Southern Dunes Villas, Orlando, United States
Hotel Information
Hotel Description:
Enjoy the convenience of an executive villa coupled with hotel style amenities such as an 18 hole golf course! Set among extensive lawns and towering palms the Southern Dunes Executive Homes are light, airy and individually furnished to a high standard. Kitchens are well equipped and include all modern appliances such as a dishwasher and washer/dryer. Not forgetting your own private pool area - the place to simply laze in the sun and relax. Situated on Highway 27, just 7 miles south of Interstate 4 and 25 minutes drive from the Walt Disney World Resort. loading...
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Southern Dunes Villas Reviews
" Southern Dunes was perfect.We were 8... "
Submitted By: Mr P Collier
Southern Dunes was perfect.We were 8 in a 4 bedroom villa that was huge.Everything about it was impressive as well as being safe for kids.Decour was fantastic (would not of looked out place on MTV cribs!) great pool and outdoor dining area that was totally secluded.We were on Forest Hills Drive and backed onto the 16th fairway ideal location.
It was a 25min drive into the parks but we were never held up by traffic and actually suited us not being near Idrive etc which looked like rush hour every time we went near it.
There are a few restaurants nearby but nothing you could really walk to(apart from a few fast food joints) but never seemed a problem for us as we would eat on the way back from the parks or just head back out later.
We would definitely go back next time we are in Orlando also it is fantastic value for money.
It was a 25min drive into the parks but we were never held up by traffic and actually suited us not being near Idrive etc which looked like rush hour every time we went near it.
There are a few restaurants nearby but nothing you could really walk to(apart from a few fast food joints) but never seemed a problem for us as we would eat on the way back from the parks or just head back out later.
We would definitely go back next time we are in Orlando also it is fantastic value for money.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" We booked a fantastic villa through... "
Submitted By: Mr K Mallory
We booked a fantastic villa through www.southerndunesusa.com , we can highly recommend southern dunes as THE place to stay in Orlando.
The villa was a 3 bedroom villa, and had its own private pool. It even had TVs with cable and DVDs in each bedroom. The villa was just perfect and we couldnt have asked for anything more. :) :)
The villa was a 3 bedroom villa, and had its own private pool. It even had TVs with cable and DVDs in each bedroom. The villa was just perfect and we couldnt have asked for anything more. :) :)
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:Full Board
- Tour Operator:southern dunes usa
" Southern Dunes was an excellent... "
Submitted By: Mr C McGinley
Southern Dunes was an excellent resort. The villa we stayed in was magnificent - 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms - more than adequate for the 7 in our party. There was a Walmart at the entrance which provided everything and more that we need during the holiday and Southern Dunes is close to many restaurants and other fast food outlets.Southern Dunes is also a golfers paradise. Whilst it is a 25 min drive to the theme parks its privacy allows time away from the hustle and bustle that surrounds Mickey and Minnie Mouse giving a haven for relaxation on days off from visting Disney World. Car Hire is required for this resort. Also don't pack your suitcase with too much in the line of clothes etc as the Walmart stocks everything you would need and more than half the price you would pay in th UK
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Our villa was lovely but not what I... "
Submitted By: Mrs L McBlain
Our villa was lovely but not what I would have classed as a 4 t rating. We could not find any of the communal facilities which the brochure had advertised and could not find any one to ask. As for the drive to the parks it took my husband 40 minutes driving at 65 mph to get to Walt Disney/Universal etc and over the 2 weeks hoilday my husband had driven oner 1000 miles. The location of the villa was not Kissimee as the brochure had stated but actually in Haines City which is really in the middle of nowhere. If you are travelling with young kids to Southern Dunes beware. My kids are 9 and 4 and they were not allowed to play out on the front lawn or anywhere for that matter. All in all Southern Dunes is a lovely quiet place but would not recommend it to families with young children. One last comment would be that as there was no night time entertainment if you could not be bothered driving anywhere at night all you have for company is each other and the t.v.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" I would add to the comments about... "
Submitted By: Mrs A Vaux
I would add to the comments about railway noise. The train horn did wake us in the night, sometimes twice. With jet lag it was difficult to get back to sleep when woken about 5.30 and did leave us feeling knackered. I wouldn't recommend these villas if you are a light sleeper -however I think the noise depends where your villa is ( ours was Kokomo 2928).
Villa overall was nice, we were 4 and it was fine, but would have been cramped for more than that - only 6 six dining chairs and that was cramped and very little sitting space by the pool.
The villas are quite close together and our pool faced right onto the golf course, but the lack of privacy wasn't really an issue.
