Windsor Hills Question

[Griffin223]

We are starting to plan our next WDW vacation and we are giving serious consideration to staying in Windsor Hills. We are a family of five, our kids ages when we travel will be 7, 4 and 2. The resort looks great, location is great.

The debate we are having is between a condo and a townhouse. The difference seems to be the splash pool, i'm assuming that means a pool just big enough for kids. Are there any other major differences?

 

[5mins2disney]

Hmm....well the townhomes are 3 bedrooms / 3 bathrooms with a splash pool. They are just over 1400 sq feet in size, and are on 2 stories. The pool is probably a little bigger than you think it might be, I just got off the phone with our current guests and he told me he was surprised how nice the pool is, and it was bigger than he expected. We go in it all the time, as adults.

The condos, well, there are 2 varieties, 2 bedroom and 3 bedrooms. There are not that many 2 bedroom units in the resort. The 3 bedroom condos are 3 bedroom / 2 bathrooms, and they're actually quite large, nearly 1500 sq feet. The main difference would be they're in a high rise type of building, so you'll have to park in a common type of parking lot and perhaps take an elevator up to your condo. Many are also close by the resort pool.

Both are very nice, we like having the additional privacy of a townhome ourselves, but obviously I'm somewhat biased towards these since we own townhomes there! (But I'm trying to give you an objective view of the differences between the two, without interjecting my opinions too much! LOL). We also love having the splash pool, the kids (and us) really enjoy it a lot, so much that we don't even make it to the resort pool as much as you might think, it's just so nice to open up your back door and have it RIGHT there!

More important to me would be the home's amenities, and level of furnishings. There is definitely variation in the quality of furnishings in the various homes, while none are what I would call "awful", things like high end mattresses / linens, free internet, nice TVs, etc, can really make a HUGE difference in the quality of the home and your vacation. Of course, the higher end homes tend to cost slightly more, I tell people this all the time, "you get what you pay for".

You can read reviews echoing this same sentiment right here on the DIS...that someone stayed in a place they thought was a real "bargain"...then they got there and they realized they bought a "Kia" all right (no offense to any Kia drivers intended! LOL). My point being, don't focus on just price, yes it's great to get a good deal, but the quality of the homes does matter!

Oh..and you can find them all here:
www.windsorhillsrent.com

The resort and the homes are just gorgeous, it's very hard to go wrong in WHR, and I'm sure you will love it! Please feel free to ask or PM me if you have any specific questions, happy to try and answer them!

- George

 

[jkelly86]

George said it all!
The only thing I would add is that the THs are two levels, while the condos are one. There are 2BRs upstairs and 1BR downstairs, with different configurations for beds, so that may be something to consider. HTH!

 

[sympatico]

The splash pool is about 12 by 12 foot and 3 - 5 foot deep. My husband and I have stayed in two different townhouses and enjoyed having the splash pool. We've used the main pool also but nice to have you're own right there instead of having to walk/ride over to the clubhouse. You might appreciate that if the kids just want to take a quick dip while one of you is getting a meal ready. You can sit by the pool and watch the tv in through the patio door opening.
Also you park right outside your front door so it's easy to get things in and out.
There's usually a queen bedded room on the bottom floor with a bathroom, on the second floor there's a room with two twin beds ( some have bunks ) and a bathroom and the master bedroom with a queen or king bed and bathroom. The washer and dryer are on the second floor. We haven't stayed in a condo so can only tell you about the townhouse.

 

[A&CsMom]

You may enjoy having the townhome with the pool in the evenings when the kids are in bed for a late night swim, and as well the screened in space to sit outside on warm Florida nights - not sure if the condos have balconies? and if they do, if they are screened in?

 

[AllesonWonderland]

I agree with the previous posters how it's nice to have the pool right outside your patio. We just got back from 8 nights at a townhouse in Windsor Hills and loved it. The kids were in the pool every day...at least once. LOL It was nice that they could have some fun while I was fixing dinner. We did make it to the resort pool 2 times, but I'm sure if we hadn't had our own there would have been whining to go there more. You could always tell when my DS6 was starting to get tired at the park, he would say "Can we go back to the townhouse and swim?!"

