villa cancelled and we go in 4 weeks
 

We recieved an email to say Our villa at 1175 cypress point blvd has been cancelled as it's been sold and the new owners won't honour the bookings and we go in 5 weeks time.

We usually pay around £1000 for a villa but this year we decided to have a newer more modern 4 bed villa with heating which cost us £1800

Citrus grove villas has offered us two alternatives an older style 5 bed villa at tuscon ridge which has construction work next to it which we arnt overly keen on or a stunning 5 bed brand new villa on solterra estate but we have to pay a further £375 for this one and that would be double the cost that we would normally pay for a villa

Although we are guaranteed either one of these villas the fact that it's only 5 weeks away and the villa we really wanted is now gone and we have to pay further money to get a modern villa like we originally booked has been pretty stressful and we currently don't have a confirmed booking this close to going !,

In all the times we been 7 times previously we have never had this happen to us

Horrible thing to happen so close to your holiday. Personally I wouldn't go for a villa close to construction work although in previous years we have stayed on Tuscan Ridge and liked it but I did hear there is building work nearby.
Can you negotiate a bit off the extra price for the other one for your inconvenience? Got to be worth an ask!

I'd get money back and search elsewhere?

Ask for an immediate refund and look elsewhere. You could try iwantavilla.com or see if any Dibb villas meet your needs.
Good luck

I would be going back to them and arguing the point at this close to departure i would want a villa of at least the same standard as the one i had booked for no extra expense especially as you are the one being inconvenienced through no fault of your own and they need to come up with some better/more suitable alternatives before you are willing to accept their offer

I'd ask for a full refund and check out the Dibb villas for availability!

These are the only 2 they have available become ours is a longer stay of 3 weeks

We love the solterra one and although we have the money to pay the extra it's £400 we weren't expecting to pay out for

TBH, you're going to struggle to get a 4 bed villa with pool heating for £1800 for 3 weeks.

Try and negotiate with the villa company while frantically checking websites etc etc to see if you can get a late deal elsewhere.

Fingers crossed it works out for you.

I sympathise with you for having this hassle. I am not familar with Citrus Grove Villas, and as I could not find their web site, it is not clear how you managed to find them yourself. They are a Management Company, not the owner, so they are just as much a victim of the owner's decision to sell as you are. Your legal rights depend on the small print of the t and c's you agreed to - e.g. was the contract with the MC, or with the owner? Whilst you are definitely entitled to your money back, it is not the MC's fault so you can't expect them to offer another property owned by someone else at a loss to them. However, the fact they have offered 2 properties is good - you definitely have somewhere to stay, and it proves that there is still availability if you choose to look around.
I am surprised you normally only pay £1000 for 3 weeks, particularly as you want somewhere that is better than average. You are a factor of 2 out. You shouldn't be surprised at £2000. You need to be realistic with regard to prices.
Booking with 4 to 5 weeks to go is actually quite normal. Most of the Orlando holidaymakers are from the US and they often book with 2 to 3 months or less to go. My guest who checks out today only booked 1 week in advance, for example. I've had a lot of bookings like that. It only takes about 48hrs to finalise details online - so you have plenty of time. No need to panic.
Villas being put up for sale is a fact of life, I'm afraid. People's circumstances change. Team Donovan reports that 372 changed hands in August in the Orlando resort area (similar to previous months), a further 571 were under contract awaiting closure and 1539 were up for sale. That means over 4,000 changed hands in the last year. That is a lot! If you book a year or more in advance, like some Dibbers seem to do, there is a much greater chance of the owner deciding to sell after you book and completing the sale before you arrive. Whereas US guests are much more savvy - there isn't time for the owner to sell between them booking and check-in.
It just means you need to do the villa search again. Good luck.