Why do you want to stay in apartments when you travel?
 

I'm wondering if there is a real advantage for a solo traveler to rent apartments rather than hotel rooms. I always stay in a medium-priced hotel, and I'm wondering if I'm missing the advantages of staying in an apartment. I don't have any desire to fix my own meals. On those occasions when I don't want to have dinner in a restaurant, I can always have cheese and fruit in a hotel room as easily as in an apartment.

I usually stay two to four nights at a given destination, if that makes any difference.

If you don't want to make your own meals stay in a hotel. Let them take care of your room for you. As you say you can always have a picnic in the room if you want.
Perhaps if you were planning on staying for a couple of weeks in one place an apartment would make sense, money wise, and because you can spread about a bit more and relax, but of the length of time you want to stay I vote for a hotel and them doing the housekeeping.

We stay in apartments or houses for two reasons: we like space and like to cook.
When I travel alone I am more likely to stay in a hotel because a room ( or junior suite) is enough room and I prefer to eat out when I am alone.

We travel as a couple, and our general rule of thumb is that for three or more nights in a location we get an apartment. Normally we don't do any real cooking (unless it is a really long stay), but we love the access to a fridge, microwave, stove etc. Often you can buy some great take out to reheat. We also like having the ability to just have some snacks and drinks and breakfast items easily available so we don't need to get dressed to go out for these things.

Finally, for us one of the biggest reasons is that we like to have some room to spread out, something you won't get in a hotel unless you spring for a suite.

I also think that one can save money by staying in an apartment because there are not all of the associated personnel costs. I can make my own bed.

Solo traveler here. For many of the reasons Julies says. I find the value better. And the space. I like to have a bowl of cereal or yogurt in the morning, and a pot of coffee. I like to make a meal if I choose to. I like the privacy and don't want to have to leave the room so the maid can make it up, when it's not convenient for me. Often, apartments have washer/dryers. I have the same 3/4 night benchmark for when I prefer an apartment to a hotel.

We always use hotels but one advantage for some who take very little clothing with them is that many apts have washing machines. We belong to the checked baggage set - no backpacks or little carryon bags - and always seem to return home with clean clothing available.

For a single person, there isn't much advantage and apts often cost more than a budget hotel -- at least they so in Paris, certainly for equivalent quality. I rented one in Barcelona and they have better deals there, so it was cheaper than the hotels I was considered.

I don't cook much at home, certainly not going to when on vacation, and I can keep drinks, etc on the hotel minibar or lots of stuff doesn't need refrig.

I'm out most of the time anyway, so space isn't even that big a consideration, usually.

For long term stays, I do like having more space, though, so I do consider apts if I'm going to be in a place a week or more, otherwise, I don't too much. YOu can't always tell, but apts can be quieter than hotels sometimes--you have to really know your areas and hotels, though, as that is no sure bet. If I'm in a place a long time, I guess it just seems more like home, also, to be in an apt. I would never do it for a short stay, it's too much trouble for no purpose.

Only thing I really care about that much (except for some extra space for long-terms stays) is being able to brew fresh coffee in the morning before I go out, that's all. And wouldn't you know it, the apt I rented in Barcelona didn't even have a decent coffeepot in it, I had to go out and try to buy something I could put coffee in and pour water through (like a 1 cup Melitta filter thing). COuldn't find one, of course, so I used one of those mesh tea holder things. Wasn't going to buy a coffeemaker for a short stay and leave it there. I was mad about that one and complained to management. In fact, hotels often have more comfortable beds and definitely bathrooms than cheap rental apts. IN the summer, I want AC, also, and you can't find that cheaply in some rental apts, definitely not in Paris.

I think costs and needing "room to spread out" are vastly different for a single person vs. couple or family.

I like that DH can watch TV and I can go to bed without bothering each other. If GD is with us, she has play space. Easier to make snacks or small meal.

Sometimes we rent a little house and feel more part of the community.

If several other family members are going or meeting up with us, a house is even better.

