Category Archives: Our Florida Villa To Rent

Here’s a collection of posts all regarding our family friendly villa in Tuscan Ridge, how you can hire it for your holiday, and what sort of updates we’ve been doing. If you can think of anything else we need to add please let us know. Stop your search for a villa – here’s the best there is in Orlando!

Tuscan Ridge Villa – March update

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I never thought owning a Tuscan Ridge villa would be so time consuming!  Renting out a property is definitely a big learning curve and something we are only just getting to grips with.  The best thing we did was buy in such a nice place such as Tuscan Ridge though.  A lot of our enquiries are repeat Tuscan Ridge fans!

Tuscan Ridge

Tuscan Ridge Drive, Davenport, Florida

How can you not be excited to turn up to a view like this?

Tuscan Ridge entrace

Tuscan Ridge entrance – Welcome to Tuscan Ridge

February Tuscan Ridge villa rentals

We’ve had a brilliant February with our first ever rental lasting over 30 days.  We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the rental market.  March is booked at a high occupancy but we still have some availability in mid April that we are hoping to fill soon.  It’s just after Easter so we may have to ramp up the marketing to get April nice and full. Fingers crossed.

So what have we learnt so far?

Transaction fees are expensive.  Ouch.  Every company wants to charge a fortune.  So far we’ve found that the best way in the UK is something as simple as a cheque or bank transfer, or PayPal so long as it’s sourced from a bank.  PayPal avoids having to give bank details away so it can be considered a little safer.

Foreign currency payments are a little trickier.  PayPal again charges a cross border fee, and a horrible currency exchange rate if it’s not in a currency you hold in PayPal.  Thankfully we hold both USD and GBP so we can avoid some of those fees.  Most North American customers prefer PayPal so a wire fee is also avoided.

Therefore make it extremely clear how you handle payments at the point of first contact, to avoid any confusion.  Most renters are happy they’re staying at our Tuscan Ridge villa anyway, so it’s quite a pleasant market to be involved in.

Secondly, enquiries enquiries enquiries!  We’ve had hundreds, and desperately need to make some nice sounding templates up.  Some sites are worse than others – we may have to avoid the sites that allow a blanket spam of “all villas in Disney”.  I bet the innocent email enquiry gets hundreds of responses back, which would be a bit of an information overload to the unsuspecting customer.

Lastly, make sure you respond quickly.  We always aim to respond to an enquiry about Tuscan Ridge within an hour in the daytime – and sometimes even in the middle of the night!

 

Everglades City Florida adventure

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Orlando is only a few hours away from the spectacular Everglades national park and their famous Mangrove trees.  If you fancy a break away from the theme parks and crowds of Orlando you can easily head down to somewhere like Fort Myers or Everglades City to stay overnight and break up your holiday.  Beware – alligators are a common sight!

Alligators

Alligator safety!

As long as you are sensible and don’t go near the edge of any water, it’s more than likely that the alligators are more scared of you than you are of them.  Easy to say behind the safety of a keyboard, of course…..

Alligator

Alligator sunbathing, or waiting to gobble you up?

Everglades City

When we visited the Everglades we stayed at the Ivey House Bed and Breakfast in Everglades City: http://iveyhouse.com/. This is a well maintained bed and breakfast with friendly staff and a cosy feel.  The rooms are small but clean, and the toilet facilities are interesting (see below!).

Ivey House

Ivey House – small cubicles…

Canoe through mangroves

The Ivey House organise fantastic canoe trips into the Everglades and mangrove trees, and if you’re lucky you’ll see an alligator or two!  The Everglades are very shallow, only a couple of feet deep, and canoeing / kayaking through the mangroves was a fantastic experience, not one to be missed if you stay in the area.  We ventured through some tiny tunnels in the mangroves, and probably visited some areas that very few people get to see.

mangrove canoe in the everglades

Canoe in the Everglades through the mangrove trees

Waiting to canoe into the mangroves

Waiting to canoe into the mangroves

Everglades city is a fairly small community, quiet and tucked away.  There are some nice restaurants and airboat rides to be had in the area.  We couldn’t resist tucking into some gator, frog’s legs and conch fritters!

gator

Gator, Frog Legs, Conch?

