The Village hotels

[hoseman]

Thinking about coming down for our first visit...too late for a lifestyle visit...was thinking about a hotel stay instead.

Questions please:
1. The Waterfront Inn, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express..are they all inside the Villages where we can get a good flavor of The Villages?
2. Any comments as to which one would be best to accomplish a "do it yourself familiarization visit"?
3. Any other suggestions on lodging and/or not to miss activities?

Thanks!

[senior citizen]

Thinking about coming down for our first visit...too late for a lifestyle visit...was thinking about a hotel stay instead.

Questions please:
1. The Waterfront Inn, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express..are they all inside the Villages where we can get a good flavor of The Villages?
2. Any comments as to which one would be best to accomplish a "do it yourself familiarization visit"?
3. Any other suggestions on lodging and/or not to miss activities?

Thanks!


Having never stayed at any of the motels surrounding The Villages, I would have no opinion on them.............

However, even though we did our Lifestyle Visit in Creekside Landing for four days, and then rented a private home for one month thereafter, if we were to go back again and didn't have a home lined up to rent.......we would stay at THE WATERFRONT INN.

Perfect location near everything. Nice veranda out back, on the water, to sit and have a beverage, relax after a meal, etc..........pool too.

Nice front veranda with comfy chairs to catch a breeze...........

We ate many breakfasts there..........quite a few lunches and one dinner.
All good.

The hallways, etc. and front lobby were always attractive and well taken care of and the staff was friendly and helpful. Never got to look at a room, but I'm pretty sure they would be equally nice.

I would recommend it to an "overflow" of visiting relatives or friends if everyone came to visit us at once and our own guest rooms were filled up.

[Love2cruise]

I would stay at the Waterfront, in Lake Sumter Landing, or Marriott town suites in Spanish Springs. Both are in walking distance to the town squares they are in. The best thing to do is talk to everyone you can and ask them how they like the villages, pros & cons. Go to the sales office & ask about the trolly tour. Get a paper and visit open houses. There is no pressure from sales people. Most important get a map from either the sales office or Publix (5.00).

[njbchbum]

waterfront in is right at/in lake sumter landing and walkable over to restaurants and the squares; golf cart accessible; never stayed there so can't comment on rooms; had sunday buffet dinner there one time and will not return for any dining.

hampton in is not golf cart accessible but lovely rooms.

holiday inn is golf cart accessible; stayed there 4 yrs ago before moving into villages house; good breakfast included, small pool and suffers from noise from the nearby pickleball courts.

if i had guests who wanted to stay in a motel - i'd suggest the marriott town suites in spanish springs. lovely ambience and right in the spanish springs square.

re a diy visit - buy the $5 map at a sales center!

take the trolley tour - BUT - be sure to drive thru as many neighborhoods as possible - they are all so different and the trolley only focuses on the new build areas. be sure to visit the historic side and villages near spanish springs so that you can develop a sense of how the villages all started and what it has become.

talk to folks in stores and the squares; but be forewarned, we can go on and on about how happy we are and that we made the move!

get a copy of the recreation newspaper [available in any of the big rec centers] - it is a great resource for seeing all that there is for rec activities and social clubs.

and check The Villages Vmail - July 2013 - Special Events (http://www.thevillages.com/newsletter/201307j44Q6g/happenings-events.htm) to see the special events schedule while you are here.

ya might wanna do a search on this site for lifestyle visit and see what suggestions have been suggested in the past!

most of all - have a great time!

[senior citizen]

I would stay at the Waterfront, in Lake Sumter Landing, or Marriott town suites in Spanish Springs. Both are in walking distance to the town squares they are in. The best thing to do is talk to everyone you can and ask them how they like the villages, pros & cons. Go to the sales office & ask about the trolly tour. Get a paper and visit open houses. There is no pressure from sales people. Most important get a map from either the sales office or Publix (5.00).


Great Minds Think Alike. Good Post.

I forgot to tell them it was at Lake Sumter Landing though......

