Top 5 features to look for in a vacation rental home in Orlando Florida

Many vacation rental home websites such as firstchoicefloridavillas.com offer a wide range of homes for your chose from. There are many features that you should consider before you decide on which home to pick! So here are the first 5 to kick off the blog post..

1. Where’s the sun? You’re going to rent a home in Florida for sun right? So make sure you know which way round the sun rises and sets in comparison to the pool area. Generally, if the home has a south or west facing sun deck, then that will work well for relaxing at most times of the day. If the sun deck faces east or north, then prepare for morning sun and afternoon shade!

2. Make sure the vacation rental home is located near Disney (generally 20 mins is fine)

3. Is the pool heated? And if so, how? Avoid homes that offer solar heating. Let’s be honest, Solar gives you nothing when you want it, and something when you don’t!

4. Is the home on a resort with clubhouse. Many homes now offer the use of a clubhouse on a private gated resort, such as Solana (http://firstchoicefloridavillas.com/villa-resort-solana-resort.html)

5. Safety  -make sure the home provides a provision for safety, eg gated resort, pool fence, a money safe and smoke alarms. And please remember, if your travelling with children, make sure that an adult supervises at all times when playing in the pool area

Top tips on comfort when renting in vacation home in Orlando Florida and visiting the theme parks!

Renting a vacation home in Orlando Florida gives you the flexibility to bring your extensive wardrobe of clothes to wear during your vacation as the general rule in a vacation rental home is that each bedroom will have at least 1 and probably 2 hanging storage areas for your belongings.

So what do I wear to survive a day at the theme parks. First, don’t be tempted to take lots of clothes on your vacation. Dress codes in Florida tend to be very casual and given the 100% humidity and subtropical climates, comfort rules!
So outside of winter months where the temperature can drop at night (Dec/Jan) to sweater weather, the rest of the year, day or night is most certainly t-shirt, shirt and shorts weather.

With the exception of one or two more formal dining experiences (like the truly excellent Victoria & Albert at the Floridian Grand Hotel), most restaurants are happt to greet guests in any attire.

As for the theme parks, rule number 1. Make sure you wear decent durable footwear. Rule number 2, buy a spray fan to keep you cool on the move.

Your vacation rental home will be fully air-conditioned too, so no problems there, but remember to keep all doors and windows shut to keep the home cool!

If I rent a vacation home in Orlando, what should I do if there is a medical emergency?

Renting a vacation home in Orlando Florida is a great idea to enjoy a family break in the sun. However, you should be aware that Florida has a sub-tropical temperature which brings some caution when considering sun burn and inspects/animals which may present considerations for medical care during your stay in the sun drenched vacation rental capital of the world.

The first to do is make yourself familiar with the dangers of your vacation rental home. Check the rental home owners hand book located in the villa and follow the advice given. Check the smoke alarms are working and the date that the fire extinguishers were last serviced. If there is a problem, call the vacation rental owner or local property manager.

Keep in mind safety around the pool area and outdoors in general. Stay away from any insects that look poisonous, including red back spiders.

If your renting a vacation home in Orlando and you are from the UK, then keep in mind that the emergency services number in the USA is 911, not 999. Centra Care (http://centracare.org/visitors/) offer out patience with medical assistance from many locations across Orlando.

And finally remember to make sure your medical insurance cover is in place before you travel. Medical care is very expensive in the USA, even a simple check up from a local medical center can cost hundreds of dollars.

How do I stay in touch with the folks back home when I am renting a villa in Orlando?

If your renting a vacation home in Orlando for your break this year, then there are many ways to stay in touch with the folks back home once you arrive at your vacation rental home, but check with your rental home owner/agent  before you choose the rental home of your choice.

All rental homes will provide you with a landline phone but these are normally restricted to long distance calls only. That’s fine if you are travelling within North America, but if you are a guest from the UK, you wont be able to use this phone for outbound calls. However most owners/agents will issue you the number of the landline phone so that you can give this out to your friends, family and work colleagues so that they can contact you during your stay at the home.

Your vacation rental home should also be equipped with Hi speed WIFI access giving you smart phone and or laptop access to email and the internet. This service is normally provided free of charge. Some homes also provide desktop PC’s for your personal use too, again free of charge.

Finally do be aware that mobile phone roaming can be very very expensive if you’re travelling from outside of the USA. Some airlines and shops offer a cheap SIM service during your stay, or alternatively if you need to make outbound calls on a frequent basis during your stay, its much cheaper to buy a pas as you go phone from the local Wallmart and use top up cards to make long distance or international mobile cell calls.

It’s my first time renting a home in Orlando, what are the language differences?

Orlando Villa

If your renting a home in Orlando and it’s your first visit to the area from the UK, then you should make yourself familiar with the differences in certain word meanings between the UK and the USA. When booking your vacation rental home, you may want to ask the agent if certain facilities are available for example…

Do you need a Pram? In the US, a Pram is called a Stroller and a Nappy is a Diaper. A Cot is called a Crib and and a fold up bed is called a Cot!

Can I make Reverse Charge calls? (Collect Call). Which junction is the rental resort located off (Intersection). Remember that Give Way is signed as Yield. And you fill up at the Gas station
Money also has its own currency! A Quarter is 25 cents, a Dime is 10 cents and a Nickel is 5 cents.
If you decide to take a night off from cooking in your well equipped kitchen at your vacation rental home, then you need to be aware of some ordering differences in the US, for example, don’t be surprised if your order a plate of chips that a bag of crisps turns up! Prawns are called Shrimps and Broiled means Grilled. And a soda is any fizzy drink.