View Full Version : 1st Time Villa Rental Advice
Hi all we are planning a trip to Florida in October 2005 which i know is a while away but we have 3 kids and the youngest is only 1 years old so we wanna wait till she is a little older. The problem is i filled out a request and as you can imgaine with the trip being so far away i received about 60-70 replies at least. While this is great and gives me a huge choice i really havent a clue on how to filter my way through them, they all look great so i guess it will have to come down to location. I have been to Orlando a few times but always stayed in a hotel on International Drive(which we love) but this time we are going with friends(first time FLorida visitors) so a villa is the best option. I like the idea of staying near the Old Town in Kissimmee which i think its pretty central to everything but i have no idea as what communities are in this location. We arent rigid in our plans but I am pretty keen to get things booked up and organised so it gives us all something to look forward to, i would appreciate ALL advice on any matters relating to the trip
Thanks in advance :)
Hi Darren,
Firstly there is a map on this site of all the communitites and it gives a brief description of each community. I would then make a list of must haves, baby equipment, games room, pool with spa etc. and then compare this with the replies you have or send in another enquiry with your specific requirements and get villa owners to reply ONLY if they have the facilities you require. It will take a bit of work but will pay off if you get the perfrect villa for your holiday.
Good Luck
caroline
20-06-2004, 14:58
As Pat has said I would definitely decide what facilities were important to all memebers of the party - then I would treat it like I do when we bought a new home! ie print off the advert for each home that fitted the bill, hopefully out of the 60 or 70 replies you'lll have 20 or so that fit your requirements then prioritise them, at this stage you'll probably discard a few more. Then email the top 3 and see if they still have availability, (I know October 2005 is a long way off but it is a very popular time of the year) and take it from there :)
Have a fantastic time [8D]
TonyBlenk
20-06-2004, 15:26
Hi Darrenm,
It is daunting receiving so many replies, but as you say it allows you choice.
Once you've checked all (or most) of your desires off your 'wish-list', you could always ask the owner for additional photos of the villa and have access to testimonials from past guests.
As far as location is concerned, the majority of people choose a villa that is within 10 or 15 minutes drive of Disney.
Good luck with your choice.
Tony.
Ray&Sarah
20-06-2004, 15:35
You won't go far wrong with any of the villas on this site. Most of the communities are pretty handy for the main attractions. You will have a great time in Florida.:)
Just a suggestion, but with kids that young, you might want to consider staying in a villa community closer to the parks, so you can go back easily for nap and afternoon downtime, and easily go back in evening (either all or soem of you, depedning on how that young one is doing!) We stayed out on route 27 and loved it in April, but our kids are older. And we tended to stay at the park and not leave instead of driving the 20 minutes back and forth twice a day.
Has anyone sent you the link for the map of the communities that exists on the villa sites here? It is helpful, although it is not to scale obviously. The communities in the Splendid China area are almost just across Hwy 192 from Disney area.
All the comunities are pretty convenient but some are situated better for getting to the parks really quickly. It's a trade off though, as some of the areas a little further out are more private and peaceful and more residential instead of all rentals...
I agree about getting together your list of what features you want in the villa before you go through all those indiviual villa options. I would say don't skimp- get what you want, it's a big vacation. You are right to do as much research as possible. There are considerations that can make a difference that are not apparent at first, but will be once you start reading the posts on here (I went back through old ones when we rented the first time). Good luck!
steph_goodrum
20-06-2004, 16:42
Hi Darren
Your'e right to start looking early. Although Oct 2005 seems a long way off the school holiday slots get booked very early.
Regarding the location as Ray and Sarah said all the vilas on the sites listed here are convenient for the parks. We're on the 27 and find it takes us about 15 mins to get to the Disney parks. The 192 can get very busy at peak times so its swings and roundabout really.
Some of the developments have facilities on site which may help decide for you as well like tennis, baskteball etc so if the older children want a bit more space to run around in then they can do so.
Half of the fun of the hoiday is in the preparation as well , if you make it. The more you look at the more you'll start to get excited about the trip.
I agree, draw up a list of your must haves and would likes and then sort through your answers. You choose what's best for you and your family and you can't go wrong!
