Solana Resort review

[dougsmom98]

We just got back from a week long vacation at the Solana Resort in Davenport.

This resort is fairly new in Davenport. It is a gated community approximately 3 miles south of the junction of 192. The area of 27 has a speed limit of 65 miles per hour, and the Solana sign is temporary and not very prominent, so we missed the turn a couple of times, but a quick U-turn got us back on track. We used Palm Key's sign to help us find Solana because this development was right next door. Between the stretch of 192 and this resort there is a Publix supermarket, a pizza place called Mia's Pizza, a Chinese food place, Indian food place and an Applebees. We had the pizza, Chinese, and went to Applebees. We liked them all. The Publix is convenient and the prices were not bad. If you travel a mile or so north on 27 from the junction of 192, there is a Wal Mart, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King and a Walgreens.
We picked Solana because we wanted a community pool in addition to the pool at the home we rented. The clubhouse is located at one end of the resort. This worked well for us because our house was directly across the street from the it, but if you rented a house on the opposite end of the resort, you would have quite a hike, or have to drive to the clubhouse. The clubhouse pool was not huge, but it was never crowded the whole time we were there, so it was fine. The temperature was warm. There are shaded small private cabanas at the pool where you can escape from the sun and there were plenty of lounge chairs. The hot tub was very large to accommodate a lot of people at once. The clubhouse pool does close at dusk though so if you wanted a late swim or dip in the hot tub, you might be disappointed. There is a putting green near the pool. My DH, FIL and the boys had fun here. They have golf clubs to use for free. There was also a beach volley ball court on the other side of the pool. We had a beach ball that we used to play one morning. Near the volley ball courts, there are picnic table and grills that you can use to charcoal BBQ and have a picnic. There was also a nearby climbing structure that my boys used. Unfortunately, there was nothing for my DD, 2.5 years old, to do at the playground area. Inside the clubhouse there was a big screen TV. They offered movies to watch there on one night and some kids activities other nights. We never had time to take advantage of this but it is a nice option. They have a video game area if people wanted to spend the money. We used the free Internet several times. Each person is allowed 30 minutes of Internet time each day. You can print documents off the computer for 25 cents per page. This was good so that we could check in for our flights on line and print boarding passes. The people working at the club house were very helpful. We had a few issues with our home and they were very informative and helpful. The clubhouse closes at 9 pm.
Overall we really enjoyed this resort. We would definitely stay here again. I think if you are looking to interact with people at the pool and clubhouse though, you might be disappointed. Very few people were around when we went. I think this has to do with the fact that there are no condos or town houses in this resort and everyone has their own pool. There were several for sale signs on some houses and the two homes on either side of us were not occupied and we were told that at least one was foreclosed on which is sad. One of the problems we had at our house was that the cable was turned off by the home owners' association because our owner didn't pay his fees. I will talk about this when I review the home on another thread later. I am not sure if all home owners' associations are this aggressive or not. The handyman from the management company said that he has been called to homes in this resort where the home owners' association turned off the electric! Not having cable was a total pain, but imagine no electricity! Before I rented here again, I would want a guarantee from the owner that they paid all their bills.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

We had a 4BR/3Ba house at Solana Resort this past December, way at the opposite end of the resort from the clubhouse. The development was quiet and looked well-maintained. The staff at the clubhouse was very friendly, and the free internet access in the computer room was a wonderful convenience. We didn't use the clubhouse for anything but the internet/printing boarding passes, since the house already had a pool/hot tub (ours worked well and was well-maintained).

We didn't frequent the businesses along 27 so much. The Publix there seemed to close earlier than the ones on 192, and the later-evening crowds that appeared near the restaurants looked young and a little rough...I didn't feel particularly safe shopping there alone at night.

I noticed the large number of "for sale" signs on the properties as well.

 

[FLDW126]

We didn't frequent the businesses along 27 so much. The Publix there seemed to close earlier than the ones on 192, and the later-evening crowds that appeared near the restaurants looked young and a little rough...I didn't feel particularly safe shopping there alone at night.

