Windsor Hills Resort

[mareed]

We have stayed at Windsor Hills the past two years and have enjoyed the facilities both times. I just wanted to point out with the price variances in the 3 BR condo units - it could be a matter of furnishings, linens, maintenance, and/or condo size. The first year we paid $99/night and stayed in a very nicely furnished unit that was a little over 1400 sq ft. The second year we paid $80/night (both the same week, same building - different floor) and stayed in a unit that was about 1100 sq ft and the furnishings and kitchen amenities were noticeably different (not bad but definitely of a lesser quality). Even though we paid more the first year, we enjoyed that condo more. We would have stayed at WH again in 2008, but I just got a deal at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas for $490 week...so we're going to try that instead.

You will enjoy your stay there. Have a great trip!

I always look for the floor plan of the place I'm staying. After looking at so many pictures of places in the different neighborhoods/resorts, I got to where I could tell how many floor plans there were of a certain bedroom size, and could tell them apart. I also ruled out some of the smaller floor plans in some cases, because the bedrooms/bathrooms seemed a bit cramped. It took some digging in some cases, but I really enjoy the challenge of the search!

In my recent 4 bedroom search, I even dug up a floor plan from another website and sent it to the owner I'm renting with and asked if that was his floor plan. I was really concerned about the kitchen and bathroom layouts and wanted to know for sure what we were getting. I did not like some layouts that had a kitchen completely separate from the living room, and it was sometimes hard to tell from the pictures on the website.

I also look for some signs of decorating above & beyond the basics. I like to see pictures on the wall, some sort of window treatments, and ceiling fans. While not a guarantee, this indicates that some level of decorating has been done beyond the basic furnishings. Also, a king-sized bed and hi-speed internet is now on our list of "must-haves", and I think just about all the Windsor Hills places will have this. Some of the slightly older places have had to be retrofitted with hi-speed internet because it wasn't as common when they were built.

Good luck with your search! I think you'll be happy with what you find at Windsor Hills! I'm sure if I'd been used to paying Disney Resort prices, I'd be thrilled with what I'd find at Windsor Hills! But, since I'm used to other off-site resorts, Windsor Hills is just a bit pricey for me.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

I LEAVE IN 8 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WINDSOR HILLS HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cruz91]

....wait, that is.... We're right at TWO WEEKS till we leave - so we'll be there soon! (Now someone pray for cooler weather / no rain for us).

 

[work2play]

Cruz91- I see that this is not your first visit to WH? Where have you stayed, and where are you staying this trip.

I hope you all report back when you return!

 

[applechips]

We would have stayed at WH again in 2008, but I just got a deal at Cypress Pointe Grande Villas for $490 week...so we're going to try that instead.

wow that is a great price how did you get that rate?

 

[Cruz91]

Cruz91- I see that this is not your first visit to WH? Where have you stayed, and where are you staying this trip.

I hope you all report back when you return!

Didn't see your question. We stayed at a place we found on vrbo.com. The owner has been AWESOME. Unless I'm blowing rewards points and the stay is free at a hotel, I can't see myself ever going anywhere other than WH. If you want the owner's contact info we're staying with - PM me and I'll send it to you. I don't, however, think our experience is unique. Most folks I've seen on here have said that their experiences with owners have been just as positive as the one I've dealt with...

P.S. - 5 days till we fly out, but who's counting?!

 

[QT Pooh]

wow that is a great price how did you get that rate?

I lucked out, I think. I rented from an owner on myresortnetwork.com who was offering a special for that week only. It's a 2-BR, but the $490 includes everything. I keep telling myself that it can't be true, but he sent me a reservation confirmation and it has my name on it for the dates I needed. No timeshare tour required or anything. I've never been to a timeshare so I'm not quite sure what to expect, but Cypress Pointe (both I and II) seem to get great reviews on this board. For $70 per night, I'll risk it.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

We just got back last night from our 10 day stay at Windsor Hills! We had a WONDERFUL FABULOUS time!!! We absolutely LOVED it!! Windsor Hills was GREAT!! I cannot believe any of the negative (very few) things that I have heard about this place. Especially the one where someone didn't feel safe; are we talking about the same place?????? It was wonderful. I'm going to write up a trip report, and I have TONS of pictures to post and I'm going to write up everything comparing our trip last year (at Pop Century) and this year (at WH), including cost, just so people who are thinking about staying offsite can see. As for us, we'll never stay onsite again, unless it's a monorail hotel, EVER. I'm telling you, this was the most perfect vacation ever, and a BIG reason for that was b/c we stayed at Windsor Hills Anywho, I'll post a link to my trip report when I get it started

 

[mikymouse]

I am so glad to read this post! We are trying out WH in 2008 for our Disney vacation and I will take all the reassurances about WH I can get. I am so glad you are had a great vacation and I will be looking forward to all the details including the On-vs-Off site experience.

