First time stay in villa

Hi all new member here,Just wanted to comment on a villa i stayed in,
it was a dissapointment, i was really looking forward to staying in a villa for a change but when we arrived i was shocked to find how dirty it was knives and fork full of stale food stuck all over them
the cooker was covererd in grease, all stale food under the furniture
and i would'nt like to say what the bed mattress was like.we ended up sleeping on top of the covers,we mentioned it to the property managers but they didnt seem to be bothered, we ask them for to weeks about the lights for the pool to be replaced we are still waiting!!.:(

I am so sorry to hear that the villa you stayed in during your stay in Orlando was a disappointment. Did you book the villa direct with an owner on this site or through a tour operator?

Hi there Ruth,I booked it of the tele text tv.

Then I presume it was through a tour operator. You would therefore be advised to put in a complaint to the tour operator that you booked through and see what they say. For future reference it is much safer to book a villa through a private owner. On this site all the villas are verified for your peace of mind, and us individual owners spend a lot of time and money keeping our villas in tip top condition for the enjoyment of our guests.

I am so sorry to hear about your very bad experience. Unfortunately, tour operators pay absolute peanuts to villa owners, and consequently many of them do not take very good care of them. It is also very difficult to get a tour operator to do anything once they have taken your money.

However, don't let your bad experience put you off renting a villa. Now you have found this site you can choose from lots and lots of beautiful villas whose owners keep them to a high standard, and lovingly care for them. Not only that, but booking a villa from here gives you direct access to the owner, who will go out of their way to be helpful, and give advice whenever needed.

I know that we are only too happy to answer our guests' questions, and we build up a very good relationship with them in the months preceding their visit to our home. Like most villa owners on this site, we want to give our guests a holiday to remember, for all the right reasons.

We visit our villa regularly, several times a year, to ensure that it is kept to a high standard, and many other owners do the same. We would be horrified and appalled to think our villa was in that sort of state, as would others.

I trust that the tour operator will compensate you for your bad experience, and that your next experience will be much better. I do hope that you will return to Orlando, and that you will find a wonderful villa from this site. You will not regret it.

Your accommodation can make or break your holiday, so don't be tempted to try and pick up a bargain - its very true that you get what you pay for, and as Ruth says, we spend a lot of time and money ensuring that our homes are perfect for our guests.

Good luck, and hope you get some satisfaction from your tour operator. :)

Thanks for all your replies!!. i wish i had of found this site before we booked i am sure i would have found my dream villa!!
maybe next time i will? with a little help from this site.

ps. is there any villas near international drive, or dr phillips area
as relatives of mine would like to be nearer these places.[msnwink]

Many thanks

isnt it ashame thatthese people are like this!
so sorry you didnt know about this site before you booked that one! you would've been sure of getting the personal touch, these villa owners are so very very proud of thier beautiful homes! just listen to the things they say, how they decorate their homes, how they go out to them all that distance to give them "spring" cleans, and to just go do some odd jobs, all those hours all those miles just so we can have a brilliant holiday, in a wonderful environment, when we go we prefer to spend more of our time (apart from shopping) at the villa (and we havent had the oppertunity to buy our own and probably wont ever) because its so beautiful, comfortable, clean and even peaceful, oh i am reliving our last holiday there a few weeks ago, watching the squirrels running up and down the trees at the back of the villa whilst i was sunbathing, having my daughter, partner and grandson, stay with us and not get under each others feet cos the space is great!!!

next time go through here for the personal touch
http://www.orlandovillas.com/
http://www.villasflorida.com/
http://www.onlinefloridavillas.com/

I-drive and Dr. Phillips areas o not have vacation rentals, and are a bit far out from the Disney Parks. Kissimmee, Davenport, Clermont, Haines City (sorry if i missed any) are pretty well covered with rentals and perfect locations when visiting the Orlando area.

I have rented three villas through this site (and it's sister sites) and every time the accommodation has been fantastic.

Don't let this experience put you off renting a villa but make sure that you use this site in future...;)

Brizzle.

We went in a villa via this site, first visit ever, I was a bit dubious at first, when I was planning the holiday, but I wanted to know exactly where we would be, what the villa was like etc. My mind was put at ease and I decided to book direct after reading reports on the site.

I do not regret it! It was gorgeous, spotlessly clean and the holiday cost me less than if I had gone through a travel agent package deal.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by LiesaAnna
all those hours all those miles just so we can have a brilliant holiday, in a wonderful environment[/quote]
Welllllll - we do it so that we can have the wonderful holiday too Liesa [msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

I think the difference between booking direct with the owner and booking through a tour operator is that there is a much more personal service from the owner. We'd feel like we were letting you down if there was even so much as a lightbulb blown, let alone any bigger issues. Tour ops are really only interested in making as much profit as possible, which they do by constantly shaving off costs by cutting corners. Sometimes they cut a little to deep.

