Last Minute Villas

Last Minute Villas features villas from all over the world, with an emphasis on Florida, however we have a wide selection of Villas in Spain as well. When in Spain, look to rent a car from one of the following fine businesses:

Malaga Autos Car Hire, Spain. For Car Hire Andalucia Malaga Spain airport, and car rentals from Marbella, Costa del sol, Sierra Nevada, Fuengirola, Tarifa, Granada.

TONY´S RENTaCAR SPAIN. Malaga Car Hire - Car Hire at Malaga Airport, Spain Car rental at Costa del Sol, Marbella, Estepona, Nerja, Benalmadena, Mijas.

One of the Last Minute Villas staff visited the near completion Lake Buena Vista Spa and Resort on February 6, 2008 and can report that this condo-hotel resort complex is near completion. Even in a flat condo market their are still investors willing to purchase, perhaps a little more cautiously, but none the less, they realize the wisdom of buying in a area, so near to Disney World, which is always going to generate vacation traffic. Hard hat and construction restrictions have been recently removed so it is only final fitting out which is occurring.

In the centerpiece building, which will house the lobby, there will be a spa on the top floor of over 25000 square feet which is scheduled to open later in the month. Find out more about the Orlando condo-hotel scene in this story

In the state of Florida, there is a statute for what is called the Florida land trust. This enables you to set up a trust, administered by a trustee. This trust can then be used to purchase land. On the public record, the only person mentioned as “owning” the property, is the trustee, though their powers are usually limited by the agreement that they have with the real owner, who is called the beneficiary of the trust. This agreement is not usually held on the public record, so the government and any other interested parties will not know who the true owner is. The agreement also usually binds the trustee to not revealing the identity of the beneficiary, or the real property owner. Even the courts cannot compel the trustee to reveal the owner, as the agreement between trustee and beneficiary is a legal contract that the courts cannot overturn, and that would include the privacy clause.

Walt Disney and his associated companies were able to buy land using Florida land trusts, so no one was able to trace the purchases back to him. This secrecy was essential for the following reasons:

1. it meant that buyers were unaware that there was someone with deep pockets and a goal of obtaining large contiguous tracts purchasing their land. If they had known that, then they would have held out for more, especially knowing that Disney may have really needed that last piece of land to complete his objectives.

2. if all the land is owned by one Disney entity or related entities, then those entities could control local government. For example the city of Lake Buena Vista, FL, is controlled by Disney, and the population of the city is about 15 people. You can bet that they are all Disney employees and if some sort of vote is needed, they are going to follow the company line.

Property investors in Florida should take advantage of the Florida Land Trust if possible, especially if they are renting homes. Having that layer of privacy may make it hard for a predatory attorney to uncover who the owner is, and what their worth is. That means that they may pass on a case rather than have to do lots of research and then maybe find that the owner is leveraged to the hilt on their vacation home.

Last minute vacation home owner, Terry Gale, sent in some fascinating facts about the origins of Orlando and Disney.

Orlando, Florida, the world’s biggest playground, was named in honour of Orlando Reeves, an army sentry killed during the first Seminole War.

In early 60s, Walt Disney’s secretly and anonymously bought thousands of acres of farmland, orange groves, and swamp marshes to build a theme park where he envisioned an oasis where travellers could take their families and live out the kind of fantasies he had as a child.

Today his dreams draw more than forty million visitors a year.

Read the complete article on the origins of Orlando and Disney.

Vacation home owner, Christine Creasey, sent in this article about Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, which is well worth a visit and not only for the beautifully manicured gardens.

There are currently 38 rides to enjoy, as well as Splash Island Water Park (June 2005), Nature’s Way, Jubilee Junction, shows and concerts. There are also plans to introduce some interesting animals!

More than fifty all-star concerts will take place annually at Star Haven Amphitheater. General seating is included in the admission price.

Mango Bay features spectacular daily water ski shows as well as “Pirates of Cypress Cove” – a comedy show depicting life on the high seas.

Admission price provides access to all activities in the park including rides, shows, attractions and concerts. Also included is a second day free, up to six days following the park visit.

Read her Florida vacation tips and check out some beautiful photos here.

Last Minute Villa owner, Geoff Leach, a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic, sent in this article about extra attractions you may not know at Walt Disney World.

They include -

The Electrical Water Pageant - a nightly display that makes its circuit around Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.

‘Wishes’ fireworks at Magic Kingdom - a display that can be seen nightly from the beach at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

Disney’s Boardwalk - home to a wide range of entertainment.

Disney’s Miniature Golf - including has four courses in two separate locations each having 18 holes.

Read more about them here.

Last Minute vacation home owner, Christine Creasey, sent in this article about a unique tourist attraction in Florida called Fantasy of Flight.

If you are interested in aircraft and aviation, this is a fascinating place to visit. The world’s largest privately held vintage aircraft collection.

Fantasy of Flight is an attraction that takes visitors back to Early Flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. Many of the aircraft on display are rare pieces of aviation history. There are fascinating themed exhibits and displays, moments from aviation’s storied past.

The founder of Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks, opened his aviation-themed attraction as a natural extension of a lifelong, unbounded enthusiasm for aviation and aircraft. Weeks has been involved in aviation since his childhood and is a skilled aerobatics competitor and aircraft designer.

Read more about Fantasy of Flight here.