Snowbirds - Bella Trae Condos at Champions Gate?

[robinb]

Hi everyone!

Does anyone live in Bella Trae at Champions Gate? Do you like it? How is the community area? Pool? Activities?

We live in frigid Wisconsin and our one-and-only daughter will be graduating from college in May. She goes to a local university so we no longer have a need to be here at home all the time. I love where we live, but I am so not a fan of winter. I have been looking into Snowbirding in the Orlando area for a while and I have been looking at condos and small homes for a while. I keep on coming back to the Davenport, FL area. My requirements are (1) single ground floor or ground floor master (I have bed knees), (2) walk in shower, (3) a garage to plug our Honda Clarity plug-in Hybrid car, (4) close to WDW, (5) not too far from MCO since my DH may go back to traveling on business once Covid clears, (6) a place where my 21-year old daughter can stay with us if she needs to for some reason and (7) a place that allows pets. I don't want to pay a ton on HOA fees, but I don't mind paying some if they include expenses like internet and cable. We would probably be living in our Florida place after the last Badger football game (late Nov, early Dec) and April-May when it warms up at Wrigley Field to watch Cubs games. So, about 5-6 months in Florida and 5-6 months in Wisconsin.

 

[robinb]

No one knows of this neighborhood?

 

[larissawbb]

Try the DVC boards too. I know at least a couple that relocated to Davenport.

 

[QueenIsabella]

General suggestion--consider renting for your first year--either in this development, or somewhere in the vicinity. It will give you a better feel for the area (traffic patterns, etc.) before you choose yoru permanent spot.

 

[eMoneyBug]

Love the planning, we may stay a few months in timeshares in our retirement years

 

[robinb]

General suggestion--consider renting for your first year--either in this development, or somewhere in the vicinity. It will give you a better feel for the area (traffic patterns, etc.) before you choose yoru permanent spot.

We have been visiting Florida regularly for nearly 25 years. We always rent a car and we don’t get stuck in the “Disney bubble”. We’ve stayed offsite, driven around town to take my DD to pools to practice when she was swimming and visited my in-laws in the Tampa area when they lived there. I do know about the I-4 traffic backups and traffic on 192. The Tampa/Clearwater/St Pete area is still on my list too. I have to choose between close to WDW and 90 minutes to the beach or visa versa. I think I would drop into WDW more often than I would drive to a beach.

I have considered renting but we have pets so it’s more difficult to find a place that will take them. We have friends who own multiple weeks at a timeshare on the beach in the St Pete area. They go down in January and come back in March. I couldn’t leave my pets for that long.

 

[NotUrsula]

I don't live there, but I've stayed in that neighborhood a few times (DH frequently has business meetings at the Omni.) I would say that one important thing, at least until I-4 Ultimate is completed, is to familiarize yourself with the back ways out of the neighborhood. The upside is that there IS a back way out of the neighborhood (kind of rare in the Orlando area because of all the lakes), but the downside is that I-4 often backs up near there, so getting in and out efficiently (for instance, heading for MCO) can be a bit complicated.