REVIEW: Florida Villa Holidays, Magic Village Vacation Village Orlando

On our multiple trips to Orlando, we have stayed in all types of accommodation. From Florida villa holidays to vacation villages in Orlando, theme park resort hotels and independent hotels near Disney (Walt Disney World). On our most recent trip, we rented a house at Magic Village Yards, Kissimmee. Magic Village Resort is an Orlando holiday villa / hotel fusion. Private villas, with three or four bedrooms, are housed within a gated resort, complete with 24-hour reception, restaurant, concierge and other common hotel facilities. It’s a really good option if you are looking for a hotel in Orlando near the theme parks, but with the comfort and convenience of having you own house.

Private Orlando Villas for rent at Magic Village Orlando – what to expect

We were in Orlando with three generations of our family, which meant we needed enough space for the kids to have a bit of freedom and the adults to be able to retreat and relax when they wanted to. We were orginially looking for private Orlando villas to rent but Magic Village resort ticked all the boxes.

Magic Village Orlando is situated within a gated resort, with 24-hour security and a key code to enter, so it was very quiet and felt safe. It was less than 15-minutes from Walt Disney World, just off of the 192 highway, which is packed with restaurants, shops, supermarkets and attractions, such as Old Town. Our four-bedroom villa was huge! Set over two floors with a huge kitchen and living space, private patio with seating and a BBQ, laundry room and free parking right outside.

The perks of an Orlando vacation village is that you can enjoy the sort of spacious, American luxury that not many of us Brits get to experience at home. This big house didn’t disappoint – there was definitely a ‘wow’ factor when we first opened the door. The huge living area has a modern kitchen with a long breakfast bar and stools, but there is also a big dining table if you prefer to sit on a lower chair (better for kids). There was a double American-style fridge, stove and oven and plenty of storage. Tiles throughout meant that it looked as shiny and clean as it did the day we moved in. I loved all the sleek touches, like the giant downlighters over the bar. Once the kids had gone to bed, they helped create a chilled-out adult atmosphere for those of us who hadn’t fallen asleep in the armchair after a hard day at the theme parks.

The living area has two sofas facing a wide screen TV. Once the blinds were open, you could also look out onto the patio and garden area. This area was a little tight for the whole family to fit in, with only enough sofa seats for four people. But since we were out until late most days, the kids usually went straight to bed (or were asleep before we even got home!). It’s a much cozier, homely area with coffee table books, ipod dock and a fluffy rug. The celling over this area is double height, as high as the second floor, and so you never felt squashed or crowded and it certainly felt very luxurious and spacious.

The patio doors open onto an outside kitchen, dining area and patio that looks over the gardens toward the other villas. We sadly didn’t really get to utilise this area – if we were staying for longer we would have – but our whole two week Orlando itinerary was packed with fun stuff and we just didn’t make it home in time for a family BBQ. This is something we would definitely do next time as a way to relax.

Read about everything we did in Orlando in our detailed two-week Orlando itinerary

The luxurious bedrooms at Magic Village Resort

Even though we loved the whole villa, especially the living area downstairs, the highlight was probably the luxurious bedrooms at Magic Village Resort. All the bedrooms were huge. Two rooms had enormous king sized beds and two rooms had large single beds that you could either have pushed together or separate. The mattress and pillows were extremely comfy, and this together with black out blinds (and probably a bit of jet lag and theme park fatigue) enabled us some excellent night’s sleep! I loved the design of the bedrooms. They had stylish and luxury decor but still had a home-away-from-home feel about them, with colourful art works on the walls and a relaxing colour-scheme. There were also huge wardrobes with plenty of space for storing suitcases and hanging clothes.

The main bedroom upstairs had access to a private balcony with two sun loungers and a small coffee table. This was the perfect place for a morning brew and a total sun spot almost all day!

How many bathrooms at Magic Village resort?

Kissimmee villas and resorts in Kissimmee, Florida vary in quality and size, but Magic Village Orlando definitely felt on the more luxury end of the spectrum, yet I felt the prices were very reasonable. Almost every bedroom had a large en-suite (only one room didn’t) and these ranged from a large bathroom with double sinks and walk-in shower to a convenient bathroom with a shower bath. For the most part, the villa does not come with any living conveniences, such as food items and condiments, but there were small bathroom toiletries in each bathroom which was a nice touch. Shower heads were huge and water pressure excellent – meaning perfect showers every morning for the whole household!

