Thinking of renting condo.... HELPPPP

[tinkfan4ever]

I think I may be in over my head so I'm hoping all you disers can help. I'll be in Orlando for 12 days and am thinking it might be cheaper in the long run to rent a condo/townhome. I've no idea where to start, how to look into it, what price to expect etc. Also, what are some fair prices. We don't have to be very close to Disney but would like to be in the Orlando area. Also, a ton of questions... how do you get the key to the place, do you wash the bedding before you leave, do you need to bring your own pots, pans, towels for the bathroom, etc.???? I don't need anything big - 2 bedrm or even 1 bedrm would be fine. Thanks!!!!!

 

[sympatico]

First of all, when are you going? The price you pay depends upon the time of year that you go and also how close you are to Disney. You need to get an idea of number of bedrooms,amenities (free phone calls, big screen tv, wireless internet etc.) ; whether you want a resort with maid service or whether you want self-catering meaning you look after yourself the same as you would at home.
As for some of your questions: everything is supplied: pots, pans, bedding, towels etc. You don't need to bring anything except for things like toilet paper, paper towels, soap etc. There's always some to start with but you have to buy more yourself. Where you pick up the key depends on the owners/company, sometimes there's a small coded box with the key in, sometimes you pick it up at the management company, or front desk if there is such a thing. With a self-catering condo sometimes you're asked to strip the beds and start a load of laundry before you leave, sometimes not.
There's places like the Mariott properties that you rent through them like a hotel, or some Management companies rent out privately owned properties that they manage for the owners or you can rent directly from the owners themselves. We usually rent directly from the owners from sites such as vrbo.com, homeaway.com, fabvillas.com, windsorhillsrent.com , www.windsor-palms-florida-net , www.StayAtEmeraldIsland.com and many more.
Subdivisions with condos will have a community pool area and resort-like amenities: Emerald Island, Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms, Terra Verde, Encantada etc.
This is the listing page for the vrbo.com site for the Kissimmee area:
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/florida/central-disney-orlando/kissimmee
You have to narrow down what kind of place you want, what amenities you want, where you want it, how much you want to pay.
Here's a map that shows you where the subdivisions are:
http://www.1stfororlando.com/Location-map.htm
After you figure some of that stuff out put another post on these boards and someone can help you with the renting process. Good Luck!

 

[Lisa BC]

Hi!

Take a deep breath, and be ready to spend a few hours doing some research.

You should easily be able to find something in the $80 - $115 per night price range pretty close to Disney for a self-catering unit if you travel outside of the main holidays. You can spend even less if you stay a little further out or are willing to spend some time learning how to use sky auction.

Sympatico is totally spot on, first decide your budget, then decide what amenities you really want at the resort and in your unit (like how many bedrooms, bed configurations, computer access, video games, etc). Then start doing some research, VRBO.com is a great place, albeit time consuming, to get a sampling of what's available and how much it costs.

Some of the town homes have their own private splash pools or hot tubs. Town homes generally have their own washer/dryers in the unit, condos sometimes have them, sometimes they don't.

If you have small kids, Windsor Hills might be a good choice since they have a zero entry pool, and a nice playground area.

Keep the questions coming!

Lisa

 

[momofdbsdc]

I agree with everything said! There are alot of great condos out there for a reasonable price. Do some research on the above boards mentioned. We have rented a 3 bdrm condo at Windsor Hills for the last 3 years and love it! We have plenty of room for ourselves and our 6 children! The grounds are beautiful also!!!

Good luck with all of your planning!

Kim
momofdbsdca

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Hi,

You have already been given some great advice. VRBO is a great place to start but can be quite intimidating if you don't know which area you are after. Homeaway give you a better way to break down the matches depending on your individual requirements so it may be worth a look at aswell.

Most places do not require you to wash any of the linens/towels etc on departure (obviously if you wish to wash anything while you are there that is up to you ) A cleaning service comes in following your departure and does everything.

As stated you will need to give yourself some time to do the research - but this is all the fun of planning your vacation

Good luck

Tracey

 

[Suzyq9241]

Check out skyauction.com...

and also ebay....

I got one for 219.00 for thanksgiving week...

I was trying for about 2 wks... and got it...

Anyway good luck....