Villa overall was nice, we were 4 and it was fine, but would have been cramped for more than that - only 6 six dining chairs and that was cramped and very little sitting space by the pool.
The villas are quite close together and our pool faced right onto the golf course, but the lack of privacy wasn't really an issue.
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- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
" We stayed in 2400 St Augustine Blvd... "
Submitted By: Miss J Newsome
We stayed in 2400 St Augustine Blvd from the 6-20 May 2008. We went with Airtours (which has been taken over by Thomas Cook) This villa had 3 bedrooms with beds for 6 people. 1 large double master bedroom with on suite double showeroom and walk in wardrobe and large twin bedrooms with large fitted wardrobes. There was also a full bathroom on the first floor. Downstairs was open plan and on the whole was well decorated with every convienience.
The only bad points were the light in the garage did not work which did make doing washing interesting. Also evidence of previous occupants was noticeable such as marks where suntan lotion had been dropped on the carpets, a pan burn mark on the worktop (hidden by a chopping board) and cup marks on the coffee table. Seeing the lack of care some people had in the property I could understand the necessity of a $300 breakage deposit though I paid a flat fee of $55 (around £28.00) for insurance just for peace of mind. This villa was managed by Contempo who have an office nearby on Hwy 27 which we drove past on our trips to Disney/Universal.
Other reviews mention a train horn. We did hear it frequently but it was so far in the distance it did not wake us up at night nor did it disturb us during the day. Much louder noises come from the grasscutters which seem to come round at about 7am. This didn't bother us much either as we wanted to get up around that time to get breakfast and get to the parks for openning time.
Good points about the villa: excellent pool, maintained every Tuesday, the entrance to Southern Dunes is right next to a 24hr Walmart (You don't even have to go onto the main road to get to it) which has a Pharmacy and petrol station (best price we found nearby though there were queues as the locals found it cheap too). Also Mannys chop house is worth a visit though it is very busy so you will need to arrive early call ahead for seating, located on Hwy 27 opposite direction to I4. There are other fast food places nearby but you will want to go up onto 192 for a wider choice (we liked Houilhans).
Distance to the parks Disney about 20 minutes, Universal about 40 minutes. But if you haven't driven in the US before you will find driving much easier than in the UK (once you know where you are going). Both parks are located by driving up Hwy 27 and by joining I4 at junction 55. Don't get worried about driving on I4 it can get busy around Orlando but we rarely saw people driving above 70mph and if you have been on the M62 or M1 near Leeds then you'll have no problems negotiating traffic just stay in the right hand lane if you don't know where you are going and you're fine. Also the cars are much more comfortable and roomy it doesn't feel like half an hour. We ordered a full size car which should have been a Dodge Charger (or similar) but at 5pm I don't think they had any left as we ended up with a Chrsyler 300 which was massive.
The only bad points were the light in the garage did not work which did make doing washing interesting. Also evidence of previous occupants was noticeable such as marks where suntan lotion had been dropped on the carpets, a pan burn mark on the worktop (hidden by a chopping board) and cup marks on the coffee table. Seeing the lack of care some people had in the property I could understand the necessity of a $300 breakage deposit though I paid a flat fee of $55 (around £28.00) for insurance just for peace of mind. This villa was managed by Contempo who have an office nearby on Hwy 27 which we drove past on our trips to Disney/Universal.
Other reviews mention a train horn. We did hear it frequently but it was so far in the distance it did not wake us up at night nor did it disturb us during the day. Much louder noises come from the grasscutters which seem to come round at about 7am. This didn't bother us much either as we wanted to get up around that time to get breakfast and get to the parks for openning time.
Good points about the villa: excellent pool, maintained every Tuesday, the entrance to Southern Dunes is right next to a 24hr Walmart (You don't even have to go onto the main road to get to it) which has a Pharmacy and petrol station (best price we found nearby though there were queues as the locals found it cheap too). Also Mannys chop house is worth a visit though it is very busy so you will need to arrive early call ahead for seating, located on Hwy 27 opposite direction to I4. There are other fast food places nearby but you will want to go up onto 192 for a wider choice (we liked Houilhans).
Distance to the parks Disney about 20 minutes, Universal about 40 minutes. But if you haven't driven in the US before you will find driving much easier than in the UK (once you know where you are going). Both parks are located by driving up Hwy 27 and by joining I4 at junction 55. Don't get worried about driving on I4 it can get busy around Orlando but we rarely saw people driving above 70mph and if you have been on the M62 or M1 near Leeds then you'll have no problems negotiating traffic just stay in the right hand lane if you don't know where you are going and you're fine. Also the cars are much more comfortable and roomy it doesn't feel like half an hour. We ordered a full size car which should have been a Dodge Charger (or similar) but at 5pm I don't think they had any left as we ended up with a Chrsyler 300 which was massive.
