Running for the plane, with 3 kids and my husband, I realize how early in the morning it is. and I can hardly believe that anyone functions at this time because I feel like a walking zombie and our day has just begun. Travel is tough solo or with kids, but now as we shuffle the kids, our bags and just try to get to the plane it is clearly more of a challenge than we realized! We have been up since 3 AM and we had coffee, handed everything over to our house sitter who was looking less than happy to be up at that time in the morning as well! We packed up the luggage and left for the airport. We are all really excited to be boarding the plane and taking off for the Sunshine State because we are in need of some serious R&R. As a travel blogger, we area always on the go, and as a Mom with Disney and Universal fanatics, we travel yearly to Orlando. This is my story of Lavishly living travel out loud and why Rental Homes might be best when staying in Orlando. Should you rent a home when traveling to Orlando?
Rent A Home When Traveling TO Orlando
The plane is delayed so we have to roll with the changes and thankfully since it is a direct flight it is not that big of a deal. We know that we have a car waiting for pick up and our largest task at the airport is the pick up of luggage. Once we get to the FLORIDA airport we are exhausted and we feel like it has already been a full day, but the kids are rearing to go. We grab the rental and off we go to our rental home. Yes, Rental Home, not a hotel. We get to the house, unpack, the kids swim, and as they swim, we quickly unpack and plan the day. It would seem that since it is only 11:30 we are off to Disney for the day. As primped and prepared world-travelers, and someone who frequents Orlando as my family members are all Disney and Universal fans, I do feel certain in my recommendations.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Rental homes are a great value for the money. In most cases, you won’t find a hotel that is decent for under $129 a night in the Disney area. With a hotel, you have neighbors next to you, below and above you and quite often, traveling with more than 2 children provides its own dandy challenge, of either the purchase of a separate room for the ‘extras’ lol, or the need for a suite(when available) all which translates to more money. With a rental home, you can choose homes with as many bedrooms as you need and they mostly have at least 2+ bathrooms, which with 5 people almost a mandatory. In addition, the homes that have 3+ bedrooms often can sleep at least 10, because there are beds in other areas of the home, which means, when you want more of your family to stay they can and suddenly what has about $200 a night, becomes even less.
The value goes on from here as many, such as the home we have chosen offer Wii or PlayStations, game rooms that have air hockey, basketball, and foosball tables in them in addition to a swimming pool. Did I mention, all you have to do is roll out of your bed to have all this fun and there is no need to walk across a campus to get to food or pool? What a savings.
The value inside the home is that it is a home, but there are also things you might have to do. You may have to keep a front light on, depending on the neighborhood you are in and you may have to take the trash out and brings the trash cans back up. We don’t mind this, it is all very normal, but if you are looking to keep it easy, no work, this is not for you. We love the fact that we can do laundry at will and not worry about someone coming and stealing it out of the washer and dryer as we had to worry about at a local Orlando upscale resort– ridiculous. Go to the grocery store(which they are all around) grab what you want and just keep things easy, it is so nice!
Why Am I just discussing renting a home in Orlando? In Orlando, Florida, there is so much to do, and with all there is to do, often hotels are over-booked, and you don’t get the stretch-out space you need. In addition, when you travel back and forth from the Disney Parks and Universal it is nice to go ‘home’. You save money when you stay off premises, unless you are a Disney fanatic that has to be on their Disney Grounds, but after a full day in the parks, it is truly nice to step away and let the ma
The staying off premises is not for everyone and you will need a car to get around if you flew in and expect to travel around to the parks. We did have a car, we had planned far ahead and I found it necessary to really learn our area ahead of the stay and make sure the drive to and from our events would be easy and less than 15 minutes. The home itself is a lifesaver as you can pack lunches, prepare breakfasts, and swim at your leisure in the privacy of a home. You crash when you want to, have a driveway and plenty of private spots for the kids to just hang out in. Kids need to reboot when traveling as well and often hotel room only light their pilot lights and make them a bit more excited. We have found well-rested children create much more fun days, lol! The pricing of a rental home will offer you so much more than a basic hotel room and the homes that we stay in are impeccably taken care of. We read all the write-ups, and check in with the owner. You can lavishly live travel out loud when you rent a home when traveling to Orlando.
