Today I'm sharing some pictures and our experience with Global Resort Homes. That photo above is of the home we stayed in. It had 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a full kitchen, 2 living rooms, and a pool in the backyard!
Eat Well & Save Money with a Kitchen!
One of my favourite things about staying in a vacation home was the kitchen! We had planned to bring all of our meals with us when we went to the parks and to make our meals while we were at home, so we needed a kitchen to be able to store our groceries and prepare our meals!
[Photo provided by Global Resort Homes] |
Not only did we save money by making our own meals, but we were able to celebrate two birthdays and make several special meals while we were there- it was so nice! We were happy to find a blender in the kitchen because our first birthday girl had requested smoothies for her birthday breakfast, and the freezer was perfect for our birthday girl's ice cream cake. :)
Stay Close to Disney World!
Global Resort Homes has several resort communities. We stayed at Champions Gate which was just a short drive away from Disney World. It took 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the park) to get from our front door to the parking lot, so it was great for getting to the park quickly in the morning, or getting home quickly at night after a long day at the park!
Save Money by Sharing One Big Vacation Home!
Of course one of the great things about these homes is how many people can stay in them! We had a family of 4 and a family of 5 staying together at the same time, and we could have easily had a set of grandparents stay with us, too! After looking into it, I realized that staying in a vacation home WITH friends or family, could be very close to the cost of staying in a hotel! This is amazing because you get so much more with a rental home!
Below you can get a look at our 6 bedrooms. Every room (except for one) had a bathroom attached to it. The two rooms with 2 twin beds shared a bathroom. We also had one separate bathroom upstairs and one downstairs (which also opened to the patio outside, so you could come in and shower before entering the house after swimming). All 6 of the bathrooms had a shower.
Our girls stayed in one of the rooms with twin beds and their cousins stayed in the other. It was so fun for them to get ready for bed together in their bathroom. We also switched girls a couple of nights for sleepovers! :) I love that they had the opportunity to make those memories together! :)
Another favourite part of the house for me was the master bathroom! :) We had a big shower with a great soaker tub that I had a couple of opportunities to enjoy while we were there. I loved it!
Rest and Relax with Lots of Space!
We didn't use the living room too much while our cousins were with us because we spent almost every day at the parks!
[Photo provided by Global Resort Homes] |
But we did take a day off on Sunday when we celebrated Talia's birthday. Again, it was so nice to have the space to spread out, open gifts, and really have our own place to enjoy.
This room came in very handy after our cousins had to go home and we had some days to rest and relax. We rented a couple of movies and enjoyed them on the flat screen T.V. in this room and some of the bedrooms (every single bedroom had a T.V. in it, as well as both living rooms!) All T.V.s had access to cable, and both living rooms had Blu Ray players.
[Photo provided by Global Resort Homes] |
Perhaps the most popular part of the house for my kids, was our backyard pool! The water was heated, there was a spa/hot tub that could be turned on, and this little family from cold Canada was in heaven! :) Ken & I even got to go for a night swim and enjoy the spa after the kids had gone to bed. It was lovely!
[Photo provided by Global Resort Homes] |
The patio was a nice place for the grown-ups to gather in the evenings after putting the kids to bed, to plan our next day at the park, or have a nighttime snack. :) Can you imagine trying to do that in a hotel room where you all sleep in the same room? It was a very different experience with a vacation home!
Experience All the Benefits of A Resort Clubhouse & Pool!
After our park days, we had a few days to enjoy the Resort Clubhouse and it was so nice there!
Here are the girls, in front of the pool. I know it looks windy and maybe even a little cool, but the water was SO warm that it didn't matter if we had a cool day- it was so nice in the pool!
The same went for the lazy river which the girls loved (and so did we). There was also a water slide that all of us enjoyed that went right into the lazy river. :) You can see Ken and the girls pretending to play volleyball (haha). We didn't get a chance to use those courts- but the sand was really nice- we would have loved to!
Here's a picture of the splash playground. My kids spent probably less than a minute playing there because, unlike the lazy river and pool, the water was cold. Had we come during a warmer time of the year, I'm sure this would've been a big hit- it looked like lots of fun!
Toward the end of our vacation, Ken's brother and his family arrived in Florida. It was so nice to have them sleepover at our house and spend the day enjoying the resort with them! We hung out at the arcade, the lazy river, and the water slide and had a great time!
The clubhouse had special events and activities scheduled at different times each day and my favourite by far was the Aqua Bubble! :) It involved a lot of falling inside of the bubble, and not very much walking in it, but we sure had fun with it! :)
Save Luggage Space & Do Your Own Laundry!
