kbiscuitt

We are traveling to Prague, Budapest, Vienna early September , we made reservation in hotels, but by reading here, more an more people are renting it. We are staying 3 nights in each city. Any tips in renting, advantages, disadvantages, which ares? Any suggestions?

Rastaguytoday

In general, I look at www.venere.com

They are a reputable company with hotels to hostels listed, complete with reviews of people who stayed there.

My take is to get as much information as you can before you make a decision.

I believe in information over personal opinion.

mamamia2

Rastaguytoday, not sure what you say. Isn't personal opinion same as people's reviews?

As to the OP's question, I found renting an apartment to be less expensive than a hotel, especially if location is important. We rented a large room in Prague, at a superb location, including bfast at an adjacent restaurant, and the price was significantly lower than any hotel in that area. Of course, we picked up that place based on reviews. That's what this very forum is all about, of course.

uhoh_busted

I think it depends on your travel style. Usually it is just my husband and I traveling, so with only 3 nights per stop, we would likely stay in a hotel. But if it is 3 or more people, you may well want to rent a flat, if possible, simply for the added room. BUT in high season, many places want you to rent for at least a week...3 nights may be minimum. We lucked into an effficiency apt in Barcelona once for 5 nights, and that turned out great. .

Sometimes it is nice to have a hotel with a concierge...or at least a good front desk staff, if you have never been to the city.

I think it is better for 2 people to stay in a hotel for durations of 1-3 nights. If you are traveling as a family of 4 or more...an apartment may be more comfortable and economical, and if you can find one that lets you stay 3 nights, that may be great.

nytraveler

The benefits of renting an apartment are potentially more room, a kitchen so you can organize snacks and cook if you like. Also good if yuo have small kids so they can go t obe early and the adults stay up.

The potential detriments are not hotel services, location usually not as central and usually the need to payin large amounts of cash versus credit cards. Also, you often need to reserve far in advance and many places won;t rent for less than a week.

We always do hotels since what we value most are central locations, breakfast delivered to the room and good concierge services. We ensure we have enough room by booking either suites of larger rooms with seating areas. (And since I don;t cook at home there isno way I would do so on vacation.)

The only time we considered renting it was a villa in the south of France with AC and private pool - and the possibility of having a chef come in to make dinner. (We had to cancel due to family health issues - so never found out how much we would like it or what the potential downsides were.)

tuscanlifeedit

My experiences are the very opposite of nytraveler's.

If I am familiar with a city where vacation rentals are available, I don't hesitate to stay in an apartment.

We had an apartment in Paris in November that was practically next door to a very upscale and central hotel that I've booked for clients.

We are renting in Rome in October in a location that I consider ideal, and is within spitting distance of my preferred hotel.

Are there downsides to apartments? As mentioned, no desk or concierge services.

We never have breakfast delivered to our room, so having even a tiny kitchenette is a boost for us because we get up and make coffee in our pajamas. We like a fridge for snacks, but never cook in an apartment. I cook every night at home, so cooking on vacation doesn't appeal to me, but we love to stock up on snacks and breakfast items, as well as juice.

Summing up our experience, I have to say that we always stay in extremely central locations and always pay less for apartments than for hotels in the same area. Not the same general area, but usually the exact same area.

Another bit of warning: with no concierge service or desk service, you have to do a lot more research and preparation. I think of those things as my hobbies so it isn't a big deal for me. You may feel differently.

Another thought, although we generally find apartment rentals for 3 nights, if you just have two and a half days and three nights in each city, you may find getting in and out of apartments takes more time than simply checking in to a hotel.

kbiscuitt

Thank you all. I posted the question because wasn't sure if my sister would be coming and since it is confirmed she is not, then we will stick to the hotels this time. This is our first time in the countries, so as many of you said we thing, a hotel with concierge is a good idea. As to the idea of vacationing and cooking, I have rented homes in Spain, Brazil and in Korea. I enjoyed it every time. One does not cook, one goes out and enjoy the local flavor and yes I love renting long term vacation as I do not have to worry in paying the bills, etc and I can have someone to do my laundaries and housekeeping. Thank you all for your inputs