When I researched our stay, there wasn't a huge difference in price between the condos and townhouses. I went ahead and 'splurged' on a townhouse for the pool, the themed kids' room ours had, and the nicer decor/amenities. Since so many people say you don't have the 'magic' unless your onsite, going with a townhouse instead of a condo was my compromise. Having said that, I loved Windsor Hills, don't think our trip could have been any more magical, so unless a tremendous onsite deal would fall in my lap we will definitely stay offsite at WH's again.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[5mins2disney]

You may enjoy having the townhome with the pool in the evenings when the kids are in bed for a late night swim, and as well the screened in space to sit outside on warm Florida nights - not sure if the condos have balconies? and if they do, if they are screened in?

The condos do have balconies and they are screened in...but like many said...you can swim when the kids are in bed...or just leave the windows all open to the lanai (it's a triple sliding glass door at the back of the townhomes). And there's many times the kids can go swimming, like fixing dinner, doing laundry, whatever, when there's no way you feel like running over to the clubhouse pool after a long, hot and tiring day in the parks!

I'm not trying to "oversell" the townhomes, but they are a pretty sweet setup! My friends dubbed our home "lounge world" back in January, we were watching the Bears playoff game on the plasma TV while literally sitting in the pool having a beer, watching it snowing and cold back home in Chicago! LOL
Ahh....11 days till lounge world!

 

[Mainebound]

I probably should nt be weighing in, as I have never been inside either the townhomes or condos at WH, but we did just return from a 12 day stay at a villa in WH, and I did a lot of jogging around the place. I thought the townhome "area"/streets/views was really lovely (they were pleasant to jog around, with landscaping, etc.), while the condo area was highrises with a big parking lot.

But WH is a great place, and I am sure you can have an enjoyable stay in either.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We stayed in a 2 bdr. condo last year and loved it. This year we'll have a new additon and therefore are looking at the 3 bdr. conods and townhomes. The only thing I've found that I didn't like about the TH's is that the kids themed bedroom seems to be on the 1st floor in many of the ones I've looked at. For safety reasons I'd prefer my kids be upstairs w/me and dh can have the downstairs bdr. (he snores like a freight train-LOL) That being said I would love the convenience of a splash pool. We are still undecided but are leaning towards the condo. since it's all on 1 floor...it'll be easier for me with having a baby not having to go up and down the steps often.

 

[AllesonWonderland]

The only thing I've found that I didn't like about the TH's is that the kids themed bedroom seems to be on the 1st floor in many of the ones I've looked at.

In the one we stayed in the theme room was upstairs with the master.

 

[sympatico]

In both of the townhouses we've stayed in the themed twin room is upstairs. One of the th's had twin beds and the other th had a twin and bunk beds with twin on top and double on bottom. Downstairs in both th there was a queen bed.

 

[5mins2disney]

We stayed in a 2 bdr. condo last year and loved it. This year we'll have a new additon and therefore are looking at the 3 bdr. conods and townhomes. The only thing I've found that I didn't like about the TH's is that the kids themed bedroom seems to be on the 1st floor in many of the ones I've looked at. For safety reasons I'd prefer my kids be upstairs w/me and dh can have the downstairs bdr. (he snores like a freight train-LOL) That being said I would love the convenience of a splash pool. We are still undecided but are leaning towards the condo. since it's all on 1 floor...it'll be easier for me with having a baby not having to go up and down the steps often.

Actually that's incorrect, usually the kids rooms and the themed rooms are the 2nd upstairs bedrooms, which in 95% of the townhomes have either twin beds or bunkbeds, and this is where you find the "themed" rooms. (Storytime is all laid out this way, for instance).

The downstairs bedrooms are typically a queen sized bedroom with full attached bathroom.

Just want to set the record straight, sorry!

 

[mareed]

I haven't stayed at Windsor Hills, but I've stayed in the Windsor Palms condos & townhomes several times. As I understand it, the builder & floor plans are the same, so I feel I have some valid comments.

We first stayed in the condos, and liked them just fine, but at times didn't really like having to park a bit far away when we returned late at night. It could be a ways to haul luggage and grocery bags inside from the car.

Then, we stayed at the townhomes when I found they only cost a small bit more than the condos. We loved being able to park right outside the front of our townhome.

