Should I stay in a vacation rental home?
There is an abundance of choices when it comes to where to stay on your Disney World vacation. One option often overlooked is the vast choice of vacation rental homes available nearby to Disney. Quite often the homes are privately owned and either managed by the owners, or a by a travel agent.
I can understand why, if your on vacation the thought of staying in a house with a kitchen and laundry may not appeal. This must be countered with the flexibility that a vacation villa or condo can offer. Here’s some pros and cons for staying in a holiday rental.
Vacation Rental Home Pros
- It’s a full house to yourself. If you’re travelling in a large party you’ll have lots of extra space and won’t feel too hemmed in.
- More bedrooms. If you travel with young children it’s often difficult to get them to settle when you’re all in the same room. You can put the children in there own room and maintain some sort of routine for them sleeping and waking up.
- You can save money. It’s possible to get four bedroom villas for little more than a moderately priced hotel. I’ve got two teenage kids that don’t want to share any more (the same goes for me on that score), so in my circumstance I’d have to pay for two hotel rooms.
- You get some great facilities. Most vacation rentals have private pools, games rooms, dvd’s and games consoles.
- A full size kitchen and laundry. I mentioned flexibility earlier. It’s great to have the option to eat in if you feel you’ve had enough of eating out. The opportunity to wash clothes always comes in handy too.
Vacation Rental Home Cons
- You’re not usually on Disney’s Doorstep. Although many villa owners will claim to be 10 minutes from Disney, usually it’s more like 30 minutes. Many of the vacation homes are on US27, and while not miles away from Disney it’s not as close as the Contemporary resort is it.
- No Disney themeing. If you’ve come for Disney World 24/7 the villa probably won’t give this, although some of the owners do decorate the kiddies rooms in Disney duvet’s and wallpaper.
- It’s got a kitchen! And a laundry! OK, the pressure may be there to cook if you have the facilities.
I’ve stayed in a villa for at least part of my vacation on my last three visits to Disney World. Sites such as Orlando Vacation Rentals make it easy to rent directly from the villa owners, just make sure you do your research on the owners, the home and location before you part with your hard earned cash.
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