WH through vacation central florida

[momto2js]

I am interested in finding a condo at Windsor Hills for our May trip. Vacationcenteralflorida.com has several available at a great price. I believe the owner and manager's name is Dave Robinson. Any one have any feed back about the company or any of the units??

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We're staying in one of the units he manages in August, 2011 and so far the reservation process and email communication have been great. We originally had a reservation of August, 2010 that we had to cancel and did that with no problem at all.

 

[floydfamily4]

We stayed in a 3bdr townhouse Nov of 09 and really enjoyed it. He was fine to work with and the property looked as promised on the website. No problems to report.

Dawn

 

[rponseti]

Used them in 2009 and everything was great. Would book through them again in a heartbeat!

 

[PiperPizzaz]

I am interested in finding a condo at Windsor Hills for our May trip. Vacationcenteralflorida.com has several available at a great price. I believe the owner and manager's name is Dave Robinson. Any one have any feed back about the company or any of the units??

Yes, we stayed in one of the 3 bed townhouses in November. It was great!

 

[matosfam]

We stayed in a 3 br condo last June and must have had a positive experience since we just booked again for this June!

 

[kidshop]

Hmmmmmmm, I just read through the vacationcentralflorida booking info, and does anyone else think this is weird.....they have listed if you want the household water heater set at 120 degrees it will cost $39 for the week. (not the pool heater) If you don't pay it is set at 108 degrees (or something like that) ????!!!

I used them in March of '09 for a townhouse and it was a great experience. I see now they charge extra for baby items and apparantly hot water LOL! They also will take small dogs for a fee.

It kinda puts me off...

 

[PiperPizzaz]

We had no hot water issues when we were there in November.
Just booked two weeks this summer at one of the two bedroom condos. I wish they had the townhouses available but, couldn't get two weeks together. This will be our 2nd offsite family trip.

 

[kidshop]

We had no hot water issues when we were there in November.
Just booked two weeks this summer at one of the two bedroom condos. I wish they had the townhouses available but, couldn't get two weeks together. This will be our 2nd offsite family trip.

I think it's just the townhouses that have their own hot water heater. Anyway, I just checked again and this option is nowhere to be found today!

 

[mama4]

Hmmmmmmm, I just read through the vacationcentralflorida booking info, and does anyone else think this is weird.....they have listed if you want the household water heater set at 120 degrees it will cost $39 for the week. (not the pool heater) If you don't pay it is set at 108 degrees (or something like that) ????!!!

I used them in March of '09 for a townhouse and it was a great experience. I see now they charge extra for baby items and apparantly hot water LOL! They also will take small dogs for a fee.

It kinda puts me off...

I just saw this and had to comment. I am NOT a super picky person when it comes to accommadations. Cleanliness (of course) and the normal things you'd expect in a condo rental and what is advertised (working washer/dryer dishwasher, a few extra linens) but I have stayed in many condos in the Disney area and I have NEVER had a problem with hot water like i did here. We literally had enough hot water for one 10 minute shower. After that, the water became uncomfortably cool. My kids would not shower. I had to fill the tub and do a very quick bath for them. My dear husband suffered through the dreaded 2nd shower every day for me but it was frustrating that he had to. I took quick, showers that went from hot/warm to warmish within 10 minutes. We called the manager twice and she was very sweet and assured us (the 2nd time)that maintenance had been there and said the heater was all the way up. So we dealt with it...but I won't stay there again. It was a NICE condo and the location can't be beat but no hot water in January was a deal breaker for me

 

[crusoe2]

I just saw this and had to comment. I am NOT a super picky person when it comes to accommadations. Cleanliness (of course) and the normal things you'd expect in a condo rental and what is advertised (working washer/dryer dishwasher, a few extra linens) but I have stayed in many condos in the Disney area and I have NEVER had a problem with hot water like i did here. We literally had enough hot water for one 10 minute shower. After that, the water became uncomfortably cool. My kids would not shower. I had to fill the tub and do a very quick bath for them. My dear husband suffered through the dreaded 2nd shower every day for me but it was frustrating that he had to. I took quick, showers that went from hot/warm to warmish within 10 minutes. We called the manager twice and she was very sweet and assured us (the 2nd time)that maintenance had been there and said the heater was all the way up. So we dealt with it...but I won't stay there again. It was a NICE condo and the location can't be beat but no hot water in January was a deal breaker for me

Were you in one of the 3 bedroom townhouses at Windsor Hills or in one of their condos? And was it one of the units thru vacation central florida? Just wondering as we have one of their units booked for our next trip and this is the first time I've heard of anyone having a problem with a lack of hot water. I wouldn't want to be without hot water in the summer, let alone in January. Brrrr.

 

[mama4]

Were you in one of the 3 bedroom townhouses at Windsor Hills or in one of their condos? And was it one of the units thru vacation central florida? Just wondering as we have one of their units booked for our next trip and this is the first time I've heard of anyone having a problem with a lack of hot water. I wouldn't want to be without hot water in the summer, let alone in January. Brrrr.

crusoe sending you a pm

 

[crusoe2]

crusoe sending you a pm

Got it. Thanks.