As far as getting around is concerned, it is possible to find homes that don't require any contact with the 192 to get to the theme parks or other places like restaurants, etc but it depends what's important to you.
wow thanks for the all the input, some great suggestions not sure if it is just us but we have never been very fussed with being on Disney's doorstep, i am happy to drive 10 mins or 30 mins That wouldnt sway us either way. Maybe because when we do the parks we stay there all day we have never been ones for the afternoon nap, we go down the rest days route. Saying that we have never took a child as young as 2-3 before so it may make a difference. Location wise i think the immediate surroundings and access to shops/restruants etc are more important. The more i think it about it a community with some sort of kids facilities(swing park/sports etc) could be a advantage. I have checked out the map link which does give you a rough idea of locations/communities but not sure which communities have what, maybe a few suggestions can lead me in the right direction :)
One thing for sure i will be making full use of this place and since i have always planned/booked my trip without the need for a travel agent, i have already checked out the VERY compititive rates offered by uscarhire.co.uk
Thanks again all
Nostromo
20-06-2004, 17:52
First of all, October is a great time of the year to go to Orlando; probably the best time, with good weather, little risk of rain disruption and modest crowds in most parks.
Until this time, we had been to Orlando 4 times previously and stayed in hotels. But this time there were 7 of us and I booked a villa through this site, never having tried a holiday home before. It turned out to be the best decision that I had ever made. Within 48 hours of my request for a 4-bed/3-loo villa, I had 54 replies, most of them by British owners. Most of them fitted our requirements and so it was simply a matter of drawing a shortlist on a hunch and then phoning the respective people. We eventually chose a villa in Orange Tree and it was wonderful; but I am sure that there were at least 20 other villas which would have been just as nice.
As long as you specify your requirements, you cannot go wrong by booking a villa (and flights, car, park tickets etc) through this site. You get first hand info from the owners and useful tips from the experts.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:I have checked out the map link which does give you a rough idea of locations/communities but not sure which communities have what, maybe a few suggestions can lead me in the right direction :)[/quote]We're nothing if not helpful here! The community descriptions for all of them are here http://www.orlandovillas.com/Communities.aspx otherwise we'll all end up describing our own!
steph_goodrum
20-06-2004, 17:57
Hi Darren
I can start the ball rolling with Hampton Lakes, we have tennis, basketball, sand volleyball (also useful for sand play with buckets and spades for the little one, and a small childrens tot lot with small climbing frame , rope ladder , slide etc (for under 5s probably), as well as a larger pool if you all want a bit more space to play.
I'm sure some of the other owners can tell you what is available on their own communities.
The youngest one will probably be fine with an all day at the park as I guess he/she will probably have a pushchair so as long as its not too hot (and Oct should be quite comfortable) can fall asleep in that anyway.
Must admit we do the same as you and stay out for the day as we usually have a hopper ticket so dont want to waste it.
If youre going Oct dont forget to check out the Mickeys not so scary halloween party, the youngster will love it I'm sure, going round the park and collecting all the free sweets.
Cheers Steph exactly the kind of thing i was looking for :) Sorry Blott i did check that link out but for some reason i like to here it from the horses mouth if you know what i mean, i know there could be element of bias involved but dont think there is any harm in a owner promoting whats in their communities ?? Of course with me being new i could be totally wrong lol but at the end of the day they can only state whats there or not
The community descriptions were written by the home owner advertisers on the three OV.com websites and not every home owner visits the forum so you may well find some gaps in the community info on the forum but not on the community descriptions.
Hope this helps!
Ah thanks a lot, i have printed out all the community info and will have a good read through them ;)
steph_goodrum
20-06-2004, 21:39
Dont forget as well though Darren that some of the facilities listed for the communities, may not be necessary, depending on where you decide to stay. An internet cafe for example becomes redundant if the villa you are in has a computer with internet access as you wont then have to wait in line for computer or clubhouse with pool table etc if the villa has a games room, so its best to get some ideas of what sort of villas there are too.
If good access to restaurants and shops is important to you, you would be hard pushed to beat Southern Dunes. There is a clubhouse with restaurant and just outside the community gates is a 24 hour WalMart superstore.