Kissimmee Vacation Home Getaway

*By Charmaine Noronha*

For many Canadians, summer equals fun trips to the cottage for endless days of sunshine, refreshing lake plunges and bonfires made for s’mores. And while I’ve savoured cottage life many-a-times and have AirBnB’d it up across the world, I had yet to stay in a rental vacation home. So, when a Kissimmee vacation home door knocked, I answered!

I pull into Magic Village Resorts, a gated community in Kissimmee, Florida, to grab my keys to my home away from home in what has been deemed the vacation rental home capital of the world. The keys unlock a bright and airy two-storey, four-bedroom house close to Orlando’s famed theme parks. The spacious house comes equipped with all of your home needs from kitchen supplies to laundry to a spacious patio with a BBQ set just waiting to be fired up.

Rental company Jeeves offers a bevy of private luxury home options that provide travellers with luxury and convenience while being private – perfect for socially distant vacationing. The resort-style homes can have upwards of 12 bedrooms that can house up to 32 people and are often replete with custom-themed kids rooms, bowling alleys, home theatres and private gyms and pools. Hello, fun family reunions!

Or, if you’re looking for a cozier experience, they also offer 2-5 bedroom condos or houses like the one I and three friends called home for a long weekend.

And, you won’t necessarily miss out on resort-style fun. Jeeves also offers experiences such as sending Disney characters to your rental home to cook breakfast for children or private entertainment such as a magic show. For adults, they offer concierge and party planning services, along with private chefs or grocery delivery.

While we didn’t partake in these home-based services, we did partake in what Kissimee had to offer!

What to do in Kissimmee and Orlando

Wild Florida

After a run to Target to grab breakfast goodies and all.the.snacks, we head to Wild Florida for what the park deems is the world’s only airboat tour, gator park (Florida is all about them gator parks!), and drive-thru safari adventure all-in-one!

We hop aboard an airboat and cruise through protected swamps, marshes, and rivers that make up the headwaters of the Everglades, spotting alligators – thankfully in the distance – along the way.

Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park

This elevated, outdoor obstacle course features suspended bridges, climbing nets and Tarzan swings. Its pair of 425-foot plunging zip lines cap off the adventure offerings. We relive our childhood balancing on suspended logs and swinging from trees while questioning our life choices at that moment.

Gatorland

Gators are a pretty big thang in Florida in case you haven’t picked up on that yet. Gatorland deems itself the “Alligator Capital of the World,” and while I’m not here to debate that claim, I am here to debate whether or not my usually thrill-seeking self is up for ziplining above what I envision will be gaping gator mouths!

Voted Best Zipline in the U.S. by AOL Travel, the park features 1,200 feet of high-flying adventure over Cuban and Nile crocodiles, along with a ride in a 12-foot monster vehicle in Gatorland’s Stompin’ Gator Off-Road Adventure, a rugged journey through Florida’s various ecosystems and um, a water full of alligators.

I pass on the zipline in favor of something possibly as scary – feeding giant alligators in a breeding marsh. And just so you know, they eat chicken and as you could guess, lots of chicken!

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

This beautifully designed museum holds a comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany works including Tiffany jewelry, pottery, paintings, lamps, and an elaborate chapel interior created for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The Museum’s holdings also include a collection of American art, pottery, and representative collections of the late 19th- and early 20th-century American painting, graphics, and decorative art.

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Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour

Located on Lake Osceola in the quaint city of Winter Park, this tour languidly cruises you through three lakes and two narrow man-made canals on the tranquil Winter Park chain. Our guide explains the history of Winter Park, Central Florida’s oldest community, which was originally founded by wealthy Easterners in the 1800s.

Where To Eat In Kissimmee and Orlando

Estefan Kitchen Orlando

If the rhythm doesn’t get ya, the food here will. Estefan Kitchen Orlando is owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan. And pro-tip, order the luxury mojito, because if the rhythm and the food don’t move you, the rum in this drink will! I got to celebrate my birthday here and it definitely was a memorable one!

Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ

If BBQ is your thing, Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ serves up world-famous wood-smoked meats for for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yes, you read that right, breakfast as well! Rumour had it that the brisket biscuit was the thing to get here.

Villaggio Restaurant

Conveniently located in our vacation rental home lobby, Villaggio is the property’s Italian restaurant. Be warned, the portions are as big and hearty as a traditional Italian family!

A huge thanks to Experience Kissimmee for hosting us on this press trip. As always, reviews and opinions are entirely our own.