Seeking Windsor Hills Advice...

[mickeyfan0805]

We're looking at a fall trip and it is becoming clear that WH is the best balance of conveninence and price for us. But, we're overwhelmed by the options! Any recommendations on a rental for a family of 4 (daughters age 2 and 3) with a pregnant mom? Also, what are the 'add-on' costs that we'll see over and above the listed nightly rate (taxes, fees, etc...)?

 

[sue brock]

Hi, Not sure whereyou were renting WH from, but try www.vrbo.com. There are very few additional ees and is usually a good deal as you are renting directly from the owners. Have fun.

 

[lexie32]

As far as i'm aware the only add on costs would be pool heat if you rented a pool home and the $6 refundable cards for the community amenities. personally i would put a request on http://www.windsorhillsrent.com/ and see what prices you get for your requested dates.


hth

Alex

 

[jenmom24ks]

We are also looking at renting in Windsor Hills for our next trip. Don't forget that you have to add 13% tax onto most of the homes. I have found one that charged a $25 administration/booking fee, and if you use a cc, some will pass on their 3-4% fee to you. They are all different, and you really have to read each persons terms if renting directly from the owner.

 

[Cruz91]

One thing to consider if all things are equal (i.e. - price) is where do you pick up the keys? I've rented several times at WH now, and if there's any way I can help it - I won't rent another unit where I have to go to a management company to pick up the keys. Many units have a lock box attached right to the door jam and the owner will send you the combination for the box after you've paid in full. Then you leave the key in the box when you check out. This beats the heck out of tracking down a rental company at 10:00 PM coming from the airport with two tired, crying kids...

 

[ALnRYSmom]

One thing to consider if all things are equal (i.e. - price) is where do you pick up the keys? I've rented several times at WH now, and if there's any way I can help it - I won't rent another unit where I have to go to a management company to pick up the keys. Many units have a lock box attached right to the door jam and the owner will send you the combination for the box after you've paid in full. Then you leave the key in the box when you check out. This beats the heck out of tracking down a rental company at 10:00 PM coming from the airport with two tired, crying kids...

I made the key thing one of my requirements when looking for a condo because, even though we are driving in and plan to get there during the day, the last thing I want to do my first day in Orlando is to drive all over town trying to find the management company. Some fees you may run into when booking:

a booking/admin fee (especially if done via a management company),
cleaning fee,
rental deposit (check the refund policies in the event you have to cancel),
security deposit (should be refunded after trip),
$6 deposit per key card for the clubhouse (they will refund you the money when you turn the card in),
taxes and
pool/spa heat if you go the townhouse or villa route.​

You can get around the cleaning fee in a lot of cases based on how long you are staying. A lot of places on vrbo and windsorrents will waive the cleaning fee if you stay for a certain number of nights. I think it was 7 nights for the condo I am renting.

hth! Have a great trip!

ETA: Some places will charge you a cc fee or a fee to use paypal. The people I am renting from prefer paypal, so they do not charege an additional fee. IOW, if you want to use paypal as a way to make payment try to find one that will not charge you an addtional fee to do it. We are staying at the Mickey Adventure condo.

 

[mrswh]

Our family of 4 stayed at Windsor Hills in a condo (stayed away from places with stairs and pools since we have two small children) last month, and I would highly recommend it. (We rented a two bedroom - the owners have several two bedrooms and a few three bedrooms as well.)

Here's the review I wrote when we got back:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1720828

I don't think I mentioned it in the review, but I really liked the way they do business. No security deposit. No cancellation fee outside of 60 days, and no fee within 60 days if they can find someone else to rent the condo during your week (which they apparently always do). The add-ons for this place were tax and a $65 cleaning fee, and the total was still totally reasonable.

Hope that helps. Good luck, I went cross-eyed looking at all the options!

 

[bscs]

We went to WH in Feb. stayed in a 3 BR condo through www.floridasunshine.com it was great. It's on the 4 the floor (there is an elevator) (screened in balcony) No hidden costs. Some people like better the townhouses with private pools but we like being at the BIG pool with the great dancing water fountains your young kids will love. With a townhouse you usually have to pay to heat your pool which is extra. If u have any questions about this place just ask we didn't go to disney so we spent a lot of time at the WH resort.
(click the web site then go to home tour, then shared pools, scroll down to WH and click this is the one we had)

 

[Lisa06468]

This is the townhouse we rented for this fall. They still have dates open, if youre interested. http://www.vrbo.com/78298 The only addition on top of the fee is the 13% tax. I spoke with the owner and she is very nice. I know others have stayed here from this board too and enjoyed it. Its close to the pool. Good luck in your search. Youll see there is a wide variety of rates and it all depends on what youre looking for.

 

[IDoDis]

We went with these owners:
http://www.vacation-rentals4u.com/condo4.htm

The lady I spoke to was really nice on the phone and has been prompt with replying to all email messages. At first she emailed me directions to their management office to pick up keys, but when she realized we wouldn't be arriving until after 11:00pm, she said she would put the keys in the lock box at the condo for us. She also gave us a discount of $10 per night for booking directly through her website, so the rate is $85 per night. There's no cleaning fee (we are staying 10 nights, so you should ask if there's a fee if you stay a shorter time). The only thing added were the taxes, and I did pay about $3 in Paypal fees when I sent Paypal for the deposit. I am going to mail a check for the rest so there won't be any fees.

Our condo is the farthest building from the pool, but she has others that are closer that might be available for your dates. If you want to be close to the pool, ask the owner what the building number is (if you get a condo). They are numbered 1-8 with the largest # being closer to the pool. The smaller the number, the farther away. Her website has a map so you can see the location of each condo.