I'm going to Germany/Spain for three weeks this summer with my kids, and we are staying in apartments so we don't have to eat out all the time. I know people have done this. We are staying in a village in Germany, so I'm not so worried about neighborhood there, but how do you know family-friendly neighborhoods in cities? I now know where to go for tapas, nightlife, and to find gay people in Madrid, but cannot find anything on where to actually sleep and buy food with my children. How do you handle getting cash there isn't an option, do they take American checks? Since I am renting from an individual I assume credit cards are out. I could always order it in cash before I leave?
Posted by
OP
Chattanooga, TN, USA
95 posts
I'm sorry, I deleted part of my question. It is how do you handle paying your landlord?
Posted by
Scotland
505 posts
Greetings
I'm not sure about how to find family-friendly neighborhoods, though reading various travel guides might help you to get a feel for which areas will be noisier at night etc. That said, I think Madrid tends to be pretty mixed - people live just about everywhere.
As to paying for the flat, many private landlords will accept credit cards via PayPal. Or, more commonly, they will take a credit card number to book the flat, but ask you pay in cash.
Otherwise you'll probably have to send a money order if they require you to send a deposit. Personally, I would not send cash or a money order unless I knew the person because once it's out of your hands, there's nothing you can do if it gets lost or the landlord renegs on the agreement.
You might want to look for agencies that handle flats, as they are more likely to accept credit cards. Or insist that any deposit be in terms of a credit card number etc. - landlord might not offer the option but will accept if asked...
Have fun!