We have come to realize from
chatting with our guests that on of their biggest challenges is how
to choose the vacation rental villa that is right for them! This
article reflects their experience and hopefully sharing it with you
will make your choice easier...
Is a vacation rental villa right
for me?? Whether you are seeking a magical Disney World Vacation
or an active family holiday, a Florida vacation
rental villa is one of the most flexible options available to
you. Many visitors decide on a hotel or motel room which can
appear to be the cheapest option but these have several
disadvantages. As I'm sure you know if you wanted a suite of rooms in
a hotel that offered all the facilities of a vacation rental villa,
you would spend many hundreds of dollars per night! Limited space,
limited bathrooms, neighbor noise etc - we've all been there! The
convenience and space of a vacation rental villa not only make for a
much more enjoyable vacation for everyone but when things go wrong
these were an important factor for one of our guests when 3 of her 4
children became ill shortly after arriving. She was so pleased to
have chosen a vacation rental villa with the space and convenience of 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms as it
meant that the whole family was not wakened when some had to
get up frequently during the night!
Convenienceis probably the biggest advantage of a vacation rental - you
can come and go as you please and do what you like, when you like.
You might feel like a day by the pool on your own when the rest of
the family go out, and that's exactly what you can have - moreover,
its you by the pool and no-one else to share it with - bliss!
But its not just that. When you choose a vacation rental, you can
get your favorite snack from the refrigerator when you want it. You
can light the grill an cook up the meal you want - restaurant
food can be a bit boring, not to mention less healthy and more
expensive!
Location: This is another
important factor in choosing a vacation
rental! Its important to choose a luxury vacation rental villa
that is close to the attractions
that you will be visiting frequently. First-time visitors have little
idea of the scale of the Orlando area and the whole thing can be more
than a little daunting. Its made even more confusing by the vast
choice of vacation rentals available and the lack of clear details on
their location. We know that this has resulted in some families
traveling long distances every day to get from their chosen location
to their attraction of choice - not ideal! That's why we have clear
links to maps from our vacation rental villa details pages. We want
you to be able to plan your vacation and spend as little time as
possible in the car!
Quality: We spent some time
recently viewing and inspecting Florida vacation rentals. The
pictures on their web sites presented the villa very well in most
cases but it soon became clear that they had been taken a very long
time ago. Many of the vacation rentals we saw were very tired, showed
heavy wear and little attention to maintaining a comfortable
environment for their guests. They were certainly far form the luxury
vacation rentals they were being marketed as! These problems
showed up much more in the properties where the owners had clearly
taken little interest and were managed by property management
agencies (Large or small, and who, in turn rent them to the large
holiday companies at low rates). This is one reason why we update the
pictures of our properties each year (several times a year in fact!).
This gives our guests the confidence to know that what they see is
what they will get. Whilst booking direct with the owner does not
guarantee quality, it does give you the opportunity to ask if the
photos on the site truly represent the condition of a particular
vacation rental today.
Check in/out This is often
overlooked as one of these things that has to be done but be careful.
Check in and out is not usually at
the villa! Its normally at the management company office where
you have to wait in line with everyone else that booked through the
same company. This means that you have to drive to and find the
office from the airport. We know of offices that are over 15 miles
from the vacation
rental! OK - it doesn't sound far but after a long flight
and in unfamiliar circumstances, it can be a challenge you could do
without! Check the driving distances and times from airport to office
and from office to your villa via the management company offices. (Be
aware that if the office is in Kissimmee, it can be very busy and
take a long time especially in the early evening).
In contrast, we have an electronic
access system so our guests can drive direct to their chosen luxury
villa and let themselves in. The benefit of this system is clear -
and you have no keys to lose or hand back and you don't have the
unnecessary hassle of an office to find.
Locality: What we mean here
is the area surrounding the vacation rental. Careful examination of
the photos of some villas will show where they have been doctored to
hide any less desireable features. One of the favorites is to block
out the lower areas of screened pool enclosures to hide the fact that
there are many others very close to the villa. We do not enhance our
photos. Check carefully or ask if the pool area is overlooked.
Games rooms Some vacation
rental villas advertise a games room with all kinds of
entertainments. If this is something that you want to have in your
villa, be sure to inquire whether it is properly
air conditioned. The reason for this is that some owners have
simply locked the garage door and installed a carpet and a pool table
or foosball table to make a games room. Its fine in December but
impossible to use comfortably for most of the year.
Equipment Check whether the
equipment you need is 'included' or 'available'
and know the difference between these terms. Included usually
means that the item is 'included in the rent' for the villa. Its
important to know that 'available' usually means that the item is
available but you will be expected to pay an extra charge for it. For
example, a gas grill will cost you between $35 and $50 per week to
hire (+ sales tax). A cot, baby seat or stroller can be the same
each! That can make a significant unexpected dent in your
pocket - check unless the information is explicit!
Summary We hope that this
guide helps you make your choice of a vacation rental easier. We
think that vacation rental villas are exceptional value for money but
there are some traps which we have highlighted. Whilst we realize
that checking all these details might be a pain, we think that it
will help ensure that you have a much better vacation!
About the Author
John is a travel writer. He spends several months a year in Florida and has a breadth of experience to share!
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