When planning your vacation to Disney World, Orlando you should know that there is an alternative to either the hotel room or villa.

More and more travellers are enjoying the flexibility, and value, offered by a Condo or Townhouse rentals.

So what is a Condo?

A Condo is a full home on one level, joined together with other Condos to form larger buildings. The Condo is still very private; you can have as little or much contact with your neighbours as you want.

Condos come in a variety of sizes from one-bedroom units to four bedroom homes. They are not small, on average a three bedroom Condo will offer you over 1300 sq.ft. of living space (figures taken as an average of all three bedroom Condos listed on TheBigCondoList.com). A Condo will come fully equipped with everything you would expect to find in a home including furniture, bedding, towels, eating and cooking utensils, dishwasher, washer/dryer, TV, DVD/VCR players, and sometimes they will even have a Playstation/Xbox. Because these homes are privately owned, they will all come with a personal touch making them feel a little special.

A Townhouse is generally the same; the only difference is they are normally built over two floors, with the bedrooms upstairs, whereas a Condo is all on one level.

Condo and Townhouse vacation homes are set in communities. Although each vacation home is individually owned, the owners are all jointly responsible for the upkeep of the community and the facilities they provide.

These communities are like luxury resorts. They offer you facilities like swimming pools, hot tubs, gyms, tennis courts, games rooms and the list just keeps on going. All these resort facilities are yours to use when you are staying in a vacation Condo or Townhouse. This is an automatic saving over a villa, you will not need to pay for pool heat, the pool is already heated for you. The costs for pool heating vary, but is usually around $20-$30 per day. Thats quite a saving.

Many feel that the communal pool is a safer option over a private pool, allowing you to control when your children visit the pool. Children love to play around with others in their own age groups - and this give Mum and Dad a chance to catch some sunshine and relax poolside without having to constantly watch and/or entertain the kids. Mums & Dads always tire of the water before the kids do, while the kids are playing you can relax a little, it can be a bit much to be constantly on pool duty in a pool home. The communal aspect means you too can get to know others and make new friends.

A Condo or Townhouse offers you value for money. When renting a hotel room you are getting on average 200 sq.ft. and paying a per person rate. If there are more than two people in your party you then need two rooms, and you will pay a premium to have connecting rooms. When you rent a Condo or Townhouse you pay for the house, and even then the rates are often lower than a single hotel room, and you are getting a living room, a kitchen, and dining room and however many bedrooms you need.

A Condo or Townhouse also means flexibility. Come and go when you want. Eat in or eat out, all Condos have a fully fitted kitchen allowing you to prepare meals in, which can save you even more money. When the children go to bed, the adults can sit in front of the TV and relax. You can all get together around the table to have breakfast together and chat about your days plans. This is family friendly flexibility that you will never find in a hotel.

So how do I book a Condo?

Well, you can use travel companies or management companies. But if you really want to grab a bargain and save even more money, book direct with the owner. This way you are cutting out the middlemen. This saves both you and the homeowner money. When booking direct with the owner they will quote you their direct prices, they know they do not have to pay any commission to the management company, so they will offer you the lowest price available. Visit a Condo and Townhouse specialist site such as TheBigCondoList.com that lists Condo and Townhouse vacation rentals available directly from the owner.

You can actually see the houses available, and send out requests to the owners who will then provide you with their best prices, then all you need to do is select which one you want to book.

So, next time you are planning a Disney World Vacation, think about a Condo, you will not be disappointed.