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Discover the story behind Jordan’s Room at Anchor Cove Villa — a sensory-friendly space thoughtfully created to give children and adults a calm place to relax and decompress during an Orlando vacation.
By Jeff McCann, Owner of Anchor Cove Villa
Before we had Jordan’s Room, we had closets.
Small ones, usually in whichever vacation rental we happened to be staying in at the time. We’d clear out the hanging clothes, cover the floor with pillows, fold blankets into the corners and sometimes put a suitcase across part of the opening to make the space feel more enclosed.
Sometimes we’d add a small light. Other times, Jordan wanted darkness.
Whatever our youngest son needed that evening, we tried to create a calm little space where he could decompress after a long, busy day.
We still have a photo of Jordan sitting in one of those makeshift spaces. The excitement on his face says everything. He finally had somewhere that felt safe, quiet and entirely his.
At the time, we were proud that we’d found a solution. But the photo also reminds us of all the holidays when things hadn’t been quite so easy.
We had stayed in beautiful vacation homes with pools, games rooms, themed bedrooms and everything a family could supposedly need — but there was rarely somewhere specifically designed for a child who simply needed some quiet.
That photograph is still on our fridge.
And, really, that is where Jordan’s Room at Anchor Cove Villa began.
Not with a business plan or a design trend, but with a cleared-out closet, some pillows and a family trying to make holidays work better for their child.
Why a Sensory-Friendly Space Can Make Such a Difference on an Orlando Holiday
An Orlando family holiday can be amazing, but it can also be incredibly stimulating.
A day at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando or one of Central Florida’s other attractions can involve crowds, music, bright lights, heat, unfamiliar food, queues, changing plans and constant movement.
For children and adults with autism, ADHD or other sensory differences, all of that stimulation can sometimes become overwhelming.
And often, it isn’t until you return to the villa that everything catches up.
We found that the hours between coming home from the parks and going to bed could be some of the hardest parts of our holiday.
Jordan didn’t necessarily need another activity.
He needed somewhere quiet.
Somewhere predictable.
Somewhere with softer lighting, comfortable textures and less going on around him.
A normal bedroom in an unfamiliar holiday home didn’t always provide that.
We wanted to create something different.
“We didn’t build Jordan’s Room because it was a good business idea. We built it because we couldn’t find it anywhere else, and we were tired of improvising.”
What Years of Family Holidays Taught Us
We’ve stayed in many vacation rentals over the years, including plenty in the Orlando area.
One thing we repeatedly noticed was that the phrase “family-friendly vacation home” often meant games rooms, colourful bedrooms, swimming pools and lots of entertainment.
All of those things can be brilliant.
But they don’t suit every child all of the time.
Games rooms can be noisy. Open-plan homes carry sound. Bright themed bedrooms can be exciting for one child and overwhelming for another.
What we rarely found was a deliberately calm space.
Over the years, we learned what helped Jordan.
Soft lighting.
Comfortable textures.
Minimal clutter.
A quiet location away from the busiest areas of the house.
A space that felt enclosed enough to be comforting without feeling completely cut off from everyone else.
Most importantly, we learned that the space needed to already be there.
After a long Disney day, nobody wants to start rearranging furniture and constructing a den from pillows and suitcases.
When we designed Anchor Cove Villa, we knew we wanted to change that.
Inside Jordan’s Room at Anchor Cove Villa
Jordan’s Room isn’t an afterthought or an empty corner of the villa.
It was deliberately created as a sensory-friendly retreat for children, teenagers and adults who may benefit from a quieter space during their Orlando holiday.
View Anchor Cove Villa, photos and availability here.
Soft, Calming Lighting
We deliberately avoided harsh lighting.
Guests can enjoy softer light and a calming environment that feels very different from the bright, busy surroundings experienced during a theme park day.
Comfortable Textures
Soft furnishings, cushions, blankets and comfortable seating help create a cosy space where guests can settle and relax.
Reduced Visual Clutter
Jordan’s Room has been intentionally designed to feel calm rather than busy.
There is still plenty to explore, but the overall environment is designed to be welcoming and manageable.
