{"id":35731,"date":"2025-10-19T06:51:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T06:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/my-stay-at-a-luxury-villa-in-orlando-was-a-wildly-good-value-i-had-a-private-pool-and-easy-access-to-disney-world\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T06:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T06:51:11","slug":"my-stay-at-a-luxury-villa-in-orlando-was-a-wildly-good-value-i-had-a-private-pool-and-easy-access-to-disney-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/my-stay-at-a-luxury-villa-in-orlando-was-a-wildly-good-value-i-had-a-private-pool-and-easy-access-to-disney-world\/","title":{"rendered":"My stay at a luxury villa in Orlando was a wildly good value. I had a private pool and easy access to Disney World."},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00ba9cc993f9955d047b2?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Author Simone Paget wearing sunglasses, standing in front of villa entrance\"\/><figcaption>I felt I got more bang for my buck staying at a Villatel Orlando Resort villa than if I&#039;d stayed at a basic hotel.<\/p>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>I stayed in a four-bedroom villa at Villatel Orlando Resort, and it felt like a great value.<\/li>\n<li>For less than $500 a night, I had a private pool, a full kitchen, and in-suite laundry.<\/li>\n<li>The resort has a water park and complimentary shuttles to Universal Studios and Disney World. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>My best friend and I booked a trip to Disney World and Universal Studios for March.<\/p>\n<p>While planning, we looked into hotels near the parks, such as the Hyatt Regency and Universal&#039;s Endless Summer, where a basic room would&#039;ve cost around $160 to $250 a night.<\/p>\n<p>Then, we realized we could have a nearly 2,000-square-foot luxury villa at the Villatel Orlando Resort for about the same price per person.<\/p>\n<p>After taxes and resort fees, the villa came to about $453 a night, or $227 each.<\/p>\n<p>The villa felt like it&#039;d give us way more bang for its buck, especially once we factored in perks like a private pool, full kitchen, and in-unit laundry.<\/p>\n<p>My best friend ended up having to cancel on the trip, but I decided not to downsize my accommodations. The villa is a bit of a splurge for a solo traveler, but it sounded too good to miss. <\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, what could have been a sad and lonely trip turned out to be a luxurious \u2014 and not to mention freeing \u2014 solo travel reset I didn&#039;t know I needed.<\/p>\n<p>I was impressed by the villa&#039;s four bedrooms and three bathrooms.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f0097c5dbc4fd10daaedc7?format=jpeg\" alt=\"White headboard in front of blue wall with nightstands next to it\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The four-bedroom, three-bath villa I stayed in can sleep up to 10 guests. <\/p>\n<p>After testing out each bed Goldilocks-style, I settled into the largest main bedroom, which featured an en-suite bathroom and decor resembling a luxe hotel suite.<\/p>\n<p>One of the villa&#039;s bedrooms was themed with dragons and featured a vintage arcade game, bunk beds, and a slide, which I shamelessly enjoyed.<\/p>\n<p>The furniture and finishes felt brand new because they were. The resort only opened earlier this year, not long before our stay. <\/p>\n<p>The private yard and pool were a nice touch. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00c7b5dbc4fd10daaee6f?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Author Simone Paget hitting golf club next to pool\"\/><figcaption>I enjoyed the yard&#039;s private pool and golf setup.<\/p>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I&#039;ve dreamed of staying at a resort with my own personal pool, and now that I have, it&#039;s just as wonderful as I&#039;d imagined. <\/p>\n<p>As much as I love the vibe of a lively resort pool, I appreciated having a space that was my own for an early morning or late-night dip. <\/p>\n<p>The pool was on the small side, but it felt like it had more than enough space for a small group. The yard also had seating for outdoor dining and a tiny golf course. <\/p>\n<p>There was a stunning chef&#039;s kitchen where I could make meals.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f0097ccc993f9955d0473b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Salad with fruit and nuts in container\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I spent most of my days fueling myself with totchos from Woody&#039;s Lunch Box and other theme-park bites, so I enjoyed returning to my villa and having access to a kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>It came with a full set of cookware, an oven, a large refrigerator, several small appliances, and everything I needed to cook meals. I ordered groceries through Instacart so I could make breakfast and consume some veggies in my kitchen between park trips.<\/p>\n<p>It was nice to save money by eating at my villa instead of dining out for every meal. <\/p>\n<p>The in-suite laundry made traveling with only a carry-on a breeze.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00aea5dbc4fd10daaee1a?