Planning a trip for 4 adults to Rome & Florence. We are looking into renting apartments rather than hotels. Looking for pros/cons and advise.
APARTMENT PROS - You have more space than the typical European hotel room. You can share the cost of a 2 bedroom apartment and probably spend less than 2 hotel rooms. You would have a kitchen and can make coffee and drink as much as you want (typically in restaurants cups are small and not refilled), have breakfast, pack a picnic lunch, or even cook dinner, if you would like to save some money. You could get an apartment with a washer and maybe a dryer. Being able to do laundry helps with packing lighter. Some apartments include free phone calls and most include free wifi. APARTMENT CONS - None as far as I'm concerned. HOTEL PROS - Having a front desk if you feel like you need help with something. Some hotels include breakfast with the price of your room. Some have free wifi, at least in the lobby. HOTEL CONS - Small rooms. Some hotels charge extra for breakfast, often more than it could cost to get a bite somewhere else. I prefer apartments.
We have rented apartments in many locations. We like having a washer for laundry, but also the frig for beverages and yogurt, a little more space for relaxing when we stay 3 or more nights. I never rent a place without WIFI, which is increasingly common. With two couples and a two bedroom apartment you will save money, too. Make sure you are staying central to the city. Being a 30 minute bus ride from the centro storico in Rome is not handy. You want to be able to pop back to the apartment midday to rest or refresh without much trouble. VRBO.com is an excellent source.
The only downside of an apartment is that there is no concierge to help with information. Bring a good guide book and you'll be fine. The vacation rental reviews on Slow Trav are a great resource.
Many vacation apartments have multiple guidebooks for you to use and a contact person if you have questions. I forgot to mention that I use vrbo.com, as Laurel mentioned, and homeaway.com to find rentals. I have rented an apartment for as few as 2 nights. Not all rentals require a one week minimum.
One other "con" with an apartment is that you don't get maid service. I imagine that might be important to some people (not to me). Personally, I prefer a B&B to either an apartment or a hotel. I like the interaction with the owner/staff since it gives me an opportunity to practice my Italian and to get to know a local. But for two couples traveling together, an apartment makes tons of sense.
We have rented apartments on all our trips and loved it. They are larger with ususally a at least two bedrooms, kitchen, living/Dining Area. Because of the two bedrooms if you have a group I think it is cheaper that a hotel. You also save money because even if you eat out for lunch and dinner it is great eating breakfast in and having those cups of coffee right there. We do shopping at the local grocer and bring breakfast and night time snacks and of course wine. Most people that rent really help you out. Most have helped us to arrange transportation to and from the airport, recommend nice local resturants and have tons of guidebooks. In lots of places we are even greeted with a bottle of wine. Just some advice on renting. It is sometimes hard to find a rental if you are just staying for a day or two. Most want to rent for several days. We find usualy at least three days. Ask lots of questions, like what floor are you on, is there a resturant or a noisy place at street level, is it a residential neighborhood etc. Look at the pictures and reviews. Go on google maps and look at the nieghborhood and the actual apartment. Ask how much they want to hold in escrow (we have never had a problem getting it back). Renting this way we have never had a problem. Most people we know that have had issues have usually had them around noise and cleanliness.
One other thing about apartments is that they often insist in full cash payment on arrival. Hotels and B&Bs are more likely to take credit cards, although you can often get a discount if you pay in cash.
Andrea (above) lists under APARTMENT CONS: "None as far as I am concerned" Here are the CONS I would mention: 1) You have to make your own bed every morning and tidy the bedroom 2) You have to clean the bathroom yourself every day 3) You have to wash up the dishes after each in house meal
4) Someone has to plan the meals and think of the shopping for same. Who will be that someone? Frankly, when I am on vacation I really don't want to concern myself with any of the above. I once stayed in a Paris apartment which we borrowed from a friend and it was wonderful BUT a maid came every morning and did all the things I have listed above. That's why it was wonderful.
