what to have in a pol home

[isla bonita]

Hello
All. We have just purchased a pool home and are in need of all of your expertise. What do you all need when on vacation? What can I put in my home to make you feel like you do not want to leave? What entertainment would be the best? We have a whole peice of luggage for pool toys but what else can we put in our home to make you all feel at home? We have 6 bedrooms to fill so don't be shy. Think think think!!!
Thank you
IslaB

 

[snappy]

We have stayed in three different pool homes. We drove so we were able to bring a lot of items. However, I really appreciated DVD's for the kids, paperback books (for me), lots of pool towels, a TV in each bedroom,
plastic cups for poolside, lots of thick towels in each bathroom, lots of hangers in the closet, and place mats for the dining tables.

In the kitchen, a blender is nice, also a strainer for washing fruit/veggies, or straining pasta, a pizza pan and slicer, a measuring cup and spoons and a corkscrew for wine. We also found that we used a lot of bowls, for cereal, ice cream, etc. It is nice to have a new sponge and lots of dish cloths and towels. I really liked having a clothesline to hang up pool towels in the garage (Ah, the simple pleasures). A clothes basket for dirty clothes also helps.

I don't know if you have this, but I really liked the garage door opener.
Made it feel just like home.

But the number one item that every one in our family commented on was
how comfy the high quality sheets felt, especially after a tiring day at the parks. It felt like pure luxury.

Hope this helps. We loved staying in a villa, because we could stay longer and be more comfortable. We do not have young ones anymore (sigh) so I can't help with baby/toddler stuff. I will say my youngest (six at the time) went gaga when she walked into "her room" and saw Disney plush animals
strategically located about. A very nice touch.

 

[Mainebound]

At www.orlandovillas.com there are discussion forums and there is one very long thread on this topic "What Do You Look for in a Pool Home" to which about 60 guests have responded.

I am not sure you will get many replies on the DIS, where so few seem to take this option.

 

[ducklite]

Well, I can tell you some of the things we have in our home. We don't rent it out, but we often have guests, and many things were purchased with them in mind.

*highchair
*booster seat
*pack-n-play with sheets and a blanket
*set of plstic cups/plates/bowls/spoons and forks that are geared towards toddlers
*crayons and white paper
*Duplos and other "toddler" toys
*Luggage rack, Terry robe, and quality hangers including padded hangers in guest bedroom
*The guest room also has a TV with VCR

Other items I'd include--we have them because "we" use them:

Basketball and other sporting equipment

Those lawn chairs that fold up into a tote bag

Fiberglass shafted Golf Umbrellas

Board games

A good selection of books

A variety of office supplies such as notepades, tape, stapler, paperclips, elastics, etc.

A jewelers toolset to repair eyewear

Good quality linens and towels

Enough pillows for your sleeping capacity x two

A wide-screen TV with CVR and DVD, and an assortment of movies for toddler through adult

A stereo system with a CD player and a selection of CD's for various taste

Two cooler's, one larger on wheels and another smaller soft sided one

A printout of the cable channels and a list of some of the local radio stations

A laminated list of the following:

Closest hurricane shelter with directions and a list of what to bring

The closest hospital with phone number and directions

Phone number of local dentists with emergency hours

Phone number of the property management company

The address and phone number of your home (In a panic people often can’t remember this type of information when calling emergency services!)


Also make sure that there are instructions for all household items which might need instructions.

As far as kitchen equipment, you'll need a set of pots and pans,a roaster and wok, tea pot, cookie sheets and bakeware, a full set of dishes for at least the number of people your homes sleeps (IMHO you need 150% of that) glassware, flatware, serving pieces, a corkscrew and bar equipment including glassware, a full set of implements including spatulas, silicone spoons, a ladle, a knife block, a basting brush, whisk, measuring cup and spoons, mixing bowls, storage bowls, BBQ utensils, small appliances including toaster, mixer, blender, electric juicer, rice steamer, coffee maker. I also have a bread machine. Also a chef's apron, ample pot holders and dish towels. I'd put out a new clean sponge for each rental. You'll also want some basics such as paper products, salt pepper (perhaps some basic spices as well), non-stick cooking spray, etc.

Anne

 

[Snoopymom]

Here's a few, some quirky, LOL.

edit to omit candles...if I was renting out a home, I wouldn't trust anyone with candles either. There were no flashlights, and the candles were the kind in glass jars. We had gathered them up to play cards by at the kitchen table. It was fun, but yes, not very safe. Thanks ducklite, and your home is beautiful!

