tell me about Windsor hills

[mommiepoppins]

We are renting a condo at windsor hills. How far are they from Walmart/ food store? Also what is the area like?

 

[5mins2disney]

Hmm...well there is a walmart down at US-192 and 27...(go north on 27 and it's on your right). It's about 10 mins west down US-192.

WAY before you get to Walmart there is a Marketplace on your left, a Publix on your right, and then another Publix before you get to 27 (grocery stores).

You can also pre-order groceries for delivery to Windsor Hills from www.gardengrocer.com for free (if you spend over $100!).

The resort is just an incredible place, with tons of amenities, a great clubhouse / pool / waterslide, movie theater, sundry shop, hot tub, rec area, playground, etc, and it's as close to WDW as many of the WDW resort properties.

It's just off of US-192 which has tons of stores, restaurants, etc all up and down it for miles and miles.

Look for my post on the DIS on the "shortcut" directions to WDW from WHR, there's a map online as well that details the route using Sherberth road.

 

[mrsklamc]

I stayed at Windsor Hills the 13th-20th of this month and it was fabulous. It's just off 192 which has pretty much everything. Do you have any questions about anything ele?

 

[KerriMc]

We are going to be staying in a condo there in March. How close is the playground in relation to the condos? The girls are excited about the pictures of the huge playground Last year we were at Orange Lake and their playground is sad!

Kerri

 

[5mins2disney]

We are going to be staying in a condo there in March. How close is the playground in relation to the condos? The girls are excited about the pictures of the huge playground Last year we were at Orange Lake and their playground is sad!

Kerri

The playground is over in the villas area more so than by the condos... here's a resort map I have on my website that shows the areas...it's a pretty big resort actually, so I wouldn't say it's like right next door to the condos or anything, a longer walk.

 

[KerriMc]

Thanks for the map ... we are staying in building 8 of the condos. Is that a busier stretch of road to walk along with two little ones? If those little legs (or big ones) were just too tired for a longer stroll in the evening could we just drive over and park (lazy I know )? Also ... are there some crocs in those wetlands? Those things kind of freak me out a little !!

Kerri

 

[mommiepoppins]

what is the $ for the movies. How warm was the pool? I am going Thanksgiving and I need heat!! I hate swimming in cold water!!!!!!! Thank you for all the great info. Dose anyone one have pics?

 

[5mins2disney]

Let's see...well the Windsor Hills Resort clubhouse movie theater costs...absolutely zero, it's free!! You go into the sundry shop and let them know which movie and time you're interested in watching, and they publish the "schedule" for that day or the next day based upon first come first served. They have a whole catalog of G & PG rated DVDs you can watch!

The pool is definitely heated, I think it's kept at roughly 80 degrees, the hot tub is like 105-110 or so.

As far as the playgrounds... well...it is a somewhat busier stretch of road due to the fact that it's kind of the main entrance road, but there are big wide sidewalks all along it. So..you could walk..or drive if you prefer! hehe..sometimes we're "lazy" and drive over there, especially with little kids who've been walking in the parks all day!

Mommiepoppins...did you mean pics of the resort itself? Here's a link to some on my website if that's what you mean, pics of the pool, clubhouse, amenities, etc..
http://www.5mins2disney.com/resort.htm

Here's another page I have called "Fun Things to DO" that has some more pics of the resort, and also other fun area activities!
http://www.5mins2disney.com/thingstodo.htm

Here's another set of resort photos from Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/windsorhills/38224670/


- George

 

[FLParadisevilla]

Here is a list of Restaurants, Banks and Grocery Stores near Windsor Hills. We were in the home when our next guest's ordered from the Garden Grocer and they delivered right on time, they also come in and un pack the food and put the cold and frozen items away for you! We definately are considering the Garden Grocer for ourselves!

