We are dedicated offsite people. As I've said in many threads, we would never stay on site, it would be a deal breaker for us. We've probably made at least 15-20 total offsite visits over the past 15 years. We love having the space, flexibility, etc...that offsite offers. Plus it's so much cheaper than a tiny hotel room at WDW. We pay between $650-$850/week, including fees, for a 3-4 bedroom, 2-3 bath, 900-1300sq ft condo or townhouse. All the places we stay have full amenities...community pool, clubhouse, play area for little ones, gated, etc... Having all the separate bedrooms is fantastic. We get privacy
, the kids get their own spaces. Having a full family room and dining room is also fantastic. We love having a full kitchen and in house laundry. It really is all the conveniences of home, right at WDW. Plus, there are SO many things to do right outside WDW...shops, restaurants, etc...
We exclusively use VRBO. There are endless choices on there. We tend to gravitate toward privately owned units instead of rental agencies, simply because they give more personal feel...though we haven't had a bad experience with an agency, so I wouldn't rule them out. If you look at Google maps, Rt. 192 runs east/west just under the south border of WDW property. There are huge pockets of rental communities on both the east side and the west side. I would pick one of those places...you'll have hundreds to choose from, if not thousands. We prefer the east side, but we've stayed on the west side plenty of times and enjoyed it too.