I noticed the large number of "for sale" signs on the properties as well.

Lol - just had to post a reply. If your location is correct- your from Mass..
I am orig from the Cape, I now live in Davenport.
There are a lot of homes for sale because it is such a vacation rental spot and a lot of vacation home owners buy the properties with a mortgage and expect the rentals will cover the mortgage and expenses, not keeping in mind the high cost of homeowners assoc, taxes( I pay more in prop taxes here than in Mass if you can believe that!) management companies and utilities. If there is a mortgage on the property they need to rent it for a good portion of the year to stay ahead.. but anyway.. I also work at a business at the Publix plaza, and just have to say it is a safe area(not counting the driving that is worse than Boston), and I do go there at night and have never felt unsafe to shop alone or go into a restaurant alone. That plaza is shopped at by a lot of tourists, mainly UK and other international clients and really it is a safe area. That being said, do keep in mind vacation homes are targets of theft esp during the day when it is a given most will be out at the parks. So don't leave cash or travelers checks at the house. I haven't been into Solana, so not sure if the gate is opened(by person or remote), but that doesn't mean it is safer. Some places keep the gates open during the day for workers/school buses.. etc..
overall I feel very safe living and working in the area- but like everwhere now just be aware and pay attention..

Also to Dougsmom- a lot of homeowners in the area are unaware that thier bills are not paid(could be their fault too) a lot of homeowners have management companies that handle their bills, and if the man. co has not been paid then the bills won't get paid. I work with a lot of both in my business and hear the sides of both, I get a lot of emails from homeowners asking me why their bill wasn't paid and then from the management co saying the homeowner hasn't paid them.. so it is tough to say for sure. But I could not go without cable your a trooper!

 

[dougsmom98]

I also felt safe at the Publix shopping area. We frequented the area a lot last year when we stayed at Regal Palms and again this year at the Solana. I actually really liked this Publix compared to the one on west end of 192. Overall, we love Davenport and always look in this area for a rental.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Lol - just had to post a reply. If your location is correct- your from Mass..
I am orig from the Cape, I now live in Davenport.
... I also work at a business at the Publix plaza, and just have to say it is a safe area(not counting the driving that is worse than Boston), and I do go there at night and have never felt unsafe to shop alone or go into a restaurant alone. That plaza is shopped at by a lot of tourists, mainly UK and other international clients and really it is a safe area.

I must have caught it on a bad night, then. Nice to hear it's not always like that.
I was thinking about Davenport as a possible place to retire in a few years...if you had it to do over again, would you choose Davenport or somewhere else to live?

Oh, and the gates at Solana were never manned while I was there...it was keypad entry. They were also always closed, never left open. But as in other places I've seen with automated gates, if you had 3 cars waiting, all 3 could drive through when the first person opened the gate. So never completely secure.

 

[katiee511]

So glad I stumbled upon this thread and the helpful replies!

We are renting a Villa for the first time between Christmas and New Years and it is in Solana Resort. We picked this community so our three teenage boys could have other options for recreation besides the 'necessary' gameroom in our rental.
DH will be thrilled when he hears they have golf clubs available for the putting green..... he is moaning about not having his clubs since we are flying (they will be golfing nearby one day we are there)
Good info on the Publix market where we plan to do our shopping

Small world FLDW126 My dad's whole family lives on the Cape and I spent lots of time there growing up! Born & raised in CT and our remaining family in CT is meeting us in FL and we are sharing our Villa.

Has anyone tried Little Anthony's Pizza?? it's on 27 and appears to get some decent reviews.

 

[FLDW126]

I must have caught it on a bad night, then. Nice to hear it's not always like that.
I was thinking about Davenport as a possible place to retire in a few years...if you had it to do over again, would you choose Davenport or somewhere else to live?

