Recommend a condo/resort community?

Jedimom

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 12, 2011
I'm in the process of planning a late July/early August 2018 trip. It'll be myself and my four kids, as well as my sister and her two teen boys. So...alotta teen boys, lol. 8 people in total. All want their own beds (except my daughter, her and I can share if need be). I think my sister would prefer us all under one roof (she's recently widowed and has never traveled on her own before, is nervous).

Option #1: Pool House
Option #2: 2-3 BR condo unit x 2 (close enough together)
Option #3: cheaper hotel which offers free breakfast, and we just eat out more for meals

Looking for recommendations for a resort community. Our wish list is:
7 separate beds
cable or satellite TV
game room would be nice (bonus if it has video game type stuff -- teenage boys)
outdoor grill (would like to grill out a few nights)
big resort pool (large, zero entry, hot tub; slide or lazy river would be nice)
resort activities (would be nice; not a must have)
catch-and-release fishing (would be nice; not a must have)

Location isn't much of an issue as we aren't planning on doing big theme parks this trip. Our itinerary sort of scatters us about.

Cost is an issue. I'm seeing a lot of pool homes for $250-350/night (and that's before tax and cleaning fees and all that jazz). I'd prefer around $200 - $225 max.

Contenders so far:
Windsor Hills (pros: nice pool, lake, grills in some units; cons: stayed here before, cost is high)
Terra Verde Resort (pros: really like this one, nice pool area, lake, grounds; cons: price, availability)
Orange Lake (pros: nice pool, grounds, activities; cons: price, nickeled and dimed to death, huge resort, would have to have 2 separate units with no guarantee of close togetherness)
Wyndham Bonnet Creek (pros: pool, lazy river; cons: price, probably need 2 separate units)

Any other resort communities you know of like the four above?
 
Summer prices will be higher. My neighbor stayed in Solterra Resort but it is 20 minutes from the parks. She used vacationbythemouse to book a pool house during spring break. I believe it was $1500 for the week.
 
I agree with the previous poster on the higher prices. Many families travel in the summer especially families from the UK and Europe who seem to prefer staying offsite which drives the market pricing.

Consider what you're getting with a rental home for $200-$250/night for two families. I doubt you would find a hotel room for $100-$125 per night for your family with the amenities you would like. If you do, consider that you would be getting one room, two beds and one bathroom.
 
I'm in the process of planning a late July/early August 2018 trip. It'll be myself and my four kids, as well as my sister and her two teen boys. So...alotta teen boys, lol. 8 people in total. All want their own beds (except my daughter, her and I can share if need be). I think my sister would prefer us all under one roof (she's recently widowed and has never traveled on her own before, is nervous).

Option #1: Pool House
Option #2: 2-3 BR condo unit x 2 (close enough together)
Option #3: cheaper hotel which offers free breakfast, and we just eat out more for meals

Looking for recommendations for a resort community. Our wish list is:
7 separate beds
cable or satellite TV
game room would be nice (bonus if it has video game type stuff -- teenage boys)
outdoor grill (would like to grill out a few nights)
big resort pool (large, zero entry, hot tub; slide or lazy river would be nice)
resort activities (would be nice; not a must have)
catch-and-release fishing (would be nice; not a must have)

Location isn't much of an issue as we aren't planning on doing big theme parks this trip. Our itinerary sort of scatters us about.

Cost is an issue. I'm seeing a lot of pool homes for $250-350/night (and that's before tax and cleaning fees and all that jazz). I'd prefer around $200 - $225 max.

Contenders so far:
Windsor Hills (pros: nice pool, lake, grills in some units; cons: stayed here before, cost is high)
Terra Verde Resort (pros: really like this one, nice pool area, lake, grounds; cons: price, availability)
Orange Lake (pros: nice pool, grounds, activities; cons: price, nickeled and dimed to death, huge resort, would have to have 2 separate units with no guarantee of close togetherness)
Wyndham Bonnet Creek (pros: pool, lazy river; cons: price, probably need 2 separate units)

Any other resort communities you know of like the four above?


A good friend of mine regularly stays at Terra Verde in the summer and loves it there. I have stayed a few times in nearby Lake Berkley but the community pool/clubhouse there is nothing to get excited about.

have you considered one of the Sheraton Vistana properties? They are very nice and you can get great deals through Mousesavers.
 


Check out Oakwater Resort. Not large homes, - just 2-3 BR condos, but it's a small resort so two units wouldn't be that far apart. Nice pool, community hot tub, tennis/basketball court, there's a pond that some people fish in, community game room, Beach volley ball court. Walking distance to Walmart so easy for food and snacks. Very close to parks.
Good luck!
 
Check out Regal Palms.

Also, I have stayed at Windsor Hills and fully recommend it. We paid $89 a night for a 3BR condo. If you send the owner a question and put your email such as "please contact me at MyEmail at gee male" its MUCH easier to deal with an owner that way and most will shave off that steep VRBO fee. Of course, only do this with a verified owner and use PayPal to protect yourself. Its a good way to save money.
 
Check out Regal Palms.

