Renting an apartment vs getting a hotel room

hi michelle, we have done this a lot, and we actually prefer it, it gives us more space, we can cook some of the meals and we feel like locals. we have done it in munich, barcelona, tuscany, french riviera, vienna, we have never had a problem, but i take the time to search for appartments, and where they are situated etc. usually you have to pay a deposit and when you get there the balance an a security deposit wich will be return if there is no damage. you can try reading in the graffiti wall some of the posts, maybe there is one on your destinations. http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti23.html

I have rented apartments in 12 countries and recommend doing that where possible. I never rent in advance without seeing the unit. I have found too many variables that may not suite my needs.

It is easy when you arrive to inspect those available and choose the one you like. Unless there is a special event going on you will have a choice. And I always try to negotiate the rental fee with the owner. Some will discount for cash. You cant always do that on the net or by email.

Carl, there are pretty good pictures of the units on the web listings. Are these sufficient? I feel nervous about arriving to a place without my accomodation reservations already in place. We are arriving in early June, dont think this is too busy a time, but would still feel afraid to arrive in a foreign city without knowing where we are going to sleep that night, which would rule out actually looking at the unit first. Any thoughts on how to make sure we are getting a decent place from the web?

Most of the time we travel as a family which makes renting an appartment the more affordable option. And you get so much more space than in a quad hotel room!

These days, the information and pictures available on the internet make it a pretty safe option as well. Yes, there might be a small risk that you'd be disappointed but this risk is not really bigger than the risk when booking a hotel room.

We try as much as possible to book an appartment where the owner is close by. In case of problems you can get them fixed quicker. And often the owner is very happy to help you with tips on how best to explore your surroundings - much as the staff at the hotel reception would do.

I rent apartments through VRBO.com and all of their listing include several pictures of the apartment. I only chose those that I can see good pictures of and have a pretty good idea where they are located by either the description or through contacting the owner/manager. I personally would not wait until arriving in a country to find a suitable place. There are lots of good rental sites that seem reputable and have nice places that are well-described.

Go for it. We did it for the first time this past summer in Paris and it worked very well. Check out the experiences of the previous renters as best you can for an idea of what to expect.

Our family of 4 rented an apartment in Vienna for 3 nights in 2000 - $125 total, which was great even then! Above a pub, on the streetcar line, safe, with views. What a deal!
Rick usually recommends having a place to stay your first night and your last night at least, which makes sense to me. And if you're going in June, you might want to book more nights in advance. Remember taking public transportation takes extra time, too, so you want to have a place to drop after traveling to your place.
Happy honeymoon!

I agree with what everyone has said about the advantages of an apartment. We discovered a new source for finding places. Some hotels have acquired apartments for short-term rentals. We had a very good deal on one such in Madrid last spring, and another in Baveno (Lago Maggiore) the year before. The advantages of dealing with a hotel are that they are usually set up to take credit cards, and they are professionally managed. There is less risk involved than is sometimes the case with individual owners. We sort of stumbled on these while researching the hotels. Maybe tripadvisor's "other" category would be a place to look.

Everyone I know always rents apartments. It's a big money saver, especially when you cook your own meals. We rented an apartment in England for two weeks last year and it was super cheap and would have been a steal had the exchange rate been better. We also had a washer and dryer so we didn't have to pack as much!

Just make sure before you book that you ask the rental agency or landlord any questions you might have, like, does the price you quote include everything, like heat/AC, electricity, water use, etc? Some don't include everything, and some have an electricity allowance. Ours did, but we didn't go over because we were gone a lot. The landlord said she rarely had anyone go over it, so that made us feel better about it. We did make sure to cut off everything before leaving. Just make sure there aren't any hidden charges.

My sister and I have rented apartments before and really love it alot. We always travel with our budget in mind so do most of our cooking at the apartment. Our thoughts are that we would love to not skimp on the sights ( because that is why we are there) but do not care a whit about food. It is just something you are going to do again in 6 hours. We even packed our lunches while in London and saved a bundle.

we had a great place in Paris for a week and also a great place in Rome for a week. The apartment in London was pretty far out and took the tube and a bus to get back and forth. I would have rather stayed closer, spent fewer days, and it would have worked out better. I just looked on the internet under apartments in rome and about 100 choices came up. same for the other cities. The europeans live smaller than we do and give measurments in square meters which means nothing to me, but it was great to have someplace private to retreat to. I wish I had known about the place in Vienna as we would have loved to stay someplace where no one was smoking. Kathy

Well, everyone here seems to love apartments. I am not one of them.
I like hotels. I like eating out. I save money by staying in less expensive hotels and having snacks in my room( you don't need a kitchenette, I am happy with the mini fridge to stock with drinks, yogurts and cheeses) , and we also pick up take out and have picnics.

