View Full Version : silly spa question
jminmaine
19-07-2004, 22:24
Greetings,
We hope to rent a villa in March for our first time (usually stay onsite at WDW). We are looking at 3-4 bed pool homes with spas, either Windsor Palms, Emerald Island, or Formosa Gardens. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me whether it is better to have a spa that is attached to the pool where the heat is directed to the spa, or better to have a separate/detached spa sitting on the pool deck as some villas do. (One villa complaint I have seen is that pool and/or spa heat can be less than adequate even when paid for separately.) Sorry to ask such a trivial question, but winters in northern Maine are long and a hot spa is a big deal to us! Thank you.
Having experienced both, my own preference would be a stand-alone spa but I think it all depends on what you're used to. I'm accustomed to the spa being set at 38 degrees and therefore found the pool-spa quite cool in comparison. There weren't many jets either so you didn't experience a full body massage as the pool-spa didn't have any back/neck jets or any lounger facilities. Although, this particular pool was attached to an older property so perhaps the more modern integrated spas would be more generous in both heat and jets.
This is my view as a renter but I'm sure that a home-owner forum member can post further information on the more modern units. Perhaps if temperature doesn't bother you (and let's face it, in Florida, you'll probably want to cool down not heat up!!;)), you could ask the owners of villas on your "potential" list about the quantity of jets in the spa etc.
chrizzy100
19-07-2004, 23:35
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jminmaine
Greetings,
We hope to rent a villa in March for our first time (usually stay onsite at WDW). We are looking at 3-4 bed pool homes with spas, either Windsor Palms, Emerald Island, or Formosa Gardens. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me whether it is better to have a spa that is attached to the pool where the heat is directed to the spa, or better to have a separate/detached spa sitting on the pool deck as some villas do. (One villa complaint I have seen is that pool and/or spa heat can be less than adequate even when paid for separately.) Sorry to ask such a trivial question, but winters in northern Maine are long and a hot spa is a big deal to us! Thank you.
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I have a hot tub......but in FL I would be happy with a spa attached to the pool....I don't think you need the extra heat down there.....
CarolAnn
19-07-2004, 23:41
The only comment I would make is, the spas in villas are a LOT smaller than those at WDW:( We stay at WDW mainly,and love the spa time, but found that alot of the villa ones were a single person in comfort only situation[msnsad]Kind of put us off worrying about it too be honest[msnscared]On that basis I would have thought the free standing ones might be more spacious in general[?]Just a thought:)
Nostromo
20-07-2004, 00:10
I would have thought a separate, stand-alone spa would be preferable. One can relax more if it is a bit away from the other noisy folk in the pool.:)
chrizzy100
20-07-2004, 00:21
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
I would have thought a separate, stand-alone spa would be preferable. One can relax more if it is a bit away from the other noisy folk in the pool.:)
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The only thing is the heat of the water......if you're not used to it.....a 102 degrees can be a bit much in the FL heat.....stand alones come into their own in the winter time..........even a FL winter night can be cool........and then a real hot tub is a must have.......
SunLover
20-07-2004, 00:35
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by CarolAnn
The only comment I would make is, the spas in villas are a LOT smaller than those at WDW:( We stay at WDW mainly,and love the spa time, but found that alot of the villa ones were a single person in comfort only situation[msnsad]Kind of put us off worrying about it too be honest[msnscared]On that basis I would have thought the free standing ones might be more spacious in general[?]Just a thought:)
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Whilst there are many owners who have larger stand alone spas, I think the main reason that spas, whether in ground or stand alone tend to be smaller is the cost factor, and also the size of the pool deck.
In ground spas, built at the construction stage of a villa tend to give the new owner only a small choice of shape and size, unless the owner opts for an expensive upgrade, and even then, there are still the constraints of the deck and plot size to consider.
Owners who add stand alone tub / spas have to consider how much space they take up on the pool deck without it becoming cluttered, and also the logistics of getting it erected inside an already standing pool screen cage.
