Villa Owners updates 2021 Days 1-4 2021

WELCOME BACK TO ORLANDO VILLA MAGS DEN…

Villa owners trip 2021/2022 … what’s happening DAY ONE, TWO, THREE & FOUR - updating the villa

We had a good first night sleep but we were all up early.

This morning we took a little walk around the villa to check out how things looked and on the whole it’s kept pretty well since we were last here. Our MC (aaa Lux villa) have taken great care of our home we are lucky to have them

There are obviously jobs to do things to replace etc but first…

Unpack & hide gifts 🎁.. then as per our tradition IHOP for breakfast before getting on the 192 to do an Aldi shop and the back in the 27 to Walmart we really were going for it getting in food & supplies especially for Christmas (no turkey yet). I cook slot still with we are here my choice but for us we are just home and the. We choose where To eat out and when.

Back home to sort out shopping then enjoy the afternoon in the pool the sun is shining and it’s nice to just relax and chill out

Dinner was at Millers tonight in Champions Gate as today is a day off from chores as they start tomorrow - plus an early night we are all shattered from the pre travel stress - Andy & I took a stroll round Calabay to see the residents festive lights they all looks so pretty

It’s Monday now the pool repair man is here to say hi and talk us through the pool re surfacing so later today it’s getting drained out.

We go off to look for a new sofa set and a golf bag for Andy Xmas gift. Done ✅ on both counts and back home

I’ve now washed down all the units in the kitchen and bathrooms ready for touching up with paint, prepare dinner a mini roast - all the door handles / knobs have been tightened too

We knew Tuesday was due to rain so we’ve cleaned all the windows inside & out & the fly screens. Moved the old sofas out and had the new ones delivered.

On Wednesday Andy got on with done painting and the girls and I were washing pillows / sorting through bedding & towels to see what we need to update

Then in the afternoon it was Funtime took the girls to URBAN AIR, indoor trampoline park with ninja course, rock walls, high ropes etc unlimited access to all the facilities is $25 for the kids (adults can join in too but ours don’t need us to do it) it’s about 30 minutes drive from the villa in Lakeland and it’s attached to a shopping mall with plenty of shops

Steak & Shake for dinner $46 2 large shakes 4 burger meals a soft drink - no table service anymore you order at a computer and collect from the counter but still enough to feed us and keep us happy it’s Becca choice for tea

He pool has been bonded so now waiting for the next step … not sure if it will be done in time for Christmas but hopefully very soon after as it’s sunny and pool weather here

Will update on some more soon, thanks for reading and we are taking bookings for remaining 2022 & 2023 dates now

Back to Mags Den Villa 2021 - Travel Day December 18th 2021

WELCOME BACK TO ORLANDO VILLA MAGS DEN…

Villa owners trip 2021/2022 … what’s happening (TRAVEL DAY)

It’s been a long time since we e been able to get to our beautiful home here in sunny 😎 Florida we were last here January 2020 just before the craziness of the pandemic hit and we were all stuck at home … thankfully the US borders opened 8th November 2021 much to the delight of the UK and us so our fingers were crossed we got here .

Well we did here’s a little about our travel days

The current rules meant we had to test 1 day before our flight. I won’t lie it was a nerve wracking few days kids were in school we were working (luckily we can social distance in our job) we avoided meeting up with people before we came away and dud door step visits

Anyway we did our video link pre travel test on Friday morning it was super easy and the nurse online was extremely friendly and put us at ease … the tension watching ours test results was intense, thankfully 4 negative tests we an start packing

Kids were online lessons for this day which was helpful for us, first job put the clothes in the suitcase and the Christmas presents I had everything ready in piles the night before as we had all done an at home test to help us relax a bit

Once packed I took down the decorations at home and boxed them up by which time our test certificate were all through as well as our VeriFLY app (we flew BA) was complete this was much simpler than I had imagined and took you through each step I had already got all our personal details & photos on it a few days earlier and once our test results were through and verified it took us to the next step until i could do online check in. (Our covid vaccination and test results were manually checked as our test certificate didn’t have a QR code and Andy covid pass was being iffy but all was cleared and sorted)

By 2pm I’d hoovered and packed and we had a visit with the grandparents before our last work shift

We flew BA the next morning out of Heathrow into Orlando International (we usually do Gatwick to Tampa, but when we booked last February those were not an option to us)

Early start we headed to Heathrow used a meet and greet parking service and went straight to T5, as I had already online checked in and printed my boarding passes we went to self bag drop (more tech to work out but we managed) through security fairly quickly - although one bag got an extra check all good and off to Weatherspoons for breakfast 🍳

The airport was busy everyone was wearing a mask but it felt spaced out lots of hand gel stations and screened seating at the restaurant

We only had time to get some water for the flight and then walk to the gate which was a little way away as we had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast we weren’t rushing and savouring each part of our holiday - we had started to relax

Boarding was easy and called Groups as stated on your boarding card. We had a short delay as they were still cleaning the craft but I didn’t mind that

The flight was good an almost full plane and all wearing their masks 😷 - I felt at ease knowing everyone was tested before they flew tbh . We were also all give an anti bac wipe to do trays if we wanted too.

