Vistana Villages Orlando-- Best Phase?

[philsam]

Hello! My family of 5 (3 small kids and parents) are visiting this resort for the first time-- 2 bedroom lockoff. Which phase is the "best"? Bella, Key West, Amelia or St. Augustine? Looking for newest unit and best location in resort. Thanks!

 

[DeniseM]

Are you exchanging, or renting, or are you an owner?

 

[philsam]

Exchanging within the Starwood system. I own at another Starwood resort.

 

[vistana101]

Hello! Vistana Villages is a wonderful resort. For the newest location, St. Augustine would be the best phase. It also has its own pool and snack bar (rec. center not open yet), good for both kids and adults. Also, it is the only phase that has balconies on the lockoffs. Amelia is new as well, but the location is not the best. Key West is the 2nd oldest phase, with no flat screens or updated technology. It does, however, have granite counters and nice decor. It also has its own pool and recreation center, and is usually the quietest of most phases. Bella is the oldest, however it has been refurbished recently with flat screen tvs, Bose sound system, new bedding, new cabinets, paint, appliances, carpet etc. It also has the main pool, a "quiet pool", a recreation center and a restaurant. You can view pictures of each phase here:http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/sheraton_vistana_villages/photos.jsp There are updated pictures of Bella here:http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150201597497833.317532.295408407832&type=3
And here is a layout of the resort:

Hope this helps!

 

[clsmit]

I like the quiet of the Key West phase, but if you plan on lots of pool time do St Augustine. That's where the pirate ship pool is.

 

[BiggPDaddy]

I was just at the Villages and just a note the pool at the St. Augustine phase closes at 6pm, Key West 11pm and the Main Pool/Bella 1am. I stayed in the St, Augustine phase. It was a bit of a pain to have to walk over to one of the other pools if we were at the parks during the day and wanted to use the pool in the evening.

 

[K&PFitz]

The pirate ship pool is great for little kids. One other benefit to the St. Augustine pool is that, if you are there in the summer heat, much of the pool is shaded by bldg. 25 in the late afternoon.

 

[Pedro]

We just checked in at SVV and were assigned a 6th floor room at the St. Augustine phase. The rooms are nicer than in the older phases. Must be low season because the place does not look too busy at all. We went to the hot tub in main pool area, and there were only three or four people in the pool, and only one other couple at the hot tub.
We were offered 5000 Starpoints of $70 credit to attend the owners update, but we declined. Not worth spending one hour+ for a high pressure presentation.

 

[colmo]

St. Augustine is definitely the newest buildings and best location for a family with little kids. If you request it but don't get in, I would ask for Building 1 or 2 in the Bella phase. The main pool is so great for little kids and you can cross the parking lot easily to use the St. Augustine pool (as you can see on the resort map above).

Good luck and have fun!

 

[philsam]

Thanks!

Thank you for all your advice. My family appreciates the help.

Philsam.