Villa recommendations please

[wilma-bride]

Having never stayed in a villa before, we are now looking at renting a villa for a week in February. There will be 6 adults (3 couples) so I suspect that, in order to get 3 double bedrooms, we will need at least a 5 bed. Bit of a waste of extra space but we don't want to be faffing about pushing twin beds together and trying to make them up into a double, if that's even possible.

I know there are quite a few DISers who stay in Villas so would be happy to hear some suggestions.

BTW, proximity to Disney is not particularly important as we don't plan to go to any of the parks (gasp!) but we would like to visit the Boardwalk and Pleasure Island on a couple of evenings so preferably not too far away.

Thanks

 

[Booknut]

Hi Joh,

We rented our villa with a group recommended in Simon V's book, Alexander Homes, their website is www.floridasunshine.com. They were brilliant, you only pay a $200 deposit before going and pay the rest when you get there (which is great to my mind in case something happens and you can't make it etc) with cash or traveller's cheques etc.

We stayed in a development called Windward Cay off marker 14 on the 192 and it was fabulous, quiet and not too far from DTD and shopping (Florida Mall was only 15-20 minutes away) and of course lots of restaurants etc. They have villas for renting all over Orlando, have a look at their website, they have photos of all the houses inside and outside.

Our house was brilliant with a huge pool, very clean and spacious. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Good luck!

Eloise

PS You're NOT going to any parks?????!!!!!!

 

[wilma-bride]

PS You're NOT going to any parks?????!!!!!!

Thanks Eloise - will look into it. Regarding not going to any parks, never say never However, we are only going for a week and will have already had a fortnight there in October. We're going for hubby's 40th with a group of friends and we really just wanted a relaxing holiday with a bit of boozing and hoping to see a bit more of Orlando. Having said that, my best friend is coming and she really wants to go to Islands of Adventure as it wasn't open last time she went so we may have 1 day at Universal. DH expressly said he didn't want to go back to Orlando for his birthday and not for a week but I ignored him on the basis that he was thinking it would be a hectic, fit everything in to 7 days kind of holiday and it definitely isn't going to be that!

 

[jns]

Don't know about villa
but we went for a week once just me a DH and had a ball
we done as much as we would had done in a forthnight with the kids
make sure you go to the the Comedy Club and the Adventurers Club

Does he know about the trip or is it a surprize

must guide DH to this thread as I will be the big 40 next year

Good luck with the planning

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Joh,

We stay in villas every year, there are 3 good websites I can recommend for finding the home you are looking for.
It is very competetive and there are hundreds to choose from, I would suggest you take your time until you are sure you have found the right one.

Whilst proximity to the parks may not be an issue for you I personally would always prefer to be based in Kissimmee, just off the 192, where restaurants, supermarkets are within easy reach.
You are also 15 minutes or so away from Disney for the Boardwalk and DTD.
That's just our preference however, I am sure you have your own thoughts on the location.
There are 2 main areas that we prefer , Formosa Gardens and Poinciana Boulevard, both have developments on there that cater for 3,4,5,6 bedroomed homes.

A south facing pool means you get the sun all day, and this can be a big advantage especially when you want to relax for a while, and if it is fully fenced you are assured of total privacy.
In addition, having stayed at a few homes and driven around many of the developments it can also be advisable to stay in a newer property, although the majority of homes are well maintained.

Ensure that whichever you choose there is a local Management Company available to assist.

One point about Alexander Homes, many of their properties I believe you have to visit their office to collect the keys, prior to arriving at the villa and you also drop the keys off there too.
Personally we found this arrangement a bit tiresome, we were fortunate that my wife is a very good navigator, and I know you have been before but for example for the 1st timer this could be a bit problematic, especially if it's late in the day - if you book through AH you may want to review the key collection process.

Most of the homes we have rented have a security combination on the outside, once you key in the relevant code you get access to the keys.

www.villas2000.com
www.vr360homes.co.uk
www.holiday-rentals.com

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

We stayed in a villa for the first time last August and had a great time - and there was only three of us!!

I've sent you a PM with a recommendation, but would agree with Johnny's websites, we used these. Just hope you've got enough hours in the day to look through all the villas you'll find on these sites.

Have fun searching

 

[lexie32]

Hi Joh PM'ed you

Alex

 

[UKDEB]

you have to visit their office to collect the keys, prior to arriving at the villa and you also drop the keys off there too

This is such a pain. It may not seem like a big deal now, or even worth considering amongst all the other factors, but it can add an hour at each end of your holiday. You really don't need that after a transatlantic flight, especially if have any delays. Neither do you want to waste time on your last day, particularly given that you'll only be there for a week. Make sure you rent a villa which has a keypad entry system at the property itself.

I don't really know where to begin with recommending properties and/or communities. There are so many out there from cheap and functional to obscenely luxurious - what may be perfect for one party could be way off the mark for another. If you're not worried about being ultra-close to Disney look at properties on the US27 - they're often cheaper. You'd be looking at anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes travelling time depending on the particular community.

I suggest searching the web and, once you have narrowed down your choices, post back for some advice on location, age of community, etc.

 

[Tony Toon]

As you can see from our signature, we've stayed in villas several times and find Indian Creek, just off the 192 near Formosa gardens to be ideal. I usually just trawl the web until I find aomething that suits us but I would echo other Disers and recommend key pick up from the villa lockbox rather than the management offices. We did that the first year and after a transatlantic flight it took us some time when we were all very tired to locate the correct office and finally get into our villa. Last year we stayed in a fantastic 5 bed/4bath villa from Frontline Florida and this year found our villa through the Indian Creek Owners Association (google them if you're interested).

Good luck.

Mrs Tony Toon

 

[dlf]

I can recommend a four-bed villa (3 double and 1 twin) which is very close to all attractions. It has a south facing pool and had everyone in it we could ever want!

The website is www.abracadabravilla.com if you want to take a look.

Hope this helps!

 

[SimonV]

At the risk of repeating myself (!!), we have recently discovered two brand new communities just to the south of Disney (off exit 58 of I-4), which are well worth looking at. Sandy Ridge and Terrace Ridge are both far enough out of the hustle-bustle to be peaceful after a day at the parks, while being only 15 minutes or so from Disney. Many of their homes are managed by Welcome Homes USA, and you can look up a couple of examples (both of which have excellent locations within those communities) on this website:

http://www.floridavipvacationhomes.com/