Also, I got our map ahead of time by calling the Mercantile Store; it was shipped out to me very quickly. We have since updated the map many times to the latest version and also sent them to friends and relatives for the $5. each.

[AriaGrandparents2013]

We stayed at the Waterfront Inn in Lake Sumter Landing in March of this year for 2 nights. The rooms are very nicely decorated and beds are extremely comfortable. The hotel is a great centrally located location and within easy walking distance of the LSL stores, restaurants, and activities. We ate breakfast and dinner there and the food was very good. Most nights there is some sort of activity going on in the lobby.....from dancing to karaoke.

[asianthree]

i would also say waterfront...walking to LSL, resturants

[tv2016]

Have a meal at one of the country clubs. Arnold Palmer is very good. Also Mallory, Cane Garden, Evan Prairie Get the Daily Sun each morning for info on open houses and entertainment.

[Happinow]

How exciting for you! You should have a great time. There is so much to see and do. I have stayed at 3 hotels here in TV. I've stayed near Spanish Springs at the Holiday Inn Express and TownePlace Suites. Both were very nice....TownePlace Suites are newer. We've also stayed at The Waterfront. That was very nice too. We ate at the Waterfront......in our opinion it wasn't good. We would never eat there again, especially since there are so many other places to eat. We like Toojays for breakfast and do try the country clubs for lunch and dinner. Cane Garden, Evans Prarie, Mallory, Lopez legacy and Arnold Palmer. If time permits, take a look inside the rec centers. They are nicely done and each has its own personality. On Thursday, there is a paper that comes put along worth the Daily Sun that has all,of the recreation activities in it. Give that a look to see all of the fun activities you can do here. Hopefully you are spending a week or more so that you can take everything in. Have fun!!

[hoseman]

Awesome responses! Thanks so much for your efforts and comments!

[BritParrothead]

We stayed at the Waterfront in June for 3 days.
Lovely rooms, breakfast was very good for $10 buffet, servers real nice.
Only problem I had was (sorry folks) the singles night. The noise, O M G, never heard anything like it!! It was so raucous we went to sit outside. A lady coming to check in was not impressed!

[gingersnap]

We have stayed at The Waterfront, the Hampton Inn and The Holiday Inn when visiting TV. All are very nice places. The Waterfront would be the best place if you want to be able to walk to the square, etc. Also, The Waterfront will give you a discount if you are looking at real estate in TV. I think it's only 5%, but hey, at least it is something. On our first visit to TV we were not aware that The Hampton was so far away from the squares so we only stayed there 1 night. It is a beautiful place tho. We enjoyed The Holiday Inn. The first time we visited there, we were upgraded to a suite and it was great. Their breakfast was great and the staff was very friendly. You may be able to get a nice rental home for a week or so. Check rentthevillages.com or thevillages4rent.com
Good Luck!

[Blessed2BNTV]

In need of a rental golf cart? We highly recommend Scott at Grandpa & Grandma's Village Buggies LLC - Services (http://grandpaandgrandmasvillagebuggies.com/services)

We used others when we first starting to go to TV often and Scott was the best! Good clean and well running carts.

Please tell him the DeAngelo's recommended him.

[wendyquat]

FYI, I got a better rate for Waterfront on Expedia.com than through their website. I would recommend The Waterfront Inn for your visit.

[ilovetv]

The Waterfront, for sure. The rooms and beds and linens and lake views are extremely nice.

It's also quite affordable and convenient to the square at Lake Sumter Landing, and to Barnes & Noble, TGIFridays, Cody's, RedSauce, City Fire, Starbucks, Panera, TV Sales Office, etc. etc.

Be sure to bring your checkbook.

[Schaumburger]

I have stayed at several of the hotels close or in The Villages. I would not hesitate to stay at any one of the hotels listed below. In fact I will be staying at one of them the night before my Lifestyle Preview Visit starts in October. You can rent a golf cart by the day or by the week if you go on line and check the classified ad section of The Villages Daily Sun or check the golf cart rental listings on TOTV.