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- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Airtours
" I cannot agree with the last post... "
Submitted By: Mr G Gordon
I cannot agree with the last post about Southern Dunes and the travel time. We stayed at VillaGolfDisney booked direct with the owner and this was our 3rd visit to Southern Dunes.
Yes, 2 years ago because of road works the journey to the parks was long but not now. It is at most 20 minutes to the Magic Kingdom because it is the equivalent of motorway all the way in. The longest journey 30 minutes was to Universal.
We stayed in Windsor Hills last summer and it took 30 minutes to get along the 192 every morning because of the traffic congestion even longer at night when Disney came out; and if you took the shortcut to Disney, it was another 30 minutes trying to negotiate the roads.
The area surrounding Southern Dunes has a lot more restaurants, he clearly did not look and the area is being regenerated.
As for the train, it depends on where your villa is and we have heard it but it is not as bad as he makes out.
Sprinklers at 6am - get yourself out of bed and turn the nozzle or ask the management company to do it. Didn't happen at the villa we were at.
What did we get - peace from the US 192 and I Drive that are just a collection of tatty brash souvenir shops and samey restaurants; a quiet very secure community where our girls could walk to the tennis or skate; a great well furnished villa - south facing pool, games room, internet, plenty of space to be ourselves; good golf (I play off 10 and the course is not easy, it is ranked as a 4 star plus).
Did we like it? Yes and we are going back in July.
Yes, 2 years ago because of road works the journey to the parks was long but not now. It is at most 20 minutes to the Magic Kingdom because it is the equivalent of motorway all the way in. The longest journey 30 minutes was to Universal.
We stayed in Windsor Hills last summer and it took 30 minutes to get along the 192 every morning because of the traffic congestion even longer at night when Disney came out; and if you took the shortcut to Disney, it was another 30 minutes trying to negotiate the roads.
The area surrounding Southern Dunes has a lot more restaurants, he clearly did not look and the area is being regenerated.
As for the train, it depends on where your villa is and we have heard it but it is not as bad as he makes out.
Sprinklers at 6am - get yourself out of bed and turn the nozzle or ask the management company to do it. Didn't happen at the villa we were at.
What did we get - peace from the US 192 and I Drive that are just a collection of tatty brash souvenir shops and samey restaurants; a quiet very secure community where our girls could walk to the tennis or skate; a great well furnished villa - south facing pool, games room, internet, plenty of space to be ourselves; good golf (I play off 10 and the course is not easy, it is ranked as a 4 star plus).
Did we like it? Yes and we are going back in July.
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- Date of Holiday:Apr 2006
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked IndependentlyVillaGolfDisney
" The Holiday was a fantastic... "
Submitted By: Mr M Phillips
The Holiday was a fantastic experience. Florida is a fantastic place to visit, with lots of activities and theme parks to see and do. The weather was OK, due to the time of year, there was a fair bit of rain. Shopping is brilliant as goods cost a lot less. I couldn't wait to go back again.
As for the Villa, it was great. Located on a golf course with a private swimming pool was beautiful in itself. To come back after a day out and 'chill out' beside your own pool is awesome. The facilities within the villa were lovely. The location of the villa was fine, but maybe could have been closer to the theme parks to garner a higher rating.
As for the Villa, it was great. Located on a golf course with a private swimming pool was beautiful in itself. To come back after a day out and 'chill out' beside your own pool is awesome. The facilities within the villa were lovely. The location of the villa was fine, but maybe could have been closer to the theme parks to garner a higher rating.
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2005
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Travel City Direct
" My family and I have just returned... "
Submitted By: Mr J Kelly
My family and I have just returned from a two week vacation in Orlando, our third time in 4 years, we spent our first week in a 4 bedroom villa in the Southern Dunes complex, and our second week in the Marriott Courtyard at Lake Buena Vista.
Southern Dunes is located on route 27 (exit 55 off I-4), close to Haines City and approx 40mins from I-Drive. Apart from a large Wal-Mart a Winn Dixie's and a couple of fast food restaurants the surrounding area is pretty bleak - mostly trailer parks and garages. The complex itself is well maintained but very quiet during the day, there is a golf course on-site which meanders through the villas and is not much of a challenge for mid to low handicappers and approx $45 a round.
