View Full Version : Opinions Please
Orlandoorbust
02-09-2003, 17:38
We are visiting in March 2005, at the moment we have had expressions of interest from four groups of family members,(total numbers 14) would we be able to book seperate villa's close together?(for mutual support as none of us have been before) or should we perhaps look at just sharing a villa and living in each others pockets(so to speak), on a personal note i would prefer if we could have seperate gaffs close together.
If it was me I would go for seperate Villa's close to each other, We go away with all
my inlaws every few years, and it is nice to have your own space to retreat to.
you can put in a request for homes that are close to each other on the enquiry form -that way you can be close -but not on top of each other as chrisj says it's nice to have your own space.
I'll echo the above comments too. I like a degree of privacy and space, and if you put out an enquiry for 2 villas together you will still be able to see each other whenever you wish.
A larger villa works out more economical than 2 or 3 smaller ones and as long as you choose one with enough bedrooms to sleep everyone and a couple of living areas I think this works well:)
chrizzy100
02-09-2003, 20:37
quote:Originally posted by Orlandoorbust
We are visiting in March 2005, at the moment we have had expressions of interest from four groups of family members,(total numbers 14) would we be able to book seperate villa's close together?(for mutual support as none of us have been before) or should we perhaps look at just sharing a villa and living in each others pockets(so to speak), on a personal note i would prefer if we could have seperate gaffs close together.
I'd not share.....I hate it...:(
sunshine state
02-09-2003, 22:21
Yes personally hiring a big villa is much better as there is much more space to move around.
Remember, 14 days and nights, with people that you usually only see for a few hours at a time, can strain even the best of relationships!! Two homes near each other will give you a lot more floor space to spread out in, than one larger home. You'll also have the opportunity to escape from other members of the party if it gets a bit too much. :D:D
It may end up a bit more expensive to have two homes, but when you spread this over 14 people, then it is not even worth worrying about.
The first villa holiday we had we had two and a half weeks and in the middle week my wife's parents and brother and his wife came out. Were we glad when the went away again!! To make it worse they were sharing the one hire car, so it got a little intense between them. They got into that awful situation, which was interesting to be able watch from the sidelines, of not one of them really wanting to say where they wanted to go, so everyone ended up comprimising and no one really being happy. At least we had our own car and could go our own way and also get some space.
Considering the cost of a holiday in Florida for 14 people I would say (depending on the dynamics of the group) two or three villas on the same community would be best, preferrably nearby. You will more than likely be able to phone between the villas for free, and you will be able to get together, and get space as required. If the community has clubhouse facilities, for example, it may also be possible for the kids to go to the clubhouse and keep in touch with walkie-talkies.
Just my tuppence worth.
Also if they are not next to each other, but a few Villa's along, you could always get a few
walkie talkies from walmart so the kids could have fun, or if there are phones and the calls
are free etc.
As I said we do go away as a whole family every few years, and to be able to go back to your
own place is worth the money, well thats our experience, as Carla says, you might not see
these people 24X7 so it could be a shock to the system.
Chris
I would definatly go for seperate accomodation as had a awful experiance when we shared a villa with another family who we were very close with, we are all early rise-ers and had to lay in bed or try to keep our kids quiet because the other family did not surface until around 9am and then one of the boys had a fall out and it just made for a very uncomfortable fortnight
huckleberry house
03-09-2003, 16:59
Definitely separate Villas,having just returned from two weeks with very close relatives they were a little too close at times.
Two villas close together gives you two pools,two kitchens etc,allowing for different eating requirements and television.While a larger Villa will give more bedrooms the living areas and pools and decks tend to be the same size as smaller homes meaning you would all be crammed into the same small area.
Far better to spend just a little more and enjoy some space which after all is the main advantage a Villa holiday can give.
Lesley
chrizzy100
03-09-2003, 18:37
quote:Originally posted by Kissyme
I would definatly go for seperate accomodation as had a awful experiance when we shared a villa with another family who we were very close with, we are all early rise-ers and had to lay in bed or try to keep our kids quiet because the other family did not surface until around 9am and then one of the boys had a fall out and it just made for a very uncomfortable fortnight
I'm glad I'm not the only one to have a bad time sharing....I did wonder because so many Villas sleep 10 12 people with sofa beds etc...and to me that says 2 families etc..I found the sofa beds the biggest problem if you end up being the only person caring enough to put them away for the day.....:(
You really need to know the house cleaning habits of who you go with......I like to keep the place I'm staying nice.....I thought my friend would.....she cleans her place all day....but away she just left everything....it was a nightmare.....
We shared with some good friends once, needless to say they are no long good friends and
just friends.
We have known several families and friends that have shared Villas / Holiday accommodation and all have had problems, be it kids fighting or adults falling out with each other, over the use of the TV / Kitchen / Bathrooms etc.
Without fail none of the people involved would do it again, a small family unit can have a difficult time when they spend 2 weeks together, let alone an enlarged family and friends.
I would 100% recommend that you think long and hard about sharing otherwise you could risk loosing some good friends.
DMC
Next year we are going for 3 weeks, Some friends who live over the road are there at the
same time, we were tactful ,but said we would prefer our own place. Since then 2 other friends
have started to look at booking the same time. we have again suggested they get their own place.
So there might be 4 familes of us, but I still want our own place. We will meet up, but will
obviously want to do different things on different days.
As I said earlier we did once share with some good friends and said afterwards not again
I have to agree with the above - it is really nice to just have your own space. If you are able to get two homes close even better! You can always get together round the pool with out being thrown together all the time - a much better time will be had by all :D
Well as the owner of a large home who usually has more than one family in it I must be lucky as I have had several repeat bookings for guests who repeat the sharing experience. I also like sharing our villa with other family members (especially my mother-in-law), I think it improves the holiday:)
Thats great Ruth, everyone is different as you have shown
Orlandoorbust
08-09-2003, 23:50
Thanks for the input, We will go with two villa's, we will share with the two Mothers( have done this before so no hassle)in a four bed and my brother will have a seperate three bed, that way we can seperate the mothers if need be :D.
Sounds like the perfect solution[8D]
caroline
09-09-2003, 01:51
quote:Originally posted by Ruth
Well as the owner of a large home who usually has more than one family in it I must be lucky as I have had several repeat bookings for guests who repeat the sharing experience. I also like sharing our villa with other family members (especially my mother-in-law), I think it improves the holiday:)
Ruth - come clean! we know you just want a babysitter on hand:D;):D
PS Having met your mother-in-law, I'd happily share a villa with her too (if she babysat for me:D;):D)
quote:Originally posted by caroline
Ruth - come clean! we know you just want a babysitter on hand:D;):D
PS Having met your mother-in-law, I'd happily share a villa with her too (if she babysat for me:D;):D)
Okay I admit it you are right[:I][:I]Anyone who likes helping me look after my brood has to be a real gem:D
huckleberry house
09-09-2003, 02:43
Yep
I think you have definitely made the right decision,twice the space,half the arguments:)
Lesley