Well I am happy to be here now that the new Target plaza is open on 27 & I-4, and more is coming so no more trips into Orlando/Kissimmee and Champions Gate is growing also. 5 years ago it was pretty much orange groves all around, now stuff is finally coming in. I picked the area because of the house prices 5 years ago(very cheap) I like being on the corner of the "four corners area" polk/osceola/orange/lake counties, since your retiring schools are not an issue, but I would not chose this area with school age kids, but fine for retirement. I miss the feel of having a town though, this area is unincorporated polk county and there is no Main Street or "downtown" etc.. so is lacks that kind of charm, or small town vibe. Depends on what your looking for overall, be near shopping/Disney/highway etc..
for high end retirement living; Reunion and Providence(on 17-92 in Loughman) are very nice!

 

[FLDW126]

So glad I stumbled upon this thread and the helpful replies!

We are renting a Villa for the first time between Christmas and New Years and it is in Solana Resort. We picked this community so our three teenage boys could have other options for recreation besides the 'necessary' gameroom in our rental.
DH will be thrilled when he hears they have golf clubs available for the putting green..... he is moaning about not having his clubs since we are flying (they will be golfing nearby one day we are there)
Good info on the Publix market where we plan to do our shopping

Small world FLDW126 My dad's whole family lives on the Cape and I spent lots of time there growing up! Born & raised in CT and our remaining family in CT is meeting us in FL and we are sharing our Villa.

Has anyone tried Little Anthony's Pizza?? it's on 27 and appears to get some decent reviews.

Lol - that is funny, I grew up in Sandwich, and lived in Mashpee before moving here.

I have never heard of Little Anthonys which is odd, because it is close to where I work, I am guessing I know where it is, and have never been into that plaza.. if it is where google map says it is, it is a small plaza I know there is a bank and mattress shop there, right over the Polk county line into Lake County- but will have to check it out soon- plenty of time before you head down, and I can give you a first hand review.

 

[dougsmom98]

So glad I stumbled upon this thread and the helpful replies!

We are renting a Villa for the first time between Christmas and New Years and it is in Solana Resort. We picked this community so our three teenage boys could have other options for recreation besides the 'necessary' gameroom in our rental.
DH will be thrilled when he hears they have golf clubs available for the putting green..... he is moaning about not having his clubs since we are flying (they will be golfing nearby one day we are there)
Good info on the Publix market where we plan to do our shopping

In case you didn't see the review of the house we stayed at, here it is:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1733029

There were some good and bad things, but overall not horrible. The house and the resort were beautiful. I hope you have a good stay.

 

[katiee511]

Lol - that is funny, I grew up in Sandwich, and lived in Mashpee before moving here.

I have never heard of Little Anthonys which is odd, because it is close to where I work, I am guessing I know where it is, and have never been into that plaza.. if it is where google map says it is, it is a small plaza I know there is a bank and mattress shop there, right over the Polk county line into Lake County- but will have to check it out soon- plenty of time before you head down, and I can give you a first hand review.

My dad lived in Sandwich for a few years. Most of my family is in Dennis/So Dennis/Yarmouth area. Boy, the Cape has changed A LOT in the past 30 yrs!

Yes, when I 'google mapped' Solana Circle and searched for pizza, Little Anthony's came up. It caught my eye because it had 15 reviews and almost a 5 star rating. Thought we might try it. Growing up in CT/NY area it's hard to find a decent pizza place to match the great ones I grew up with (of course, don't have that problem at the Cape, 30 yrs ago they had awful pizza!)
I will watch the boards to see if you liked it and will feel terrible if you don't
Thanks!!

 

[katiee511]

In case you didn't see the review of the house we stayed at, here it is:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1733029

There were some good and bad things, but overall not horrible. The house and the resort were beautiful. I hope you have a good stay.

Hi Amy, Thanks! I actually did see your review. Geez I never considered something like THAT happening to us. 6 out of 9 in our group men... without cable?? That would so not be good. How much pool and airhockey can you play, huh??
At least our boys are all teenagers and can play XBox for hours on end
Glad to hear you liked the resort, that was a HUGE part of our decision. We found other houses we liked more and quite a few cheaper, but the things to do outside the house clinched it for us. We are on Sevilla, so two streets from the clubhouse.
Thanks for the info!