Orlando holiday villas or a hotel - the choice is yours

If you're starting to plan your vacation and one option is Orlando holiday villas as an alternative to hotels, how do you decide what to include in your vacation package? There are literally thousands of holiday villas and hundreds if not thousands of hotels and motels. How do you decide what type of accommodation is the best for you and your family or group of traveling companions? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each of these?

To begin with, let's look at hotels and particularly the costs and convenience of staying in one of the Disney World resort hotels. Some vacation packages offer theme park tickets as part of the deal. Also think about the extended hours and free transportation generally available from Disney if you stay at one of these hotels. And decide how much time you think you'll spend in the parks, because if it's a high proportion of your vacation time, this may be the best option for you. Then contrast prices with hotels outside Disney World - many offer free transportation to the parks (but not theme park tickets!).

Think also about motoring costs. By flying down to Florida and staying at a hotel that offers park transportation, you may avoid the need for a hired car. Even if you're driving down so you have no car hire cost, you can still avoid parking and gas charges if the hotel can provide you with the transportation you need.

Some families enjoy the opportunity that their children have to find playmates at a hotel pool and for some parents this takes the pressure off having to keep the kids amused all the time. It can often help to diffuse sibling rivalries and fights if there is someone else to play with. A lot of hotels also have other facilities such as video games or pool tables or ping pong and these can help to relieve some of the boredom that most children experience.

Selecting one of the most prominent hotel chains for your Orlando vacation - Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton or similar - means that you can probably count on the level of quality that you'll receive. And paying for your hotel bill with a credit card gives you some recourse if things are not as promised when you booked - you can always charge back the bill if you fail to reach a compromise.

In contrast with all of this, do Orlando holiday villas offer any advantages?

They certainly can. One big advantage with Orlando holiday villas is the cost benefit where your family or group is large. Most vacation home owners or management companies price their homes independently of the party size. So a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom home that sleeps up to 12 people could be far more economical than the equivalent number of hotel rooms. In addition, children sleep in their own bedrooms, leaving parents to get a good night's sleep in private just as they do in their own home.

Would you value some sort of eating-in facility while you're on vacation so that you're not forced to go to the fast food place or family diner whenever you want to eat or drink? Orlando holiday villas come complete with some level of dining area and a fully equipped kitchen so you can enjoy a snack or even a formal meal whenever you wish. Families with babies and toddlers can even find villas with a high chair to make eating-in more practical.

If the theme parks tire you out as much as they do most people, you will need some rest days days for relaxation. Most rental villas have a private screened swimming pool plus pool toys and towels for renters to use. Some owners of single family vacation homes have installed games rooms so that renters can play pool, darts or ping pong. And many villas contain multiple television sets and DVD players so different family groups can watch different programs at the same time. What more could you ask for?

So now you can decide for yourself and select the option that most closely matches your priorities - a hotel room or Orlando holiday villas.