Food is very important to me, and in some places, Paris for instance , it is not just something we " do in another 6 hours" ( ouch, that is harsh) , but something we enjoy, preferably every 4 hours, and it is part of the cultural experience for us. I admit cooking and shopping IS a great way to experience that culture ,, but, I am on holiday, so take out, picnics and snacks is all I want to do!
I also love having my bed made and towels changed daily,, I am a mom of three, and I do 90% of the housework at home, when I am on holiday, I am on holiday.
We have a motorhome, which we spend weeks on every summer, that is a fun time, but not my holiday. Europe is my holiday!

I also suppose I have some advantage that so far every trip to Europe includes some time staying with friends or family, ,so I get the " being with the locals" thing without the work!!( yes I offer to help, and no, they never accept it( god bless them, LOL )

I do think an apartment is in order if travelling with kids though, teens eat like horses, and little ones need a place to just play and relax, and apartments do provide that extra room( usaully) .

Kathy a meter is pretty close to being the same as a yard.

We like apts so we have a nice place to sit and relax at the end of the day; we like to do our own breakfast and/or snacks; we like the convenience of having a washer/dryer; and we like not having people coming into our room every day. We probably don't save much money because we like to have our apt in the midst of the places we want to see, and we want something with nice amenities and that is not small and cramped.....but we're happy with that so that is what counts. If you save money, but you're not happy with it, it's really not worth it.

Pat, We stayed quite happily in rented apartments, and a rented house which worked well for us.
But, I totally Hear Ya as far as cooking etc on holiday. We do alot of camping and I call it R+R which is NOT Rest and Relaxation, but it is code for Relocation of Responsibilities !!!

I agree with you on the cooking, I dont think we will cook at the apartment all that much, I'm thinking breakfast only and maybe a sandwich here and there. I am more into trying to get a feel for what it would be like if we actually lived there, plus feel a little more like we were coming home each night instead of living out of hotels. Anything else I should ask or look out for when I am looking at places? Do they let you pay by credit card upfront? I would rather pay now when the exchange rate is still good.

Michelle, We paid for one place via Paypal and the others with cash. (had to send a deposit via western union). We also wanted a Home Base and wanted to feel like we lived there. After 1 day we felt comfortable to let our girls (12+14) walk to the local shop to buy baguette, juice etc. I did cook a few meals, partly to enjoy shopping locally, and partly because kids like "home food" once in a while.
We did have breakfast every day (baguette, cheese and fruit) and made sandwiches to take for lunch.
For me, one of the nice things about an apartment (or house) is you dont all have to be in One room together, All the time.

Again differences make the world go around. Some feel
cooking is a chore. I rather enjoy it! I think of it as a another way to experience other cultures. I love to go and shop with the locals and find foods I could never find at home. I never stay at hotels any more. There is much more room in an apartment, even with the small european spaces. I find in a hotel that you can barely find a place to put your luggage with out tripping over it!
You do have to do your homework to find nice apartments but it's so much easier now that the internet is filled with endless choices! I have had great luck with vrbo.com and see good feedback with vacationinparis.com.
Good luck and happy travels!

Debi

We always prefer apartments over a hotel. More privacy, more room and a home away from home. The ability to have the drinks and tea and coffee we want, when we want etc. Depending on location, weather etc, we generally eat dinner out but have all breakfasts in the apartment. It is also better than a hotel to go back to for a break if you want or need one.

We don´t do it particulary to save money, although I do find hotels expensive, especially when I don´t like them at all. The noise of the lifts, people in the adjacent rooms and in the corridors, staff coming in and out of the room, checking the mini bar etc, drives me crazy.

For rough guesswork: 1 square meter is around 10 square feet.
(The exact value is 1m² = 10.76 ft²)