Apartment or hotel

Hi Patricia, Some more information would be great. Where are you going? And when? We are a family of five too, and we always book apartments. We are going to Paris, Italy, and Switzerland in May. We have booked apartments through VRBO and airbnb.com and one hostel (with a family room) in the Cinque Terre. What you are responsible for depends entirely on the host. You have to make sure when you are booking an apartment that you do your research. I ask a lot (A LOT) of questions when booking an apartment. It's definitely cheaper for a family, but, as you say, you have to clean up day to day, no concierge, etc. If you bring your RS guides, though, you will be set :). Another piece of advice in renting apartments is to book as early as you can. The really good and affordable apartments go first. Good luck!
Becky

Hi Becky,
What questions can you recommend to ask before renting an apartment? I'm looking for the first time as well. Thx.

There are several ways to find apartments. Google the name of the city together withnVacation Apartments of something like that. You will see agencies that manage apartments, as well as sites for owners listing like VRBO and now Air BnB. Some apartments have their own website. Whatever the source, the listing should give you most of what you need to know: Size, location, equipment provided, non-smoking or other rules, price, whether there's a fee for final cleaning, maybe extra costs for electricity, etc. and photos. Read carefully and look at the photos before you ask any questions of the owner. And note the payment policy. Some owners want a direct deposit into their bank deposit. Meuropeans are accustomed to that but not North Americans. Now many are using PayPal as well. Agencies are more likely to take credit cards. You can check on the reliability of agencies by posting a question here or on Tripadvisor.

I agree with Sasha completely. Read and then read again the information about the apartment. I really liked an apartment in Rome, and my husband noticed (I didn't) that smoking was permitted, which wouldn't have worked for us. Once I've read the posting (whether it be with an agency or directly from the owner), I always ask for an actual address so I can googlemap it. In the case of airbnb, they can't give out that information, but many have a "street view" option. I also google the apartment to see if it's listed elsewhere (or get information on tripadvisor). Also, I read the reviews very carefully. On VRBO, I've heard that owners can accept on the reviews they choose, but I still read them all carefully. Again, Sasha's advice is excellent. Here are some typical questions I ask: deposit, what's included in the price (taxes, etc.), cleaning that's expected on checkout, proximity to train station (or parking if driving), what the kitchen offers in terms of cooking ability, etc. Most questions tease out more questions. I like knowing what I'm getting into as best as possible. Hope this helps, Cat! Feel free to PM if you want more specifics. Cheers,
Becky

Hi Patricia, In addition to the questions above, I like to ask if the deposit to reserve the apartment is fully refundable if I need to cancel, how they want the balance paid (i.e. - cash upon arrival or paid in entirety before arrival, etc...). I ask if there is a separate security/damages deposit, and if so, is that returned in cash upon check-out. In Spain, we had an experience where the security deposit was kept to pay the electricity bill and the balance returned to us ...which was fine, except it wasn't mentioned that the electricity bill wouldn't be paid until a month later. Things like that are good to know! And there are random odds and ends like seeing if there is an elevator, a washing machine, air condition, and the like. Happy travels!!

Check in/check out will take more time. Usually the owner or agent meets you at the apartment with the keys, and takes you through the place and shows you how everything works, including the TVs, air-con, heat, etc. This is important and don't rush through this because there will be no front desk to call if you can't get the heat on at 2am! Check out usually means you pack your bags, and the owner comes by and checks everything out, and sometimes reads the elec. meter on site and tells you what you owe (usually a small amount unless you're there during extreme weather conditions.) My only other fresh advice, would be to make the long distance call and speak to the owner directly. I always get a "feel" for the person by talking directly with them. This is pretty inexpensive these days, only several dollars, and if you're spending hundreds on an apartment, well worth it. My favorite apartment I rented (and remain friends with the owner) was in Sicily and I'd heard that Sicilians were a little shakey in the honesty department and he turned out to be the most honest, and wonderful
owner who put us in touch with friends who gave private/informal tours, great restaurant, shops, etc., which really made our trip so much more fun. Don't know where you're going, but I rented a fabulous apartment in Florence Italy that had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a little alcove/tv room with day-bed that might work for your family. I got them on VRBO and stayed there on two separate trips. #68776. I ONLY rent apartments now if I'm staying 4 or more nights, because I hate being cramped in a hotel room, or having separate rooms for family members, when we could all lounge together. We also like having several meals in usually breakfast and a dinner or two, it really saves $$ and gets you even more into the culture by grocery shopping! PM if you need more info.

We rented apartments for the first time in our last trip to Europe when we spend 17 nights in spain; we also stayed in hotels, and guest houses too. The only thing that worried me is the phone contact that needed to take place to let them know we had arrived. I have never used my iphone overseas; we never get international coverage. But it was pretty simple. Call up the manager, they meet you, let you in, you sign a document or two, and then you have a home away from home. We would hit up the local grocery store for breakfast foods, snacks, wine. We looked forward to coming back to our apartment. We rented in Sevilla and Granada; in both cites, we had 2-3 stories of apartment, with wonderful terraces and roof top space. We got to do our laundry and hang it outside. It was pretty great. We could leave our aprartment with out having to lock down our personals out of fear that the maids might take a thing or two. We also never had to pay a cleaning fee; maybe it was tucked into the rental fee. Staying in a hotel or guest house was fine too, but it just limits how much space you desire.

We had 3 in our party last year and used a hotel in Venice, B&B in Florence from cross-polinate.com and an apartment in Trastever for 5 nights in Rome. For each city, the choice was best for us and I would not change any of them. After 5 nights in Venice and Florence, it was nice to have the washer and dryer in the apartment in Rome. We are not people who use much hotel amenities wherever we travel, but some people like the convenience of all the hotel options at there fingertips.

Donna..just curious do you only get apartments if you are there more than 4 days...or if you just have 3 nights would you get one. I too am looking for an apartment for october in Rome..and interesting about the reviews for VRBO if they can really pick and choose that is not good. Makes me want to post and just ask for some suggestions from people here that have stayed in an apt and share which ones.

Patricia, it seems like everyone has given you really good advice. there are a plethora of websites that will offer to accommodation options in Italy. Personally i always stay in a apartment has you get a bit more room and privacy. Especially now that we have two kids. We like to put them to bed in one room and then be able to relax in the living room. Plus its good for us to have a kitchen so we can make snacks for the kids or buy fresh produce from a market and take back to the apartment with us. I think that you will get far more for your money renting an apartment and you can even find places in Rome with a terrace so you can sit outside and enjoy the views. Normally you will have to pay a deposit but if you dont break anything then you will get it all back when you leave. Some places ask you to pay a final cleaning fee but they arrange the cleaning. And lastly you will normally have to pay a small deposit to hold the apartment until you get there and then you would pay the rest in cash. But each owner is different so just depends on who you rent from. When we were in Rome last we used nextaway.com to rent an apartment close to the spanish steps and that a/c and internet. its worth a look on their site as you can also read previous renters comments. good luck with the search!!!!