According to this professional, consumers/buyers look for homes 8 or less miles from the theme park. In other words, buyers tend to pay a real price premium for vacation homes based on that locational convenience. In higher peak attendance months, this trip to the parks may take 30 minutes or roughly 1 hour both ways. It would sense that one would want to own a home that is that is both convenient to the parks along with the inherent rental demand that a vacation home like this offers. We concur on this estimate in terms of ideal distance to Walt Disney World®.

If this is the case, what are some resort communities near Disney that meet this criteria? Based on our individual resort reviews, the following meet this requirement:

• Acadia Estates – Large, professionally managed homes
• Emerald Island Resort – One of our favourites
• Encantada Resort – Adjacent to Irlo Bronson (192), stylish and beautifully landscaped
• Formosa Gardens – Extremely close to Disney often on large acreage lots
• Indian Creek – Lovely tree shaded picnic area and ample recreational amenities
• Oak Island – Lovely tree shaded neighborhood
• Windsor Hills – Always a top choice with luxurious homes and excellent amenities
• Windsor Palms – Professionally managed with excellent clubhouse and grounds

This is by no means a complete listing as there a lot of other terrific communities. The amount of quality and selection of vacation homes near the major attractions makes Central Florida unique. For reviews on over 80 different resort communities that have houses for rent, consult our main page. Each of the various resort reviews contain photos and videos of each subdivision to help you make a decision.

Vacation Homes Near Disney

You can also see this excellent video below. Although it relates to vacation home buyers, it is also informative for vacation home renters.

Bahama Bay Resort - Condominium style community with excellent common area amenities

Emerald Island Resort - One of the best resort communities in the area

Lake Berkley Resort - Good location in Kissimmee with ample amenities

Windsor Hills Resort - Our top reviewed vacation community in the area

Windsor Palms Resort - One of the upper tier resorts in terms of quality in Kissimmee

Watersong Resort – Located further out from the major parks, but the homes are typically well appointed

Although we believe that most vacation home communities in the area are safe, this extra level of security may give you some extra comfort while on vacation. If that is the case, there are several options available for you. Orlando vacation home rentals are always an excellent value when compared to hotels based on the amenities and living space they offer. Luxury and security can be be expected from most vacation homes in the area.

Gated and Guarded Vacation Rentals in Orlando

In a previous post, we enumerated our top Florida villas in Davenport. Although Kissimmee, Florida is an excellent place for a vacation rental, one must consider Davenport as well. Now let’s look at Davenport in detail, and why the area is such a great place to vacation.

First and foremost, Davenport and the surrounding Polk County region are very close to Disney World. Davenport rentals are almost synonymous with the term “Disney vacation homes” because they are so close to the back gates of the Disney parks. Davenport vacation homes are just a short drive up the quiet corridor of State Toll Road 529 to Disney. Generally only the locals use Toll 529, as it’s a little known way to get inside the park and avoid most of the traffic for a Disney vacation.

Additionally, one of things that comes with a Davenport rental is typically space, selection and quality. Many of the newer subdivisions are located in and around Polk County. This often means that the underlying quality of the community is good, and that the vacation villa is in excellent shape. Typically this means spacious common areas for your kids to roam and play in while you are “home” from the parks. Again, one should consult our community profiles for reviews of most vacation homes near Disney. There are also many communities to choose from. Our site alone reviews over a dozen resort communities in detail in Davenport.

Finally, there are excellent recreational amenities in the area. There are several English Pubs to frequent in the area as well as many top quality golf courses in Polk County. Highlands Reserve Golf Club and Southern Dunes Golf Club are examples of good courses in the area for intermediate to advanced golfers.

All in all, Davenport, Florida is a great place to vacation. Its relative distance to the Disney World theme parks, quality and selection of resort communities, and the amenities in the area including golf courses make it an ideal spot for any vacation.

Davenport Vacation Rentals

Make plans to attend and enjoy the wonderful weather this time of year. The best place to find team schedules is on the site www.floridagrapefruitleague.com. Keep in mind that dates and times for each of the teams playing are still tentative. The other treat for spring training fans is the fact that several WBC games will also be played in the area in early March. Panama, Venezuela and the United States team will be playing either the Astros or Braves locally.

Consult our blog for reviews and ratings for many of the area vacation home communities which will most certainly make your accommodations more pleasant than a cramped hotel. Make a Kissimmee vacation home your family oasis for Florida spring training accommodations.

promotions at the moment.

You can buy a hotel room and a ticket combination package with spendable gift cards included

or amazing values which make it tough for area hotels and other accommodations to compete. Although we don’t promote any company on this web site, this appears to be such a great deal it deserves to be mentioned.

As always, if in doubt, we advocate buying your tickets directly from any theme park you are attending.

Many metro Orlando area hotels we spoke to agree that the “Big Park” is offering some fantastic promotions making it difficult for them to compete even at the economy level. This may be due in part to the fact that the hotel industry in metro Orlando has seen some staggering drops in room revenue (RevPAR) recently. This may also be further evidence of the magnitude and nature of the global recession.

However, Orlando area vacation homes still remain a competitive alternative to all area hotels, as they affordably offer a family or group of people the benefits of an entire house for a little more than the price of a hotel room. We recommend you shop around, assess your needs, and make your own decision. Bargain Orlando vacation homes are avilable, but one must be selective. As always, we will try to keep you informed.

When booking an Orlando vacation home rental via the internet, part of your decision will include selection a quality vacation home management company. There are plenty of Orlando vacaction resort managment companies to choose from in the Central Florida area.

1. Professionally run with 24/7 customer service
2. A professional easy to navigate web site to select your Orlando villa
3. The vacation homes have a quality assurance program in place to maintain top notch vacation home standards (Please see our blog post on this topic).
4. The Orlando vacaction villa management company has their own service trucks and maintenance staff and are always on call.
5. Location of the vacation home.The home should be in a completed and well maintained vacation home community subdivision. No vacant lots and overgrown lawns in the area. Please consult our site often for updated vacation home community reviews and ratings.
6. Great vacation villa community facilities (i.e. pool, clubhouse, community activities)
7. Internet access or WiFi in the Orlando area villa
8. Crystal clear pool/spa
9. Fully furnished includes items like blenders and other amenities in the kitchen – not just the basics
10. A game room for the kids

Ultimately, you will decide what’s important to you and your family’s Orlando vacation experience. Always try and book the homes with the best location (as close as possible to the parks if that’s where you want to be). Ask the management comany a lot of questions and consult our independent vacation home community ratings. The best run companies are always happy to answer all your questions.