Ohana Retreat, Kissimmee, Florida

07/06/2024

Ohana Retreat Floor Plan

05/26/2024

Location Location Location

The following was a message from someone who recently booked our villa. She had stayed in various resorts and I asked if she had been to Emerald Island before:

“No, I've never stayed at Emerald Island. We've been at Windsor Hills and Champion's Gate so far. Driving to the parks from Champion's Gate was so stressful--I'm never doing that again! We were attracted to Emerald Island because of the possibility of getting multiple king bed rooms with ensuite bathrooms.”

On another occasion a guest booked and stated,

“We travelled past Emerald Island more or less every day on our last trip to help avoid traffic so know it is handy for quicker access to Disney”.

We bought our home in Emerald Island for several reasons but location was a key factor especially with traffic.

Long days at the parks can be exhausting. Being able to pop back to the villa mid day for a swim or chill then return later feeling refreshed is priceless.

We love our home in this beautifully landscaped, quiet and family friendly community.

Feeling blessed!!!!

05/12/2024

Wishing our American Mums a day of celebration and relaxation.

05/05/2024

We have enjoyed a lovely unexpected, sunny bonus holiday at Ohana Retreat in beautiful Emerald Island.

In between relaxing, visiting places such as the amazing Circle B Bar Preserve, undertaking our daily 8am walk around the resort, seeing friends & socialising at the Tiki bar, we have added a few further enhancements.

On a number of occasions we have hosted families where a loved one has mobility issues.

To aid our guests we have:

- Put in a 17” chair height WC and added a handrail in the downstairs master bathroom.
- Provided a shower chair.
- Added an additional handrail to the pool.
- Provided a Faraday box and pouch for guest use as most hire cars now have keyless entry.

Despite our excellent pool guy saying our pool deck already looks immaculate -Tony has painted this. He just likes it to be pristine and finds it challenging to sit still!

04/28/2024

We enjoyed a superb visit to Circle B Reserve, about a 45 minute drive from Ohana Retreat at Emerald Island.
https://www.polknature.com/explore/circle-b-bar-reserve which borders Lake Hancock.

Free entry and free parking. An informative visitors centre with restrooms. Good walking trails, all well marked and identifying if in sun or shade. Beautiful scenery, an abundance of wildlife and shaded picnic shelters. This will be on our list for a return visit.

04/21/2024

Epcot flower and garden festival never disappoints! Each time we visit we see something new. The butterfly walk is lovely. A joy to see people dancing and enjoying the music at Groot.

03/30/2024

Wishing our guests and friends a peaceful and Happy Easter.

03/17/2024

When on holiday, safety is a priority, especially in an unfamiliar location. We have tried to provide all the things our guests may need while on holiday. We have:

* First Aid kit
* Fire extinguishers
* Pool safety fence
* Pool door alarms
* Two additional high latches on pool door
* High latch on the front door to prevent small children exiting
* Handrail for Spa and Pool
* Video baby monitor for guest use
* Stair gates
* LifeVac kit in case first aid measures for choking fail

03/12/2024

Laundry Room with new Washer and Dryer.

03/12/2024

Shingle Creek is an easy 20 minute drive along HWY 192 from Ohana Retreat. There are walking trails, bird watching and kayaking.

We enjoyed a sunny, peaceful 2hour kayaking trip and were able to see turtles, a very noisy Limpkin, Osprey, Vultures and an alligator.
There are restrooms and picnic tables available.

Kayaks can be pre booked:

https://www.paddlingcenter.com

03/07/2024

Mount Dora is a lovely small town to visit. Delightful craft shops, boutiques, lots of restaurants,boat trips,parks and wildlife to see from the safety of the boardwalk. We saw a variety of wildlife but only small alligators.

03/04/2024

We are looking forward to visiting the flower & garden festival to see the new topiaries and those previously displayed.

From WDW.
We're obsessed with the NEW topiaries at EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival this year! 🌱😍👌

The new topiary additions to the 2024 Flower & Garden Festival are Asha, Valentino and Star 🌟, Miguel and Dante 🎶, and Groot! 🌱 Which one are you most looking forward to seeing? 👀

👉 Save this post so you know where to find the new topiaries when you visit EPCOT during the 2024 Flower and Garden Festival! 🍃🌻🦋

📍Miguel and Dante can be found near the entrance of World Showcase (close to the Mexico Pavilion) 🇲🇽🎶

📍Groot can be found right by the Guardians of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind location. 🌱

📍Asha, Valentino and Star can be found right at the entrance of EPCOT 🌟

03/01/2024

The Tiffany glass in the chapel, the Daffodil Terrace, moved from Laurelton Hall to the Morse Museum, founded in 1942 by Hugh & Jeanette Genius McKean. Mr McKean was a student of Tiffany, he was the Museums Director for 53 years and President of the private, Rollings College 1951-1969.

