Where to Stay

[Miller lake]

New to site so forgive me if I am not in the correct place. Husband and I want to try the villages from Oct 18- Dec 28 where should we book if I want to walk to most places? Thanks for any help you might have for us.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

It's too big to walk everywhere. If you call the sales department, you can arrange for a lifestyle visit for a week. I believe that the cost is $500 and they put you up in a two bedroom villa with a golf cart. You'll also get IDs which will allow you to all of the same amenities that residents get.

[NYGUY]

If you stayed around the middle of The Villages, you would have around 5 miles to walk in any direction. That's a lot of walking!!

[Villager Joyce]

We found a rental when our floors were being redone. We used. villagershomes4rent.com
since you are here for quite a period of time, you might want to consider renting for two weeks in several areas. Would give you a better feel for locations, drive times, etc.

[goodtimesintv]

Maybe the people writing the original post plan on walking to most places once they move here. The obvious choices in that case are to stay at one of the town squares.

That said, I'd recommend staying at either Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter Landing Town Squares, in one of the hotels at each (links below).

Also, long-time villagers telling a newbie to see TV via golf cart have lost all concept of how big the place is and how unusual the golf cart paths, tunnels, etc are. And when groping to find one's way, the last thing you want to do is get into a vehicular accident with a golf cart having almost none of the safety features a car has for personal protection!

Waterfront Inn at Lake Sumter Landing, The Villages:

Home - The Waterfront InnThe Waterfront Inn | The Villages, FL – USA (http://waterfrontinnvillages.com)

TownPlace Suites by Marriott at Spanish Springs, The Villages:

TownPlace Suites The Villages - Hotels in the Villages near Spanish Springs (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/leets-towneplace-suites-the-villages/)

The Lifestyle Preview Stay is a great way to stay, but I'd say only if the villa provided is at Lake Sumter Landing and not Brownwood town square, because of Brownwood's distance south from the center of TV.

Some here have said they felt stuck in No Man's Land and having to drive far to get to the main areas of TV when doing Lifestyle Preview Stay near Brownwood.

Lifestyle Preview Stay:
The Villages - Lifestyle Preview Plan (http://www.thevillages.com/comevisit/lpp.asp)

[2BNTV]

New to site so forgive me if I am not in the correct place. Husband and I want to try the villages from Oct 18- Dec 28 where should we book if I want to walk to most places? Thanks for any help you might have for us.

I'm somewhat confused. Are you looking to book for a week or two months?

If it is a week, the best way to get around is by car as TV is enormous. Walking everywhere is really not an option. If it's two months a cart will get you around nicely.

If you want to stay/walk near one of the squares, a previous poster suggested The Waterfront Inn for LSL and The Marriott for Spanish Springs. That will be the only square you can see.

[bagboy]

For a visit of a few days, definitely do the Lifestyles visit through the Villages. There is no pressure to buy, an agent can show you a variety of homes, and you'll have a golf cart to use. If that isn't for you, I highly recommend The Waterfront Hotel at Lake Sumter Landing. Any number of golf cart companies will rent you a cart and deliver it to you. I recommend Don Cunningham 352-391-2564.
Longer term rentals can be found on the website mentioned in post #4. Good luck and have fun!!!

[baustgen]

You must get the $5 map from the Villages sales office. If you are comfortable driving a golf cart, it is the way to get a true Villages experience. If you are not comfortable, use your car, but GET THE MAP.

[obxgal]

Being that it looks like your visit will be for a 2 month period, you would not be eligible for the Lifestyle plan other have mentioned. I believe that is for a 4 to 7 night stay.
You might try this link: VillagersHomes4Rent.com (http://villagershomes4rent.com) or you can ask here on this website if anyone has anything available at this link (Real estate for Rent) https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/real-estate-rent-85/

[JerryLBell]

It's too big to walk everywhere.

If you've been to other retirement communities, you would of course have the idea that The Villages is fully walkable. That just isn't the case. I've heard it said that The Villages is essentially the size of the island of Manhattan.

I you really want to walk into shopping, dining, etc., then you need to stay near one of the three town centers. Spanish Springs is the northern-most and is near a couple of hotels, such as the Marriott and the Holiday Inn Express (which is better than it sounds). Lake Sumter Landing is about in the middle of The Villages and the only hotel near it is the Waterfront Inn (which is very nice if rather pricey). Brownwood is the southern-most (and newest of the three) but doesn't have any nearby hotels that I'm aware of.

As has been mentioned, hotels and doing it on your own are good for a few days but may not give you the experience of living there. The "lifestyle preview" option through The Villages may well give you a better taste. However, they only offer it for a week at a time and getting one of the few units they have at more desirable times of the year may be tough.

The other option is to rent a furnished house and stay for a month or two. Some even come with golf carts or you can rent one for a week, a month or whatever. Be aware that these are not offered by The Villages but by private individuals, usually working through a rental management company. They will vary from small or very basic or dated to huge, luxurious and very new. The prices will reflect that. Such rentals also vary greatly in price by the time of year. Getting something in the winter will cost you more (actually, a LOT more) than in the height of summer.

You must get the $5 map from the Villages sales office. If you are comfortable driving a golf cart, it is the way to get a true Villages experience. If you are not comfortable, use your car, but GET THE MAP.

The map is essential as this is a BIG place and it is NOT laid out in any kind of simple grid pattern. I've heard it described as something like a ladder. There are two main north/south streets Buena Vista and Morse) with three major east/west roads (466, 466A and 44) plus several other main east/west roads (Stillwater, Bonita and Pinellas) plus about a bazillion other smaller streets in the neighborhoods themselves.