Last but not least, everyone has to have a ride in an airboat.  These boats are propelled by an aeroplane propeller to avoid the situation whereby a normal outboard gets clogged up with vegetation in the swamps, and they travel at high speed through the mangroves, often performing some “acrobatic” manoeuvres along the way.  The guides are usually well versed in the history and nature of the Everglades, making for an educational as well as an exciting adventure.  Not to be missed.

Everglades Airboat Ride

Everglades Airboat Ride

 

 

LEGOLAND discount tickets | Florida Winter Haven

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The LEGOLAND website has recently reduced its Florida resident annual pass to just $99 (correct as of February 2013).  Compared to a single entry to the Winter Haven park at $64 this seems like a bargain.  The pass gives you free parking, LEGOLAND discount dining, admission to the LEGOLAND water parks as well, and admission to the other Merlin attractions in the USA.

For those who don’t have a valid Florida photo ID, if you are a fan of LEGOLAND discount then it’s definitely worth looking into a Merlin annual pass on their website: http://www.merlinannualpass.com.  These are currently (2013 prices) at $179 for an adult.  The pass not only gets you in to all LEGOLAND attractions, it also has the following:

  • Madame Tussauds New York, Washington D.C, Las Vegas and Hollywood
  • LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth and Kansas City
  • LEGOLAND® Theme Parks Florida and California
  • SEA LIFE Aquariums Arizona, Dallas Fort Worth, California, Kansas City and Minnesota
  • Plus more attractions coming soon!

 

LEGOLAND discount tickets will get you in to the full list of 2013 events at LEGOLAND.

LEGOLAND 2013 Winter Haven

  • LEGOLAND Water Park re-opens for spring break and summer-time. March 9, 2013
  • Winter Haven Hospital Foundation’s Citrus Classic 5K Run and Fun Walk. April 6, 2013
  • Red, Brick & Boom allows guests to celebrate the 4th of July. July 4, 5 and 6, 2013
  • Brick-or-Treat for Halloween festivities. Weekends in October 2013
  • Christmas Bricktacular. Weekends in December 2013
  • Countdown to New Year’s Eve Party. December 26-30, 2013
  • New Year’s Eve and a DJ dance party in Miniland USA. December 31, 2013

 

Historic Downtown Kissimmee

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Historic Downtown Kissimmee (not spelled Kisimmee or Kissimee or any other variation!) is situated in Osceola County, Florida, United States.  It’s worth a visit on a quiet day inbetween visiting the main Florida attractions and theme parks.  With a character of its own, a few hours can be spent relaxing and seeing what Kissimmee has to offer.  Lake Tohopekaliga also offers a few sights and variety to break up your vacation, why not try some bass fishing?

kissimmee

kissimmee

Historic Downtown Kissimmee is part of a redevelopment programme, offering great shopping, places to eat, restaurants, however whilst it doesn’t have the charm of Celebration it certainly has a bit more history to it.  There is a farmers market (as of 2013 this is on Tuesdays from 4pm), and loads of restaurants:

  • 3 Sisters Speakeasy (226 Broadway)
  • Azteca`s Mexican Restaurant (809 N. Main St.)
  • Breck`s Gourmet Cookies (24B Broadway)
  • Taqueria Tres Amigos (231 Broadway)
  • Broadway Pizza Bar (403 Broadway)
  • Savion’s Place (16 E. Dakin Ave)
  • Susan`s Courtside Cafe (18 S. Orlando Ave.)
  • Joanie`s Diner (120 Broadway)
  • Mrs. Mac`s Restaurant (215 Broadway)
  • Nadia’s Cafe (15 Broadway)
  • Natures Table (214 Broadway)
  • Nene’s Restaurant (324 Broadway)
  • Olga`s Restaurant (708 N. Main St.)
  • Pure Magic Ice Cream (520 North Main Street)
  • Robinson`s Coffee Shop and Diner (114 Broadway.)
  • Teresa`s Bar & Grill (219 Broadway)
  • Vintage Vino Wine Bar (14 E. Dakin Ave)
  • Wicked Step Sister (7 E. Dakin Ave)
  • Willy’s Wieners (108 E Dakin Ave)

Historic Downtown Kissimmee History

The history of Kissimmee (previously named Allendale) mainly lies with a chap called Hamilton Disston.  Southern Florida was mostly underwater in the 1800’s and Hamilton agreed to dredge and drain the land in exchange for half of everything he reclaimed.  This injected money into the state and a trading route was established to the gulf of Mexico along the river Kissimmee.  History shows that the main trade was citrus although cattle ranches were also a fairly dominant industry when big freezes ruined citrus crops in the early 1900s.

