Windsor Hills overpriced?

[gw_lit]

We've been looking for 5 BR rentals at Windsor Hills and other nearby developments. The prices for Windsor Hills seem significantly higher than others (Sunset Lakes, Windsor Palms, Emerald Island).

Why the reason for the big price difference? Is Windsor Hills that much closer, so you're paying for location? Or are the homes newer, nicer construction?

We don't mind paying for what we want, but we're not going to be at the rental much, so if we can save some money for a 5 minutes longer drive, it may be worth it to go outside of Windsor Hills.

 

[swilshire]

My guess is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

Sheila

 

[B&Pdisneymom]

We stayed at Windsor Hills a couple weeks ago. It was wonderful. It didn't take us more the 10-15 minutes to get to any of the parks. There is a back way to AK and it is just 5 min. away. It is close to alot of restaraunts and shopping. Walmart/Super Target/Publix all within 2 miles which is super convenient. It also depends on who you rent through too. I know WH is newer than WP. Kids really liked the game room and pool. I don't know much about the others, but WH was great!

 

[mnrose]

Beats me, especially as compared to Emerald Island. It cannot possibly more than 1-2 minutes closer to Disney than Emerald Island, yet it cost significantly more for the same/similar house. I don't get it. Unless that 1-2 minutes per day is THAT important to you, then I would totally go with Emerald Island and save the money. You'll pay for your rental car.

I do think the common pool at Windsor Hills may be a tad nicer...but since we never used the common pool (preferring the one right outside our own home), this didn't matter to us at all.

 

[sympatico]

WH is the newest of the subdivisions in that area. The main pool is bigger with a waterslide and zero entry, big castle playground, maybe a few more sports type things. But if you're not going to use the main pool and playground then any 5 bedroom home would be ok. Emerald Island is only about 2 minutes further than WH and is very nice.

 

[Purseval]

WH gets a lot of business thanks to these boards. People are generally happy with the place so they recommend it and they get more bookings as a result. The general consensus is that they have earned their reputation. That doesn't make some of the other neighborhoods bad and you can get some great deals if you want to venture away from WH.

 

[castanhope]

It's the location, but it's also the newness of the resort, villas, and all the included amenities. The foreclosure rate is very low in Windsor Hills as compared to many of the other rental communities. This means that all the homes are nicely kept up. The rates are such that they attract people who will care for the homes and not trash property. The costs of maintaining the homes at Windsor Hills is substantial...HOA dues, high electric bills for the cooling of the large homes and heating of the pools, and obviously the mortgage. Not to mention the furnishings and amenities within the villas have to be top of the line to compete with hundreds of other identical homes. Basically, rental costs are higher there because owner costs are equally high. But you will get what you pay for.

I can certainly say I have never had or heard of a guest wish they had stayed somewhere cheaper! It's really a matter of personal perspective...I've known plenty of people who can't believe they can stay in a gorgeous 6 bedroom brand new villa for only $200 a night (and usually that price is split between 2 or 3 families)...then there are the people who completely balk at that price, even though a hotel room for 14 people is going to be significantly more and incomparable in amenities and space! Everyone has their own comfort zone when it comes to what they are willing to pay for things I guess, and it's very hard to get them to step out of it and look at value rather than just dollar amount. I'm not sure how Windsor Hills compares dollar for dollar with the other resorts...I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions!

 

[gw_lit]

Thanks for everyone's perspective on this!

We'll keep looking, but I'm thinking since we're not going to use the community amenities, we'll probably focus our efforts outside of Windsor Hills, plus it's only a couple minutes longer drive from the other communities... but you never know.

 

[sympatico]

Thanks for everyone's perspective on this!

We'll keep looking, but I'm thinking since we're not going to use the community amenities, we'll probably focus our efforts outside of Windsor Hills, plus it's only a couple minutes longer drive from the other communities... but you never know.

Here's a map to give you an idea of where the subdivisions are. Windsor Hills is #1 then just click on some of the markers in the area to the left and you'll find the others. Emerald Island #15, WP #13 etc.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...8.272032,-81.608849&spn=0.068335,0.11055&z=13

 

[snowy76]

One other difference I noticed in comparing the resorts is that the 3BR villas at WH seem to have 3 full baths compared to 2 or 2.5, and with a couple of teenagers that can make a big difference

 

[Captain Hook Wannabe]

I have stayed at Windsor Hills, Emerald Island, Formosa Gardens and Sunset Lakes. Go for the best deal, they are all nice places. I have a Windsor Hills booked for Easter and a Sunset Lakes booked for the summer. I actually slightly prefer Sunset Lakes because it is a smaller community, and it feels more like a community then a rental complex.

 

[dyna]

We have stayed at WH twice in condos a 2 & 3 bedroom...we are 2 adults both times WH was the cheapest deal we could find during our stay that had washer an dryer in unit along with a full kitchen....we are so spoiled we can not ever imagine spending a week in a hotel room ever again..

In May when we are planing our next visit we are looking else where as WH is to pricey for us at that time of year. I have also spoted 3 HOMES with private pools in the same price range as we can get a 2 bedroom condo with a community pool. Oh and a garage so our harley will not be exposed to the elements nor do we have to worry about someone tampering with it which does happen from time to time....

 

[ntikos]

Does anybody know how close WH is to Universal - and if there are comparable homes/condos closer?

 

[gqchicago]

It's about 20-25 minutes to Universal from WHR. There is a similar resort that is closer to Universal, same builder as WHR, Pulte, called Vista Cay. Rents at Vista Cay are close to double that of WHR, due to it's proximity to the convention center.

 

[Purseval]

Does anybody know how close WH is to Universal - and if there are comparable homes/condos closer?

There are plenty of very nice timeshare resorts between Lake Buena Vista and Universal. You can actually rent a week from an owner for less than it costs the owner for maintenance fees. Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton all have nice places closer to USO than Windsor Hills. Westgate is nice to stay in as long as you don't let them hook you into a sales presentation. Sites like Timeshare users Group and Redweek have rental classifieds. Or google "timeshare rentals orlando" and you will find an overwhelming number of choices.

 

[nexttrip4us]

We stayed in a nice 6 bedroom home in Emerald Isle this past fall and it was great...easy drive to the parks, LOVED having our own pool... We didn't use any of the "community" amenities so I can't speak to those, but we really enjoyed where we stayed.

Good luck!