saige

Our travel style lends itself to rentals. We're often abroad for four to six weeks at a time and travel with only carry on luggage. We've rented cottages on the coast and apartments in the city all over Europe and the US. If our stay is short, we look for small boutique hotels, but for longer stays, a rental with kitchen and laundry facilities is better. It allows us to shop the local markets for fresh produce and sometimes cook full meals or pack picnics for day trips. And, keeping a bottle of wine and some cheese and fruit for a snack at the end of the day is always nice. The option to do laundry in a machine instead of the sink is another big plus. We even rented in a NY Brownstone once and were within walking distance of Zabars and Central Park at a fraction of the cost for a hotel.

soogies

Thanks, danon. I will check it out.

nytraveler

I think i for families with young children an apartment provides space at a more reasonable cost than most hotels, the opportunity to do breakfast and snacks at home - and even light meals if you don;t mind cooking.

We always - even when the teen/tween step daughters were with us - prefer hotels. We like room service, concierge service when we need it, not having to fuss with keys/meeting people - and I have no interest in cooking anything at all when I'm on vacation. Also - we always got a separate room for the girls when on vacation - so space wasn;t a problem.

aussiefive

We have doen both and continue to do so. With kids it is great to have more space as others have said. I find they also like to have a home cooked (or at least brought in) meal a few times. they get tired of eating in restaurants. (I could eat in restaurants every night quite happily though.

An ideal situation is when the appartments are part of a hotel like complex with a concierge, so you may get benefits of both worlds.

lanejohann

i like a mix
on this next trip we will stay in apartments in russia because theyre better value we believe

in scandinavia we have booked some swanky hotels for shorter stays and cabins for longer ones
we also have a small family hotel awaiting us and a pensjonat

i dont think id like to stay with a family - like those russian homestays on offer but pensions and bed and breakfasts would be fine

i like apartments because i can finally catch up on proper washing of clothes and having the room to spread out

i very rarely avail myself of the hotel facilities or services anyway but it is nice to now and again go' wow check this out!'
dont get so overwhelmed by a humble studio apartment ! lol

Carlux

I am at the point where I couldn't stay in a hotel for more than a night or two. Much as I love to eat in restaurants, I can't (and don't want to )do this for every meal. I like to be able to have breakfast chez moi, have more room for reading and relaxing, and to have somewhere that I feel is mine, more than in a hotel room

I think this is also a function of having reached an age where I no longer feel that I have to see EVERYTHING wherever we go. So we are not out and about all time. Depending on the location, we can be out a lot, but still are happy to spend an evening at 'home.'

Since we live in France we tend to follow the French custom of having the main meal at lunchtime - after that, I really don't want to have another large meal. Although I like to cook, this doesn't mean that I do full-scale cooking on holiday at every meal. It's easy in France to pick up things in the markets (even the supermarkets) and warm them up, make sandwiches, etc.

In fact we are lucky enough to be able to spend several months in the winter in Cape Town, where we rent an apartment, get up for walks on the beach, swim, etc. Lots of lunches at vineyards, but still it's nice to be at home in our apartment too.

But as I say, it's mostly a question of whether you want to spend every night (or even every second or third night) in a different place, or settle in and get to know an area in a comfortable environment.

anniemackie

We love apartments, but we also love B&B's as well as hotels. Call us wishy-washy, but they all provide their specific benefits depending on our travel needs. In mid-trip, we definitely prefer to spread out in an apartment and the washing machine (and ironing facilities) are invaluable. If we have just a short stay in a small location, B&B's are good for getting quick advice on what not to miss and breakfast is almost always good. We prefer hotels for our "one-night stands" and larger city visits of three nights or less. On our recent stay in Paris we were quite fortunate to find an empty rooftop terrace at the hotel where we could kick back and relax with a glass of wine each evening.

As far as cost, though, the apartments have beat out the hotels every time. And despite that rooftop terrace, we will probably choose that option over a hotel on our next visit to Paris just to save some dollars on meals. 12E for skimpy hotel breakfasts are becoming outrageously common and on a rainy day it's nice not to travel out for that first cup of java.

--Annie

sassy_cat

I love apartments.
I really like the space and privacy. I love 'staying in' for breakfast and relaxing in the evenings over a simple meal.

If the apartment has outdoor space such as a terrace or courtyard then I'm more than happy.

When I do stay in hotels I prefer to hang the 'do not disturb' sign and skip maid service.

The exception would be a resort hotel with an infinity pool and a spa with a gorgeous beach a step away. Yes, I could find a villa with the same amenities but I'd rather have a room in the hotel than pay $$$$$$$$$$

Seamus

My opinion is probably swayed by the fact that I spend so many nights in hotels for business travel that when I am on leisure travel I like to have the facilities of an apartment.

Amicita

Apartments, definitely. I'm surprised no one seems to have said this yet, but I find them to be so much more charming. I've stayed in some really beautiful homey apartments that give a feel for the area in which you're staying much more than a hotel. Also, apartments are almost always less expensive, particularly when traveling with a group. The only downside is that it is sometimes you have to coordinate with the owner to pick up/drop off keys, etc. since there's generally no front desk. And it can be disconcerting when you find a place with no reviews, although I have yet to have a bad experience personally.