UPDATED w/ more PICS!! At WH's right now and need some advice from former visitors...

[ClanHarrison]

Well now, maybe that will shut up the naysayers. It IS possible for one person to have a different experience than another. REGARDLESS...that situation needs to be ADDRESSED. That was just NASTY (as well as some of the comments on here).

I'm so sorry for your bad experience HLF. I think you've been MORE than fair in your review of YOUR experience with this rental. I know you prefer the magic of staying onsite as many do. But I realize you are open minded enough to know not all properties are kept this way. You've also made it MORE than clear you're not looking for any compensation (although an offer would have been more than appropriate), that you're VERY concerned about the cleanliness because it's gross & is a health factor (and that's what was paid for) and who you think is to blame for this disgusting oversight.

YOU'VE BEEN MORE THAN FAIR. It's best to ignore posters who are only looking to inflame this situation.

I just can't believe people sometimes .

 

[duffy]

Those pictures are just awful. YUCK! For one horrified moment, I thought the cookie sheet was a pillow too.

I still can't imagine getting 32 loads of laundry out of this listing of linens. I certainly don't wash towels after one use, personally.

 

[duffy]

All I can say is WOW! To question how much laundry I did is insane, but okay, if you must. Here's a run down list of what I washed during that time, and perhaps, when Donna gets the water bill, she can verify. LOL

-2 twin beds, 1 queen bed, and 1 king bed in the house
-linen closet of miscellaneous towels/washcloths/pool towels
-all towels placed in bathrooms
-all kitchen towels
-all extra sheet sets that were in the townhouse


Here is how it easily adds up to 32 loads of laundry, my friends...

The washer/dryer is a stackable front loader. There is no load size selection, so I'd say each load was the average large load of laundry.

-The king room had king top sheet, king fitted sheet, 2 pillowcases. Only had 2 extra pillowcases in the closet. Also, washed the mattress cover on the bed.

The twin room had 2 sets of sheets on the beds, 2 pillowcases per bed, plus the mattress cover, and both comforters. The closet also had 2 extra sets of sheets with pillowcases and a baby blanket.

The linen closet had a total of about 3 loads of miscellaneous towels because there were 5 pool towels.

The master bathroom had just 2 bath towels and the twin bedroom upstairs had just 2 bath towels.

Downstairs, the queen bedroom I washed the comforter, the sheet sets, the pillowcases, the mattress cover, the only blanket in the house, and the mismatched sheets that were left in the closet. I also washed all the towels and pot holders that were in the kitchen.

The downstairs bathroom had 2 bath towels and a hand towel.

Now, in addition, we have 4 small children and I had our own clothes to deal with. I also washed all the pillowcase covers that were on the pillows, if they were on the pillows. Granted this was just over 2 wks ago and life has been quite busy, so I might have missed something, but when you are doing sheets and towels and comforters, the loads add up! I bought a 32 load bottle of HE laundry detergent since the washer is a front loader and didn't have a single drop left when we left Saturday morning.

Since there were only 2 towels per bathroom, I did wash towels every day. Granted we could have used the extra towels in the linen closet, but when you are using 6 towels a day, it doesn't really matter where you pull them from. It's a load of laundry.

I also threw some of the sheets in the wash before we left for the house cleaner.

I guess I just run my laundry with fuller loads. Or use things more than once, as I've said. I guess I'm really a hippie at heart, trying not to go through resources too much.

All those sheets would add up to three loads in my washer. Throw in the pillow cases and baby blanket, now I've got 4 loads, tops.

I can't imagine washing a queen or king comforter, they'd be too big for my washer. (I take them to a laundromat where they can handle the big items.) So I wouldn't wash them. If I felt squeamish about them, I'd be careful not to touch them, or have them touch me, or I'd go without.

The twin comforters would be a load each, that's 2 more loads. The mattress pads would be another 2 loads, doing a twin and a queen in one load, and a twin and a king in another. Even if the king needed its own load, that brings me up to...let's make it 10 loads.

Three loads of miscellaneous towels, you say? I'd wash them again-when I'm ready to leave!-and that's six loads of towels. Now I'm up to 16. I'll add a few just to be safe, that's 18.

Still, your family goes through 14 baskets of laundry in one week? Wow.

In reality, I'd probably have done about 5 loads of the unit's laundry, and 2, maybe 3 of my family's during this week, if I were staying there.

 

[DianeV]

That is gross and they should not be renting a unit like that out. It obviously is not kept up with stains and bad condition items like that. The cookie sheet needs to be thrown out. OMG they arent even expensive to replace

The pillow is just....disgusting

 

[duffy]

I'd also like to add that there's no way I'd be staying at a place that requires me to clean up the unit for the next family. I'd never want to feel that the unit is only as clean as the family who stayed there before. If I had to wash every single piece of cloth in the unit before I stayed there, I would not feel obligated to wash them again before we left.