If by myself for only a day or two, would stay in a hotel. Sometimes DH and I still prefer an interesting hotel.

Peg, I think cooking and space are the main advantages. For me, a big minus is not having a front desk person on call. That is one reason, we only stay at (international) places with a 24 hr. staffed front desk.

I agree that it's a choice I'm more likely to make as a couple than as a single, although there are some singles here who have taken apartments as well.

For extended periods (for us, like julies, it's 3 days or more), it's nice to have the space to spread out and while it's not necessarily cheaper, there's more bang for the buck in an apartment (a great terrace, for instance). We took an apartment in Paris when we stayed a week -- it was great to feel like we "lived" in the city and had our own place to nest. It's different than staying in a hotel. It's more relaxed to have your own place and make coffee at "home", rather than getting up to go to breakfast somewhere else. No one is coming in to bother you during the day and, however short the stay, it does feel like "our home".

On the other hand, a hotel is great to have the services and amenities when you want/need them. My husband had a brief episode in the middle of the night when we were in an apt in Cordoba, Spain, and for a moment, I thought we'd need to get him to a hospital -- I realized then that having some knowledge of emergency medical services is critical if staying in an apartment (it passed and we didn't need it, after all). Not having knowledge of the language meant that we were at a serious disadvantage in finding this information out in a crisis.

And, staying in apartment is also more isolating. Interacting with hotel staff is often part of the experience of travel, whether to have someone to assist in recommendations or reservations or just having a conversation during the course of the day.

For an extended stay , I would definitely consider an apartment -- for a brief stay (a few days), it's a tossup.

When solo I'm in hotels. One night per hotel. (allows for good deals or so I think).

I've stayed in apartments solo (when I couldn't find a hotel) : I am lost in that extra space.
When in family we usually move a lot, so hotels too, except a few times.

Family in apartment is nice for cooking, spreading yourself and extrea room. However quite often we're too many or there is a lack of bathrooms (one is defintely not enough).

You very clearly made many of the points I was thinking of, progol.

Our dear departed former Fodorite, LoveItaly had a similar experience in the middle of the night with her husband. They were not in an apartment, but in a non-staffed B&B. Her husband died.

We stayed in an apartment when we took our granddaughter to Paris for her high school graduation present. It seemed an excellent plan (and was!) in that she didn't have to stay in a hotel room alone and we weren't all crowded into a triple hotel room.

The only other time we have stayed in an apartment was for a week-long stay in Lauterbrunen. We loved it! We had wonderful mountain views from our balcony and were just a block or so from the train station for day trips to Wengen, Murren, etc.

Normally we certainly enjoy a nice well located hotel with a good breakfast, etc.

I travel solo about a third of the time. When solo I have never done an apartment, definitely has not worked out to be advantageous financially for one person. When I've traveled with 2 other people I have done some apartments because for three people it was cheaper/more space and we were more into cooking. Also those were for periods of about a week, most of the time I move about more frequently than that. When we retire we will probably change our travel style somewhat to stay a couple weeks in one location, and for that an apartment makes sense.

In general I prefer hotels because:

1) I like the fact that there's a front desk in case I have a problem, just feels more secure and also knowing someone fluent in the local language can help out; 2) I don't need all that much space; 3) it has never worked out to be a better deal financially; 4) I like the included (in most places) breakfast; 5) it's much easier to pay by credit card and not have to worry about where and when to get the key, etc.

I sure miss LoveItaly on these pages!

Peg, In Mexico staying two weeks in the same place I've learned to love having an apartment. I'm spoiled. What I like about it is: not much more money, a lot more space, much more privacy, a kitchen (although I don't actually "cook" anything, I use the frig, make coffee in the morning, etc.), a nice view, a balcony, a huge lovely swimming pool.

But for a European trip and moving around every 2-4 days, like you, I prefer a regular hotel instead.

5- 6 nights with a friend or MH.....an apartment
for 3-4 nights solo....a hotel.

The longer the stay, the more advantageous an apartment is.

The greater the number in your party (up to a point), the more advantageous an apartment or house is.

