I’m always excited about affordable places to stay near Disney World, so when I was asked to stay for free at a Thousand Trails RV Resort in exchange for my review, I jumped at the chance. All opinions are my own.
With so many affordable hotels in Orlando it can be overwhelming to find the best place to stay, especially when visiting Disney. We loved these affordable tiny house rentals in Orlando at Tropical Palms RV Resort because the houses are priced well, clean, fun for families, and best of all, less than 10 minutes away from the happiest place on Earth. If you need an affordable hotel near Disney World, you may find that a tiny home rental in Orlando is a better option. Read on to find out why we loved it.
Tropical Palms RV Resort: Affordable Tiny House Rentals in Orlando
Tropical Palms RV Resort, a Thousand Trails and Encore RV campground, has a mix of cottages and RV sites on 69 acres of land in Kissimmee, Florida located only 4 miles away from Disney World.
Thousand Trails is the largest provider of RV resort and campgrounds in North America. Each community is unique and offers amenities tailored to that community. Now that we have stayed at a Thousand Trails RV Resort, I’m excited to explore the other destinations.
We stayed in one of they tiny house rentals for 4 nights over spring break and had a blast. Here are some of the reasons we loved staying in one of the cottages.
Related Post: Family Activities in Orlando that Aren’t Theme Parks
Affordability
I know plenty of people are hesitant to use the word cheap, but let me tell you, if you are looking for cheap accommodations near Disney World, this place will exceed your expectations. Why? Because even though the price is right, the accommodations don’t feel cheap. We actually felt pampered with all the amenities.
Cottages start at $114 a night and go up to $169. Prices fluctuate with the season, so be sure to check the website for updated prices. Each cottage has a good size kitchen with a full sized fridge, gas stove, oven, and microwave. We are always a fan of having a kitchen when we travel because we are able to save a good bit of money by making our own meals instead of dining out.
Clean & Comfortable
Not only was our cottage updated (all cottages are in the process of being completely updated), the staff has a policy of cleaning the cottages every 3 days- for no extra fee. It’s always nice to be able to get clean sheets when you have young kids.
Related Post: DockATot is Perfect for Traveling with a Baby
Most home and condo rentals in Orlando do not come with this level of service. It’s not uncommon to be asked to clean your own rental, or even pay a fee to have it cleaned. We were shocked that this level of service was provided for free.
Pro Tip: Housecleaning is only available if you are in your cottage. For security reasons, the staff will never enter your cottage without your consent.
Activities & Amenities
There are so many fun activities offered for all ages each day that the front desk hands out a calendar of events. Nightly “dive-in” movies and candy bar bingo were 2 of the kid friendly events offered while we were there.
Pro tip: All activities are subject to change based on availability and weather. They ran out of s’mores and popcorn while we were there. The kids were bummed, but forgot all about it when we offered them ice cream! The onsite store has plenty of food, ice cream, and even adult beverages.
You can also enjoy activities at your own leisure. The resort has mini golf, bike trails, a pool, a kiddie pool, playground, horseshoes, shuffleboard, bocci ball, volleyball, and fishing.
Other amenities include wifi, onsite laundry, a fitness facility, and a clubhouse. A restaurant is located near the pool, but only has select hours. It was open from 11-5 on weekends when we visited.
Pro tip: Even though wifi is offered at no extra charge, it’s not the fastest. Consider using your phone as a hotspot if you need to do work. We unplugged on this trip and found that not having fast internet was actually more enjoyable for us!
Related Post: The Crayola Experience in Orlando
Convenient Parking
Parking spaces are right next to each cottage. This made it easy to unload groceries, carry in sleeping children, and unload luggage. No bell man needed!
Proximity to Disney
Disney is only 4 miles away, less than a 10 minute drive to any of the 4 parks. It’s so close that if you aren’t careful, you’ll miss the option to stop somewhere to pick up coffee or breakfast. Just another reason to make your own meals in your tiny house kitchen!
Related Post: Is Disney Worth it for Preschoolers?
Feels Like Home
Even on vacation, there is something to be said about having the comforts of home- a kitchen, rooms, a porch, and a coffee maker.
Not sharing walls was definitely one of the biggest perks. I hate it when hotel neighbors wake us up in the middle of the night or when our kids get up early are so loud that I’m sure they wake the neighbors.
When we are on vacation, we are big fans of coming “home” during nap time. With 3 kids under 5 we find that spending the afternoon resting is important. I love that Robert felt comfortable enough to fall asleep on the couch while everyone else rested in beds.
After a long day exploring Orlando, I always hate having to trek upstairs or wait for an elevator only to arrive back to an over crowded hotel room. At Tropical Palms RV Resort, we were able to put the kids to bed, then open up the doors and sit on our porch drinking wine and talking about life.
The Thrill of Living in a Tiny House
Sure, the price is right and the amenities are great, but the real thrill of visiting Tropical Palms RV Resort is getting to experience living in a tiny house. If you’ve always wanted to do a tiny house rental, this is the place to give it a go.
I’m totally impressed that this tiny house had beautiful touches like wainscoting and crown molding.
Vacationing in a tiny house is perfect for a trip to Orlando or Disney. It had more room and amenities than any Disney property at less than a quarter of the price! You really can’t beat it.
We loved that the entire family could fit in the tiny house rental comfortably. The rooms even had closets! Being that it was a tiny house, I had a hard time taking pictures of everything I wanted to show so I made a video instead.
Check out the full tour here:
Like this post? Please pin it!
I don’t think I would want to live in a tiny house, but I could totally be on-board for vacationing in one! It looks so cute and clean!
Exactly! It’s so much more fun to try it out on vacation than to do it for real.