Holiday villas in Orlando – Best Kissimmee villas

When we were searching for Florida Villa Holidays, Magic Village Yards were definitely the best Orlando villas we could find in our price requirements. I loved the feeling of space, especially the mezzanine area where you look down over the living space. The huge top and bottom floor windows flooded gorgeous light through the whole home. The wall was high enough for it to be safe for children too, provided you don’t let them climb up, of course. The colour scheme of the villa was neutral but the choice of rainbow-coloured art throughout gave it a more fun, family feel.

Do villas at Magic Village resort have their own pool?

Like many resort villas in Florida, rather than privately owned independent ones, the homes at Magic Village Yards don’t have private pools. As the vacation village is a hotel/villa myriad, guests have use of the shared pool, jacuzzi and gym. The pool, which was a five minute walk from most of the homes, is just off of the main reception near to the restaurant and bar. I didn’t think it was a huge pool for the amount of villas in the complex, but during our visit (in late summer) it was never crowded, even though the weather was beautiful during our stay. I guess guests choosing villas close to Disney World are planning most of their time at and around the theme parks, with less time to sit by the pool and chill. Sadly there were no fun water features or anything extra appealing for kids. I also thought the resort could benefit from a small outdoor playground too, as I assume children make up almost 50% of the guests checking in!

Is there a 24-hour reception at Magic Village Resort?

Just like a hotel, there is a 24-hour reception at Magic Village resort as well as round-the-clock security. Staff couldn’t have been more friendly and welcoming. They even printed out a document I needed for some work I had to do free of charge. I emailed it to them from the villa and they printed and stapled it all together for me. The resort also has a restaurant, bar and small shop. However, the prices are ludicrously high so we avoided them mostly. For a large pizza in the main restaurant, that we ordered for takeout (to take back to our home), it was £25 and more was charged if you wanted it delivered. The cheapest wine bottle was £40. Instead, I recommend the five minute drive to the Wallmart closest to Magic Village, which is on the 192 highway, to stock up on all your supplies on the first day! This supermarket was so handy as we filled our kitchen with dry snacks, some frozen bits for late night emergency dinner, wine, treats, sun lotion, other toiletries and home supplies (such as kitchen roll etc).

Is Magic Village Vacation Village Orlando child friendly?

The homes are very spacious and comfortable and the area around the houses was both quiet, and felt safe for kids. Having a kitchen is always a benefit when travelling with kids as well as a laundry room! Giving them their own independent space enhances their holiday too – especially with older children and teenagers. With a baby, especially, it is also handy to park right outside your villa and a bathtub is a must. Cribs are not automatically in the homes, but we were able to request one free of charge when we arrived and it was brought over to the house within 15-minutes of checking in. However, heritors are not available, so be mindful of this if you baby sits in a chair to feed. We travel with a clip-on highchair, details about this and our other travelling with kids essential items can be found on this post.

Proximity to Orlando attractions, such as Gatorland, Old Town and of course Walt Disney World is a major plus. The tiled floors mean the home is easier to keep clean throughout your stay and you don’t have to worry about spills. The opportunity to have some ‘adult’ space to relax and socialise when the children went to bed was also a huge perk. Often in a hotel, you can be stuck in your room. This is probably the biggest benefit to staying in a vacation village in Orlando.

I would have liked some more child-friendly faciliies at the resort – such as a fun area in the pool or a playground – but it didn’t impact on our stay very much as we were out and about most days. There is so much to do in Orlando!

If you are looking for a vacation village in Orlando or the best Florida villa holidays on offer, I would definitely recommend Magic Village Yards. If you are spending a lot of time at the parks (especially Walt Disney World), the location is ideal. The villa was in perfect condition, clean, extremely comfortable and luxurious. We would definitely stay here again if visiting Orlando with family.

magicvillagevacationhomes.com

Our stay at Magic Village was comped by the resort in association with Visit Orlando. Like all of our reviews, this did not affect the honesty and integrity of our analysis.

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