 

[matosfam]

FYI: I contacted Dave this evening with concerns about the water temp. issue (specifically about safety of keeping low temp settings on hot water heaters). He responded almost immediately with the following:

"You can use the mix valve at the faucets to get any hot water temperature you want. We advise against operating the hot water at above 108 max (and staying within 103 to 108) with a cold/hot mix due to possibility of scalding based upon skin sensitivity. That is why we put the disclaimer in the contracts. The tanks themselves are set at the standard 120 degrees, and 120 can create burns and scalds if you stand in a water sream at that temperature."

and then a few minutes later with:
"I read the utilities paragraph (from the rental agreement) and realized it was not clear - so I corrected it, so that it is clarified to now read:
------------
3.) UTILITIES. Owner is responsible for the payment of all utilities and services during Guests stay, including electric, cable TV. Air Conditioning operates at 72 Degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius); Heat operates at 73 Degrees Fahrenheit (23 Celsius). Hot water tanks set at 120 degrees. To prevent scalding, we advise operation at 103 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit max. Unlimited Local and Long distance calls can be made by Guest to anywhere in the United States during Guests stay.
-----------
I also do not know what you mean by "new policy" of Hot water temperature. There is no new policy. If a hot water heater feels cold, there is something wrong with that heater and it should be reported and replaced. Our tanks are all original and most are 5 years old or less, so I would not forsee an issue with water temperatures.
-Dave

I just thought I'd pass it on...

 

[crusoe2]

Hmmmmmmm, I just read through the vacationcentralflorida booking info, and does anyone else think this is weird.....they have listed if you want the household water heater set at 120 degrees it will cost $39 for the week. (not the pool heater) If you don't pay it is set at 108 degrees (or something like that) ????!!!

I used them in March of '09 for a townhouse and it was a great experience. I see now they charge extra for baby items and apparantly hot water LOL! They also will take small dogs for a fee.

It kinda puts me off...

Just noticed the line about them taking small dogs for a fee. Where did you see this on their website? I'm not finding it.

Also, to the OP - we've stayed in 2 of their condos and were very satisfied with them. We stayed in a 2 br the first time and a 3 br the next. Both were clean and comfortable and nicely furnished and decorated. I've certainly seen units at WH that are more elaborately decorated but they were also significantly more expensive - at least for the time we were going. We have been satisfied enough that we've booked one of their townhouses for our next trip. Looking forward to the convenient parking and our own pool this time.

 

[MamaJessie]

Haven't stayed yet but had prompt service from David Robinson when I had questions, and then booked.

I think it is obvious there would be a fee for dogs. As for the hot water bummer that a pp had a problem but I we don't take long showers here as I a tree hugger anyway I think the extra charges for equipment and pets is acceptable, especially when you consider how cheap the base rate is.

 

[kidshop]

Just noticed the line about them taking small dogs for a fee. Where did you see this on their website? I'm not finding it.

Also, to the OP - we've stayed in 2 of their condos and were very satisfied with them. We stayed in a 2 br the first time and a 3 br the next. Both were clean and comfortable and nicely furnished and decorated. I've certainly seen units at WH that are more elaborately decorated but they were also significantly more expensive - at least for the time we were going. We have been satisfied enough that we've booked one of their townhouses for our next trip. Looking forward to the convenient parking and our own pool this time.

It's under townhomes when you go to book. I don't think it applies to the condos. Maybe b/c they don't have easy outside access.

copied:

BRING YOUR DOG! $200.00
Bring your pet! This allows you to bring your pet with you while on vacation. The charge is what the cost is for us to remove all allergens from the unit upon checkout. No reason to leave the dog at home! Housetrained, well behaved, 20 pounds or less Dogs ONLY.

The water thing was there last week and it said they set the heater at 108 degrees, if you wanted it at 120 it would be 39.99, since that was the additional cost to them at that price. I wish I had pasted that! I'm sure they have reconsidered and are not doing that to save costs. I would freeze my behind off! If you are reading this Dave......bad idea!!!

The townhomes *are* an awesome deal and are very nice, and I hope they continue on that path, while offering the basic comforts.

I'm not a big fan of the dogs, but it wouldn't stop me from renting.

 

[crusoe2]

Okay. Thanks for the info. I went back and tried going partway thru the booking process and it's showing up for some townhomes and not others. But there are several different owners who rent out their units thru Dave's site so I guess maybe it's up to them if they offer the pet option. I feel the same - I'd just as soon not stay somewhere that people have had their pets indoors. My DS has bad allergies and it would be a bummer for him to have a bad attack on vacation. They say the $200 fee is to cover the cost of a deep clean but I would still worry.

You're probably right about them reconsidering the extra charge for the water temp. Seems like I've seen them put some stuff on there in the past that didn't stay up long. Charging extra for a decent amount of hot water would be a deal breaker for us too. Bad idea for sure.