For solo travels on short stays, I don't usually bother with rental properties, but there are markets where I consider it if I found a particularly attractive location that I couldn't match with a hotel stay.

Same reasons as Julie's. Especially coffee when I get up. I've never cooked in an apartment and never had one for less than a week. Would consider one for 4 or 5 days though.

I like the space and making my own coffee before facing the world - that sort of thing.
In terms of needing assistance - the best of both worlds is an aparthotel. Some hotels have apartments as well as rooms so you still have the front desk/concierge but have the advantages of a kitchen/washer & dryer and more space.

We do only hotels - with the rare exception of manor houses or chateaux which often serve only breakfast but provide a unique experience - since we want full services: concierge, bar and room service on site. If staying for more than one night we will usually get a suite so we have more room to relax. (And yes, we often have breakfast in bed - mad and served by others. Almost every hotel room has at least a mini-fridge so you can keep beverages and fruit for late afternoon or after dinner.

As for cooking, I don't do it at home and am certainly not about to do it on vacation.

The only exception would be if we were to settle in one place for a couple of weeks. We did look once or twice at renting a villa with B and SIL, but family problems always prevented it. If we did that we would hire a cook for dinners.

Thanks for all your answers. It looks to me as if I'm making the right decision for solo traveling.

I always make coffee with one of those little immersion heaters and Starbuck's Via coffee packets. It's not as good as the coffee I make at home with a Melitta cone and filters, but it's recognizable as coffee.

So I have at least one of the comforts I'd have with an apartment.

Our low budget leads us to apartments fairly often.

If I had more money, I would stay in more hotels. I really like hotels.

I'm a solo traveler most of the time and I do stay in apartments on occasion. My last trip was three and a half months and I stayed in four apartments.

One was shared with my sister in Oslo. We had just got off a Hurtigruten cruise and I figured we would appreciate separate bedrooms, plus eating out in Norway is very expensive and we saved quite a bit fixing our own meals with our own wine. That included sandwiches for lunch.

In Pau I couldn't find a hotel I liked the look of, plus the apartment came with a balcony with a good view of the Pyrenees, which was why I was in Pau in the first place.

In Salamanca I stayed in an apartment hotel. It was a good price in a good location. It had a front desk, which I did use for printing a train ticket, but can normally do without.

In Barcelona I couldn't find a hotel I could afford in the area I wanted to stay.

On a long trip I do like to fix my own meals after a long stretch of restaurant meals. I don't actually cook, I mostly eat salad, bread, cheese and pate - or delicious jamon in Spain. I especially appreciated being able to eat in in northern Spain as by the end of October it was freezing after dark.

In all four cases the apartments were competitive with hotel rates, otherwise I would have been in a hotel. I don't like to "picnic" in hotel rooms, even if they have fridges, and quite often mine don't. All of the apartments I've stayed in have had some way to make coffee, often Nespresso machines, which I like.

I don't cook much since there are so many good restaurants to try - but I still stay in flats maybe 30%+ of my city stays. Even solo. Just got back from London on Friday and rented a flat instead of a hotel.

The extra space, having a fridge so I had ice for drinks (not common in London hotels), yoghurt, juice having a separate living room instead of just the four walls . . . plus the biggie. A balcony with a view over St Katherine's Marina and the NYE fireworks in the distance.

I don't do it for budget reasons. But single hotel rooms can be really teensy so I often book doubles - and often a large studio or one bedroom will be cheaper than a double in a nice hotel.

For me staying in a nice hotel Is part of the excitement of traveling .
Staying in an apartment can be justify for long stays or traveling with children.
It has to be a clean,neat hotel with charm not necessarily a five star and offer a nice breakfast.

I travel solo most of the time and much prefer a studio apartment. I don't do real cooking, but having breakfast in my jammies suits me.

I have tried apartment hotels a few times and find them to be a very satisfactory compromise, although they are usually a bit more expensive. I can still do breakfast or heat up take out for a light supper.