The McKeans set up the Charles Hosner Morse Foundation to support the museum in perpetuity.

An amazing place to visit while at Winter Park.
Adult admission $6, Seniors $5, Students $1, children under 12 - free.

03/01/2024

While at Winter Park we visited the Morse Museum to see the collection of glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany 1848-1933. This includes leaded lamps, unique window panels, the interior of a Byzantine -Romanesque chapel and treasures from Laurelton Hall, Long Island which was Tiffany’s home.

02/24/2024

A lovely trip on the Sun rail train to Winter Park, 4 senior return tickets for $11.97 from Ponciana station where there is free parking.
A boat trip on the lakes to admire the beautiful - and rather expensive homes!
A lovely day out from Ohana Retreat.

02/22/2024

Several projects completed by Tony to enhance Ohana Retreat.
A new wi-fi controlled water heater is not very exciting to look at despite being very functional! 😊

The tiling project completed in the porch is much more pleasing to look at!

Job completed as Tony has now tiled the entrance step too. 😊

01/19/2024

We are looking forward to the EPCOT flower and garden festival and seeing the new topiaries.

Disney announced all-new topiaries for the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival!

12/31/2023

Wishing everyone a Happy & prosperous New Year.
We are looking forward to catching up with existing friends and making new friendships in 2024.

Please enjoy the video in the link below of our charity Christmas lights and the new sequence Tony has put together to welcome the New Year.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/898880479/privacy

Thank you to everyone who has visited and donated. To date, including gift aid, we are delighted to have raised £7,000 for The Charlie Waller Trust

https://www.justgiving.com/page/shepherd-christmas-lights-2023

Help Jancis Shepherd raise money to support The Charlie Waller Trust

12/25/2023

Happy Christmas, peace, joy & happiness to our guests at Ohana Retreat.
It seems that you have had a visitor!

12/05/2023

Hoping our guests enjoy the Emerald Island Tiki Bar offerings and meeting Santa for Brunch Dec 23rd. 🎅🏻🎄

11/30/2023

Tony has been rather busy on our return from Ohana Retreat. His hard work is very evident in the stunning charity Christmas lights display which is synchronised to music.

This years chosen charity is Charlie Waller Trust, their vision is of a world where people understand and talk openly about mental health, where young people and those who support them are equipped to maintain and enhance their mental health and wellbeing, and have the confidence to seek help when they need it.

We will be welcoming visitors to see and enjoy the display, any donations being appreciated:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/shepherd-christmas-lights-2023

A man from Buckinghamshire who has held a festive lights show at his house for over two decades said he is glad for ‘all the good’ that has come…

11/30/2023

These are lovely gardens to visit, the Christmas lights look spectacular.

Holidays at Leu Gardens November 24, 2023 – January 7, 2024 Included with general admission Holiday Blooms Explore live plant displays throughout the Gardens featuring poinsettias, amaryllis, bromeliads, orchids, annuals, and handcrafted horticulture designs. Stroll 50-acres beautiful vignettes an...

11/27/2023

Downtown Winter Garden Holiday Wonderland- Downtown Winter Garden a great place to visit any time of the year, however for a limited time the downtown is transformed into a Winter Wonderland.

Historic downtown Winter Garden is a holiday wonderland with festive decorations, special events, entertainment, shopping and dining options.

11/21/2023

Resort Gym - Just 2 minutes walk from Ohana Retreat

11/21/2023

Shoe Cupboard in Entrance Hall

11/21/2023

Downstairs Master Bathroom

11/21/2023

11/16/2023

We have enjoyed a lovely holiday at Ohana Retreat. In between relaxing, visiting places, socialising at the Tiki bar, gardening & general maintenance, we have:

- themed the family bathroom
- re-decorated the cloakroom
- hung our rather large, lovely Mickey & Minnie pictures which are painted on glass, it was rather a challenge buying them in Skipton, Yorks and getting them to Ohana Retreat in one piece 😂.
- put in a hotel style safe
- bought a new shoe rack / entry table
- added an air fryer- I am surprised how much I have enjoyed using this! We have bought a recipe book so guests can enjoy this too.
- added a keyless entry system with personalised codes for each lead guest.
- bought a new solar pool cover to retain heat for the cooler winter months and improve our guests experience.

Looking forward to our next holiday and our future plans coming to fruition.

11/13/2023

This is a comprehensive list of local Christmas events to enjoy over the festive season.

There are so many options this holiday season, from markets to festivals to drive-through displays.