So, I guess renting at Windsor Hills is out for me. Disney hotels may be more expensive, but I never ever questioned the cleanliness of them.

 

[Beccabunny]

Does it really matter how many loads of laundry the OP did? The point is, she shouldn't have had to do ANY, other then what she and her family used. The place was filthy, the linens and pillows were gross, and whether the OP did one load of laundry or one hundred, she was cleaning and doing the management company's job. Now she's getting lectured about reusing towels?

 

[ClanHarrison]

You stole the words right from my lips. Ridiculous .

 

[duffy]

Does it really matter how many loads of laundry the OP did? The point is, she shouldn't have had to do ANY, other then what she and her family used. The place was filthy, the linens and pillows were gross, and whether the OP did one load of laundry or one hundred, she was cleaning and doing the management company's job. Now she's getting lectured about reusing towels?

Well, yeah, it matters to me. I don't want to have to wash every single item before I use it. And then again when I check out. So, are we talking 6 loads, total, which I can relate to, or 32? Is the original poster exaggerating to make it look worse than it really was? Is a "load" one towel? Or 6? If I can only fit one towel in the machine, so I have to wash 6 loads of one towel each, that's too much work for me when I'm on vacation, and I want no part of it.

If she was a totally obsessive person who washes things the moment they're used, again and again, and AGAIN, many times a day, it makes it hard to accept claims of how filthy everything is. NOT SAYING THAT SHE IS, JUST GIVING AN EXAMPLE.

AGAIN, JUST AN EXAMPLE HERE: Let's say someone says, "Oh! The bathroom was just filthy! I had to spend literally all day cleaning it! And then again after each member of my family went in, I had to again spend at least 3 hours scrubbing it! I used up an entire bottle of bleach and scrubbing powdered cleanser each day!" I'd be a little and tend to disbelieve any other claims.

But, yes, the pictures show a lot of disgusting yuckiness.

 

[ClanHarrison]

I'd also like to add that there's no way I'd be staying at a place that requires me to clean up the unit for the next family. I'd never want to feel that the unit is only as clean as the family who stayed there before. If I had to wash every single piece of cloth in the unit before I stayed there, I would not feel obligated to wash them again before we left.

So, I guess renting at Windsor Hills is out for me. Disney hotels may be more expensive, but I never ever questioned the cleanliness of them.

There's really no need for the condescending attitude & tone. Not only that, your statement shows you don't read very thoroughly so you're making misinformed statements now. I don't think the original poster said she was REQUIRED to clean up the unit for the next family. She did it for her OWN stay & comfort level & so the next family would live in less filth.

Sheesh!

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

as we washed the towels as we used them before we left for the parks, when we left we just had to put the sheets and pillowcases in the wash as the rest of it was in the dryer.

Well, yeah, it matters to me. I don't want to have to wash every single item before I use it. And then again when I check out. So, are we talking 6 loads or 32? Is the original posted exaggerating to make it look worse than it really was? Is a "load" one towel? Or 6? If I can only fit one towel in the machine, so I have to wash 6 loads, that's too much work for me when I'm on vacation, and I want no part of it.

If she was a totally obsessive person who washes things the moment they're used, again and again, and AGAIN, many times a day, it makes it hard to accept claims of how filthy everything is. NOT SAYING THAT SHE IS, JUST GIVING AN EXAMPLE.

AGAIN, JUST AN EXAMPLE HERE: Let's say someone says, "Oh! The bathroom was just filthy! I had to spend literally all day cleaning it! And then again after each member of my family went in, I had to again spend at least 3 hours scrubbing it! I used up an entire bottle of bleach and scrubbing powdered cleanser each day!" I'd be a little and tend to disbelieve any other claims.

But, yes, the pictures show a lot of disgusting yuckiness.

 

[duffy]

There's really no need for the condescending attitude & tone. Not only that, your statement shows you don't read very thoroughly so you're making misinformed statements now. I don't think the original poster said she was REQUIRED to clean up the unit for the next family. She did it for her OWN stay & comfort level & so the next family would live in less filth.

Sheesh!

From post ONE:

-On the last day, we are required to wash and dry ALL the towels before leaving.