Comfort Suites and Holiday Inn Express (both about 3 blocks from Spanish Springs). Both very nice and both are golf cart accessible.

Towne Place Suites by Marriott (right in Spanish Springs next to the movie theatre). Very nice and golf cart accessible. A little more expensive than Comfort Suites and the Holiday Inn Express.

Hampton Inn on 466. Not golf cart accessible, but very nice.

Waterfront Inn at Lake Sumter Landing. Golf cart accessible, very nice. May be a hair more expensive than Towne Place Suites.

If you want to stay right in one of the town squares I would vote for Towne Place Suites if you want to stay at Spanish Springs or the Waterfront Inn if you want to stay at Lake Sumter Landing.

If you have an AARP card or a AAA Motor Club card, check the hotels' web sites to see what kind of discount you can get.

Drive around all parts of The Villages, go to open houses (they are held every day, not just on weekends and are listed in The Daily Sun), ask questions of people you meet, and enjoy your stay in TV.

[hoseman]

We want to see what first hand what you guys love so much about your homes, neighbors, friends and entertainment.

The golf cart deal is kind a intimindating after reading this board so we intend to walk to the squares, then crawl back home. Kidding.

Thanks again for the comments!

[Paulz]

We stayed at the Waterfront last week. The only negative is that room ac units are very noisy. I know that some folks find it puts them to sleep, I find it very distracting.

[Portia]

holiday inn express.. great rates ..golf cart excess..great free breakfast.. pet friendly.. great staff !!! stayed twice when we visited and would definitely recommend..

[hoseman]

Hey gang, We did our do it yourself Village visit last night and this morning and I wanted to report our thoughts:
1. Great people and wonderful area.
2. Watched softball this morning...that's some serious but fun stuff.
3. Fascinated by all the golf carts especially the skinny bald guy with a golf cart horn.
A. We are trying to find The Waterfront Inn that of course wasn't marked on any signs and I'm couldn't find a map, plus we wanted to case the place at the same time.
B. Negotiating the traffic circles is no big deal as I've driven in Boston for years...perhaps they should send a few of the Village folk up there to take lessons.
C. I'm going around a circle this morning and this cart about flies out right in front of us where I was scared I was about to hit the guy so I slowed down/stopped in front of him for his safety.
D. He starts yelling and blowing his cart horn at us. We both lost it with laughter as this guy appeared to be in a hurry to no where.
We laughed about that guy for 10 minutes. If he is representative of a retiree, I'm not ready to retire yet...that guy was wound a tight as a one legged guy in a butt kicking contest.
4. All in all we had a wonderful time. Never saw baldy again...hope that guy learns to loose up.

Thanks for the tips on the Villages and watch out that our bald buddy down there...he is in a hurry to nothing but has to get there fast. Made our trip laughing at that guy.

[DAWN MARIE]

My Dad comes down every year and he stays at the Marriott in SS. He's stayed there about 4 times for a weekly visit. It was less expensive than the Waterfront Inn and has a kichenette with a full sized refrigerator, stovetop, pans dishes, glasses, and utensils. All he had to do was go to nearby Publix and stock up for the week. It was very reasonable especially in the off season months (After May 1).

[Schaumburger]

hoseman, Glad you enjoyed your first trip to The Villages. Driving a golf cart is definitely an experience -- at least it was for me the first time. If you are considering buying a home in The Villages, I would recommend you rent a house in The Villages for a week/couple of weeks/or a month if you can rent for that long. I have rented in The Villages 5 times since 2011, each time in a different village to get a feel of where I might like to live in if I hopefully do buy in The Villages one day. The Villages also has a Lifestyle Preview Plan program where you can stay at a home right next to Lake Sumter Landing for 4 to 7 nights, which is what I am doing when I return to The Villages in October.

[Joanned]

All above info is good. However, we stayed at holiday inn express. Good prices, great breakfast, coffee 24 hours and very friendly staff. After first visit there, we went back four times during the design and closing phases. Never disappointed.
Joanne