision so it was quiet and private. The subdivision is located right off of 192 & 27 (about a mile from the off ramp). There are plenty of restaurants on both 192 and 27 and there is a SuperWalmart about a mile from the house (we found they had the best prices for grocery items).

 

[Hillbeans]

I've stayed at Emerald Island twice and loved it. The location is perfect. This past summer we rented a 7 bedroom pool house for 12 of us and it was perfect. It's easy to come and go to the parks and coming home from a hot park to jump in the pool (that you don't have to share) is AWESOME!

We've stayed at Emerald Island twice as well, but I think we were in a 6 bedroom, with 11 people. I agree with Michelle VW that it was close to the parks and easy to come and go. The kids loved having the pool and were in it morning and night.

 

[mill4023]

Thanks for all the information.
I spent the last couple of weeks going through tons of home listings, getting quotes, and comparing every little detail.
At first, I had picked a 4 bedroom in Emerald Island, but then plans changed and our travel party got bigger, so we ended up booking a 5 bedroom in Indian Creek.
It had everything we were looking for at the price we wanted.

 

[cagrlnor]

Thanks for all the information.
I spent the last couple of weeks going through tons of home listings, getting quotes, and comparing every little detail.
At first, I had picked a 4 bedroom in Emerald Island, but then plans changed and our travel party got bigger, so we ended up booking a 5 bedroom in Indian Creek.
It had everything we were looking for at the price we wanted.

Congratulations on your find! Would you mind sharing what you found and/or the company you went through? Thanks!

 

[mill4023]

Congratulations on your find! Would you mind sharing what you found and/or the company you went through? Thanks!

We used VRBO and are renting directly from the owner.
It's a 5 bedroom in Indian Creek with pool, separate hot tub, game room with foosball and air hockey. We are paying just over 2k for 2 weeks in June.

On VRBO, you can put in the dates for your trip, then in the list of homes, it will show you which one's are available for that time period. On the right hand side, there is a form where you can put in your information and email the owners for a quote. It's nice because it saves your information, so you don't have to type it in each time you want to email an owner. Not all of the owners keep their availability calendar updated, so there were some cases where VRBO showed the home available, but the owner emailed back and said it was already booked.

I looked at Kissimmee West, Kissimmee Far West, and Kissimmee Central West. Each time I saw a home that looked like it might meet our needs, I sent the owner an email. Then each time I got a response from the owner, I put the house in a spreadsheet with all it's information and used that to compare all the choices.

 

[4forMe]

Bumping this thread as many people are requesting pool home information.

Here is a link on how to check tax records if renting through vrbo:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2675236&highlight=tax+records

 

[4forMe]

Here is a link to an excellent thread regarding renting through vrbo. It also includes a link regarding the Clermont/Davenport areas:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2517136

 

[dtum]

I was looking at VRBO and noticed that so many of the owners are not even in FL, and some are outside the US. That really scares me. We are staying here:

http://www.romancingthemouse.com/id32.html

The owners are right there. It may be a little higher, but pool heat, etc. is all included. There are no extra fees (except tax). Also, we don't have to have the whole thing paid in advance, payment is due when we check in.

 

[torinsmom]

Many owners are in the UK, but have an onsite management company. As long as tax records check out, it's plenty safe. I don't think you're any safer renting from someone in the US. JMHO

 

[horseshowmom]

I was looking at VRBO and noticed that so many of the owners are not even in FL, and some are outside the US. That really scares me. We are staying here:

http://www.romancingthemouse.com/id32.html

The owners are right there. It may be a little higher, but pool heat, etc. is all included. There are no extra fees (except tax). Also, we don't have to have the whole thing paid in advance, payment is due when we check in.

They have a great reputation and provide some nice extras.

Many owners are in the UK, but have an onsite management company. As long as tax records check out, it's plenty safe. I don't think you're any safer renting from someone in the US. JMHO

I agree.

 

[carter79]

If you are planning some down/relax and traveling with 5 kids i would suggest getting a home with a games room to keep the kids busy. Thes Solana Resort is really nice, Sunset lakes is stunning, Encantada is really nice...to be honest all the communities here now are really nice in there own way....We're staying in Emerald Island cause we stayed there last year and really enjoyed it and its close to the 192 and FG area, as well as Disney...

For price though i would suggest the Solana Resort, the homes are really nice and competitively priced..

Definately shop around though, there some good deals to be had, we booked with DisneyVillaVacations.com this year, got a really good price and they give us FREE BBQ for a week which is a bonus, we've used management comapnies, agents and booked direct with the owner and prices and deals from site to site differ so much so have a look about.

Good look and im sure once youve stayed in a rental home you wont want to stay in a hotel again....Its so much more comfortable and relaxing....

 

[snowangel72]

I don't know where Lindfields is but it sounds very far out. Personally I wouldn't even consider it.

I would do EI. The large homes are gorgeous. The large IC homes are also gorgeous but make sure you can pick up the keys at the house and NOT at the management company. We missed our flight last time because we didn't realize we had to go there. It was awful on the way in at midnight too trying to find the office and the little box with the keys. What a nightmare!!!!!

