Villas in Orlando

We're off to Orlando in Feb 06 and thought we would try a villa for the first time. Trouble is there are hundreds of communities over a wide area along US192 & US27 and we don't know this area at all. We're looking for best access to shops/restaurants/I4 and to a lesser extent disney/seaworld. If anyone has stayed in this area I would appreciate any comments/recommendations. I also know that several members have villas so please feel free to send me info or links if you are available 18/2/06 to 4/3/06

[RichardMannion]

Have you tried looking online too - Virgin Holidays do Villa Only rentals now and if you are a FVC member you can get your 10% off.

I had AmEx find me one last time and they did a rather good job - very close to Disney and it was something silly like $99/night which wasn't bad as it was not a full weeks rental - something like 4 nights over a weekend. 4 Bedroom with a pool.

Thanks,
Richard

wood07

You must try a villa - me and the present Mrs Treelo have spent 7 or 8 great villa-holidays along the 192 and/or the 27. If I were you I would give VH a swerve - see the threads on the Virgin Holidays part of these boards - and book direct with an owner. There are many, many sites for this but try http://www.villas2000.com for a start. There are literally 1000s of rentals on that site, and they are rented by their owners. You do not say how many of you will be going but on that site you can search by location, numbers of bedrooms, price etc, etc. Forgive me for rambling on, but I think this area is fabulous for all ages. If you want a personal recommendation for the villa we stayed in last year, PM me. Go for it - believe me, after you stay in a villa you won't want to go back to hotels:)[y]

believe me, after you stay in a villa you won't want to go back to hotels

I have to agree with that, not that I'm biased in anyway of course!!! I enjoyed staying in villa so much....I had to have one of my own:D:D

Seriously though if anyone is interested in the villa, I will offer a V-flyer discount[y]

The web site (for anyone that's interested)is http://www.hamilton-villas.co.uk

I agree with Elaine: once you try a villa holiday, I don't think you look back. The space and privacy are great and if you have children or elderly relatives, you can put them to bed and get on with the serious business of drinking champagne in the hot tub or cracking open a beer in front of a movie! Our villa is in Formosa Gardens: v close to Disney, the 192 etc and the lots are very large.

There are thousands of villas to choose from so be clear what you want. Do you want basic accommodation or do you want extras like satellite TV, DVD players, hot tubs, pool tables etc. There is possibly one thing to be wary of for British renters. Most developments don't have fences in the back yard (garden) which means that you can feel a bit "exposed" in the pool, especially if the houses are close together. It was my obsession which drove the realtor mad, asking if fences were allowed. I know that other people might not be bothered about such things, but I just thought I'd share my quirk!

If you want to have the link to our web site, just send me a private message (ditto anyone else).

Best regards and good luck

Edna

I totally agree with Treelo - avoid VH and book direct with an owner. Not that i've anything against VH, but there's nothing better than corresponding with the owner. They provide you with all the info you need and are usually available to contact anytime for tips, hints, advice, etc.

I've used this site;
http://www.orlandovillas.com/

a number of times and not only are the owners genuine and friendly there is also a superb discussion forum site that also provides great tips, etc.
All you do is put in a request stating when and size of villa and a number of owners will respond with availability and also links to their own web-sites to view their villas.

[HighFlyer]

I would personally recommend the villas in Indian Wells. Its the closest villa community to Disney and is well established. Many villas claim to be 'close to Disney/Universal' but in reality the meaning of close seems to differ.

Friends of ours own villas in Indian Wells, feel free to check out their website: http://www.a1villa.com/ My family and I spent our Easter vacation in one of these villas and had a great time. The villas are very close to Publix and Wally's for all your grocery needs

It was great to have a 'house' and to have all the home comforts while we were in Orlando, but it wasnt so fun having to do our own cleaning and laundry [:(];)

I agree, I'd never booked a villa before, but here's another that comes highly recommended http://www.orlandovilla4rental.com. It's close to Disney and an easy drive from MCO.