I agree with the plastic cups and bowls, we only had a few and having a blender was great!

Loved having Orlando travel books and coupons for the local restaurants to use.

Nightlights, bought some Disney ones from the dollar store to bring with us this time

Guest book, would have liked to let them know how much we appreciated the candles and how spotless the home was.

I liked seeing a photo of the owners having fun at Disney displayed, and I think people have more respect for the homes when they can associate the home with a real life owner.

Good washable rug by the door that goes out to the pool so that no one, especially little ones, won't slip and fall on any tile. (usually there's tile flooring there)

Disney themed rooms for kids. It's one of the reasons we picked the house we're going to stay at this Summer, and in fact, how they're decorated was one of the first things I looked at...if there were too many fancy nicknacks, or too much white or glass, I passed on them, don't want to have to be extremely paranoid about ruining anything or the kids getting hurt, plus I hate feeling cluttered and disorganized.

We also stayed in a home with two clocks in the living room, one with a little UK Mickey head flag glued to the simple wooden frame (it looked tasteful) and the time set for UK time and another one with a USA Mickey flag set for USA/Eastern time. I thought that was a nice touch for those visiting from either country.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

 

[ducklite]

Oh LORDY NO! NOT CANDLES!! They are a leading cause of house fires!

Instead make sure that the home is equipped with three or four "D" cell flashlights with extra bulbs batteries, plus a battery operated flourescent lantern.

Anne

 

[lunabkat]

HI,

Just a thought, when we were looking to rent a house with a pool, i wanted to know if there was a pool alarm/locks for preventing my dds 5 and 3 from getting to the pool without me. when you list, you should mention it in your profile because i didn't even look at houses that did not immediately mention a pool alarm.

And don't forget a canopener, a calendar, and analarm clock.

LL

 

[leebee]

Let's see, we've stayed in several pool homes/condos...

Kitchen- in addition to full sized appliances- including a 10 or 12 cup coffee pot!- a blender and toaster definitely, and a hand held mixer is always nice. A good variety of pots and pans, including strainer and cookie sheets, a couple of sizes of frying pans, small and medium pots (up to 2 quart), TWO large pots (spaghetti cooking sized), and lids for all. A dishpan and dish drainer..we don't all choose to use the dishwasher...plenty of dish towels, and a decent sponge for washing dishes and wiping up, POTHOLDERS! Broom and dust pan. Enough bowls, plates (sandwich and dinner sized), coffee mugs, glasses and flatware for twice the number your home sleeps. Appropriate cooking utensils- corkscrew, can opener, spatulas, knives, whisk, cooking spoons and a large fork. A knife block with steak knives, cooking knives, and a pair of kitchen scissors would be great. A couple of large plastic/melamine bowls to hold fruits, veggies or popped popcorn. Ovenware (pyrex) including a square baking pan, 9x13 baking pan, casserole dishes in a couple of sizes, cookie sheets and a pizza pan.

Dining area- placemats to protect table instead of a tablecloth.

Living area/bedrooms- in addition to the standard things (good linens, decent towels including face cloth, hand towels, bath towels, pool towels)...EXTRA set of sheets/pillowcases for each bed, ample pillows (2 per person), extra blankets, bath sheets instead of just bath towels (many of us are pooh sized). You need enough towels for 1.5 the number of guests...laundry basket...nightlights in bed and bathrooms, also hallways and kitchen...enough drawer space (we've stayed in several homes where the storage space in the bedrooms (other than the master) has consisted of whatever is available in the nightstand!)...TV with remote control in each bedroom in addition to living room...coasters for drinks...lap-blankies for the living room (AC can be hard to adjust to)...alarm clocks in each bedroom, phone in master bedroom...LOVE the idea of the laminated card with address and phone number to be kept with each phone!

Flashlights...can you have a BBQ or hibachi pool-side or will it kill your insurance? ...Maybe directions to major theme parks from the home...owner's/manager's name and phone number should be on the laminated cards by the phone also...card with cable listings...toilet plunger, scrubby sponge for cleaning bath tubs, maybe some spray cleaner also. LOVE the idea of plastic mugs/glasses/plates for pool-side...VCR/DVD player, paperback books...internet access!

If I think of more I'll let you know! OH- in your contact info, let folks know to bring paper towels, toilet paper, the size/style of coffee filters needed, yes/no on dish soap, if there's a bbq available etc. Lots of us stop to shop before checking in and this info would be helpful!