Villas at Island Club

[abbeyville2862]

We are headed to Florida to see Mickey & Friends on June 26th and thinking of staying at Villas at Island Club. I can't find many reviews online...Looking for some reviews on cleanliness and convenience. What is the best way to get to Disney or IOA from this resort? We are doing Disney on a budget this year, but better on a budget than not at all!!! We can't wait!!! I appreciate any info on the villas and the area.

 

[englishteacha]

It's right across from where we stay at Grand Palms. It looks fine to me. It's a short drive to Disney from there, and there's a newish toll road that goes right to Animal Kingdom.

 

[turning40withMickey]

We stayed here two years ago. Each unit is independently owned. Ours was spacious and clean, close to the pool and recreation area, and definitely a value! The unit we rented has since been sold and they are now asking a much higher price for it. I liked that the restaurants near the condo were not crowded and the drive to Disney was not bad at all.

 

[abbeyville2862]

Thanks for the info.
Do you recall how strict they were on the pool closing at 10:00? We have four kids under the age of 8 in our party....so I am worried about too much kid noise...jumping in the pool at 9:30 to cool off after a long day! Since I read that it is really quiet and some units are residents there? I am not sure if that is true. Is it kid friendly?
The playground there isn't very much for the kiddos, so relying on the pool!
The pool and hot tub looks nice, but really small.
I am happy to hear that the restaurants in the area are not extremely crowded and it's an easy ride to disney.

 

[turning40withMickey]

I don't know how strict they are about closing the pool at ten, it wasn't an issue for us. There is a sand volleyball court, and my kids thought that was cool, just playing in the sand. The playground is small. There is a tennis court and our unit had rackets and sand toys. There were only a few video games, which didn't interest us, but the exercise room kept my kids amused. They didn't seem to mind the kids being in there, in fact, I don't remember anyone "staffing" the club area, but I am assuming someone was there, it opens into the pool area.

There is a Walgreens very close by, and a Houlihans (not my favorite with children), also Denny's and other family type restaurants like that.

There did seem to be full time residents (based on the vehicles) but the four units that are "connected" that we stayed in were all rentals, and we were right across from the pool.

I hope you got a great price! It is a little farther out than many rentals, but it wasn't a problem for us. I preferred the less busy restaurants!

 

[englishteacha]

Oh, Cracker Barrel is nearby (YUM), a Ponderosa with a great breakfast buffet, and tons of fast food places. We've gotten good deals on a rental car from Dollar at MCO.

 

[abbeyville2862]

Thanks so much for the replies! We already have our day at MK planned and our ADR for 8:10 at CP that morning. This was supposed to be a non-disney trip....but I just couldn't do it. So, we are doing MK for one day to get my fix.

DH and I did decide to just go with Villas at Island Club and hope that it is kid friendly enough.

I am a little concerned about having 5 adults & 4 kids under the age of 9 in the same 4 BR condo! But, they seem spacious enough to manage.

DD loves Cracker Barrel, so that is a plus!

Four months and counting! I am tired of snow!!