Windsor Hills or Bonnet Creek

[jeffp18]

Hello. I am thinking about possibly taking a trip at the end of March or beginning of April. Right now, it is only myself, my wife and my daughter who will be just under 1 at the time. There is a possibility that my parents will want to come. We also plan on asking our friends who will have a daughter just over 1 at the time if they would be interested. I am not sure if either would stay with us or get their own rooms.

We would definitely be renting a car. If our friends come, there is the possibility of them getting their own car in case our touring plans differ or one of our daughters need to go back to the room too nap.

Before having our daughter, my wife and I stayed at Pop Century a couple of times and rented points at Old Key West once. While we like staying on site, we think we would be better off if we stayed off site for the space and ability to eat in the room. We will be there 10 days. From my preliminary research, it looks like it would make more sense for me to get 1 annual pass to save on parking since we intend to get the memory maker anyways.

I was looking for recommendations as to where to stay based on our needs.

Thanks

 

[jerseygirl81]

We just returned from our stay at Bonnet Creek last year we stayed at Windsor Hills and much preferred our stay at Bonnet Creek. Windsor Hills is very nice and the condo's are all different since they are individually owned so some are nicer then others and prices vary greatly. Bonnet Creek is more like a vacation resort more upscale and right in the heart of Disney which we preferred. We have stayed twice at BC and highly recommend it, we have used 2 different agencies to book our stays and both were great. Both places also have washer/dryer which is nice especially with children.

 

[ParkHopperFan]

If you end up having several people travel with you Windsor Hills might be a better option. They have larger rental homes up to 6 bedrooms and you can all stay together. I would suggest not waiting too much longer to decide because the end of March and early April are high season and the nicer places book very early.

 

[dmanwi]

We have stayed on-site and off-site at Windsor Hills. We have a group of 6. I looked into BC for our trip and November and it looked wonderful but for our group the cost would have been double that of a 3br condo at WH.

 

[jeffp18]

Any recommendations as to where to rent through for either place? I know about VRBO and Redweek. I was wondering if there were any other websites to look into.

 

[dmanwi]

Vrbo also home away is similar to vrbo. Google search for Windsor hills rents. There are a couple of websites that owners list on.

 

[ParkHopperFan]

I would recommend www.windsorhillsofficialrentals.com It is a direct site for the owners who rent their property. VRBO and Homeaway (same company) have instituted a booking fee which can be around $100 per week. I don't believe that you actually receive any benefit for that fee. IMO it seems counter-intuitive to charge a booking fee for an industry that is based around saving money on lodging.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We have stayed at WH and are returning at Christmas. We think it is well placed for getting to WDW and there are plenty of restaurants and a Publix a short drive away. This year we are staying in a 3 bedroom Townhome, last year we stayed in a condo.

We have never stayed at Bonnet Creek but I did look into it one year, unfortunately there was no availability for the dates I wanted (it was short notice). I enquirer through vacationupgrades (Ken Price) who was recommended to me by other people on these boards.

 

[crys1158]

Bonnet creek for sure! We have stayed in both homes and condos in Windsor hills both equally as nice but the amenities at bonnet creek are way better

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We prefer WBC over WH. WBC has more of a resort feel with tons more to do than WH.

 

[Kids for Disney]

Bonnet Creek is Awesome! We have stayed there 5 times. We love the resort feel. Several pools including zero entry as well as many things to do. Soooo close to the parks too! We stayed at Windsor Hill once. We liked it but it was like staying in a home rather than a resort. We got all our stays off of eBay.

 

[dmanwi]

I looked into BC and it looks nice and more hotel/resort-like. I see the pools and water play areas are huge. It also had lots of amenities I would never use. Mini-golf is nice but how many rounds would you play? Location is nice. Sand Volleyball court- I won't be playing while on vacation. An on-site restaurant? Spa, golf club?

I have had friends stay at the Hyatt Grand cypress and that resort actually had a few amenities that I might use. But if you are looking to stay on a budget or just have a place to lay your head WH is hard to beat.

 

[padge24]

We have stayed at WH prior and are going to again in 18 days!! We looked at BC, but as stated before for a family of 6, WH was more budget friendly. The first time we stayed at WH we used VRBO but since they have instituted the new booking fee we used Vacation Central Florida for this reservation. We try to maximize our park days so resort amenities, while nice, are not a huge priority for us.

 

[jeffp18]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond. We have decided to put the trip off until our daughter is a little older. Looks like I have a lot more time to research now.