BA let us down on the food this time it was pretty poor but I’d packed sandwiches for the kids in case and no mid afternoon ice cream 🍨

Entertainment was all good too with a wide selection. We landed on time and was through security super fast, they disembarked by a few rows at a time and we were all asked to remain seated until our row was called before getting our bags (as you can guess lots of people chose to ignore that request and were quickly asked to sit back down, let’s be honest not going anywhere until it your turn 😂)

4 suitcases and off to get the car we are Avis preferred members so we didn’t have to go to the desk straight to the car park and off … this time Andy chose to satnav without tolls to the villa it took us a different route and we passed some cute little towns all lit up for Christmas and came in the other way via champions gate we really only went 15 minutes out of our route and it was a nice peaceful drive

We stopped at the new Publix right accords the street from us for a pizza and some milk and entered our home for the first time in 2 years so glad to be back and immediately it felt like we’d never left …

A long post I know but I hope this gives you some updates to getting here and helping you feel more relaxed

If you read to the end thank you 😊

#thecartersfloridablog2021

WOW!! some Amazing Changes our 2019 Story

As a villa owner, its important to us to keep out home lookimg fresh and up to date.
This doesnt come easy or cheap… in reality we are thousands of miles away working full time jobs as well and managing guests, bookings and all that goes with keeping our home looking fab. Having a good support team in Florida is important too.


So what changes have we made since we bought in December2015

Our first job was to replace bedding & towels, TVs and remove the plastic planting ( A personal pet hate of ours and huge dust collectors… Ok so I kept two smaller plants), we only had 4 days on our first trip and filled our time just making these small changes

Then the following winter (November 2016) out came all the carpets - which had seen better days thats for sure. So prior to our arrival a month later we had some great people come in and rip out the old carpet and lay a wooden effect floor (LVP), easy to clean and manage .. we also got the interior painted, from the dull looking white to some modern shades of grey with accent walls for each room to match the bedding we had previously chosen (now when I choose new bedding it has to match the walls) we left the kitchen half white as choosing colours to match the units from pictures alone was quite a task

We arrived again in the December of 2016, and were really pleased with the new decoration and now was time to update the wall art, we had inherited all the furniture and pictures and we had to work on our priorities, so with some spray paint and some new inserts to create a more modern look from the traditonal Florida palm tree images for the 80s and 90s

plus on this trip… handles for the kitchen units (they didnt have any) new dual shower heads and some other little touches… what will be next (oh yes a whopping great big tree to be removed that was dying and pulling up the front yard) and some rugs for each room, to soften the new floor

Next trip now year on its December 2017 and with it came a complete new bedroom in one of the twins so we could now accomodate 3 in that room and a revamp on the bathroom cabinets to cheer them up a bit. Also we decided to have the family bathroom re tiled in a more modern tile and the queen ensuite ripped out to be a walk in shower and re tiled … the fun never ends and there is always painting, touching up and replacing sheets, towels etc… we also brought curtains and curtain poles from home in Andys golf bag and hung new curtains in each room to create a more homely place for our guests - that was a task choosing at home and cutting poles to fit the windows and luggage to get them there

And so we get to December 2018…. two bedrooms got a make over new beds and furnture in the twin room and the Queen bedroom along with new mirrors and lamps throughout… the kitchen got a splash of colour whilst enjoying a few pina coladas and the games room floor got repainted along with a splash of yellow on the walls and a re jig of art work.. We also up cycled an old bedroom dressing table to store games and toys int he room creating a sort of bar / saloon like effect - Andy also painted the pool deck and we got a second set of outside furniture so seating for a full house…


in addition we have added new ceiling lights & fans to the lounge and master bedroom, painted outside the white trim and generally kept busy each visit with deep cleans and touching up… its not all holiday but we love that our new guests get to enjoy the fresh look we do at the start of each season and our repeat guests get to see some upgrades and that we still love and care for our home

Whats next… who knows what this year will bring, but you can be sure that all the images on our website will be currnt as of our prevous visit usually the start of each new year … below are some before and after images from the month we bought until present for a full current set of our images, please browse the website

Nov 2015

Queen with Bedroom ensuite

Jan 2019

Queen bedrom with ensuite

Dec 2015

Family Lounge

Jan 2019

Family Lounge

Dec 2015

The Games Room

Jan 2019

The Games Room

Dec 2015

The Pool & deck

Jan 2019

The pool & deck

Dec 2015

One of the twin rooms

Jan 2019

The twin room now a triple

WORLD BOOK DIRECT DAY #BOOKDIRECT

As owners we committed to you getting the best out of your holiday and whilst we are listed with search & booking sites. most of these add a hefty fee to both the guest and owner.

Today we strive to educate potential guests on the benefits of booking direct with the owner.

We know more about our villa and its location than any search or booking site. 90% of our previous and current guests have booked direct. right from the start you have the opportunity to speak with us direct, many sites don't allow full contact with the owner until either a deposit or even full payment is made. how then do you know you've made the right choice?

Booking direct gives you the freedom of choice and the opportunity to get the most out of your holiday

So join our campaign and and share our posts with the hashtag #bookdirect

2018 VILLA UPDATES AND VISIT BLOG TWO

Today started with cleaning up the lounge & new triple room and getting new photos for me

Andy is repainting the shared bathroom as the green doesn't match the new tiles and painting the bathroom cabinet in the 2nd ensuite which has had its new shower installed and old tub removed photos to follow

Then fun in the pool with the girls after they had been my photo shoot assistant and done school reading, lunch and now at the park, just a short walk from the villa

Then off to Aldi to buy wine (we have run out)

2018 VILLA UPDATES AND VISIT BLOG ONE

JANUARY 2018

Full on busy day today - bathrooms just need grouting and shower screen installing

Andy has been painting the bathroom cabinets

I've been sorting bedding, paperwork etc and doing school work with the girls

Then they had friends over to play in the pool and games room

Currently enjoying another bottle of wine whilst dinner cooks
Good old potato wedges / corn of the cob and pizza from Aldi ($10 dinner for us 4)