Thanks everyone!
Please tell me about Bonnet Creek! I'd love to know about more options!
Bonnet Creek is just inside the Walt Disney World gates- so on site without on site priveleges though as it's not owned by disney. It's a Wyndam time share property.
Horseshowmom can you post some more info on your stay. Did you rent through the place or through someone else. (we've been in touch with ken and he's trying to help us)
Were you in the "main" building? or some other and was it a hike to get to the pool?
How many buildings are up right now? Is it all done? was there constuction noise?
Sorry for all the ?'s
There are several recent threads concerning Bonnet Creek on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board that you can search for to find lots of information, but I'm more than happy to help.
I've been traveling to Orlando for many years and have stayed in quite a few houses (generally through VRBO) as well as condos. The last couple of years I've started going through ebay. I got Cypress Pointe Grande Villas for Christmas 2006 for $300/week for a 2BR/2BA unit and last month had Bonnet Creek for Christmas 2008 for $90/night for a 2BR/2BA unit (the same seller - kwksprop sold the week before Christmas for $300
).
After staying at Bonnet Creek, I doubt that I ever stay anywhere else (as long as I can get good prices). The location was excellent. It's right beside SR536 for quick and easy access to offsite restaurants and shopping. It has quick availability to the parks and other resorts (we had breakfast reservations at Kona and Boma two mornings - no parking charge at either deluxe hotel, and if you happen to have a handicap placard, they will even valet park you for free).
BC has 1, 2, 3, and 4BR units with full kitchens and a washer and dryer. We had the 2BR/2BA and watched the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom and Epcot from our balcony every night. We were in building 5 and had excellent views (building 4 might be better because you wouldn't have the view of the parking garage below you - but I can't say for sure).
Building 5 was very convenient. You go through the lobby to the backside of the building (lakeside) - or at least you would if they weren't building a new pool there, we just walked next door to building 4 and went through there - and get on the walkway that borders the lake. It didn't take more than 2 minutes to get to the main building - very convenient! The main pool also had live calypso music at night.
You can request fireworks view or lakeview/fireworks view. We had requested building one or two with lake/fireworks views, but even thought they had our requests, they had accidentally neglected to assign our room
. They gave us a choice or either lakeview OR fireworks view, and I took the fireworks. When you request fireworks view, request as high a floor as possible.
I believe there are 5 buildings up now with another being built plus a hotel. There was some construction, but we never heard a thing (10th floor). It did not bother us in the least. It does affect the lakeview to an extent, but it wasn't a big thing to me. There were either two or three pools open. The one behind our building had a ways to go to completion.
I am now a major fan of Bonnet Creek. In fact, when I retire, I think I'm going to look into buying resale points!
