Hi from Wales

[Lynnes]

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum. Villa or hotel ummm - no contest villa everytime.

[Jules]

Hi Leighton,

Welcome to the forum.

If your 12 year old is a girl then don't even think about a hotel room. Our last hotel holiday when our daughter was 13 was a nightmare, I still haven't managed to find out what took her so long in the bathroom each morning but it's a wonder she survived the holiday. Has to be a villa every time if only to keep you sane.

[Nina A]

Welcome to the forum Leighton,

As the others have said there really is no contest between a villa and a hotel. A villa is so much better value and you have space and privacy, not to mention more than one bathroom which as Julie says can be essential. You also get your own pool and a fully equipped kitchen plus washer and dryer. A guest recently commented that their children much preferred staying in a villa to the Disney resort they stayed in last year. However if you want room, laundry or maid service, or any of the other facilities and services that come with a hotel room (at a price), then a villa is not for you.

The first time in Florida is mind blowing, even now the scale of everything still amazes me. One word of caution is that there is just so much to do and see you can't possibly do it all in one visit (or loads of visits come to that). It's very easy to fall into the trap of trying to do too much and becomming exhausted, try to plan some down time, there's so much more to Florida than the Mouse!

Have a great time

[kimwo]

A very warm welcome to the forum [msnsmile2]
Kim

[abbeyvillas]

Yes, welcome to the forum Leighton. You will get tips, suggestions & advice here for whatever you need, feel free to ask. Also good quotes for car hire and park tickets.

We would agree with everyone else.... definitely a villa every time rather than a cramped hotel room. In fact, here are some comments left my one of our previous guests after their first villa holiday:

<span style="color:blue">“A real home from home. It was so relaxing a 'real do as you please' holiday. After a few days I realised just what the WOW factors were: the total privacy, even in a 5 star hotel there is always a lot of coming and going of staff in the room, in this Villa we didn't have those stresses and strains so I rate it 5 star + , Trevor and Maureen Wynn, UK “.</span id="blue">

Hope this helps with your decision.
Pam & Jeanette

[pbensur]

If you've heard conflicting opinions, I'm guessing that the negative comments came from people who have booked package holidays or even through another villa site. When you book through a tour operator, you get assigned a villa on arrival so have no idea what you will end up with and often these homes have not been cared for or upgraded. Booking through this site will allow you to choose the exact home you will be staying in with personal contact with the owner. You can't go wrong! Good luck![msnsmile]

[CarolAnn]

Hello, and welcome.
I think a villa, booked direct with an owner is by far the best way to go. A site like this has so much information to offer , and plenty of folk willing to offer what advice and support they can [msnwink]

[gulfcovefl]

Welcome to the Forum from the Gulf Coast!
Renting a private Villa is always better!

[reemur]

Hi Leighton
Welcome to he forum from a Welsh lady from Cardigan
You will get all the help & advice you need from this forum & we all have beautifull homes you can choose from
Diolch yn fawr a bob hwyl yn dewis eich cartref gwyliau
Oddiwrth
Carol

[dawn burley]

Hi Leighton and welcome to the forum you will find it has a wealth of information. As mentioned before there is so much to do in Florida you really need to get expert advice so you can plan and get the best out of your holiday. Luckily you've found the best place to get that

You will find that you can not beat a villa. There are so many different ones that if you book early enough you will find one that totally suits your family. Also the personal service you will get from a villa owner (we're all very passionate about Florida) is far superior to any package holiday sales consultant just reading the small print on a brochure.

I just love planning our Florida holidays, it's a great thing to do to during these cold winter nights[msnsmile]

Dawn