Also, I have stayed at Windsor Hills and fully recommend it. We paid $89 a night for a 3BR condo. If you send the owner a question and put your email such as "please contact me at MyEmail at gee male" its MUCH easier to deal with an owner that way and most will shave off that steep VRBO fee. Of course, only do this with a verified owner and use PayPal to protect yourself. Its a good way to save money.

Or you can go to windsorhillsrent.com or windsorhillsofficialrentals.com and contact owners from there.
 


I recommend Wyndaym Bonnet Creek and check into renting points using either Vacationupgrades.com or VacationStrategy.com , I normally use Ken and Denise at Vacation Upgrades and had never had a negative experience in all my stays booking through them. We have gotten some great rates, especially here in a few weeks over Spring Break where our rate is less than half what it would have cost to book direct.

The location is great, just next door to Caribbean Beach Resort, and I have found is better to have a car than to use their bus system. It is a timeshare resort so there are tons to do there with all the pools, kids play areas, etc. They did have some teen nights if I remember right from one trip. I had a conference one week in Orlando and booked there and my mom watched the kids during the day, they never had to leave the resort with all the activities going on.
 
We are also looking into a condo stay for 7 people (but we don't need 7 beds), for early July. We did luck out last summer with Wyndham Bonnet Creek for a mid-late August stay. I kept watching prices all spring/summer and booked only a month before. We did get a quote from Vacation Strategy but it was very high. Prices dropped online closer to the date and we got a decent rate through Cheap Tickets and the discount code through Mousesavers. I agree some of the places you mentioned are pricey for a stay for a larger group.
I want to book our accommodation soon, but am frustrated by VRBO and all the fees that are stacked onto the nightly rate. I wish they would just include it all in the nightly rate they are advertising. It would make sorting through them much easier and less time-consuming. Thank you to the poster above who recommended emailing them directly. I will try that!
 
A few other condo choices below. I know cheerleaders who have stayed at Westgate Lakes (my DH included in the group) and they have accommodations that sleep like 12 or 16 in one unit. They have floorplans on their website.

Floridays Condo
Westgage Lakes
The Fountains

Found one of the four bedroom floorplans since their website doesn't make it easy to find anymore. :) To have seven beds, you would have to use two of the three sofa beds. There is spiral staircase that goes upstairs to where there is another bed, bathroom, and sofa sleeper.

accommodations-westgate-town-center-resort-spa-westgate-resorts-1.jpeg
 
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I want to book our accommodation soon, but am frustrated by VRBO and all the fees that are stacked onto the nightly rate. I wish they would just include it all in the nightly rate they are advertising. It would make sorting through them much easier and less time-consuming. Thank you to the poster above who recommended emailing them directly. I will try that!
Airbnb and booking.com do that as well. Have to keep a calculator (or calculator app) handy so you can get the "real" cost.
 
I'm in the process of planning a late July/early August 2018 trip. It'll be myself and my four kids, as well as my sister and her two teen boys. So...alotta teen boys, lol. 8 people in total. All want their own beds (except my daughter, her and I can share if need be). I think my sister would prefer us all under one roof (she's recently widowed and has never traveled on her own before, is nervous).

Option #1: Pool House
Option #2: 2-3 BR condo unit x 2 (close enough together)
Option #3: cheaper hotel which offers free breakfast, and we just eat out more for meals

Looking for recommendations for a resort community. Our wish list is:
7 separate beds
cable or satellite TV
game room would be nice (bonus if it has video game type stuff -- teenage boys)
outdoor grill (would like to grill out a few nights)
big resort pool (large, zero entry, hot tub; slide or lazy river would be nice)
resort activities (would be nice; not a must have)
catch-and-release fishing (would be nice; not a must have)

Location isn't much of an issue as we aren't planning on doing big theme parks this trip. Our itinerary sort of scatters us about.

Cost is an issue. I'm seeing a lot of pool homes for $250-350/night (and that's before tax and cleaning fees and all that jazz). I'd prefer around $200 - $225 max.

Contenders so far:
Windsor Hills (pros: nice pool, lake, grills in some units; cons: stayed here before, cost is high)
Terra Verde Resort (pros: really like this one, nice pool area, lake, grounds; cons: price, availability)
Orange Lake (pros: nice pool, grounds, activities; cons: price, nickeled and dimed to death, huge resort, would have to have 2 separate units with no guarantee of close togetherness)
Wyndham Bonnet Creek (pros: pool, lazy river; cons: price, probably need 2 separate units)

Any other resort communities you know of like the four above?
Orange Lake would be perfect for you. Not sure about the nickel & diming. We just came back from there Sat. Spent 2 weeks there. You can spend as much or as little as u want. Our 2 week bill ( it's a cashless resort so u use your room key or cc or debut card for purchases) for 4 of us was $350.00 we never left resort and had a fabulous time. You can get a 3 bdrm right close to pool. Has a king bedroom with bath. A room with 2 queens. Another king room that has a sleeper sofa in it. All have their own bathrooms. With a queen sleeper sofa in the living room.
Renting from an owner will be much more cost effective. If you want 2, 2 bdrms an owner can get them beside each other. If u want more info pm me.
 

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