Restaurant
Red Lobster 7780 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 321-677-0191 1.5 Miles
Friday’s ** 7798 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-4300 1.5 Miles
Key W Kool’s
Very Good a Bit Expensive 7725 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-1166 1.5 Miles
Outback Steak House ** 7804 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-0017 1.5 Miles
Giordano’s ** 7866 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-0044 1.5 Miles
Cracker Barrel Restaurant** 7878 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-1190 1.6 Miles
Dairy Queen 7868 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-8175 1.6 Miles
Subway Sandwiches 7856 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-7119 1.6 Miles
Taste of China 7832 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-9911 1.5 Miles
Magic Mining Co 7763 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-8986 1.5 Miles
Taco Bell 7784 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-0385 1.5 Miles
Burger King 7757 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-239-4363 1.5 Miles
Mc Donald’s 7627 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-1536 1.5 Miles
Passage to India 7618 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-6957 1.5 Miles
Waffle House 7696 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-9550 1.5 Miles
Sizzler 7602 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-0997 1.5 Miles
Golden Corral 7702 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-9615 1.5 Miles
Dunkin Donuts 7646 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-7060 1.5 Miles
Ponderosa Steak House 7598 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-7721 1.5 Miles
Denny’s 7631 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-0757 1.5 Miles
Fiorino New York Pizza 7531 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-9664 1.5 Miles
Ihop Restaurant 7529 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-2033 1.5 Miles
Black Angus 7516 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-4548 1.5 Miles
Take Japanese Restaurant 7818 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-0333 1.5 Miles
Perkins Family Restaurant 7451 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-0845 1.6 Miles
Chick-Fil-A 7891 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-787-4001 1.6 Miles
Bob Evans Restaurant 7411 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-396-8599 1.7 Miles
Angel’s Diner Lobster Feast
Good but go Early! 7300 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-397-1960 1.7 Miles
Pizza Hut 8557 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-239-4456 2.2 Miles
Beef O’ Brady’s **
One of our Favorites! 8687 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-239-7710 2.4 Miles
Ace Plus Chinese Buffet 8620 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-390-7588 2.2 Miles
Domino’s Pizza 8687 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee 407-239-7710 2.4 Miles
Moe’s Southwest Grill 19 Blake Blvd Kissimmee 321-939-2455 5.1 Miles
Smokey Bones BBQ Grill
One of our Favorites! 2911 Vineland Road Kissimmee 407-397-7102 9.5 Miles
Cold Stone Creamery 15 Blake Blvd Kissimmee 321-939-2897 5.1 Miles
Carrabba’s ** 7890 W. Irlo Bronson Hwy., Kissimmee, (407) 390-9600 1.5 Miles

Celebration Tavern **
This is My Personal Favorite 721 Front St 407) 390-9600 7.5 Miles









Grocery Stores
Circle K 7626 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee FL 407-396-0010
Fresh Supermarket 7620 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee FL 407-787-3710
Kings Supermarket 7562 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee FL 407-809-0120
Winn-Dixie 7840 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee FL 407-397-2210
7- Eleven 7413 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee FL 407-396-0533
Publix Supermarket 14928 E Orange Lake Blvd 407-239-4989
Super Wal-Mart 600 US Highway 27 352-536-2765






Mercantile Bank 7801 W Irlo Bronson Meml Hwy Kissimmee FL 407-397-2771
First Nation Bank Polk Cnty 100 Polo Park East Blvd Dave Port Florida 863-420-0800
Bank of America 700 Celebration Ave Kissimmee FL 321-939-7677
Sun Trust Bank 650 Celebration Ave Kissimmee FL 407-566-2265

 

[Allabtprincesses]

subscribing

 

[mommiepoppins]

Thank you all so much!!!!
one more question. I see that they have B-B-Q do I need to bring coal. Also are the B-B-Q centrally located

 

[5mins2disney]

Thank you all so much!!!!
one more question. I see that they have B-B-Q do I need to bring coal. Also are the B-B-Q centrally located

The BBQ part of the "BBQ Gazebo" is actually not installed yet. The Windsor Hills HOA board just met on Friday actually (1/26).. and one of their top priorities is to get the BBQs installed at the BBQ gazebo, which is the little covered / roofed building next to the recreation area (or in the middle of it).

So...as of now, I can't answer that question since there are no BBQs there yet!

Some homes have BBQs, many do not... hard to say. Our MC will rent one to a guest for a week upon special order. Here's another thought, I just noticed last weekend that Publix had small charcoal grills in the aisles for all of $7, so you could buy one and a small bag of charcoal and just get rid of it if you want at the end of your trip! I'll probably do this on our next trip down as I can't see us going all the way over to the BBQ Gazebo area to cook dinner to be honest, but they will have grills there soon!

 

[5mins2disney]

Also ... are there some crocs in those wetlands? Those things kind of freak me out a little !!

Kerri

No crocs in the wetlands that I know of! LOL It's Florida though, so you never know, it's not the crocs that scare me personally, it's snakes!! We just played golf at Mystic Dunes last weekend (next door to WHR), and the ranger warned us at the start not to look for our balls in the marshy / swamp areas, due to water moccasins. Florida has lots of nasty local critters that live all over the state, crocs, snakes, big bugs, lizards, you name it! Not a good place to go "explore" out in the wilds...that being said, you're in a resort, not a campground! LOL Just, you never know....most people who have lived in Florida for any length of time eventually have a story of a runin with some form of local wildlife...