The clubhouse is very pleasant and offers a buffet breakfast and a lunch menu every day, the staff are a little stand-offish and it closes at 7.00pm - so no late night drinking sessions here. I did say it was quiet during the day but in the early hours of the morning all hell breaks loose! at approx 3.00am every morning a train passes by with all sorts of bell claxons and horns blaring for approx 5-10mins and some mornings at approx 5am another one would follow, we were also awoken every morning by the lawn sprinklers which came on at approx 6am an spray directly onto the bedroom windows.
The villa itself was very nice and well maintained with plenty of linens and towels. Traveling to Disney parks or Universal will take approx 30 - 40 mins and sometimes more during morning and evening rush hours. One thing to ask your travel agent about is the registration form the letting agent insists on you signing - according to them state law requires tenants of the villas to sign a form and leave a $300 deposit or leave your credit card details, which makes you liable for any charges which may occur after you have left such as phone bills, refuse charges (if you leave too much rubbish), damages etc.
This may seem fair enough but I could not help but wonder who decides if its too much rubbish, who says who damaged something in the villa or when it was damaged and once the charge has been made against you credit card you can be sure it would be very difficult to get it reimbursed. My overall rating of 2 out of 10 reflects mostly on the location of Southern Dunes and not the villa itself.
If you are a family who intends to visit the parks during the day and have a nice meal and a few beers in the evening, then this is not the place for you - find a villa or hotel near LBV (Lake Buena Vista) and save yourself a lot of hassle. Any of the Marriott’s, Homewood Suites or the Radisson on I-Drive are your best bet.
Southern Dunes is located on route 27 (exit 55 off I-4), close to Haines City and approx 40mins from I-Drive. Apart from a large Wal-Mart a Winn Dixie's and a couple of fast food restaurants the surrounding area is pretty bleak - mostly trailer parks and garages. The complex itself is well maintained but very quiet during the day, there is a golf course on-site which meanders through the villas and is not much of a challenge for mid to low handicappers and approx $45 a round.
The clubhouse is very pleasant and offers a buffet breakfast and a lunch menu every day, the staff are a little stand-offish and it closes at 7.00pm - so no late night drinking sessions here. I did say it was quiet during the day but in the early hours of the morning all hell breaks loose! at approx 3.00am every morning a train passes by with all sorts of bell claxons and horns blaring for approx 5-10mins and some mornings at approx 5am another one would follow, we were also awoken every morning by the lawn sprinklers which came on at approx 6am an spray directly onto the bedroom windows.
The villa itself was very nice and well maintained with plenty of linens and towels. Traveling to Disney parks or Universal will take approx 30 - 40 mins and sometimes more during morning and evening rush hours. One thing to ask your travel agent about is the registration form the letting agent insists on you signing - according to them state law requires tenants of the villas to sign a form and leave a $300 deposit or leave your credit card details, which makes you liable for any charges which may occur after you have left such as phone bills, refuse charges (if you leave too much rubbish), damages etc.
This may seem fair enough but I could not help but wonder who decides if its too much rubbish, who says who damaged something in the villa or when it was damaged and once the charge has been made against you credit card you can be sure it would be very difficult to get it reimbursed. My overall rating of 2 out of 10 reflects mostly on the location of Southern Dunes and not the villa itself.
If you are a family who intends to visit the parks during the day and have a nice meal and a few beers in the evening, then this is not the place for you - find a villa or hotel near LBV (Lake Buena Vista) and save yourself a lot of hassle. Any of the Marriott’s, Homewood Suites or the Radisson on I-Drive are your best bet.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2006
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Direct Holidays
" Holiday of a lifetime! We stayed in... "
Submitted By: Miss SJ Hamilton
Holiday of a lifetime! We stayed in our own villa with a private pool and we went to all of the Disney Parks and went shopping at all of the shopping outlets, it was the best holiday I’ve ever had, I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I came home I started saving up so I could go again!
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The Americans are really friendly and everything over there is a lot cheaper. On International Drive there’s a really cool restaurant called Ponderosa's where you can have all you can eat for under $10. There’s s much to do that we couldn’t do it all in 2 weeks so I can't wait to go back again. <br>
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The Americans are really friendly and everything over there is a lot cheaper. On International Drive there’s a really cool restaurant called Ponderosa's where you can have all you can eat for under $10. There’s s much to do that we couldn’t do it all in 2 weeks so I can't wait to go back again. <br>
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2005
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
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Advice: If you've not been - GO! it's a great holiday, I wouldn't go anywhere else for my main holiday now.
Activities: parks are great, but Universal & Islands of Adventure really stand out, great fun whatever age you