The first time my wife and I visited, we took the bus tour (fun and VERY informative) but got hopelessly lost driving around, even with the map. Our GPS just did NOT have The Villages streets in it. We visited again a year later and were able to get around better (GPS got updated maps and we were less intimidated). We visited again a year later and felt pretty pretty comfortable. Now these were just visits of a few days each and did not include a lifestyle preview. We really meant to stay for a week with a lifestyle preview but we were so convinced by the third visit (having visited several other communities over that time) that we just ended up buying a house. Now we are counting down the days to moving there.

Good luck with your investigations. Picking a home and a community for retirement is a big decision. The Villages is NOT for everyone. Some people want a much quieter, more sedate, less active community. Some don't want a retirement community at all, preferring to stay near family or whatever. We want to be very active and have a lot of fun until we die with smiles on our faces, so The Villages seems right to us.

[Sandtrap328]

By all means - rent a golf cart!

There are over 100 miles of golf cart trails throughout The Villages. It is the best way to see our community.

You will get lost. That is a given. Just pull over to the side, unfold your Villages map, and you will have friendly residents stop, ask if you are all right, and will probably guide you to your destination.

[villagetinker]

If you have a GPS, make sure it is updated to the newest maps. The villages just North of 44, and Pine Ridge are generally sketchy on these devices. The map will be very useful. There is a Villages app for your cell phone, it helps, but I think it needs a lot of work. I found that the GPS works very well HOWEVER, look around, and pat attention, mine will occasionally say TURN HERE, when I am at the wrong exit on a roundabout, or next to a Golf Cart path. Get and read the rules of ROUNDABOUTS, these can be confusing, and are confusing for newbies.

Lastly, we hope you enjoy your visit.

[John_W]

Here's a workable plan for you.

When we took our Lifestyle Visit (LSV) in 2011 we stayed at the Lake Shore Cottages, so I know you'll like it. They are just east of Lake Sumter Landing Square (LDL), the center most location in The Villages (TV). There are only 53 homes in Lake Shore, they have their own neighborhood pool. The location is only about 500' walking from the square and just a 2 minute car ride to Morse Blvd, one of the major north south roads.

With a LSV you are limited to 4 to 14 days and in the winter months it's $150 per day. They will put you in the southern most area right next to Brownwood Square, not central to TV. Since you're looking for 2-1/2 months, the LSV doesn't really suit your needs.

Here is a cottage for rent, (actually if it were for sale, it would be worth $699,000), it's available during your time period. It states owner's use Oct 1 - 16, then rest of Oct available for $1200, Nov. $3180, Dec. $3475 with a $800 security Deposit. Here's a photo of the home. Those rates are a great deal, usually you'll pay $3600 just for a courtyard villa in prime season.

http://www.villagershomes4rent.com/prm_104/gallery/44003.jpg

Here's a link with all the info so you can set up your rental.

************.com (http://www.villagershomes4rent.com/prm_104/viewlisting.php?id=2291)

Lake Sumter Landing Map PDF, you can print this map or stop by the sales office, which is only a couple of hundred feet from the rental, and pick up a Villages Magazine, they have maps of the squares in every issue.

http://www.thevillages.com/lifestyle/images/maps/SM_MARKET%20SQUARE.pdf

[perrjojo]

We live in Haceindas of Mission Hills. These are Villa homes with several homes that are rented monthly. Many in our neighborhood walk 8tenths of a mile into Sumter Landing for their morning coffe each day. It's a nice walk. Check Villages4rent and **** for listings.

[Jer Z Girl]

Hello Future Villager! I'll send a private message about our Edgewater Bungalow which is available for rent. Located on the water and walking distance to Lake Sumter Landing. It is in the middle of everything in TV and walking distance to restaurants, stores, nightly entertainment, and The Villages sales office. We have renters coming in for Jan 1st but you could rent our place before them and get a great exposure to all there is here in TV.

[Schaumburger]

Hello Miller lake and welcome to TOTV. I don't own in The Villages (yet), but as someone who has rented in The Villages several times, I would recommend that you rent a home close to either Lake Sumter Landing or Spanish Springs. The Lakeshore Cottage in Post #13 and Edgewater Bungalow in Post #15 would put you right next to (and a very easy walk to) Lake Sumter Landing. Haciendas of Mission Hills mentioned in Post #14 is also quite close to Lake Sumter Landing.

When I did my Lifestyle Visit a few years ago, it was in a neighborhood in Lake Sumter Landing which was a great location; I could easily walk to Lake Sumter Landing. Lifestyle Visits are limited to 4 to 7 days, so if you want to "test drive" The Villages for 2 months, a rental of someone's home is what you are looking for. Hope that helps, and if you do visit, please post how your visit goes. :wave:

[asianthree]

Sounds like you want to come for 6 weeks. If so rent a home. It will be easy during your time frame. Try. thevillagers4rent

[bluedivergirl]

I also suggest you rent. We rented a villa in the Lake Sumter Landing area for several reasons: I wanted to experience the grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.

I wanted to check how small a home we could live in. A villa is not it, not enough storage. YMMV.

We used TV as a 'home base' while we checked out surrounding communities. You can get more house in other communities, but nothing compares to the liveliness and amenities here. We bought a year and a half ago, zero regrets. It keeps getting better!