EI is perfect IMO. WH is too busy and loud for me and way too pricey.

 

[torinsmom]

I don't know where Lindfields is but it sounds very far out. Personally I wouldn't even consider it.

I would do EI. The large homes are gorgeous. The large IC homes are also gorgeous but make sure you can pick up the keys at the house and NOT at the management company. We missed our flight last time because we didn't realize we had to go there. It was awful on the way in at midnight too trying to find the office and the little box with the keys. What a nightmare!!!!!

EI is perfect IMO. WH is too busy and loud for me and way too pricey.

We stayed at EI last year and loved it!

I see you stayed at Indian Creek in 2007. How was it? And was it about the same distance from the parks as EI?

 

[tiggerplus5]

I don't know where Lindfields is but it sounds very far out. Personally I wouldn't even consider it.

I would do EI. The large homes are gorgeous. The large IC homes are also gorgeous but make sure you can pick up the keys at the house and NOT at the management company. We missed our flight last time because we didn't realize we had to go there. It was awful on the way in at midnight too trying to find the office and the little box with the keys. What a nightmare!!!!!

EI is perfect IMO. WH is too busy and loud for me and way too pricey.

I'm sure you are very happy at EI but I just wanted to tell others that Lindfields is not really far out. I just don't want incorrect information to get out there. They have lots of wonderful homes. We've stayed in 2 already and would definitely go back. All you have to do is google the directions.

Lindfields is another 3 minutes down the road, really! And you could easily save a $1000 for a 2 week vacation. I've done hours of research on vbro and homeaway, and rented 5 different vacation homes. You go just a half a mile farther and you save a lot! You drive by Emerald Isle on the way to Sherberth Road. My personal opinion is the 3 extra minutes a day is not worth another $1000 dollars to my family vacation. We stayed in Clermont our last visit and that was yet another 3 minutes. Our family doesn't really have a choice in taking budget vacations or we would never be able to afford disney trips.
Emerald Isle-12 minutes to AK
Lindfields -15 minutes to AK
Clermont -18 minutes to AK (There are more stop lights on this journey so it may take longer if you hit rush hour traffic).

Lindfields and Clermont is super quiet, practically empty even at night. We've been there at Christmas, Summer vacation, etc. and we didn't hear any noise. It's a quiet residential area.

We've only had to pick up keys at an office once. All the other homes had the lock boxes at the house. We've been lucky.

There are different options, not all of them are bad.

 

[torinsmom]

I'm sure you are very happy at EI but I just wanted to tell others that Lindfields is not really far out. I just don't want incorrect information to get out there. They have lots of wonderful homes. We've stayed in 2 already and would definitely go back. All you have to do is google the directions.

Lindfields is another 3 minutes down the road, really! And you could easily save a $1000 for a 2 week vacation. I've done hours of research on vbro and homeaway, and rented 5 different vacation homes. You go just a half a mile farther and you save a lot! You drive by Emerald Isle on the way to Sherberth Road. My personal opinion is the 3 extra minutes a day is not worth another $1000 dollars to my family vacation. We stayed in Clermont our last visit and that was yet another 3 minutes. Our family doesn't really have a choice in taking budget vacations or we would never be able to afford disney trips.
Emerald Isle-12 minutes to AK
Lindfields -15 minutes to AK
Clermont -18 minutes to AK (There are more stop lights on this journey so it may take longer if you hit rush hour traffic).

Lindfields and Clermont is super quiet, practically empty even at night. We've been there at Christmas, Summer vacation, etc. and we didn't hear any noise. It's a quiet residential area.

We've only had to pick up keys at an office once. All the other homes had the lock boxes at the house. We've been lucky.

There are different options, not all of them are bad.

Definitely didn't take me 12 minutes to AK from EI, more like 7 or 8. And it really depends who you rent from at EI. We got a 3 bedroom condo there for $450/week last summer.

 

[horseshowmom]

I don't know where Lindfields is but it sounds very far out. Personally I wouldn't even consider it.

I would do EI.

EI is perfect IMO. WH is too busy and loud for me and way too pricey.

I'm sure you are very happy at EI but I just wanted to tell others that Lindfields is not really far out.

Lindfields is another 3 minutes down the road, really!

Lindfields and Clermont is super quiet, practically empty even at night. We've been there at Christmas, Summer vacation, etc. and we didn't hear any noise. It's a quiet residential area.

Definitely didn't take me 12 minutes to AK from EI, more like 7 or 8. And it really depends who you rent from at EI. We got a 3 bedroom condo there for $450/week last summer.

We stayed at Sunset Lakes this past Christmas, and it was very quiet. It's located between Emerald Island and Lindfields. The three developments are close together and actually pretty much on the same road (Funie Steed).

I agree with torinsmom, we had breakfast at AKL one morning, and it couldn't have taken much more than 5-7 minutes to get there.