Vista Cay is the first place we ever stayed near Universal, and we really liked it. I see google maps is stating 15 minutes, but I know I timed it once at 6 minutes from parking lot to parking garage, so I'm wondering if construction has changed the route somewhat. I remember it was very fast and very easy to get to the parks when we did it a couple of years ago. I remember because I was surprised how close and simple it was. Disney always leaves me frazzled when I have to drive around, so this drive stuck out in my memory for its ease. It was like one empty back road and a couple of easy turns and you were there. Hopefully, someone can tell you if that is still the case.
The resort is really nothing fancy. It's not big and glamorous, but I think it is a good value for the money, compared to a hotel, and offers the basics. There are pools, a small movie theater, an arcade / game room, a gym, and a business center, as well as other amenities. To me the amenities are more on the level of what you'd expect from a nice midrange hotel, but since we never have time to really use them anyway, they are just fine for our needs. I wouldn't book here as a resort get-away, but as a place to house a large family while you visit the parks, it's ideal.
In general, there aren't many condos or houses you can rent near Universal; Vista Cay is one of the only really close places. From my own research, people seem to really like the condos, but don't care for the town houses as much because of all the stairs. Other than that, it really depends on which condo you rent from whom if you end up with a nice place or not. There are a number of great deals on vrbo just filter by Vista Cay. I once booked a really great 3 bedroom 2 bath condo for $60 / night. I've seen some that offer nice extras such as iPads to use during the stay or Netflix. There is one I looked at that has a balcony that overlooks the pool area, so you can keep an eye on kids from the condo. Some of the top floor rooms facing the water offer fireworks views when Sea World or Universal actually have fireworks. Also there is a Publix practically in the parking lot you can walk to which makes grocery shopping easy.
Overall, I'd recommend staying here as an off-property option. I prefer staying here to staying at an off property hotel. But in general, I prefer to stay in houses and condos.