Pros of an Apartment: More space than the average hotel room. Many hotel rooms aren't that much bigger than the bed. An apartment may have a sofa, extra chairs, a table for dining, a kitchn, closets, etc. A fridge, glasses, plates, and cutlery - Want to enjoy some wine and cheese in the evening or a cold drink? No problem in an apartment. Sometimes includes extra amenities. Every apartment that I've rented has had free wifi. Both apartments I rented in Paris had free telephone (both local and international calls to U.S. landlines). Some apartments have washers and dryers. Cons of an Apartment: You need to do more due diligence than with a typical hotel to make sure the apartment is a legitimate rental, has decent terms, find reviews, etc. There is no front desk to help you out. I haven't found this to be an issue. Many apartment owners leave info for you with restaurant recommendations, nearest grocery, etc. You usually have to pay something upfront. Sometimes there is a damage deposit. Sometimes they want cash. Some people like the maid service in a hotel; I'm pretty neat so I don't need someone to clean the room on a daily basis. You won't get a fresh set of towels every day; I don't change my towels at home on a daily basis either. I look for apartments that have reviews and allow me to pay any deposits through paypal or by credit card. I avoid apartments that have large damage deposits.
One con of an apartment: if something goes wrong, it won't necessarily be fixed right away. Our washer/dryer didn't work and the owner was too busy to get it fixed. We now have to take our laundry to the tintoria. Despite this, I still recommend an apartment over a room.
Definitely go with apartment over hotels.
We have rented apartments all over and love it. The only down side for us is buying too much food and leaving it for next guests, lol. For the cost, don't think it can be beat and we like having our own breakfast, coffee, etc. on our own terms. We have been fortunate to never having any major issues in any ones we have rented.
Oh there are cons to apartments, and several people have mentioned some very valid ones( I think the no concierge one is the absolutely least important, I have never actually stayed at a hotel WITH a concierge anyways) . You definately have to do your due dilegence with apartment rentals, with a hotel problem worst case scenerio is you just forfeit one or possibliy two nights cancellation fee( I have always stayed at hotels that have good cancellation policies, its something I look for) and you could find something else if you arrive to a bad place, with an apartment there is almost always no cancellation allowed, even if you arrive to broken elevator, dirty room, broken washing machine, etc, your money is gone. With an apartment you cook and clean more, that is a personal taste thing , I hate cooking and cleaning on my holiday period. I stayed in a lovely apartment in paris this summer, and I would recommend it, but I missed having clean towels and coming back to a clean room each day .
I have also always been able to find hotels with mini fridges, so storing some cold drinks and yogurts has never been an issue.
In rome this past march I rented a flat in trastevere which was awesome, rick steves recommended bee-pollen (Something like that), under Iris's apartment. I do not need hotel services like finding buses, places to eat etc. Trastevere is not next to the train station as people will say it is far away, but I felt it was perfect, and still very close to all the touristy places. In florence, we stayed in a flat recommended in the rick steves book. It was a 15 minute walk to ponte vecchio and again, very nice. My main pros for renting is you get more space, clothes washing, and I can relax more in a home that a hotel room.
I've travelled all over Europe with my husband and one other couple. My criteria regarding renting an apartment: Staying in one city for at least 5 Days. Reason, it's not a "quick check-in/check out." Explanations regarding appliances, heat/A.C., etc, and payment, usually in cash. If less than 5 days a hotel is just more convenient. An apartment is much, much less expensive usually. We all love the idea of eating breakfast in, and sometimes after a really tiring day,
dinner/wine in! More space! Even after many years of marriage, a little breathing room, patio, living room, etc, is one of the benefits of an apartment! I usually rent a place in the center of a city with either a balcony or a patio. Hotel room is very, very confining, and just a little too much togetherness on a long trip. Two years ago we rented an apartment in the South of Spain with a large terrace overlooking the Med for a week, and then proceeded to Seville and Madrid each for 3 days in a hotel, and my husband said, next time, the hotels first, the apartment last. He felt really confined in the hotels after all that open air of the apartment. I have stayed in the same apartment in Florence 3 separate trips: VRBO # 68776. Within walking distance to the city center, a nice patio, two large bedrooms/2 bathrooms. No "consierge," but my husband especially loved lingering on the patio, drinking coffee and eating pastries from the bakery down the street.