It's possible to have loud neighbors above you in the condos, and with the townhomes, you can't since you're in the bottom & upper floor. You have neighbors beside you, but that's not usually as bothersome as someone tromping around above your ceiling.

I also found the master bathroom sink situation to be less than ideal in the condos. There's just not very much counter space and DH & I found ourselves very much in each other's way while getting ready. We're used to lots of counter space & 2 sinks at home. The townhome master bathroom also only has one sink, but it has a large counter area with several drawers for storage. We did just fine here.

I also prefer to have the kids in the upstairs bedroom as opposed to the downstairs one that's right by the front door. In the 2 townhomes we've stayed in, one had the twin beds up and one had it down, so it really just depends on the individual home. I will say that the downstairs bedroom is very small, and it can be difficult to fit the beds along with an nightstand and dresser in there. It's also complicated by the fact that there's a connected bathroom with a door opening in to the room, so the furniture placement must allow space for the door to open. I think people have to get a bit creative to fit it all in, but it's fine since you usually are only sleeping in that room, and not really hanging out.

I'll back up what others have said about the convenience of the splash pool versus taking the kids to the resort pool. My 2 DS's really loved the splash pool when we were last there in March!

I think it's worth paying a small amount more for the townhomes for the advantages of better parking, no upstairs neighbors, a splash pool, and a better master bathroom setup.

I hope this helps, and I do believe my comments would directly apply to Windsor Hills even though my experience has been at Windsor Palms.

 

[wahoostampingirl]

We stayed in a 2 bdr. condo last year and loved it. This year we'll have a new additon and therefore are looking at the 3 bdr. conods and townhomes. The only thing I've found that I didn't like about the TH's is that the kids themed bedroom seems to be on the 1st floor in many of the ones I've looked at. For safety reasons I'd prefer my kids be upstairs w/me and dh can have the downstairs bdr. (he snores like a freight train-LOL) That being said I would love the convenience of a splash pool. We are still undecided but are leaning towards the condo. since it's all on 1 floor...it'll be easier for me with having a baby not having to go up and down the steps often.

I am also seeing a lot of the twin rooms downstairs while searching for a condo or townhouse. Last year, we stayed in a villa (two families of 4). This year, we are going with my parents and I am leaning towards a condo on the 4th floor. I like the set up of having my parents in a master on one side of the condo, while the kids, my dh and I have two bedrooms on the other. But, some of you are making pretty convincing arguments for townhouses, so I might have to search a little more.

 

[bscs]

We just reserved a condo at WH on the 4th floor. Also like wahoostampingirl we are going with my parents and will give them the suite on one side and we will be with the kids on the other side. My parents really like the fact of the balcony to sit there drinking coffee in the morning. We didn't go with a house beacuse we have done both (condo shared pool & house private pool not at WH) well we are the type that like meeting new people at the shared pools and don't want to dish out the extra cost of heating our own pool I know not every one is the same but that is just my opinion.

 

[5mins2disney]

I am also seeing a lot of the twin rooms downstairs while searching for a condo or townhouse. Last year, we stayed in a villa (two families of 4). This year, we are going with my parents and I am leaning towards a condo on the 4th floor. I like the set up of having my parents in a master on one side of the condo, while the kids, my dh and I have two bedrooms on the other. But, some of you are making pretty convincing arguments for townhouses, so I might have to search a little more.

In the townhomes you would typically let your parents have the queen bedroom suite / bathroom of their own on the first floor...and the other advantage would be there are 3 bathrooms, not 2, not that I'm putting down the condos by any means, they're ALL very nice places!

We like sitting out by the pool (or IN it!) in the morning drinking our coffee on the back patio / lanai!

Ahh.... 1 week to go!

 

[deejay-55]

I am also seeing a lot of the twin rooms downstairs while searching for a condo or townhouse. Last year, we stayed in a villa (two families of 4). This year, we are going with my parents and I am leaning towards a condo on the 4th floor. I like the set up of having my parents in a master on one side of the condo, while the kids, my dh and I have two bedrooms on the other. But, some of you are making pretty convincing arguments for townhouses, so I might have to search a little more.

Many families who visit with grandparents, parents & kids choose a villa with two master bedrooms - that way the adults can get their privacy plus you get your own pool & spa for the family to enjoy.