Thousands of visitors to Disney World and other Central Florida attractions are finding out that their vacation of a lifetime can be enhanced by choosing the alternative accommodation offered by Florida short term rentals. These are single family homes or condos available for daily, weekly or monthly rental and they are great if you are looking for a home away from home, whether for a family or a group of friends.
Orlando in particular is one area where absentee owners have purchased homes and adopted the short term rental approach as a way to recover some or all of their running costs. More and more families and groups are building this type of accommodation into their Orlando vacation package to make the most of their time away from home.
But can you have confidence that the short term rental property you see on the Internet will live up to expectations? The last thing you want is for all those weeks and months of anticipation to be wrecked because your accommodation is below standard. So how can you make sure you get what you’re looking for?
The simple answer is to be just as rigorous in researching a Florida short term rental as you would any hotel or motel. And to apply just the same sort of thought process as you would with a hotel/motel. So plan your Florida short term rental, particularly those close to Disney World, Sea World and Universal, around the following guidance:
* Price: Book the lowest priced vacation home at your peril. Just like you probably stay clear of the $25 per night motel because you know that maintenance and facilities are unlikely to be the best, the same is true of low priced rental homes. Some owners who undercharge eventually go out of business and if you want to avoid the risk of arriving in Florida to find your dream home has been foreclosed on or is low-quality, remember that the lowest price is not always the cheapest.
* Obviously you will want to see the home you have booked to ensure that it is of a high quality. Whether you are booking directly with the owner or through a company ask to see photographs or a virtual tour of the property you will be staying in. When booking through a company, work only with those who allocate your choice of home at the time of booking and not at their choice at the time of arrival.
* “Five minutes from Disney” is often a phrase used in the description of Orlando vacation rentals. This may be true at three o’ clock in the morning in the off season but in reality the travel time will depend on traffic conditions. The majority of rental homes are between two and ten miles from Disney World. To find out the exact location of the property that you are interested in search for it on Google. If you cannot get the full address at least ask for the name of the community and the zip code.
* It’s a good idea to ask in advance how the owner or management company deal with issues such as the pool not getting hot enough, the air conditioning breaking down or the television not working. If the problem cannot be fixed straight away do they have another property you can move to?
* Self help: Even a five-star hotel is unlikely to meet your every single need, and if you’re going for a short-term rental home you’ll have to accept the principle of self reliance even more. So if the level of noise at 11pm in the vacation house next to yours is disturbing you, call the Sheriff instead of the Front Desk. If you can’t find the nearest restaurant, consult the Internet instead of the Concierge. And for almost anything else, find out from the management company how to deal with it!
No matter what kind of accommodation you are booking for your vacation it pays to do as much research as possible before hand to avoid disappointment on your arrival. It is certainly necessary when looking for Florida short term rentals to avoid distress and a costly mistake.