Renting villas vs hotel stays
 

Has anyone compared renting a villa for a week or two in an area and doing day or overnight trips to destinations nearby,with driving and staying hotels in Europe/<BR>Any advice would be appreciated.

Go on some rental sights and find some villas that you like and can afford, then divide the cost by the number of days you will stay. They usually rent from Sat. to Sat. so it depends on how many weeks you want to rent.<BR><BR>Then compare prices for the night at an hotel you might want to stay in.<BR><BR>Remember a few things: If you are not right in town in a rental you will need a car and it takes some time to get to cities from an outlying villa. You will pay a security deposit and you may pay for heating.<BR><BR>You can cook for yourselves, which can be fun and save money. You can eat what you want for breakfast in the villa, so you may want a big breakfast, skip or have a light lunch, and then cook in the villa or find a restaurant.<BR><BR>I have done both and they both have their assets. I lean towards renting though because you can hunker down and it becomes your home base, which I like.

By the way, the security deposit is refundable if you dont trash the villa, lol.<BR><BR>Also, divide the cost of the villa per night by the people who will be staying with you and paying.

I have done it five times. Once was a dramatic savings. Every time was far more VALUE for the money spent. sure, it might have been possible to find hotels just as cheap. It is always possible to find SOMEthing cheaper.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

topping for Lyn<BR>

Lyn,<BR><BR>I love travelling this way. While it is true that travel like this usually is a value, I prefer it because I can do things at my leisure. <BR><BR>First you can find FABULOUS accomodations that a 5 star hotel cannot compare with - forget about price. Second the amount of privacy you have is wonderful, you do not have maid service entering your room twice daily - while most villas do offer a weekly cleaning service - some more often if needed. Third, I think you are more likely to &quot;immerse&quot; yourself into the culture of the place visiting. <BR><BR>On our last trip, we stayed at a lovely farmhouse for a week in Chianti, we had it to ourselves, and that included the amazing pool overlooking the hills. We did rent a car, I cannot imagine how you could get around this, but it is no big deal.<BR><BR>I highly recommend travelling this way, if you want more info look at slowtrav.com - there is tons of info on travel and rentals.