Looking at a trip for Spring Break 2016 and want to rent a vacation home for a week. All Star Vacation homes that week are a bit too steep in price. We look at HomeAway, VRBO, and FlipKey, but I’m worried that there might be scammers out there and wondering if anyone here has had a good experience with a particular home, company, owner, etc. that they could recommend.
Have you looked at Windsor Hills. Homes and condos available. My parents have rented there during Christmas week and it was very reasonable. Distance to WDW was amazing.
We stayed here in May. They are terribly slow at responding to inquiries, but the property is legitimate, clean and comfortable. VRBO Property 475801vb http://www.vimanagroupllc.com/ I get no compensation for this. I can just verify it was a nice place to stay. Three bedrooms (2 kings, 2 twins), elevator, somewhat accessible (lower light switches, large bathroom, etc), leather furniture.
We would have rented with them again in December, but their price was just too high this time. We are staying at another property in the same Windsor Hills resort, but since we haven’t seen it yet, I won’t list it now. I can give an update later.
Paying through Homeaway is secure and they give the option of trip insurance so if something happens you get your money back in certain situations (usually medical). Not every owner offers this option. I choose the ones who do.
You can also search the local tax records online to see if the property is actually owned by the people who are renting it out.
Hi! I don’t know what the feeling is around here about providing a link to one’s own vacation home but…um, I have one! My husband and I just bought a home near WDW this year and spent several months giving it a luxury makeover and we’ve just entered the rental market very late this Summer under one of the largest management companies in the Disney area (Global Resort Homes). I understand what you’re saying about one of the better known vacation home management companies you mention above. We researched them as a potential management company but found that so much of the price of their homes is commission. I didn’t love that. We use a very small management company for the hands-on work so it’s really the best of all worlds. The big company does our marketing and the little one does all the quality control on our house. We let the professionals handle the majority of our bookings but nobody knows our house like I do so here’s a summary.
We’re a short couple turns off of Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (US 192) at the Formosa Gardens intersection. It’s just a few miles down 192 to the Disney exit or we like to sneak across to Osceola Parkway and get there without as much traffic. We are in the Emerald Island Resort community and we have the best lot in the place! We are viewing distance from the security guardhouse and quick walk across the street to the clubhouse and Tiki bar. A protected conservation is directly behind our house with shaded walking trails so that’s a far cry from most vacation homes that have another HOUSE AND POOL directly behind them. We do have neighbors on the sides but tall hedges and new Florida glass keep us completely secluded.
We have 6 bedrooms, 4 of them have attached master ensuites. We’ve converted our garage into a fully insulated finished home theater/gameroom in the style of a little film you may have heard of called Star Wars! Most everything in the house is new and fresh including the beds, new kitchen appliances and the works. You can book directly through the attached link but I am happy to be the middle man for booking if you contact me directly through the messaging feature here on the forum. I can usually quote a better price because I’m not taking a commission! If our host prefers that I do not share my own home here, I will gladly take it down and let someone, oh I don’t know ( cough cough @KeliJ) who has been there/stayed there recommend it if they so choose) 
2 Likes
@MaccysMousehouse’s house (ha, that made me laugh writing that) is EXQUISITE. The beds are like sleeping on a cloud, the pool area is like a little private slice of secluded heaven, and the Star Wars movie/game room is amazingly themed and put together.
Also, the location is great because of the proximity to WDW, especially if you sneak around 192 for less traffic. But being close to 192 is also advantageous because of all of the restaurants, grocery stores, etc. being close by.
Here is the link and you can pm me with questions about house specifics (about the awesomeness of the house, not rental prices and the like as I have no idea because I actually stayed there for free with the home’s lovely owner) if you would like.
1 Like
.Thank you! 
Our friends love Minnie’s Maingate Manor and always beg us to join them, but we hate to leave our own resort. They swear we’d never go back to staying on property. They had to cancel a trip once (heart attack the day before they were to arrive!) and the owners let them reschedule months later without any penalty. From then on, they’ve been very loyal customers and go at least yearly.