There are many different elements that you have to think about when planning a vacation for your family, but deciding on where you are going to stay is probably the single most important decision you are going to make in this process. During our recent trip to Orlando my family and I got the chance to review one of the beautiful Global Resort Home properties. Our townhouse was located at 8967 California Palm Rd in the Paradise Palms gated community which is in a great location and only about 15 minutes away from both Disney World and Universal Studios (I timed it!) The townhouse we stayed in was beautiful and had all of the comforts that you would expect to have while on vacation. Since we had 8 people total in our party we needed a house that was not only big enough to accommodate everyone but would allow everyone to have their own personal space. This house has 5 bedrooms including 2 King Beds, 2 Queen Beds and 2 Twin Beds, 4 bathrooms and can sleep 10 people very comfortably. I can’t begin to tell you how nice it was to have my own bedroom during our ten days in Kissimmee. After 12 hour days in the parks we were able to relax in our bed and wind down rather than having to turn the lights off and be quite so we didn’t wake the kids up.
With four bathrooms it was much easier for everyone to be able to take showers, get ready and go to the bathroom without waiting. This was such a luxury and one that I am not used to when vacationing. I also wanted to point out that even when all eight of us had to take a shower the hot water never ran out!
The kitchen was an area that we used quite a bit during our stay. On our first day my mom, sister and I ran to the Super Target which is located less than five minutes from the house. We stocked up on breakfast foods, snacks, drinks, sandwich stuff and a few other goodies to last us through the week. This saved all of us so much money not to mention cranky kids in the morning who were hungry. All of the kids were able to eat their favorite foods before we headed out for the day. We also ate dinner at home probably 50% of the time. It was really easy to grab a few pizzas and spend $20 for dinner rather than eating in the parks and spending over a $100. The kitchen comes equipped with everything you need to prepare your meals like pots, pans, silverware, plates, and cups. You’ll even find a blender, coffee pot, and can opener.
All of the rooms have their own TV, but I found that there were many times the whole family ended up in the living room relaxing on the couch. This was a great place to unwind and relax in the mornings and evenings after our time away. If you have the chance for some down time the home has a DVD player which you can use to have your own movie night. There is a Redbox only a few miles away with all the latest releases.
Now let’s talk about the washer and dryer at our home! I never knew how convenient it was having a way to wash and dry your clothes while on vacation. When we stopped by the grocery store to stock the fridge with food we grabbed some laundry soap and each day we would do a load of laundry. Guess who didn’t have piles of laundry to do when she got home from vacation….Me! There is also plenty of closet space to hang up clothes and put them away in the drawers so you don’t have to search for things in your suitcase.
The house also has a heated splash pool which was a HUGE hit with the kids. They spent a large amount of time in this pool during our stay.
Paradise Palms is more than just a nice home, you will find many resort-style amenities that you can enjoy during your stay. The pool area is amazing and features a waterfall, two spas, grotto, splash pads for the little ones and plenty of lounging chairs. You could easily spend an afternoon here and even if you get hungry you won’t have to go far because the pool has a tiki bar and grill with some great food options and summer time drinks.
We all absolutely loved the pool and many times all of the kids would beg to go home from the parks just so they could swim at the resort! We tried to take advantage of all of the resort perks like the State of the art Fitness center and sauna, arcade, park area, volleyball courts and movie theater which plays shows daily. Paradise Palms is far more than just a place to sleep it’s an experience that the whole family will love.
We have been to Orlando three times and this is the first time we have stayed off of a Disney property. While I love Disney I wanted to experience something different and I have to say this trip to Orlando was probably my favorite family vacation so far and a lot of that has to do with the amazing time we had at our Global Resort Property. These houses are very affordable and conveniently located to all the major attractions in the area. You can learn more by visiting Global Resort Homes and also Like them on Facebook because they are always posting amazing specials for homes throughout the year. Below is a short interview with me talking about all the features my family and I love about this home.
My family and I were able to stay in our Global Resort Home Free of Charge for 8 days and paid a media rate for the other two. All thoughts and opinions are my own.