Eddie, I really do hope that it hasn't put you off renting a villa again in the future. If there is anything that any of the owners here can do to reassure you I'll guarantee that you won't be short of messages.

yeh well its truely appreciated by my family and me!!!
a big thankyou to all of you!!![clap][clap][clap][clap][clap]

So sorry to hear of your bad experience Eddie Mac, like the others say don't let it put you off villa rentals, booking directly with any of the owners on this site should result in a great holiday in a fantastic villa.

I would take Ruths advice and complain to the tour operator.

Eddie as you can see, everyone on this site just hates to hear of anyone having a bad experience in Florida and of course in particular of a Villa. Owners here (and I can say this because I am not one) take it as a personal affront. They don't like to be tarred with the same brush. As Steve (Snapper) says, Don't let it put you off.

Can I make a criticism of this site?

It doesn't blow it's own trumpet enough. It takes other people replying to new members posts to hammer in (excuse me for that Eddie) why it's so much better and safer to rent through this site. Why don't we have a location where we can point new folks where it explains the benefits?

There may be one, never looked so if there is, it's not obvious enough.

Can I just say a big thank you to the likes of Macka and LiesaAnna, they do not own villas and have nothing to gain ( and I mean that in the nicest possible sense) by promoting our villas on this site. They have previously stayed in some of the owners villas and can tell you hand on heart how much they have enjoyed themselves.

It is a shame that a proportion of guests do not find sites like this until after the event, it could save them a lot of money and heartache, especially if its a holiday of a lifetime.

Dont be put off by one bad stay, keep on the forums and you canlearn a great deal.

:)

Thanks Karen:D

Yes Karen you're welcome.

(You can send me my cheque to the usual address. Crossed, pay P.J Mackay)

I would like to second what Karen says - thanks guys!

We all take great pride in our Homes, it's nice to know that it's appreciated [msnsmile2]

We stayed in villas for three years running before we took the plunge and bought our own - this was probably down to our experiences of tour operator holidays. Each year we insisted that we had two villas close to each other - never once did we get them near enough to walk between! Once we specified a nice view - and got a view of a building site! After the long journey from England we were always very nervous about what we would find at the other end. Our experiences were never as bad as yours, Eddie,thankfully but I wouldn't like to take the risk again. For some reason we always felt we would be safer going with a tour company than dealing direct with a villa owner - now I pride myself on answering any question that a potential guest asks honestly and openly. Several times I have been told by guests on their return from one of our villas "wow! it was so much better than you said!" We are now getting repeat guests coming frequently - another bonus of villa ownership is that I love communicating with guests and feel as though I have made new friends!

If only all holidays could be like this.[8D]

Another big thumbs up for the villa owners on this site - they are fantastic.

How can people think of booking anywhere else [?]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
Another big thumbs up for the villa owners on this site - they are fantastic.

How can people think of booking anywhere else [?]
[/quote]

I often wonder that myself - so much choice coupled with the close contact from the owner - there's no need to go anywhere else! (OK, so I'm a little biased!)

OK everyone, GROUP HUG!![grouphug]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Macka
OK everyone, GROUP HUG!![grouphug]
[/quote]

LOL!!

[grouphug]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Macka
OK everyone, GROUP HUG!![grouphug]
[/quote][grouphug][grouphug] theres mine!!! oh and another then..........[grouphug][grouphug][grouphug]

Love to jump on the bandwagon :D

Everyone here has been so helpful, and we don't hesitate to pass along the web addy.. I know you guys won't let me down[msnwink]

To the OP - please don't chuck the villa rental altogether...it really can be a wonderful experience:)

:):):)

I'd love to join in here - but for some reason I can't scroll down the smileys to get the hug! Ah well, let's improvise *hugs*

Hugs Back Anna.[grouphug]
[^]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ana
I'd love to join in here - but for some reason I can't scroll down the smileys to get the hug! Ah well, let's improvise *hugs*
[/quote]

Ana I can't scroll down the smilies but if you click and drag you can go all the way down[easter2]and this is who is here.

Sorry to hear about you bad experience - definately put in a complaint; this is an exception though - most villas are kept in great condition

Hi Eddie,

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience but I know just how you feel.

The first time we ever stayed in a villa we booked it from a brouchure through a very well known tour operator at a VERY impressive price. What we got just did not live up to the brochure description or the price we had paid. It wasn't dirty but was very poorly equipped and not the "luxury" home we had been sold. We tried complaining to the management company about the fact that we didn't have enough basic equipment e.g cereal bowls or teaspoons (3 of each in a house that slept 10) but got nowhere, luckily there were only 4 of us so we made do. Although we had been disappointed with the actual house we loved the villa "experience" so much we booked again the following year, again with a tour operator, paid a ridiculously high price again but the villa was beautiful, very well equipped and well cared for. We found it hard to look at the 2 homes and see how they had both been in the same catagory in the brochure and yet been so different. I think that was when we realised that booking through a tour operator was so hit and miss, you may get lucky or you may not. Why take the risk of spoiling your holiday by not getting lucky with your accomodation. After that we started booking homes direct with the owner. we knew exactly what we were getting with our hard earned cash.