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

those are the same bugs we had in our condo at WH. i did not take photos of the filth like you did. i think we may have rented from the same owner who i won't rent from again.

i would not discount ALL of the WH condos due to a particular group that does not maintain their units.

our dining table had a big hole in it. we were told that a prior guest put a cotton ball with fingernail polish remover.

we were so stressed out when we started looking around our unit, one problem after the other.

like i said, i would still try another unit owned by a different person.

i believed the OP all along as we had similar issues but i did not photograph any of it as i had stated previously. our unit was smaller so we did not have as much laundry to do. given i used Purex sheets (new box), that is how I knew we did 10 loads of laundry during our 4 day stay.

 

[duffy]

She was required to wash and dry all the towels. And if she chooses to wash every mattress pad, comforter, baby blanket, that is her choice, but I wouldn't complain about having to do it then.

I don't wash every cloth item at a hotel when I stay there. And if I do, I then don't go on to say how much work it was. If it was her choice for her own comfort, then go for it. Just don't try to use it to make it sound how bad it was.

And, ClanHarrison, did you not read post ONE, where she mentions being REQUIRED to wash all the towels? And dry them? Before leaving??? Doesn't that mean for the next family? And you say that I don't read?

Sheesh!

 

[DianeV]

From the looks of that pillow and the other stuff I dont blame her for washing all the linens in the place. Who knows how long it had been since they were even washed? Gross

 

[duffy]

Does it really matter how many loads of laundry the OP did? The point is, she shouldn't have had to do ANY, other then what she and her family used. The place was filthy, the linens and pillows were gross, and whether the OP did one load of laundry or one hundred, she was cleaning and doing the management company's job. Now she's getting lectured about reusing towels?

You stole the words right from my lips. Ridiculous .

Once again, in post ONE OF THIS THREAD: she said that she was required to wash and dry all of the towels before leaving.

What kind of requirement is this? I never heard of a place with such a requirement. That only is enough to make me say forget it, I'm never staying here. If that's a condescending attitude, then, yeah, baby, I got it!!

If I have to wash every towel first because they're yucky, and then before I leave, or I'm breaking some rule, I want nothing to do with it. And washing 4 sets of twin sheets, one of queen and one of king, plus half a dozen of towels, plus pads, pillowcases, comforters, and somehow getting 32 loads out of what, to me, would be 10 loads....

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

duffy, we always rent condos and this is always a requirement. i'm not just speaking of WH condo rentals, i'm speaking of condo rentals in numerous states that we have vacationed in including our own state beach. it really is not a big deal to put the towels in the washer as you exit. even though they want them washed and dried, just putting them in the washer and starting it so the staff can get the room ready faster is required.

the OP isn't complaining about that per se, she is complaining about how filthy the rest of the unit is. for goodness sake, the blood on the pillowcase is disgusting.

in ALL of the condos we have rented we have never had descent stuff to cook with. when we go to the beach in our state we bring our own cookware as we drive vs. flying. when we were at WH we only cooked breakfast once and the pan was a cheap walmart pan all scratched up BUT again we are used to this in condo rentals as they keep the good stuff in the owner's closet. i suspect they do this so no one will steal their good stuff. IMO i think they should put better cookware, etc. in the kitchen but i'm not a condo owner.

a condo is in no way a hotel, you always have to buy toilet paper, tissues, dish soap, bath soap, shampoo, etc. we are used to doing this as we always rent condos due to the extra space.

when we were at WH, it was filthy too. we had to put a sheet/blanket over the sofa to cover the crud that was embedded in the sofa (it was something black and hard).

What kind of requirement is this? I never heard of a place with such a requirement.

 

[duffy]

duffy, we always rent condos and this is always a requirement. i'm not just speaking of WH condo rentals, i'm speaking of condo rentals in numerous states that we have vacationed in including our own state beach. it really is not a big deal to put the towels in the washer as you exit. even though they want them washed and dried, just putting them in the washer and starting it so the staff can get the room ready faster is required.

the OP isn't complaining about that per se, she is complaining about how filthy the rest of the unit is. for goodness sake, the blood on the pillowcase is disgusting.

in ALL of the condos we have rented we have never had descent stuff to cook with. when we go to the beach in our state we bring our own cookware as we drive vs. flying. when we were at WH we only cooked breakfast once and the pan was a cheap walmart pan all scratched up BUT again we are used to this in condo rentals as they keep the good stuff in the owner's closet. i suspect they do this so no one will steal their good stuff. IMO i think they should put better cookware, etc. in the kitchen but i'm not a condo owner.

a condo is in no way a hotel, you always have to buy toilet paper, tissues, dish soap, bath soap, shampoo, etc. we are used to doing this as we always rent condos due to the extra space.

when we were at WH, it was filthy too. we had to put a sheet/blanket over the sofa to cover the crud that was embedded in the sofa (it was something black and hard).

I know that she's not complaining about having to wash the towels. She seemed fine with that.