WDW not being short of a few cents can pretty much do what they want ;)
jminmaine
20-07-2004, 01:25
Thank you, everyone, for your input. I know florida can be hot, as I used to live in Jacksonville, but we visit at the end of feb/early march every year and find that weather at that time is unpredictable, and nights can cool down quite a bit.
As for size of spa, I hadn't thought about it, but will now. But I'm not sure it is easy to tell on these websites anyway. Some pool decks appear to be enormous in one photo, then the more realistic 10 x 10 in others. LOL! also I am learning that if the pool photo is toward the home, and shows only about 3 feet in the air, then the pool backs onto other pools, but if the photo is taken from the home, looking out back, the owners are proud of the view and not afraid to show it! But either way it looks like you have neighbors on top of you to the left and right in most of these developments, with nary a shrub in sight. Would it kill these developers to lose a few bucks in profit and plant a tree for heaven's sake!?
Thank you all again.
SunLover
20-07-2004, 02:36
The first thing we did when we bought was to erect a wooden privacy fence along our plot line around the pool area, and then create borders where we've added all manner of palms, shrubs and tropical plants.
It's makes a pleasant vista, and the guests always comment on how tropical it looks.
Owners with stand-alone spas tend to advertise how many people the spa is designed for, and/or tell you the size of it. If you're looking for the full spa experience and intend to use it for massage/therapeutic purposes then a stand-alone wins hands down. It not only has many more jets of differing types but also is separately heated (usually via electricity) and this heat is not dependent on the ambient outside air temperature unlike all electrically heated pools.
We have one attached to our pool and from previous experience it is just fine as the florida weather is warm enough.
DOM
Having been "educated" early in my villa ownership between the difference of an attached spa (which we have) and a hot tub I have to put my two pennies worth in.
We have a spa attached to the pool and have been told from several knowledgeable sources that the spa is not designed to have more heat to it than the actual pool. The warm water system feeds both together (and therefore spa heat cannot be had without the pool heat on). In practice the spa does tend to be significantly warmer than the pool because you have the warm water directed at a smaller space. The spa bit I think refers more to the bubbles (which can be very refreshing on a hot summers evening...)
Now if there is a hot tub/ jacuzzi whether in ground or stand on deck type that is completely separate to the pool then it has it's own heat source and tends to be used at temperatures much higher than above mentioned spa.
Jackie
Jessica, if you are looking for a more private pool area, if you put secluded pool in the search facility that is available you will find a selection of us with that attribute.[msnsmile2]
chrizzy100
21-07-2004, 17:23
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jminmaine
Thank you, everyone, for your input. I know florida can be hot, as I used to live in Jacksonville, but we visit at the end of feb/early march every year and find that weather at that time is unpredictable, and nights can cool down quite a bit.
As for size of spa, I hadn't thought about it, but will now. But I'm not sure it is easy to tell on these websites anyway. Some pool decks appear to be enormous in one photo, then the more realistic 10 x 10 in others. LOL! also I am learning that if the pool photo is toward the home, and shows only about 3 feet in the air, then the pool backs onto other pools, but if the photo is taken from the home, looking out back, the owners are proud of the view and not afraid to show it! But either way it looks like you have neighbors on top of you to the left and right in most of these developments, with nary a shrub in sight. Would it kill these developers to lose a few bucks in profit and plant a tree for heaven's sake!?
Thank you all again.
