Florida Short Term Rentals, Orlando Holiday Villas And Special Needs

When we managed a number of Orlando holiday villas (during our property management days) and actively sought renters for Florida short term rentals, one unexpected feature of the business was the joy and happiness we saw that "special needs" visitors experienced during a Disney world visit.

Whether the wheelchair-bound or disabled person was an adult or a youngster, a parent or a child, the Disney magic worked for all of them. The Magic Kingdom seemed to work it's magic on everyone - but even more so on people who had extra burdens to deal with in their day to day life.

Disney itself does a great job of catering for visitors with special needs. They have a team dedicated to making things as rewarding as possible for disabled visitors and the website goflorida.about.com expresses it this way:

Disney gets especially high marks from visitors with disabilities. In true Disney fashion, they pay close attention to details that will make people with special needs especially comfortable.

From the basics of special parking, wheelchair accessibility and the availability of electric powered vehicles through to hotel accommodation with roll-in showers, Braille guidebooks and assistance for guests with hearing impairments, Disney does a great job.

But what if you have a special needs member of your family and you really want to enjoy the added relaxation and flexibility that Orlando holiday villas offer? Can you find Florida short term rentals that give you all of the facilities you need?

Well, it may be difficult to track down the perfect holiday home and you will need to persevere, but there are at least a few really well-equipped places out there. As ever, you will need to do your homework because the hype can outstrip the reality, but have your questions ready and keep asking until you're sure what the home has to offer. You may not find a place with absolutely everything you want but give it a shot - it could turn out to be the best piece of research that you ever do.

To illustrate things more clearly, let's take a look at just one property that we are very familiar with - see Blue Skies Florida. We're familiar with this four bedroom two bathroom home because we used to manage it when it was first built and we know the current owners, Judith and Dean Hall.

It's at Grand Reserve, an upscale community that's about ten to fifteen minutes from Disney property, close to Exit 58 of Interstate 4. All of the accommodation is on one level (no stairs to navigate!) and when the property was first built, the original owner (a muscular dystrophy sufferer) had some specific modifications built in that make this home special - for example:

• Widened doors, including the extra wide patio doors from the master bedroom and family room
  

• Wheel-in shower in the Master Bedroom
  

• Clos-o-mat style toilet with left or right transfer
  

• extra wide pool area for safe and easy wheelchair maneuvering
  

• Pool hoist to allow access to both the pool and the spa
  

• Lots of equipment, including wheel-in shower wheelchair, electric and hydraulic portable hoists, a king size profiling electric bed with bed raisers if required, floatation aids for the pool

For more details, check out Judith and Dean's website and send them an e-mail with any questions you have. They are very friendly people and happy to help.

Now this home may not cater for absolutely everyone's special needs - indeed, we know from our time in managing it that, for example, it has only one master bedroom, so if you want two, this won't do. It has standard-height kitchen cabinets and worktops, so if you definitively need reduced-height counter tops for the comfort of someone in a wheelchair, it can't offer that.

However, we saw literally dozens of families, including the owners, who enjoyed the best vacation they'd ever had just because they could have a fabulous and relaxing time in a home that gave them the main features they were looking for.

We have absolutely no connection with Judith and Dean and we get no benefit for promoting this property in particular. But we do know that there are some Orlando holiday villas that can bring joy to special needs families and Florida short term rentals can be found to meet most needs - so why not give this home, or one like it, some consideration if you're putting together an Orlando vacation package?

Orlando Vacation Package Dining Choices

One of the great joys that comes with an Orlando vacation package (for most people!) is the opportunity to dine out whenever you want. When you've booked all the flights, done all the packing, made the journey by flying or driving and finally made it to your hotel or vacation home, the thought of some nice relaxing meals in quality restaurants is a great thing to look forward to.

If you're staying at one of the Disney world resort hotels and you don't want to rent a car, maybe you're limited to Walt's hospitality - but even then there is quite a choice!

