Although there are many resorts near Disney, we believe the best values are in the vacation rental sector.
Vacation rentals have the best mix of premium home luxuries, common area amenities and convenient location. Vacation rentals do not have recognizable national brands and ample advertising behind them, but they do have a long history of satisfied guests who rent time and time again. As they say, once you have stayed in a vacation home rental, you’ll never stay in a cramped hotel again.
Our site reviews over 80+ resorts and vacation home communities that cater to the short term rental market. Vacation rental houses in Orlando, Kissimmeee and Davenport come in all shapes and sizes, but are most commonly available in a minimum size of three bedrooms to five bedrooms and higher. We believe you’ll have a superior vacation stay in these vacation home communities. However, all home communities and resorts are not created equal.
The highest rated resorts near Disney on our site include:
Windsor Hills Resort - Outstanding clubhouse, top community pool and manicured lawns
Emerald Island Resort - Gated entry, walking trails and well landscaped homes
Windsor Palms - Maximum privacy, full amenities, excellent villa homes
Bella Vida Resort - New Mediterranean style community, beautiful pool area
Encantada Resort - Dual pools and spas, gated, and great location
Terra Verde Resort - Modern clubhouse, tennis, basketball with premium homes and townhomes
Tuscan Hills - Luxurious villa homes with tile roofs on rolling hills in Davenport
Acadia Estates - Smaller cul-de-sac community with mostly large spacious vacation homes
Reunion Resort - Beautiful villas adjacent to a world class golf course
Watersong Resort - Located a little further out, this community contains beautiful homes in a natural setting along with a luxurious resort clubhouse
This is only a sample listing of some of the top properties. For full resort details, video and profiles on each of these resorts and more, please consult the community reviews section of our main page. These reviews will help you find the best values that meet your vacationing needs.
Those who have enjoyed vacation rentals are amazed that more people do not stay in vacation homes given the size of a typical cramped hotel room.
As we have indicated in prior posts, positive awareness of renting vacation villas spreads primarily through positive word-of-mouth referrals. Although vacation homes continue to become more mainstream, hotels continue to hold market share especially in destination locations such as Orlando. At this point in time, hotel brands are much more recognizable to the American consumer.
Why is this the case? In many foreign countries such as Italy and Spain, vacation villas are the first choice for many travelers. Europeans have been positively exposed to vacation rentals as a mainstream alternative. In America, the power of large household brands through repetitive advertising is very strong. Americans often don’t feel comfortable booking without some reassuring feeling of a brand name. In Orlando and other markets, a major factor people trust when booking a vacation home is the community they will be staying in. Thus, the actual resort community becomes part of the brand for vacation homes in Orlando and elsewhere.
Orlando is a unique market for vacation homes. There are well over 80 community subdivisions, and as we have indicated, the quality can change significantly between communities.
The quality of home maintenance may vary within an individual community, but the location, overall quality of homes, amenities and maintenance of the common areas typically remain constant, positive or negative in effect. Good examples of “vacation home brands” with a strong following include the Windsor Hills Resort , Windsor Palms , Bahama Bay Resort, and the Emerald Island Resort.
Vacation homes and rental homes in Fl are an important part of travel to Florida.
In a landmark 2008 study commissioned by the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau, research indicates that vacation home owners and guests spend over $384 million in one county (Osceola) alone.
Vacation home rentals continue to be a more accepted means of accomodations and gain market share, but the industry has no formal organizational means of tracking economic impact statewide.
There are three major vacation homes markets in FL. These markets include Orlando, Miami and Destin/Panama City. There are also two secondary markets for rental homes in FL including Tampa/Clearwater and Jacksonville. It is difficult to extrapolate the total number of vacation home visitors statewide, but based on the report mentioned above, Osceola County drew 1.2 million visitors staying in vacation homes alone.
Although awareness of vacation homes for travel to Florida is on the rise, more consumer and economic data and information is needed. Holiday rentals in Orlando are a great way to enjoy the area.