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Person taking selfie in mirror\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I love the convenience of traveling with only a carry-on, but I hate the anxiety of potentially running out of clothes and having to do laundry in my hotel sink.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the villa&#039;s in-unit laundry facilities, I never had to worry about having clean clothes during my stay. <\/p>\n<p>After a sweaty day of walking a bazillion steps, coming home and popping my clothes in the suite&#039;s washing machine was a true luxury.<\/p>\n<p>The resort&#039;s pool and lazy river were stunning. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00b321c1f80efbec5ab46?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Lazy river in Villatel Orlando\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A highlight of Villatel Orlando&#039;s property is its pool area, which features a pristine resort-style pool with a lazy river \u2014 and no, it wasn&#039;t overcrowded with children when I visited.<\/p>\n<p>There&#039;s also a poolside Aqua Bar &amp; Grille that serves cocktails and food throughout the day, from breakfast pizzas and acai bowls to burgers and nachos. The space&#039;s vibe is tropical chic, making it the perfect spot to enjoy a delicious strawberry margarita.<\/p>\n<p>Though I liked having a private pool in my backyard, I also enjoyed lounging by a much bigger one with a cocktail.<\/p>\n<p>I could also access the property&#039;s water park. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f0097c1c1f80efbec5aae5?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Colorful looped waterslides\"\/><figcaption>Waterpark at Villatel<\/p>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Aqua Bay, the compact water park next to the resort pool, has four decent waterslides.<\/p>\n<p>It&#039;s not huge, but Universal Volcano Bay \u2014 the mega water park with the unmissable faux volcano \u2014 is just a 10-minute drive from Villatel for those who want more.<\/p>\n<p>The Villatel property was gorgeous, and I felt safe walking around, even as a solo traveler.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00b1d5dbc4fd10daaee27?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Row of villas at Orlando Villatel at night\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The resort is a gated community with security, so as a solo female traveler, I felt safe wandering around the resort, even after sunset. <\/p>\n<p>The only pitfall is that the villas all look very similar from the outside, and I got lost a few times trying to make my way back from the pool.<\/p>\n<p>I found the resort&#039;s complimentary shuttle service to Universal and Disney to be a nice perk. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00b70cc993f9955d047a4?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Author Simone Paget smiling in front of Kermit statue\"\/><figcaption>disney<\/p>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The villa is about 10 minutes from Universal Studios and about a 25-minute drive from Disney World. I appreciated that the resort had complimentary shuttles to both parks.<\/p>\n<p>Going to Disney alone was unexpectedly freeing. I set my own schedule, ate whatever I wanted (hello, Mickey-shaped snacks), and retreated to my villa whenever I needed a break.<\/p>\n<p>The shuttle wasn&#039;t running as late as I&#039;d hoped during my trip, so I spent about $25 on an Uber back to my villa after a long day at Disney. It was well worth it to maximize my time at the theme park.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the villa beat a typical hotel or rental home. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f00b8dcc993f9955d047ae?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Villatel Orlando entrance\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Simone Paget<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My stay at Villatel Orlando was peaceful, and I felt insulated in my villa as I rarely saw or heard my neighbors. <\/p>\n<p>After a day of overstimulation exploring the parks, returning to a spacious, calm space that didn&#039;t involve a busy hotel lobby and crowded elevators was the ultimate luxury.<\/p>\n<p>Prices vary throughout the year, but even during spring break (peak season), I saw a four-bedroom villa listed for as low as $450 a night.<\/p>\n<p>If you split that cost between a few friends or family members, you can get plenty of space <em>and<\/em> a private pool for as much or even less than a hotel room.<\/p>\n<p>Though staying at Villatel Orlando was the perfect solo vacation, I can&#039;t wait to return with my girlfriends. I may even suggest they bring their kids \u2014 I call dibs on the slide.<\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I felt I got more bang for my buck staying at a Villatel Orlando Resort villa than if I&#039;d stayed at a basic hotel. Simone Paget I stayed in a four-bedroom villa at Villatel Orlando Resort, and it felt like a great value. For less than $500 a night, I had a private pool, a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35732,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}