Newbie to the forum & looking for some advice please 👍

[Tgbailey]

Hi there - newbie to the forum, we’ve been to Orlando 3 times as a family with 3 boys.

First in 2014 then 2016 and last time in Feb 2020, right just before Covid hit

All 3 occasions we’ve stayed in hotels around lake buena vista and we hire a car to get around.

We’re now looking to plan our next trip in Oct 2022. This time will be with some friends of ours who have a son, so they’ll be 8 of us.

We’re looking at villas (4 bed) and have got some options via virgin - we have a friend who works for Virgin so we always book via her.

Options are (all 4 bed villas):

• Reunion resort
• The Shire @ westhaven
• Highlands reserve @ westhaven
• Solterra

If anyone has any experiences of these that you can share that would be great for us to help make the decision on which to choose. Price wise they are all much of the same.

Thanks in advance, Tom

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at Reunion Resort in 2018 and thought the resort was lovely. The condo was nicely appointed and had everything we needed for the week. The waterpark was a huge hit with our son.

 

[Woodview]

We did own a villa in Hampton Lakes ( Just South of Highlands Reserve & across Hwy 27 )

All the Options are good .

Against .... you will have a 10 mile Plus to Disney ( But a few miles from I -4 to Get away from ??? )

to visit other places )

For .... there are many more eating places to visit along Hwy 192 .... A.K. end heading towards Hwy 27 South.

Longhorn Steak House , Manny's Chop House ( 2 for 1 beers ... Times ? ) And many more All very good price Range

For ...... Very near Hwy 27 ( H. Reserve ) to do a day trip to LegoLand ( South Bound ) And North 27 for

Showcase of Citrus ( Picking & Buggy Bus Tour )

 

[HopperFan]

Never stayed at any of those but things to think about when looking ...

What is the true distance from your unit to the parks? How much extra time will you need to travel? Is that acceptable to your plans?

Do you like mid-day breaks from the parks, how will the location impact the loss of time during the day? Especially consider projected park hours, in October they may be much shorter.

Are both families going to have a car? I've traveled with others, everyone has their own morning/evening routine, their own break needs, their own day plan desires at some point .... having two cars would be a priority for me OR staying very close so Uber/Lyft can be used as well.

 

[bodec]

if your plans an "active vacation", i would also dig into distances as HopperFan states. Even though Google map often states relatively short drives ,real life rush hour will/ likely increase those times . Thoses travel times can impact your vacation quite a bit.
We priotize location a lot now. having rented a few houses a little to far away has learnt us a lesson. Doing a 20-30 drive is not an issues ,but if you have to do it 4-6 times a day and its really closer to a 40-50 min drive it is not time well spent for us. Which location will be best for you is of course heavily dependant what your specific plans are.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Options are (all 4 bed villas):

• Reunion resort
• The Shire @ westhaven
• Highlands reserve @ westhaven
• Solterra

I can help with the Shire at West Haven. Our winter home is located in another section of West Haven. West Haven is a very nice development with well maintained landscaping. The Shire is one of the newer sections with homes built around 2007/2008. Almost all have pools, most with attached spas. Of course the condition of the villa is dependent on the owners attention. Look for any reviews on the specific property you picked out. Make sure you have the phone number for a local property manager to handle any issues. Google map search Sussex Drive, Davenport FL to get a view of the development. Each of the sections is gated so you can't get a street view.

Travel to the parks from West Haven shouldn't be too bad in October which is off season. Going to the parks the bottle neck is getting through Champions Gate to I-4 eastbound and, depending on the time of day, also on I-4. Coming from the parks in late afternoon and evening I-4 westbound can back up. Our time to the Disney parking lot can range from 20 minutes (absolutely no traffic) to 45 minutes.

One other note: Highlands Reserve is a total separate development off of Rt 27. Not related to West Haven which is off of Ronald Reagan Parkway. Google map search for Highlands Reserve Blvd in Davenport, FL.

Good Luck with your search!

 

[FunFamily]

A vote for Reunion! Enjoy your trip!