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Most Americans have no hang ups about being seen in the pool or spa or on the deck eating.....I think us Brits are getting the hang of being seen in the pool too.....its nice to be able to call out to your neighbours to come in for drinks .......and not be hidden away behind walls or fences.....a holidays a time to meet people and make friends.....:)
Chrizzy, you might be surprised how many Americans do like privacy. We have quite a few book our villa for that reason(plus a selection of Canadians, French and other Europeans)[msnwink]
chrizzy100
21-07-2004, 21:45
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Karen
Chrizzy, you might be surprised how many Americans do like privacy. We have quite a few book our villa for that reason(plus a selection of Canadians, French and other Europeans)[msnwink]
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Maybe they only like to show it off when its their own stuff.....because so many people here BBQ in the front garden...on wrap around decks......and if the pool can be seen from the street.....it sure is.......hehehehehe
jminmaine
21-07-2004, 23:49
As for privacy, as an American who is shopping for a rental villa, I do want it, because we have two young sons who can be LOUD, and parents who sometimes have to be even LOUDER to get them to listen to us!! At some of the newer communities the villas seem so close together that it looks like normal adult conversations could easily carry from one pool area to another -- never mind the sounds of screaming toddlers. Also (and I don't want to offend anyone here -- this is just personal opinion) it's kind of unattractive to see all these homes just stacked one on top of the other with no shrubs or bushes in between. But I'm biased -- we moved out of Florida because of concerns about hasty/unplanned development. A lot of folks have other priorities and interests. It seems like older communities do have more space and trees, so we may gravitate to one of those.
chrizzy100
22-07-2004, 00:00
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jminmaine
As for privacy, as an American who is shopping for a rental villa, I do want it, because we have two young sons who can be LOUD, and parents who sometimes have to be even LOUDER to get them to listen to us!! At some of the newer communities the villas seem so close together that it looks like normal adult conversations could easily carry from one pool area to another -- never mind the sounds of screaming toddlers. Also (and I don't want to offend anyone here -- this is just personal opinion) it's kind of unattractive to see all these homes just stacked one on top of the other with no shrubs or bushes in between. But I'm biased -- we moved out of Florida because of concerns about hasty/unplanned development. A lot of folks have other priorities and interests. It seems like older communities do have more space and trees, so we may gravitate to one of those.
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I love the sound of kids playing in the pools....sometimes at home I feel like I'm the only person alive.....and we have a main road in the next block....I put my love of background sounds to living in flats and terraced homes......I miss my neighbour come home and hearing her shouting for me to 'put kettle on'....over the fence....[msncry][msncry]
My spa is attached to the pool and shares the heater with it but it's temperature is set independently and so it gets significantly hotter than the pool.:)
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jad
We have a spa attached to the pool and have been told from several knowledgeable sources that the spa is not designed to have more heat to it than the actual pool. The warm water system feeds both together (and therefore spa heat cannot be had without the pool heat on). In practice the spa does tend to be significantly warmer than the pool because you have the warm water directed at a smaller space. The spa bit I think refers more to the bubbles (which can be very refreshing on a hot summers evening...)
Jackie
[/quote]
caroline
22-07-2004, 00:05
So does ours Ruth:)
jminmaine
22-07-2004, 07:07
Thank you, everyone, for answering my spa question. I have a better idea now of the difference between the two types. thanks again!
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jminmaine
As for privacy, as an American who is shopping for a rental villa, I do want it, because we have two young sons who can be LOUD, and parents who sometimes have to be even LOUDER to get them to listen to us!! At some of the newer communities the villas seem so close together that it looks like normal adult conversations could easily carry from one pool area to another -- never mind the sounds of screaming toddlers. Also (and I don't want to offend anyone here -- this is just personal opinion) it's kind of unattractive to see all these homes just stacked one on top of the other with no shrubs or bushes in between. But I'm biased -- we moved out of Florida because of concerns about hasty/unplanned development. A lot of folks have other priorities and interests. It seems like older communities do have more space and trees, so we may gravitate to one of those.
[/quote]
I just want to say that I totally understand where you're coming from here. That was the first comment I made to my husband when we were shopping for a villa 3 years ago - that I didn't like the way the homes were stacked one on the other and I hated staring into the pool next door! The very first thing we did was install vinyl fencing around the pool area! And my reasons for wanting privacy are very similar to yours - my kids are loud too!!!