If you're staying at a vacation home, you won't have to take clothes for every day that you're visiting because you'll have your own laundry room to use! It was so nice to throw in a load of sandy clothes after a day at the beach, or to wash clothes before packing them, to avoid the dreaded post-vacation laundry marathon!
What's Included?
When I was researching these rental vacation homes, I wanted to know what kind of supplies would come with them, so I want to share the details with you in case you're reading this for the same reason. Each bathroom came with basic soap and shampoo and two rolls of toilet paper. We were provided with a roll of paper towels, an extra trash bag for the kitchen, and one-time use laundry and dishwasher detergent.
Things we needed to supply for ourselves (in addition to food) were tissues, extra trash bags, additional laundry & dishwasher detergent, as well as dish soap for the sink. We brought our own shampoo, conditioner, and body soap.
The kitchen comes with everything you need to prepare your own meals and there are some extra items that you are able to rent if you need them, such as a BBQ, or a Pack N Play. They also offer some really neat services for you: you can call ahead and have them stock your kitchen with snacks and essential food items, or even hire someone to come to your house and cook a meal for you! If you have any questions about anything, they're happy to help you out if you call their guest concierge. We used the number a couple of times, and they were great!
Budget Breakdown
We were curious to see what the cost would be to share a vacation home and buy your own groceries vs. a cheap hotel (needing to purchase meals at parks or restaurants), and did some calculations. We were shocked to discover that we could reasonably end up spending more at a 2.5 star basic hotel (a single room) with complimentary breakfast than to share a beautiful vacation home with our own private pool, a couple of living rooms, a full kitchen, and all of the benefits of a clubhouse & resort pool, etc.! Of course, prices would vary depending on what kind of hotel you're looking at, what size of vacation home you're interested in, and the time of year, but if there's a possibility of sharing a place with some friends/family, I strongly suggest pricing out the vacation home option!
Overall Experience
We made some memories we'll never forget in our vacation home and I am so glad we were able to visit Florida this way! It was great to spend time with cousins and share those experiences with them. I highly recommend looking into vacation rental homes next time you travel! If you're like us, and budget is a big factor, then a vacation home could be the perfect choice if you're travelling with another family or two! You may find it to be just about the same cost as a hotel when split between families, but it includes so much more, and makes for such a relaxing and luxurious stay, with all of the privacy and comforts of home and then some!
Thank you to Global Resort Homes for hosting us for our family getaway!
Great post, very informative! Beautiful house too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Laurie, it was such a lovely house!
DeleteWow,it sure looks/sounds like a wonderful place to stay...love the pool
ReplyDeleteIt really was. I would love to return! The pool was wonderful! :)
DeleteWe are delighted that you and your family enjoyed your stay and thank you for taking the time to leave such a great review of our company.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Jason Germaine
Global Resort Homes
Real Estate Department.
You are so welcome- we really loved it! I'm so glad we found out about Global Resort Homes!
DeleteI'm sold! What a thorough review! We are planning to go this fall and will look into this! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I highly recommend it if you can- it was SO nice!!
DeleteThis is a splendid idea and one that can create so many awesome memories. Especially if you can get the same house every year.
ReplyDeleteYes, it would be amazing to be able to go back every year!
DeleteThis is a great way to save money while on vacation! I have bookmarked Global for any future trips I will have. You stayed in a beautiful home. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt was beautiful & we loved it. :) You are welcome, and yes, you should definitely remember Global- they're fabulous!
DeleteWhat a great time! I love the global homes! Its like a home away from home!! So beautifully decorated and so much for this kids to do!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I loved the decorating and the activities and resources available were so good.
DeleteWhat a superior option to staying in a hotel! I love that the home was so spacious and also that it included a pool. I had heard of people renting homes, but never knew the company to go through. This is such a wonderful review, I almost felt like I was there. I will definitely be checking out Global Resort Homes for our next vacation south!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is. It was so relaxing and enjoyable to be there!
DeleteLove the idea of being able to cook some of your own meals while you are away. I hate eating out all the time. And it looks like the perfect place for the whole family to get together for a fun vacation!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was really nice and it saved money, too! I loved that we could have 2 families in the same place with plenty of room for all!
DeleteGorgeous and I NEED that bathroom! It's so much bigger and that tub looks so comfy.
ReplyDeletehaha I know right!! I would like to live there. ;)
DeleteThanks so much for this post. I have been going back and forth about vacationing in Florida and I would love to bring the kids with us on their first vacation but would much rather stay in a home setting vs a hotel resort. This is great info and looks like a fabulous place to stay!
ReplyDeleteIt was so relaxing to be able to come to the vacation home between excursions- and everyone had their own space which is a huge plus, too!
DeleteGreat looking homes that will be to nice to own in Florida.
ReplyDelete