However, if you're renting a room in one of the Kissimmee or Orlando hotels, you'll have a vast amount of restaurants to sample. And even if you've booked a short term rental home or condo, complete with a fully fitted kitchen, you may still choose to eat out everyday - especially if you're one of those Moms who need a break from the routine of feeding the family everyday. I certainly remember the times I used to enjoy Florida vacations - the sunshine was obviously a great attraction and Disney World and Universal and Sea World were wonderful, but freedom from my daily chef routine was a big attraction too!

But the joy of eating out can soon be diminished if the food isn't well-prepared or if the service is poor. So I wanted to pass on my experience of just a few local restaurants as a way to help you out. These are obviously totally subjective and focused on our family tastes (so for example, there are no Chinese or Italian restaurants because my husband has a very narrow range of preferences!) but at least it will give you one "user review" of each of the following:

Restaurants We Go Back To:

• Longhorn Steakhouse - this is a new place on the 192, near to the new Target mall west of Formosa Gardens Boulevard. We've already been there twice, it was very busy both times and the food and service was excellent. Obviously it's part of the Longhorn chain and serves standard American fare, but the steaks, salmon and ribs were all good. The staff were helpful and pleasant.
  

• Ruth's Chris - our favorite place to eat. More expensive than Longhorn, it offers the best steaks we've ever had anywhere. We've dined at Ruth's Chris restaurants all over the USA (from New York to Miami to San Diego) and every one has given us fantastic service and top class food and wine. The Orlando one that we visit is on sand Lake Road, just west of the Dr Phillips sign west of I4 Exit 74.
  

• IHOP: For those big breakfasts or that budget meal, try IHOP. There are several along the 192 but the only one we visit is on the south side of the 192 immedaitely before Poinciana Boulevard. We avoid the others (there are two farther west on the 192) because of poor service or average to poor food or both that we've experienced there.
  

Restaurants We Are Unlikely To Revisit:

• Outback - the restaurant at Formosa Boulevard on the 192 used to be one of our favorites. We ate there several times a year and my husband was happy to meet clients there for business dinners. It was always very popular. Then something changed - either the Manager, or corporate standards, or something. We took our extended family there a couple of years ago and it was a disaster - the food was not properly cooked and a couple of members of our party received their meals about fifteen minutes after the rest. Service was poor and when we complained, no one seemed to really care. We took it up with Outback in Tampa and received a "formula" type of apology along with a $50 voucher, which we used in a follow-up visit. Sadly that was just as bad and we have had equally unhappy tales from other friends who have dined there more recently - so now we use Longhorn etc. instead.
  

Ok, so none of these are "gourmet" places (although Ruth's Chris is as good a restaurant as we've ever been to. Maybe that shows our limited experience, or maybe it's just a really good place to eat!) but I hope that gives you just a few ideas on where to eat out and where to avoid. So give them a try, and try others as well - please remember that this is totally subjective and is based on our tastes and what you make of your eating experiences on your Orlando vacation pacakge is up to you!

Orlando Vacation Tips - Kennedy Space Center

If you're taking an Orlando vacation and you're looking for something a little different than the next Disney World ride or the joys of viewing Sea World's underwater life, I can strongly recommend a trip to the Kennedy Space Center, out at Florida's Atlantic coast on Merritt Island. I'm not a great technology or space or science fiction lover and I mostly want relaxation when I'm on my vacations, but I found the experience of seeing the history and bravery of the space pioneers a marvelous and moving visit.

From the Disney area the quickest route is usually along the 528 Beach Line toll road and, subject to rush hour traffic, the journey takes just about an hour or a little longer. When you arrive and park your car there is an entrance that's similar to the Orlando theme park entrances and the current ticket price is $38 each. You'll be given a printed brochure showing the main exhibits and some of the best ones for me were:

1. The Rocket Garden: This is where you can see the early parts of the space program including Atlas and Titan rockets that first put NASA astronauts in space. You can marvel at the bravery of the people who sat on top of what look like very insubstantial machines and allowed themselves to be blasted into the air. It's light years away from Star Trek and the Enterprise!

