Windsor Hills - lessons learned?

[ParkHopperFan]

We have had many surprises (disappointments) with our Windsor Hills rentals.

For example, for one large house, we paid for pool heat but didn't not find out until we arrived that the heat would only be on for 4 hours per day. The time was set before our arrival, so by the time we'd get home from the parks late at night, the hot tub was cold. The system heated the water in the attached spa and dumped it into the pool to raise the pool temp. When the heat was off, the cold water from the pool circulated through the hot tub which made it useless 20 hours per day. Ask how the pool heat works.

All the houses we rented that had pool tables had broken pool cues. The cues were missing the tips that hold the chalk. We learned to bring our own cue or we checked them as soon as we arrived and bought glue and tips at Walmart.

One house had the alarm hooked up to the door to the pool area, so whenever it was opened, the burglar alarm sounded. The mgmt co said it was for safety to prevent kids from sneeking out and could not be disarmed. This was very annoying and disruptive.

One house was unoccupied before our arrival so the ac was not running. It was over 90 degrees on the upper level and took two days to cool off enough so we could sleep.

Wait until you arrive before buying supplies. Some homes were well stocked.

The fan in the kitchen of one was so under powered that we set off the fire alarm while cooking prime rib. The management company was a bit clueless on how to turn it off. They said fire alarms could not be reset at the house. They did it remotely, but it took them a while to figure out how to do it. Imagine Christmas dinner with the fire alarm screeching for 15 minutes.

Learn from our mistakes.

The house we stay at regularly has the alarm attached to the sliders that lead out to the pool area. There are buttons next to the door to press before opening the door to prevent the alarm from sounding. It was explained that it's a safety feature to prevent the little ones from getting outside unnoticed. As long as you press the button before opening the door it won't sound. We appreciated the extra safety feature for our kids.

I guess the best way to avoid the pitfalls you found would be to ask how available the management company is when booking so you know what to expect if you have problems..

 

[married2mm]

The mgmt company that handles the condo we rent is Palm Tree Vacation Homes. It's right around the corner, in a plaza on 192. The only thing that I wish I had realized was that the key was in a box outside the office- no one was there, I didn't see the box...so we came back at 4pm after hitting up the outlet and still no one was there... so I was confused and went back to look through my correspondence, and THEN i realized I had a code to get into that lockbox to get my key Oops! First timer mistake!

Other than that- it was fine. I can't complain, we found a 2 bedroom condo for a heck of a deal last year, so much so that I booked it again this fall.

Would you be so kind as to shard the details of the condo?

 

[sarahrdh]

Would you be so kind as to shard the details of the condo?

absolutely. The owner's name is Frank Marino, the mgmt company is Palm Tree Vacation Homes. The condo is on the second floor (there is elevators in addition to stairs), and is on Almaton Loop, which is pretty close to the front of the complex and pool. We still drove down to the pool, just bc we have 3 kids and all the swimmies, toys, snacks, etc.....but if you dont have all of that in tow, you could enjoy a walk. The condo has 2 bedrooms-1 with a king bed and the other wih 2 doubles. Each has its own bathroom, and is a split floor plan. The kitchen is well stocked for cooking and even has a musical mickey mouse toaster that we got a kick out of. They have gotten new living room furniture recently. washer & dryer in unit. Huge closets. Balcony with 2 chairs and a small table. The only thing I wasn't crazy about, is the king bed while it is new, is low to the ground, and wasn't quite as plush as we would prefer, but thats a personal preference and for what we paid (avg $67 a night; I think this time it is $71/avg), I wasn't about to complain! Otherwise, we had no complaints. It's not over the top with decor, it's pretty simple, but again- THAT PRICE!! I can get a rental number for you from VRBO if youd like, I just don have my phone on me right now with the info, but feel free to msg me if youd like it!

 

[BigredNole]

The alarm on external doors to pools is required by code (someone could correct me if I am wrong). I remember my parents buying a house in FL. It failed inspection because the 2 doors leading to the pool did not have alarms for the doors opening. The sale was held up a few days while the alarm company came out to update the house to code. At least in the county/city they were in, it was against the law to disable. Having that button to press on the sensor was probably a compromise they had with the code. Personally, I would rather the minor inconvenience of a chime from an alarm than to find a child at the bottom of a pool.

 

[married2mm]

absolutely. The owner's name is Frank Marino, the mgmt company is Palm Tree Vacation Homes. The condo is on the second floor (there is elevators in addition to stairs), and is on Almaton Loop, which is pretty close to the front of the complex and pool. We still drove down to the pool, just bc we have 3 kids and all the swimmies, toys, snacks, etc.....but if you dont have all of that in tow, you could enjoy a walk. The condo has 2 bedrooms-1 with a king bed and the other wih 2 doubles. Each has its own bathroom, and is a split floor plan. The kitchen is well stocked for cooking and even has a musical mickey mouse toaster that we got a kick out of. They have gotten new living room furniture recently. washer & dryer in unit. Huge closets. Balcony with 2 chairs and a small table. The only thing I wasn't crazy about, is the king bed while it is new, is low to the ground, and wasn't quite as plush as we would prefer, but thats a personal preference and for what we paid (avg $67 a night; I think this time it is $71/avg), I wasn't about to complain! Otherwise, we had no complaints. It's not over the top with decor, it's pretty simple, but again- THAT PRICE!! I can get a rental number for you from VRBO if youd like, I just don have my phone on me right now with the info, but feel free to msg me if youd like it!

Thankyou very much.
That sounds great!

When we have dates arranged-I'll contact you for the number.

 

[kmc8826]

The alarm on external doors to pools is required by code (someone could correct me if I am wrong). I remember my parents buying a house in FL. It failed inspection because the 2 doors leading to the pool did not have alarms for the doors opening. The sale was held up a few days while the alarm company came out to update the house to code. At least in the county/city they were in, it was against the law to disable. Having that button to press on the sensor was probably a compromise they had with the code. Personally, I would rather the minor inconvenience of a chime from an alarm than to find a child at the bottom of a pool.

That is my understanding as well. In fact, prior houses we have stayed at have had the law quoted with an explanation of the reason for the alarm. I agree...it just takes a minute to either read the explanation by the door or in the materials that came from the owner of how to deactivate it.