A Cosy Space Without Complete Isolation
The room provides a sense of retreat while still allowing children to remain close to the family.
That balance was important to us.
Fragrance-Free Cleaning
Anchor Cove Villa is cleaned using fragrance-free, hypoallergenic cleaning products, helping us provide a more neutral environment for guests who may be sensitive to strong fragrances.
Sensory Activities and Comfort Items
The room includes a selection of items designed to provide different ways to relax and engage, including sensory wall features, soft toys, books, noise-reducing headphones and calming lighting.
An Additional Quiet Nook
We have also incorporated another semi-enclosed retreat area within the villa’s entertainment space.
It means someone can still be close to the rest of the family while having their own quieter place to sit.
Jordan’s Room Isn’t Only for Children With Autism
We called it Jordan’s Room because Jordan inspired it.
But the room is for everyone.
It might be used by a child with autism who needs twenty minutes of quiet after Magic Kingdom.
It might be a teenager who finds a busy family holiday tiring and wants somewhere peaceful.
It might be a child without any additional needs who simply wants to curl up with a book.
It might even be a parent who appreciates five minutes somewhere calm.
That has been one of the nicest things for us to discover.
Our other boys use the room too, and guests without specific sensory requirements have also enjoyed it.
Because ultimately, sensory-friendly design is simply thoughtful design.
Soft lighting, comfortable surroundings, less noise and somewhere peaceful to unwind can benefit almost anyone.
Creating a More Autism-Friendly Orlando Vacation Home
When we created Anchor Cove Villa, we wanted families travelling with children with autism or sensory needs to feel that someone had actually considered their experience.
We know how much planning can go into an Orlando holiday.
Families research flights, park tickets, restaurants, accessibility services, quieter areas of the parks and daily schedules.
But where you stay matters too.
For some families, having an autism-friendly vacation rental near Disney World with a dedicated sensory space can provide reassurance that there will be somewhere to retreat to at the end of the day.
Jordan’s Room can’t guarantee that every difficult moment disappears — nothing can.
But it does mean families don’t need to start their holiday by identifying which closet they could turn into a quiet space.
For us, that means a great deal.
What We Hope Other Orlando Vacation Rental Owners Take From This
We’re not suggesting that every holiday villa needs its own dedicated sensory room.
But we would love to see more vacation rental owners consider neurodiverse travellers when designing their homes.
Small changes can make a difference.
Consider offering fragrance-free cleaning options.
Think about lighting.
Provide somewhere away from televisions and games rooms.
Create a comfortable corner with softer textures and fewer distractions.
Ask yourself whether your definition of “family-friendly” includes different types of families and different needs.
Orlando welcomes millions of families who come to experience Disney World, Universal Orlando and everything else Central Florida has to offer.
Those families include autistic children, teenagers and adults, people with ADHD, people with sensory sensitivities and family members who simply need a little more quiet during a busy holiday.
They deserve beautiful vacation homes that consider them too.
From a Holiday-Rental Closet to Jordan’s Room
Jordan is doing brilliantly.
He still loves soft spaces, headphones and Disney.
We still take plenty of photographs when we travel.
There are just fewer photographs of makeshift pillow forts inside vacation-rental closets these days.
Jordan’s Room exists because of our family’s own experiences.
Every detail takes us back to those holidays when we wished someone had already thought about this.
Now, when families stay at Anchor Cove Villa in Orlando, the space is waiting for them.
No moving clothes.
No piling up pillows.
No suitcase across a closet door.
Just somewhere quiet to go when the day has been brilliant, exhausting — or a little bit of both.
And the moment you see Jordan’s Room, we think you’ll understand exactly why we created it.
Stay at Anchor Cove Villa
If you’re planning an Orlando holiday and would like a family-friendly vacation home with a dedicated sensory-friendly space, you can view Anchor Cove Villa, browse the photos, check availability and find out more below.
View Anchor Cove Villa & Check Availability
You can also follow Anchor Cove Villa on Instagram for more photos, updates and behind-the-scenes content:
@anchorcovevilla