Retirements in the US population were encouraged to settle in Kissimmee – boosting the population until Walt Disney World came along in the early 1970’s, at which point Kissimmee doubled in population due to the staff required at the theme park.

Have a look at the Kissimmee main street website for more touring information.

Celebration Disney – what’s all the fuss about?

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Celebration Disney is one of the nicest places to visit in the Disney area of Orlando Florida. If there’s one place that you plan to visit, make it this one.

So, what’s all the fuss about? It’s just another town with neon signs, right?

celebration disney lake

celebration disney lake

Wrong. After travelling through mile after mile of badly designed neon signs, probably along the 192, you will no doubt be tired of the same old advertising and street layout in Florida. You’ll be eager to get to the theme parks, and probably avoiding any sort of sightseeing after a week or so. Make a detour to Celebration and you won’t regret it.  As you drift into the town you will soon see why it’s out of the ordinary, taking you back into an old style of the USA, with wonderful architecture and a welcoming feeling to every building in sight.

celebration disney architecture

celebration disney architecture

The first residents of Disney Celebration settled in 1996.  There are now over 4,000 buildings in the town and 9,000 residents.  The town enjoys a great downtown section, with boutique shops and an open area to walk in – no cars jostling past you with beeping horns.  Everyone just generally slows down and relaxes when they get to the town, and it’s a welcome break from the fast paced theme park attitude.

Be sure to take in the walking tour of Celebration, more information can be found here: Celebration Walking Tour.  The tour starts near the Preview Center (Charles Moore) on the corner of Celebration Avenue and Market Street near the beautiful fountain.   It’s a huge tower designed to show off the presence of the town.  As you progress through the tour you will see:

  • Celebration K-8 School
  • Stetson University building
  • Bohemian (Graham Gund)
  • The lakefront
  • The Celebration movie theater (Cesar Pelli)
  • The lake and the interactive fountain
  • Lakeside Promenade Fountain
  • Celebration Avenue
  • SunTrust Bank (Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown)
  • Welcome Center (Philip Johnson)
  • Post Office (Michael Graves)
  • Market Street
celebration disney lakefront seat

celebration disney lakefront seat

Venture further out by car and enjoy the wonderful architecture and resident’s houses.  Walk down by the lake and along the boardwalk to other smaller lakes.  Take it all in and enjoy the slow and friendly pace!

As of 2013, these retail shops live in the town:

    • Carpet One
    • Casa di Bella Bridal Boutique
    • Celebration Hardware Company
    • Celebration Nutritio
    • Confetti of Celebration
    • Downeast
    • Evolve Bicycles
    • H.H. Fine Jewelry
    • Jewel Box
    • Market Street Gallery
    • Publix
    • Sanrio Surprises
    • Soft As A Grape
    • The Celebration Store
    • Unique Boutique
    • Water Tower Shoppes
    • Woof Gang Bakery

 

…and these restaurants:

    • Bohemian Hotel Celebration
    • Cafe D’Antonio
    • Celebration Town Tavern
    • Chick’fil’A
    • Cold Stone Creamery
    • Columbia Restaurant
    • High Octane Cafe
    • Imperium Wine Room
    • Joe’s Crab Shack
    • Kilwin’s Confectionary
    • Le China
    • Market Street Cafe
    • Melia Orlando Suite Hotel
    • Mulligan’s Pub
    • Pandaisia
    • Quiznos
    • Seito Sushi
    • Shannon’s of CelebrationStarbucks
    • Sweet Escape
    • Thai Thani
    • The Windmill Restaurant
    • Upper Crust Pizza