 

[nala-h]

We just got back last night from our 10 day stay at Windsor Hills! We had a WONDERFUL FABULOUS time!!! We absolutely LOVED it!! Windsor Hills was GREAT!! I cannot believe any of the negative (very few) things that I have heard about this place. Especially the one where someone didn't feel safe; are we talking about the same place?????? It was wonderful. I'm going to write up a trip report, and I have TONS of pictures to post and I'm going to write up everything comparing our trip last year (at Pop Century) and this year (at WH), including cost, just so people who are thinking about staying offsite can see. As for us, we'll never stay onsite again, unless it's a monorail hotel, EVER. I'm telling you, this was the most perfect vacation ever, and a BIG reason for that was b/c we stayed at Windsor Hills Anywho, I'll post a link to my trip report when I get it started

so glad to hear that and so glad you had a wonderful time, being a villa owner on WH it really make it worthwhile when see review like this i look forward to seeing your piece on the on /off comparison

 

[lorilori]

Glad to hear you had such a great time at WH. We've rented a 5 bedroom home for the first time ever for June since we're bring along some of the kid's friends and I can't wait to read your report!

 

[Princess_Michelle]

I have started my Off site Trip Report and have posted all the pics I'm going to put up of Windsor Hills and our condo, here it is........

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=21325707#post21325707

 

[Figment22]

I'm enjoying your trip report Princess_Michelle. I'm glad you posted the link.

We will be staying at Windsor Hills for the third time this Thanksgiving. We have stayed at numerous other condo/time share type resorts (Vistana, Cypress Pointe I & II, Cypress Palms, Regal Palms, Emerald Island, Marriott's Cypress Harbour and Marriott's Royal Palms) various other condos and houses along with MANY hotels both onsite and offsite. I can tell you honestly, I don't plan on staying anywhere else but at Windsor Hills in the future. It's that special. It just has so many extra amenities that most of the other places don't and its proximity to the parks tops everything. This is the third condo owner with whom we have dealt and have had no problems at all. I'm sure there are a few clunkers out there but I haven't found them yet. (Hope I never do )

I'm never spending another night cramped up with four of us in a hotel room, no matter how nice the hotel is.

 

[work2play]

When booking your stay at Windsor Hills, did you book directing with the unit owner through the owner website, or did you use some other sites? PM me if you have a site that you liked that had Windsor Hills units!

 

[applechips]

I just got back lastnight from a trip to WDW. We stayed at Windsor Hills townhomes! We loved it, it was amazing. I went to the main website and looked around and then found someone here on the DIS who had great reviews for their rentals/homes so I booked with them. It was a breeze and the home was beautiful. www.5mins2disney.com


ETA: I posted the wrong address of the townhome earlier, the correct addy for the townhome is www.5mins2disney.com

 

[bearzabout]

We stay at timeshares instead of Windsor Hills because my hubby has to have a soak in a whirlpool bathtub at the end of a long day in the parks. Our extended family is renting a house in WH with a whirlpool tub later this year. Do any of the condos or townhomes have whirlpool bathtubs?

 

[applechips]

We stay at timeshares instead of Windsor Hills because my hubby has to have a soak in a whirlpool bathtub at the end of a long day in the parks. Our extended family is renting a house in WH with a whirlpool tub later this year. Do any of the condos or townhomes have whirlpool bathtubs?

My TH had a whirlpool bath!

 

[work2play]

My husband attends a conference every year in Orlando the week after Thanksgiving. It is always a nightmare trying to find a hotel on I drive that is not booked up (and is under the govt per diem rate of $99).

This year I talked him into a 2 Br condo at WH. Much more room that the Holiday Inn, where he usually stays, and it is less than the per diem rate!

So while he is off conferencing, I will be having a much better time pin trading at WDW!

Wahoo!

 

[Mainebound]

When booking your stay at Windsor Hills, did you book directing with the unit owner through the owner website, or did you use some other sites? PM me if you have a site that you liked that had Windsor Hills units!

We use www.windsorhillsrent.com or www.vrbo.com. On Windsorhillsrent.com, you can either scroll through the properties, or send an inquiry for your dates and number of bedrooms and will get a reply from all the owners who have availability (and many who don't unfortunately). I usually set up a spare free email account for this purpose as the volume of replies is so large. On VRBO, you can find a list of all WH properties arranged in order of number of bedrooms, but you have to email them individually.