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<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dolphinv
. . .kids can get lost in the house:D
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EXACTLY!!! I love my kids, but being cooped up with them for 24 hours a day is NOT my idea of a true holiday! It's wonderful to send them off to their own bedrooms and have some time to unwind and recharge my batteries. I get to do this at home - why would I want anything less on vacation!!
We are pretty evenly split with single families and multiple families staying in our villa. With small kids we love the fact that we can put the kids to bed like they are used to at home, and then either watch tv or relax in the spa with a drink while they sleep. This way we feel like we're on vacation - not chained to a room because the kids are asleep.
In the morning it is nice to be able to sleep in while the kids watch TV or eat some cereal!!:D
The beauty of a villa regardless of size is that you have much more freedom. Before we bought our villa, whenever we booked a villa in Florida, we always opted for more bedrooms than we needed. Regarding costs, if you book with the owner it doesnt matter how many are in the party the price is for the villa. If you book a villa through a travel agent the initial costing looks pretty good but they usually charge per person and then sting you with massive under occupancy surcharges. Also with booking through the owner you know exactly which villa you are staying in and can ask specific questions about the actual villa before your holiday.
Karen
Thats a good point Steph; a single storey can feel much roomier than a larger house spread over 2 levels. I was just trying to emphasise that the number of bedrooms wasn't always the best indicator of the actual house size.I shouldhave said square footage and number of storeys could be a better way of judging a house size and the living area.
andrew
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
"Suzanne,
when you make your enquiries I would ask for the air conditioned square footage of the villa not just the number of bedrooms which can be deceiving and give the impression of the villa being bigger than it actually is. I know of 4 bedroom villas that are larger then some 5 or 6 bedromms and thus give youu more "living space."
andrew"
That in itself can be deceptive, Andrew the square footage of my home may seem small compared to other 4 beds but it is single storey and almost every guest has commented on how big it is and they can't believe the space.
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Me and hubby had a 4 bed villa on our last visit, and it really did not feel too big. We were out there to buy our own villa and the company put us into one of the models we were interested in to give us a feel of the place. Having done that, we realised that, as a couple of people here have mentioned, it's the sq ft area you need to look at.
The way the villa was laid out did not make us feel as though we were rattling around the place. In fact in the lounge area, you could never have had 10 people sitting watching t.v. (the villa said it sleeps 10). We looked at some condos that had much more floor space and we would have been rattling around and the downside would be no pool, which is where we spent all of our time at the villa apart from going to bed.
We also spent a couple of days in a hotel on I Drive, never again, it was cramped with just the two of us.
"Suzanne befor we bought our villa we stayed in hotel rooms (just the two of us) and also a 3 bed villa there was no contest, the villa won hands down and when we worked out price there was no differance. since we bought our villa we have only had single familys in sometimes just 2people so as as been said befor check out size rather than how many bedrooms
We often have only 2 people staying in our 3 bed on the Gulf Coast. They just enjoy the space and privacy of their own pool or the freedom to sit by the pool enjoying a take away or barbecue as the sun sets if they don't want to go to a restaurant.
when we have rented before we have always stayed in a 4 or 5 bedroom with 2 living areas, this means the kids can watch the television and the adults can have a quiet drink and chat. there has only ever been 2 adult 2 children, but lots of space to have a few minutes to yourself, even if it is locked in the large master bathroom.
Villas are such good value for money it is better than staying couped up in a hotel room. At least with a villa you have the freedom of space.
Even going as a single family villas offer great VFM
I doubt we will stay in a hotel again, we now tend to book 3 bedroom villas (2 adults and 2 kids) and find that the additional space means if our two kids want to get on with their own thing they can. The biggest plus is that me and Hubby are able to have some privacy when its lights out for the kids....I can clearly remember some nights the kids wanting to sleep at 9 after a long day and we had no choice, in a hotel room, but to put the lights out and go to sleep aswell!