I've rented condos and never heard of this rule before. I've been reading the thread waiting for someone to question it. No one has, so I finally brought it up, despite being told, when I did bring up the requirement, that "I don't think the original poster said she was REQUIRED to clean up the unit for the next family."

When we rent condos, they come complete with dishsoap, paper towels, tissue. I always bring my own soap and shampoo, but I know I've seen the small, hotel-sized amounts of toiletries in the units. I've never rented in Florida, is that the difference?

I agree, blood on a pillowcase is disgusting. Go back and read my posts. My issue is, and has always been THIRTY-TWO LOADS???? Not the filth. Not anything but how the heck does someone wash 32 loads in a week while on vacation??

I just can't make 4 sets of twin sheets, one set of queen sheets, one set of king sheets, a baby blanket, mattress covers, pillowcases, towels-even pool towels, and a week's worth of clothing for six people add up to 32 loads of laundry. Even if she had to wash the towels again.

I can only conclude that the original poster washed very, very small loads, if she really did do that much. Or, she brought a heck of a lot of clothing with her.

I can't even believe that the queen and king comforters were washed by her, because they're too big to fit in those washers!

I would really, really like to know who this property management company is, so I know to never ever use them. Can someone point out condo rentals that DON'T require cleaning up for the next family, as part of the rental agreement?

Or-and I guess I'm being condescending here-I'm going to stick with Disney here, because I don't want to have to clean up my towels for the next family, or have to depend on the LAST family to have washed them for me.

 

[duffy]

I wanted to also mention my own history as a resort maid, at a local ski resort. I worked there to pay for my season lift ticket, about 16 years ago. (That makes me a ski bum!)

After ski season ended, we would "spring clean" the units, and wash every single item of bed linen, plus the towels, and clean the oven, wipe out the kitchen cabinets, detail EVERYTHING. It would take all day to deep clean a unit that sleeps 8-10 people, and we never, ever ended up doing more than 10 loads of laundry, for the entire unit!!

So, from my professional experience, I can say that a unit sleeping 8-10 people should not ever remotely require anywhere near that many loads of laundry. Even saying it takes 10, and then allowing another 2, that makes 12 loads. Then, I guess the original poster washed 20 loads of personal laundry?

The only possible way I can account for so many loads, is using one towel, and then washing it after only that one use. Use a towel, wash it and it alone. Use a towel, wash it and it alone. That's not my style.

Also, we never required guests to wash the towels for the next renter! And we supplied all the necessary cleaning supplies, soap, shampoos, dish soap, etc.

 

[sjanus]

There are a total of 999 condos, townhomes, private homes in Windsor Hills, and this is not the typical experience there. Windsor Hills is a very popular resort because of all the great reviews and its proximity to Disney. There are many different management companies as well that represent homes in Windsor Hills. When you rent below market rates consistently, it would not allow you to keep a home maintained at the level a high end resort requires. Even if you can pay all of the bills, there is cost to replace, maintain, deep clean, etc. This is not to say you can't get a good deal on a short-term rental and still find a great place, as they do exist. Just to say, over time this would have to affect the ability to perform overall maintenance and upkeep.

It makes me feel badly that one would judge Windsor Hills for one owner, experience, management company, etc. It is a wonderful resort with the majority of owners really invested in their properties and upkeep, and lots of great management companies they hire. This experience can occur at any resort.

Sandy

 

[crusoe2]

Duffy, the OP did mention the company she rented from. It was www.vacationcentralflorida.com. We have rented from them twice and both times the units we stayed in were extremely clean. I'm not disputing what others have said - perhaps the owners have changed to a different cleaning company or there is one employee with the cleaning company who doesn't do a very good job. There could be a couple of explanations for the cleaning issues.

Personally, I'm willing to give these folks another chance and try another of their rentals on our next trip. We're already booked with them as a matter of fact. If you do a search on these boards, you'll see that quite a few people have been very happy with their units.

As for having to wash the towels, I'll admit the first couple of times I wasn't thrilled about it. But I've decided that the extra space and amenties we get at a MUCH lower price than onsite makes it worth that little bit of work. We were originally booked at Port Orleans Riverside for this upcoming trip. Then we saw the 2011 rates on Dave's site and we just could not pass up the 3 bedroom townhouse. We're saving $1500 on our accommodations - that's huge. It's enough to cover our park tickets, parking each day, and the gas to and from Orlando. And we're getting much roomier accommodations to boot. With savings like that, I don't even mind if I have to go out and buy a few towels, let alone wash them. But I can understand being annoyed that everything in the place seems to need washing before you can relax and enjoy your vacation. That definitely warrants some attention from the property manager and, quite honestly, I think the OP's cleaning fee should be refunded.