Finally 10 years after our first villa holiday we took the plunge and bought our own place. We do all our own bookings and although it is hard work and can sometimes be a worry I wouldn't change it for the world. We spend every "holiday" replacing and repairing, decorating and gardening to make sure our home is as comfortable and as inviting as possible to our guests. We are in regular contact with our managers who do a great job to make sure that everything is as perfect as possible for our guests. We realise that people work hard for their money and deserve to get what they paid for and we do our best to provide it. So don't let this bad experience put you off staying in a villa again Eddie as they are not all the same.

Our first experience of a villa was a family trip with Virgin Holidays, and unfortunately we experience the problems associated with the tiny amounts of money they pay villa owners - the place had things missing, bedding not cleaned etc etc. No MC available. Virgin rep uninteerested.

What a difference now we have our own villa here, and we ensure that none of our guests have to experience what we went through, and provide all the luxuries that make staying in a villa so much better than even at a top hotel!

Ana,

Try getting yourself a mouse with the scroll wheel and then you can scroll down the smillies when you are in that section of that page.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Calamity Jane
Can I just say a big thank you to the likes of Macka and LiesaAnna, they do not own villas and have nothing to gain ( and I mean that in the nicest possible sense) by promoting our villas on this site. They have previously stayed in some of the owners villas and can tell you hand on heart how much they have enjoyed themselves.

It is a shame that a proportion of guests do not find sites like this until after the event, it could save them a lot of money and heartache, especially if its a holiday of a lifetime.

Dont be put off by one bad stay, keep on the forums and you canlearn a great deal.

:)

[/quote]

I would like to add my thanks too, we all appreciate it.[msnsmile2][clap][msnsmile2]

We've been going to Florida for many years and stayed in probably a dozen or more different villas. I've booked them privately with the owner each time and used this site for the last couple.

I can honestly say that each one has been of an excellent standard and scrupulously clean. I would be hard pressed to say which was the best and we've been really pleased with them all.

My only bugbear has been with pool heat. For some reason, this has caused us a problem every time we've gone. We're quite happy to pay the extra but we know that every time we go one of the following happens:

1. It's not on and we have to contact the MC, let them know we've paid and request that they sort it out. It then takes a day or two for it to reach temperature and we get a bit annoyed.

2. It's on, but set at a miserly level and we have to request it be turned up.

3. The pool heat is on, but the Jacuzzi isn't

4. It's fine for a few days, but then the MC come out and turn it off, without telling us and for no apparent reason, so we need to go back to them again.

5. It's out of order and can't be fixed until we're about to leave.

I know the above sounds a bit "grousy", but honestly, EVERY time we've been, one of the above has happened.

Having said that, I'd never do anything else than take a villa and since discovering this site and the wonderful owners, I wouldn't rent from anywhere else.

Tonish

Tonish, I do understand how frustrating this can be, we have a gas pool heater and it feels like everytime our MC goes to turn it on we seem to have to have a repairman out. Its annoying and embarrassing and we always feel helpless. So sorry to hear you have had these problems.

It's OK, I understand that it's very rarely anything to do with the owner. The systems are obviously problematic and presumably take quite a lot of maintenance. I have often felt though that the MCs don't like having to deal with it and would prefer that no-one used pool heat - it's a lot less trouble.

The only ones that have really annoyed me are when they come out to make some adjustments then turn it off as they leave. You don't notice until the next day, then you spend a day wondering what they've done - they wouldn't have turned it off, would they? Two days later it's very obvious and I get really frustrated. Why do they do it? It's happened on at least three occasions.

I now bring a pool thermometer with me and we watch it carefully.

Tonish

I concur with this. We also have problems with pool heat. We booked our villa for the first half of the next holiday with someone else, (hadn't found this site yet [msnsad]) and we have stipulated that they turn the heat on the day before we arrive and they can turn it off the day before we leave.

The pool heat is just so important, possibly more important than anything else, if it's too cold to use your pool it's a disaster, who would rent a home with no pool? not many I'd bet.

We actually arrived at one villa and the pool was so hot, that we put an egg in, and in the morning it was almost hard boiled, I kid you not.

Like Tonish, we take a thermometer with us.

What does everyone consider an acceptable pool temperature?

There are health and pool chemical guidelines about pool temperatures and they're normally set at a specific level for this reason.

What pool temperature are you expecting?

Blott,
We were told 86 to 87 degrees by a pool man, we always work on that.

Are our expectations too high?