2. The Apollo / Saturn V Center: I can't express it any better than the official site does - "a tribute to the Apollo astronauts and the machines that got them there – and brought them home safely." This place tells the story of putting a man on the Moon and the highlight of the presentation in the giant building is a life-sized version of the enormous Saturn V rocket. You have to see it for yourself - it is really impossible to adequately describe.

3. Bus Tour Of The Facility: Take a two to three hour ride around the Space Center in an air-conditioned bus while the driver points out the key features - including wild life in the natural reserve such as birds or alligators (if they're being co-operative!). The highlight for me was the Vehicle Assembly Building, used to prepare each Space Shuttle for flight and allegedly the second largest building in the world. You should be able to see the "crawler", the transport that moves at one mile an hour to take the Shuttle to the launch pad.

4. Space Shuttle Replica: As with the Rocket Garden, this full-sized replica brings it home to you exactly how small the machine really is and how brave are the astronauts who venture out in it.

There are many more things so see and do there including two IMAX theaters, a "Shuttle Launch Experience" attraction and a Children's Play Dome. You should set aside a whole day and a lot of energy to make sure you see it all. Unless space travel sends you to sleep with boredom, I'm sure you will find a tremendous amount to impress you - and even the technophobes in your party should be impressed!

For more information on accommodation in the Disney World area, click on these Orlando holiday villas or Florida short term rentals links.

Orlando Vacation Package Money Saving Tips

With all of the economic doom and gloom that's around, it may be more and more difficult for cash-constrained families to justify a trip to Florida - but maybe this is just the time that they need the morale boost that an Orlando vacation package can generate.

Unless the current wave of bail-out and stimulus mania is extended to include money for vacations, families will be forced to find their own ways ways to cut costs so that a vacation is affordable. So here's a few ideas:

• Compare the costs of a complete vacation package with the total expenses you would pay if you booked the flight, accommodation and car hire separately. Research may show you that booking the items separately will be less expensive - but make sure you take into account all of the inducements in the package including discounted tickets, free breakfasts or other meals in hotels and other vouchers. Remember that packages can also have severe restrictions (for example, party size or dates available) so time spent in careful reading can be a great investment!
  

• Are the "Fly Drive" packages that are popular with UK tourists really worthwhile? Some companies apparently offer cost savings by combining the air fare and car hire costs into one price that looks like it's a bargain. But check out the compulsory car hire insurance costs that come with the deal. Sometimes these are overpriced to claw back the low sticker price. We've seen some big company offerings where any apparent initial saving is more than eaten up by what looks like excessive insurance charges - so separate booking of flights and car hire would have been less expensive.
  

• And on the topic of car hire - if you're planning at least some of your vacation in a Disney hotel, with travel between theme parks already included, do you need a car for the entire vacation? You may be aware that surcharges apply for cars collected at Orlando International Airport, so you could make an additional saving by picking up your car in Kissimmee instead. Fewer days of car hire and no surcharge may add up to to a substantial saving.
  

• Shop around for your flights, using sites such as expedia.com, travelocity.com and sidestep.com. They can help with accommodation and car hire too. If you can book well ahead you can often secure the lowest prices, especially if you're prepared to be flexible about your departure times. Obviously, avoid peak times such as Easter and Christmas. Try early December or late April / May if your schedule permits it. Even if you are looking for a last minute deal, don’t despair because bargains may still be available - some companies buy seats in advance and then sell them on as last minute deals at prices well below the airline’s regular rates.
  

• Accommodation: if you've read any of the other posts on this site you will be aware that the growth of short-term rental homes close to Disney has transformed the market. You can still spend your well-earned rest with your friends or family in one or more hotel rooms if you prefer and there is an enormous choice. But you could also rent a single family home with private screened pool or condo (see Orlando holiday villas for more details). Due to intense competition, the price of a four or five bedroom home can often be little more expensive that that of a single hotel room, so give it some thought and especially if your family or party is large.

