This was our first HomeAway/VRBO rental and the experience was fantastic. We had a different rental inquiry fall through, and when I began communicating with the owners about this property, it instantly felt more professional and comfortable--things noticeably missing with my other inquiry. The house was exactly as described and the check-in process was also exactly what we were told to expect. The furniture and beds were comfortable and clean, and the decorations were simple, making it a good house for families with small children (like us) who don't want to be worrying constantly that their kids will break something. The weather was decently warm for April when we were there, so we were able to enjoy the pool in the evenings. We had one small hiccup during our stay, which was a smoke detector that began to chirp for a new battery. We left a message for the property managers, and by the time we returned from our day's excursion, the problem had been fixed.
While we stayed there, we took the kids on a long-awaited trip to Legoland. We took a couple other days to explore some things in the area, and really enjoyed Bok Tower Gardens. Another excursion we did that was a real hidden gem was Polk's Nature Discovery Center. If you want to see real Florida wildlife in a not-too-wild setting, this is great. We followed one of the trails (which our 8 and 5yo boys handled walking) and had a 'gator spotting contest. (We found eleven.) And after seeing lots of other reviews about it, yes, we had to try Manny's. Yes, it's that good. Tons of really great food, great service, and they have a "kids eat free" night, which is a wonderful bonus when traveling with three hungry boys.
So overall, we are very happy with our stay at Play Under the Palms Villa. Highly recommended and if we ever travel back to the area, we will definitely look into it again.