Vacation home rental or Hotel

[SouthernExplorer]

My husband and I might be going to Orlando this coming October. If this trip happens then we will be driving cross-country, so being on Disney property for transportation issues is not a concern for us.

I have always wanted to stay at a Disney hotel but we can't justify spending so much $ for what Disney actually offers at their resorts. There are some Downtown Disney hotels that sound really interesting, and I found a deal on Mousesavers for Buena Vista Suites around $100 that includes a buffet breakfast. According to Mousesavers it has a mini-fridge and microwave, and is very spacious. That is a much better deal than what a Disney "value" has to offer!

Another option would be a vacation home rental. That would provide us with a full kitchen so we could cook our own meals, have a lot of privacy, etc., but it would only be the two of us. Would a vacation home rental be overkill for us? Should I be looking at more hotels?

Thanks for the help.

 

[dougsmom98]

I really don't think that a vacation rental would be overkill for just two people at all. There are condos and townhomes for rent and they are very reasonable. They are spacious, but not so big that you will feel small. After driving cross- country, I would think this would be the perfect option for you. After being couped up in a car this will give you the chance to stretch your legs and spred out a bit. A vacation rental will have a washer and a dryer too. Not that you want to do a lot of laundry, but I am sure you will have things that you want to get clean. October can still be pretty warm and you don't want to drive home with a bunch of stinky clothes either. We love going home with clean clothes at the end of a trip. If you get a townhouse at Windsor Hills, it has a small splash pool, and that would be so relaxing and perfect for just two people.

Many of us rent directly from owners. You can try www.vrbo.com or www.homeaway.com. If you like the idea of Windsor Hills, try www.windsorhillsrent.com.

Good luck.

 

[sympatico]

I agree with Amy about the vacation home. There's just two of us that go and we always stay in pool homes. I love having the private pool and privacy. I just stay in which ever I can get the best price no matter how many bedrooms. DH and I have stayed in 4 br and 5 br homes. We live in a 3 bedroom home so what difference does it make how many bedrooms you have on vacation.

 

[7165red]

I agree with sympactico, We love a pool home It cam be 3 or 4 br. it doesn't matter.

 

[sluggozmom]

I agree with Amy about the vacation home. There's just two of us that go and we always stay in pool homes. I love having the private pool and privacy. I just stay in which ever I can get the best price no matter how many bedrooms. DH and I have stayed in 4 br and 5 br homes. We live in a 3 bedroom home so what difference does it make how many bedrooms you have on vacation.

I agree with sympactico, We love a pool home It cam be 3 or 4 br. it doesn't matter.

What they said ^
We just rented a 5 bedroom home for the 3 of us! $200 a night all inclusive.
Worth every penny!
DH gets his own snoring room.......... far from mine, DD got the Mickey themed room, and I got the very nice master, so we did end up using 3 of the 5 bedrooms.
It's really nice to have ALL that space, and your very own pool. Full kitchen and a washer and dryer to boot. Oh, and the garage was very nice to have too.

 

[disneysteve]

I would NEVER stay in a hotel in the Disney area.

For $85/night (or less) you can rent a 3-bedroom townhouse with a splash pool. For even less than that, you can get a 2-bedroom condo. Why would anyone stay in a hotel?

We just booked a 3-bedroom pool home for $100/nite in August. It has a 42-inch LCD TV in the living room, TV in each bedroom, DVD players in each room, free WiFi and loads of other amenities. How can you compare that to $100/nite for a hotel with minifridge and microwave? We'll have space, privacy, our own pool and a full kitchen.

 

[HeatherC]

You may be able to get a great deal on a condo through SkyAuction.com. Check out their "vacation rentals". You can rent condos for about $300 a week total. Just check what resorts they are offering and then compare them with some of the reviews on TripAdvisor. Some are nicer than others.

I've also found that the Marriott Vacation Clubs sometimes have great rates. The Marriott Grande Vista is a BEAUTIFUL resort with an easy commute to all the parks. For February, I was seeing prices like $130 for a 1 bedroom. This was with a AAA rate.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[disneysteve]

You may be able to get a great deal on a condo through SkyAuction.com. Check out their "vacation rentals". You can rent condos for about $300 a week total.

How could I forget SkyAuction. We've rented through them 3 times, paying as little as $37/night for a 2-bed, 2-bath unit at Orbit One which is a 4-minute drive to Animal Kingdom. Nice kitchen, dining room, living room, screened-in patio, jacuzzi tub in master bath, nice community pool. Couldn't beat it.

 

[trnorbrn]

I am writing right now from a five bedroom, 4.5 bath vacation home with private pool and spa. I got it so cheap that the only thing that might have matched the price would have been two connecting rooms at a Motel 6.

This is our second stay here and I love it. We have everything we need and we love relaxing by the pool and having a BBQ everyday. The washer dryer is a necessity. The humidity here is such that we are showering and changing clothes twice a day.

The kitchen is fantastic since anytime one of us needs a cold drink or snack then it is right here just like home.

Vacation homes have many things that make our stay easier that you would never find at a hotel. For our family we have a home with a full complement of baby eguipment, toys, pool toys, beach towels, ice chest and freezer packs, multiple tv's and dvd players with an assortment of movies, books to relax with, travel guides for the area, friendly maintenance people to help with our every need, rain ponchos and walkie talkies for the parks. Everything we need is here. We just buy our groceries and settle in. It is actually better than home because we don't have to do much. There is a lawn service and pool man who comes by.

I can't imagine what a hotel could offer a family that would beat this. It is also super quiet where we are staying with a beautiful conservation view.

 

[HeatherC]

TRNORBRN: Would you be willing to share who you rented from? Can't decide where we want to stay next February and are considering pool homes.

Thanks!

 

[disneysteve]

TRNORBRN: Would you be willing to share who you rented from? Can't decide where we want to stay next February and are considering pool homes.

Thanks!

Heather, we've rented through vrbo.com multiple times in both Windsor Palms and Lindfields, though plenty of other communities are listed there as well. This coming trip, we are staying in Lindfields because Windsor Palms runs a little higher pricewise being a newer development with a clubhouse and all.

 

[trnorbrn]

blue haven villa dot com, managed by Florida Leisure in Cumbrian Lakes. Owners are fantastic but slow to answer email. I have always reached them right away by phone. The house is not fancy but is quiet and has everything we need. Especially good for children.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

I would say go for the off site condo or home rental. You can still visit the Disney Hotels and walk around, visit the gift shops and grounds or maybe grab a bite to eat or a snack if you would like to. We are usually off site, and we always do the monorail tour and get off and on at the different hotels to see what's new. We also like to take dgks to a character meal or two and get to soak up the magic. BTW staying off site is pretty magic also! Grammy

 

[Stephanator]

Go for a vacation home! The rates are generally compareable (if not cheaper) than most hotels/condos we looked at. We rented a 5 bedroom/3 bath vacation home last year for 4 adults and can't imagine vacationing any other way now. It was so nice to have living space. A sofa to watch tv on, a dining table to eat at (and deposit clutter on) a washer/dryer, our own pool/jacuzzi (no kids to splash us and no pool hours to limit us), and so much more. We looked at several options and ended up renting direct from the owners with a bargain price of about $100 per night in September.