Windsor Hills vs. Bonnet Creek

[Clare]

I've been a devoted on-site WDW visitor. Love the resorts, love the convenience, love the "magic".....BUT.....

Our next trip will be 5 nights after a Disney cruise in mid-March. Here are the factors leading us to consider off-site:

1. We are accustomed to traveling in value season so the season-change alone is giving us sticker shock.
2. There are 5 of us (youngest just turned 4) so our resort options are limited.
3. As kids get older, we need more space - separate bedrooms/bathrooms is more and more appealing.

So, we are looking at a 3 bedroom townhouse in Windsor Hills or a condo at Bonnet Creek. Would really love to hear some first hand experiences of both/either!

Ready......GO!

 

[mrsklamc]

When we stayed in a 3 bed townhouse at WH it was with 5mins2disney and I would definitely stay there again. I've not stayed at WBC but it is my understanding that it has more of a 'resort' feel, lazy rivers, more business, etc, where WH is more like staying at a private home.

 

[blessedby3]

I've been a devoted on-site WDW visitor. Love the resorts, love the convenience, love the "magic".....BUT.....

Our next trip will be 5 nights after a Disney cruise in mid-March. Here are the factors leading us to consider off-site:

1. We are accustomed to traveling in value season so the season-change alone is giving us sticker shock.
2. There are 5 of us (youngest just turned 4) so our resort options are limited.
3. As kids get older, we need more space - separate bedrooms/bathrooms is more and more appealing.

So, we are looking at a 3 bedroom townhouse in Windsor Hills or a condo at Bonnet Creek. Would really love to hear some first hand experiences of both/either!


Ready......GO!

I agree with mrsklamc....Bonnet Creek is a resort, WH is a community of homes, condos and townhomes. I have stayed at BC, but not WH. I was looking to try WH for our trip in June, but I think we will like BC better. I like the feel that I am still in a resort, but not paying WDW prices while still being pretty much on property. We are booked for 2 weeks at BC again

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

We stayed at WH in a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom condo (with two king size beds, two twin size beds, and a sleeper sofa) and loved it. We loved that it was a gated community, it seemed quiet and very family oriented, my kids loved the zero depth entry pool with water slide and splash pad, and we were a 8-15 minute drive away from the Disney parks (AK being the closest and MK being the farthest). A major difference between the two resorts is that WBC is a timeshare resort with only condos and WH is a private owner community with condos, townhouses, and houses. WBC has more pools and more of a "resort" feel, but the main pool at WH is also very nice and large and they also have a sundries shop, a community center/clubhouse with a fitness center, game room, and movie theater, and two resort playgrounds if you wanted to take advantage of those amenities. We looked into both resorts for our last trip and were leaning towards WBC because of the location and all the great things we read about it here on these boards but we ended up going with WH for a few reasons. Since each condo/house at WH is privately owned you can rent directly from the owner or go through a management company (we went through Florida Sun Vacation Homes) and with that we felt that the rental process was a little more straightforward than going through a timeshare broker, but again that was our experience. Also with renting a condo at WH you choose exactly which condo/house you want so we knew ahead of time what our unit looked like and its location within the resort. Lastly the rate we got for our 3 bedroom condo was awesome and was $79/night (about $95/night with taxes and fees); and the quotes we got for a 2 bedroom deluxe at WBC ranged from $130-$150/night. The location for WBC can't be beat though, you are in the vicinity of the Epcot area and next to Disney's Caribbean Beach resort and we may certainly look into WBC again for a future trip; but we had such a great experience at WH and felt we got so much bang for our buck there that we wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Both resorts are really great options for a Disney trip and I don't think you can go wrong with either

 

[BeerMe]

We've done WH and BC - once each. We were not impressed with BC. It was nice there, but there was something I can't put my finger on that we didn't like. That doesn't happen often but I always listen to that inner voice. WH was a great place to stay.

 

[Disney Ella]

We've stayed at Bonnet Creek and Windsor Hills (http://disneyvisittownhome.com/orange-bowl-daytona500.html).

The accommodations at both places were very nice. We liked having the splash pool at Windsor Hills - very convenient when we didn't feel like walking over to the main pool after a long day at the parks.

I'm one of those people who prefer to stay somewhere that feels like a resort. While Windsor Hills was very nice, it seemed like a housing development that could be anywhere to me. We all liked Bonnet Creek better, but as I said, both places are nice. It's just a personal preference.

 

[aj2hall]

We stayed at a 3 br condo in Windsor Hills in Jan 2011. We were very happy with both the condo and the resort itself. It was a short drive to Disney and convenient to grocery stores and restaurants.

For our upcoming trip in Feb - March 2014, I'm trying to decide between Bonnet Creek and Windsor Hills. I think my kids would really like the lazy river at Bonnet Creek. But, I would like to make reservations soon and not wait until less than 2 months before. And we're going for 12 nights, not just a Saturday to Saturday. Looking at rates, I think it will cost more for a 2 br condo at Bonnet Creek compared to a 3 br townhome at Windsor Hills. not sure if any of that helps

 

[Rosebud123]

I think it depends on what you're looking for. Tons of people seem to like WH, but it doesn't appeal to me at all because I love the feel of a resort. You might prefer the privacy of WH. I've only stayed at WBC, but we loved it!