Villa communities

[CU2016]

Narrowing down our options for our first villa stay. Is anyone able to give me some feedback on some villa communities we are looking at:
-Lake Berkley
-Chatham park
-Manors at westridge
-Sunset ridge
-Sunset Lakes
-Thousand Oaks
-Windward Cay

Has anyone stayed at any of them?
Looking for information on location- ease of getting to the main parks/restaurant/supermarkets etc? I can look at a map obviously but some first hand experience of ease would be good as this will be our first time driving in the US.
Feel of the communities- safety etc?
Anything else you think would be good to know!
Thanks

[BirdsluvDisney]

I have stayed in a DIBB villa on Sunset lakes twice now.

I really love the location of sunset lakes, It is a genuine 10/15 mins to the Disney parks. It is also a very easy drive

It is on the Formosa Gardens area with lots of restaurants and shops, These are only a couple of mins drive.

It is a gated community so feels very safe.

The views of the lake are beautiful.

If I was to book another villa, Sunset lakes would be my first choice.

[Moorlandman]

Another recommendation for Sunset Lakes - great location, stunning lake views ( depending on villa)

[sotagals]

I've stayed in all these subdivisions over the years except Thousand oaks.

My top choice would be Sunset Lakes for the same reasons as the above posters.

Sunset Ridge and Manors have 5 bed villas but I would avoid SRidge because of its location.

The others are less holiday like as they have a higher proportion of permanent residents and are further out on the 192 As is Lake Berkley.

Nothing wrong with this location if you use the Osceola Parkway (toll)

Thus lake Berkley would be my 2nd choice.

[mick]

Never stayed at any I'm afraid but we do pass Sunset Lakes usually twice a day when we are there. It does look lovely and there are about eight Dibbers who own there.

You are about a 3 mile drive to the 192 where there must be maybe 20 restaurants where we have maybe 75% of our dinners. At Rolling Oaks on the 192 is a Super Target.

Mick

[Lisa_Lollipop]

We stayed at Windward Cay on our first visit in 2014 and found it very nice. We have since stayed at Compass Bay (twice as we loved it) and this year will be trying Story Lake

[CU2016]

Excellent thanks. Sunset lakes to the top of the pile then! Anyone else got any input?

[Guest]

stayed at lake berkley, it was great, had a manned gate and waltmart and medieval times on the doorstep, pretty close to disney to.

[Persnicketty]

Originally Posted by CU2016

Excellent thanks. Sunset lakes to the top of the pile then! Anyone else got any input?

See more...

Stayed at a DIBB villa on Sunset Lakes last year and returning to the same villa this year. (Review listed on the left )

Just to be a contrarian, I'd say the one thing SL lacks is a sociable atmosphere. OK, its not a resort, so that's a bit unfair. Its a fine little cluster of homes.

But for example, in 2014 we plumped for a villa in Terra Verde on the "wrong side" of the I4, But it was a breeze for WDW and the 192. The resort was fabulous... manned gatehouse. And it had facilities... a clubhouse, a communal pool, a tikki bar serving booze and food... and it was fun just to wander over for a bucket of beer and some chicken wings after a long slog at the parks.

Our Terra Verde villa was also terrific - a lovely lake view. The only reason we didnt return was we like some lanai cover at our vlla pool and we had to rely on a giant parasol there. Just how the villas are designed. But the community was gorgeous...

[tink66]

We have stayed in Windward Cay, Chatham Park and Lake Berkley. We like Lake Berkley as it is quite hidden, the gate is manned 24 hrs, it is very quiet and you feel safe. It is also very near Walmart and just at the back of Medieval Times. Chatham Park is also nice. Not gated but we never felt unsafe there. There are more residential properties but everyone is pleasant. It is also just off the 192 and near to everything. We stayed at Windward Cay a long time ago so cannot really say what it is like now.