• Theme park tickets could actually be the most expensive part of your Orlando vacation package, especially for large parties. For example, the standard Disney World price is currently $75 per day plus sales tax - so a party of eight would pay $600 plus tax. By comparison, one night in a vacation home for that same party could be booked for around $100 plus tax. That should convince you that time spent in planning your theme park days in advance could give you some big savings - so think about how many days you plan to spend at the Disney theme parks and how much flexibility in "hopping" from one park to another you want and then invest some time on the Internet checking out the options.
  

So if you really want that Orlando vacation and you'd love to explore the Magic Kingdom but your budget is straining to keep up, shop around and look at the options available because you really can save a lot of money, and enjoy a great holiday.

Beyond The Theme Parks And Orlando Holiday Villas

Central Florida so well known for the Disney World, Sea World and other theme parks that these amazingly popular man-made entertainments attract millions of tourists each year to fill the countless hotels, motels and Orlando holiday villas.

And in between daily visits to the theme parks, taking a rest from the rigors of the Magic Kingdom and relaxing by their private screened pool is a welcome contrast for those families lucky enough to be renting Orlando holiday villas.

But some visitors who have explored the theme parks in previous vacations can become bored with Mickey Mouse. Hard to believe, but it does happen! They want ever more variety and they begin to think about other parts of Florida to explore.

After all, the climate is great all of the year round so what about the beaches, national parks and other areas? Well, if you're prepared to take a road trip for a couple of hours (or more in some cases) you have many great choices - for example:

• Gulf Coast beaches
  
  Some of my most favorite beaches are on the coast between St Petersburg Beach and Clearwater Beach. The journey from Orlando takes up to two hours, but it's completely worth it. I usually drive to St Petersburg Beach and head south along Gulf Boulevard - most of the beaches are private and therefore not accessible, but there are many public beaches with parking availability, rest rooms and nearby shops or restaurants. The sands are almost white, the Gulf of Mexico water is a gorgeous color and you will usually find pelicans, seagulls and other wildlife to amuse you. Take lots of sunscreen and something to give you some shade, or rent recliners and sunshades.
  

• The Everglades National Park
  
  If you're prepared for a road trip of three to four hours, why not travel to south west Florida (Naples / Fort Myers) to explore the Everglades National Park. It covers more than 1.5 million acres and it a melting pot of nature and wildlife: it has more than seven hundred different tropical and temperate plants, about three hundred different species of birds plus alligators, turtles, manatees, fish, Florida panther, snakes and other animals. Take an airboat ride and skim across the sawgrass just like in the opening scenes of CSI Miami.
  

• Miami
  
  If you're looking for a city that's teeming with life and hustle and bustle, Miami is it. It is a four-hour journey down the Florida Turnpike, at the end of which you can explore the frantic activity on South Beach, enjoy the shops and restaurants in Coconut Grove or seek out other beaches such as Key Biscayne. Stick to these tourist areas and away from some of the less desirable localities. For something different, find Old Cutler Road and marvel at the glorious banyan tress along the road and in the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens.
  

• The Florida Keys
  
  Beyond Miami are the Keys, starting with Key Largo and going all the way along to Key West. From Miami to Key West will take two or three hours, depending on the volume of traffic. Each Key has it's own characteristics, starting with the John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo (snorkelling or scuba diving anyone?) through the developments in Islamorada and Marathon, over the Seven Mile Bridge and finally finishing at Key West. If you make it that far, enjoy the beaches and the swimming but you absolutely must explore Duval Street. Try the Hogs Breath Saloon marguerritas, enjoy the atmosphere in Sloppy Joe's but mainly just take in the sights and sounds of the laid back crowds who throng there.

So there you have it - the sea, beaches, nature and partying in Miami and the Keys. Don't go home from Florida and complain that there's only Mickey Mouse to see!

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.