Vacation Rentals in FL
This website focuses specifically on the Orlando vacation homes market to disseminate that needed consumer information. Over 80 resort communities have been independently rated and profiled which should give consumers a greater sense of trust for what they are booking. These vacation reviews are viewable on the main page of this website. The reviews section includes such premium resort communities as Emerald Island Resort and Windsor Hills Resort. Orlando FL is a great destination for theme parks, golf, restaurants and other attractions.
We have reviewed every major short term rental/vacation home community in Kissimmee Florida.
To further help our readers, we have selected what in our opinion are the top eight Kissimmee vacation rental home communities.
We define “vacation homes” as detached dwelling structures with multiple bedrooms and are similar, if not synonymous, to single family residential homes. A complete explanation of the various vacation rental options are linked here.
Here we go. The top eight vacation home picks for short term rentals in Kissimmee, Florida based on vacation rental evaluator reviews are (in alphabetical order):
Emerald Island Resort in Kissimmee / Orlando Florida is a premium vacation home community located approximately 1.8 miles from the Animal Kingdom ® entrance to the Walt Disney World Resort ®.
Emerald Island Resort
Emerald Island vacation homes vary in size from four to eight bedrooms.
Perhaps one of the greatest attributes of the Emerald Island villas resort is its location to the Walt Disney World Resort ®. The resort is one of the closest major premium communities of its kind.
To see our REVIEW OF EMERALD ISLAND, click here as we have interactive maps, additional photos and an Emerald Island video tour.
Enjoy our photos of Emerald Island below.
Emerald Island also offers a community clubhouse, community pool with a bar, and playground facilities for the kids.
Orlando Vacation Homes Go Mainstream – A Force to be Reckoned With?
Hotels in Orlando have gone into shock. In February 2009, hotel revenues were reportedly down dramatically (1).
Orlando vacation homes, although affected by the economic downturn, have some very powerful factors now in their favor.
Of the 200 +/- hotels in Orlando, there are as few as 400+/- full time sales managers at the property level promoting their product.
With 30,000 +/- vacation homes in the Orlando market, each owner becomes their properties’ best sales manager. You could argue there is an army of 30,000+/- part time sales managers/owners promoting Orlando vacation homes all over the globe on a daily basis.
Tour operators are now selling Orlando vacation home product with as much fervor as they do hotels. Such premium accommodations as Emerald Island Resort and Windsor Hills Resort are well know for their quality amenities.
In Orlando, there are hundreds of vacation home management companies aggressively promoting vacation home rentals for owners. The databases of management companies also include thousands of satisfied consumers who refer potential renters.
Orlando vacation home rentals have become very competitive in rate, and can often offer a better value proposition than a traditional hotel. Hence, their popularity with travelers.
Once the domain of Europeans, the domestic American consumer is becoming very educated on vacation homes and the benefits they offer including the ease with which the homes can be booked.
Orlando vacation home marketing has become organically powerful and has so much “hidden” muscle that a significant gain in market share against the hotel industry looks inevitable. The Orlando vacation home idustry segment is now a force to be reckoned with.
This web blog takes the guesswork out of booking Orlando area vacation homes. It is an essential vacation guide that you can trust. By rating individual vacation communities, our independent reviews give you comfort that you are booking the right vacation rental based on your family’s needs and expectations. This takes into account location, amenities and area information.
We continue to add video reviews and ratings of new resort communities in Davenport, Kissimmee and Clermont almost on a regular basis. We believe we have the most comprehensive profiles, maps and independent ratings on vacation subdivisions in the Orlando area. Please click on the resort community review section of our website for more detailed information on each subdivision. Premium Orlando villas such as Windsor Hills Resort and Emerald Island Resort are reviewed on the site. Our mission is to be the most comprehensive and accurate vacation guide for potential vacation home renters in Orlando.