Anyhow, not to scare you, this is a high end resort, the wetlands are all surrounded by a big wrought iron fence so you'd have to hop it and go rummaging around in the marshy areas to even get to them (which I would never recommend in a million years in FL!) hehe... everytime we'd hit a ball into an area like this we'd say "water moccasin ball" ..LOL... I had my fair share of those!

 

[5boyz]

subscribing......George VERY INTERESTED in staying here!!!

 

[5mins2disney]

subscribing......George VERY INTERESTED in staying here!!!

Incredible, GREAT resort, beautiful homes, and it's literally under 2 miles from the WDW property, 5 minutes away, 2 traffic lights...closer than many of the "onsite" hotels in many cases. Some of the best vacations we've ever had, and some of the nicest places we've ever stayed in. We've had several DISboard members stay in our homes and they've all loved it.... and many others from the DIS have stayed in other homes in the resort, and nearly all report back "glowing" reviews!

Our last guest's comment was "why would anyone stay onsite?". Our friends loved our place so much they bought their own townhome, and we just had another DIS board member who stayed in our brand new townhome #2 last week, and her family loved it so much that they want to buy a place here too now!

Please let me know if you have any other questions or I can help at all!

By the way, you can find places for rent in the resort, directly from the owners at:
www.windsorhillsrent.com


- George

 

[5boyz]

Hey George....I have already checked the calender for your townhouse (well I think it's yours lol) and it is booked for when I need it. July 29th Aug10 are the dates we are looking at. I need for 2 adults 5 kids ages 7 10 16 17 &17. My hubby wants to stay on Disney cuz he doesn't want to drive back and forth. How often do the shuttles run?

 

[5mins2disney]

Probably...we're pretty booked up... I am sure those dates are booked in our place but you will find others open still! Let me know if you need help or advice on a place!

From our website FAQs:
How does the Windsor Hills Resort daily shuttle service work/operate/etc?
In the sundry shop in the Windsor Hills clubhouse you can find schedules and make arrangements. Shuttle cost is $10 per person round trip to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM, or Animal Kingdom. $14 per person round trip to universal, seaworld, and shopping area. There is an information sheet at the clubhouse with the time schedule. The shuttle company is MAINGATE TRANSPORTATION. They can be called at # 407-390-0000. A taxi cab to Disney is $20 one way.. cab to Universal is $32 one way.... Don't forget it costs $10 per day for parking at Disney and Universal if you drive.

I think you're better off driving... it's really only 5 minutes, you can even pop back for lunch / afternoon naps / swimming if you want, it's so close. By the way.. I used to feel the exact same way as your DH until my wife MADE me stay here...best thing she ever did! Keep in mind, if you stay onsite, you're going to pay big bucks to end up in a tiny little hotel room, and with a family your size, that's probably not going to work out very well!! The shuttle or cabs work out ok if you have a few family members that want to split from the group or don't want to be involved in the driving, like say, a teenager.

Other options include upgrading to a suite... expensive! It's really just 5 mins away from most of the parks. If you're in a value resort you're going to have to take the bus system to get around to most of the parks anyhow...and spend a lot of time riding buses. I was able to rent a minivan from priceline.com last weekend for $26/day...pretty reasonable. Here's another thing to consider, by the time you 1) wait for the bus 2) it stops everywhere 3) they're PACKED when the parks close, long lines.. it's probably going to take you MUCH longer than it would to drive back. In terms of costs, we eat breakfasts at home, carry lunches to the parks, and usually 1 night we order a Giordano's pizza and eat at home while the kids swim in the pool... there's a lot of savings by not eating onsite for every single meal.

I left our park tickets at home last trip (woops)...and we were already in the Epcot parking lot... door-door I made it back "home" in 6 minutes (I timed it!). Now, I did catch both of the 2 traffic lights green on the way.... it might take 7-8 mins if they were red admittedly... LOL.

The thing is, no one really knows about this resort yet, so it's still an "undiscovered" secret, it's brand new, built in 2005. You'd be surprised, on most of our trips there the place has been virtually empty and very quiet. This last trip I was pleasantly surprised to see many more cars there than I had in the past, I think when the "secret" gets out it's going to be very popular!



Here's the WDW 2007 hotel rate sheet:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/seasonalityChart?id=SeasonalityChartPage2

We met a couple in May who upgraded to a suite at DYC since they needed more space for their kids...at a cost of $800/night, youch! At the nearly $8000 they spent on just their housing for the week, our family can take 2-3 whole TRIPS to WDW! Then they asked where we were staying, and I almost felt embarrassed telling them we were in this gorgeous home with plasma TVs everywhere, free high speed internet and phone calls, and more. (The husband got all quiet and muttered about having to pay to use the internet daily in his resort).