We stay in an apartment or chalet because we are a family of 4, and like having multiple bedrooms, and prefer to cook breakfast at home and possibly pack a picnic lunch. Also like having laundry. But if I were a solo traveler, I would choose a hotel.

All of my trips to Europe have been solo trips. I've stayed in lots of hotels and a good number of apartments, B&Bs, and hostels (private rooms only, though). I greatly prefer the latter choices to a proper hotel in most cases, except for one night stays where hotels are simply easier (check and check out when you want). On my trip to Croatia and Bosnia last year I did a ton of one night stays and most of my lodgings (booked near or at the last minute) were hotels. For more than one night, I'd prefer not a hotel if possible.

I guess I find hotels too formal and stuffy much of the time, and on average I find the people I meet at B&Bs and apartments to be more friendly than the people staffing a hotel front desk. I don't need a ton of room by myself, but I find I get a lot more value for my money with an apartment, even a tiny one. I don't cook much but like having a refrigerator (though many hotel rooms have them too).

And as others have mentioned above, I actually like not having to worry about maid service every day - I really don't need it. And I find an apartment or B&B usually more low key and quieter than a hotel which may have people walking up and down the halls at all hours, slamming doors, etc. I don't do room service even at hotels so don't really get that or the other "service" benefits of a real hotel, anyway.

I HAVE had apartments that were so huge that I felt odd staying there alone, but they still worked out well enough.

I stay in apartments if I'm someplace for a week or longer but not to save money. I like breakfast in my pajamas. I get tired (and full) of eating at restaurants and want to just make a salad for dinner every so often. I want crunchy raw vegetables to snack on. I like to spread out a bit.

I also like hotels, but for shorter stays. When I stay in a hotel I don't have dinner in the room unless I'm feeling sick or something. Just not my thing.

We do apartments and hotels,,more hotels then apartments.
I would nevver consider an apartment for two or three nights.

I stay in hotels when solo as i can usualky find hotel rooms cheaper for one person.

We are renting a Georgian townhouse in dublin this spring, but we are treating our kids , ( my dd and her friends will meet up with us after almost two months travelling in their own) and two boyfriend are joining us...so its much cheaper to rent a three bedroom house then three or four hotel rooms.

We will also rent an apartment in Paris, its an agency we have rented from before and we feel we get great value from them. We do not cook on vacation.
We ooen wine, cut cheese , serve pates, amd make morning coffee, thats it.

Rest of trip ( we are going for a month) we have hotels booked.

As a solo traveler, I do not stay in apartments -- I would not take advantage of the opportunities they provide, and I would miss the things I do want in a lodging (e.g., a decent breakfast that I don't have to cook). I often travel with an immersion coil, so I can get coffee even before going to the breakfast room. (Actually, I did stay in an apartment or two in Croatia, when I couldn't find any other rooms that were as well-located at a comparable or lower price; I found no advantage that mattered to me and did not like having to go out for breakfast.)

I really prefer to fix my own breakfast - muesli and plain yoghurt - because otherwise I wind up eating too much.

Great question Peg. So many of our friends do the apartment thing, and I've wondered what is the big draw? We've done apartment rentals only a few times, because we were 4 people and that was cheaper than 2 hotel rooms. We also were able to buy breakfast items and snacks, which in retrospect was not that cost saving, because when you're packing to go home on the plane, all the leftover groceries go in the garbage.
Generally, in Europe, we find hotel breakfast buffets are a great treat. They are a great value, with really good coffee, good healthy selections, and enough to carry us through lots of walking and sightseeing.
Another thing I like is I choose hotels for their location, ie convenient, with view, overlooking the ocean, etc, and they often have charming details, decorated in traditional style of the area. Whereas we have found apartments are often not quite as convenient, set back from views, and often more utilitarian than charming.

I like the assurance of quality control in the cleaning and maintenance, which we found somewhat lacking even in the rather expensive apartments we rented.
Of course, I'm not generalizing, but this has been our experience so far.

From all these great replies, it certainly is easy to make a choice based on personal preference. So thanks for starting this thread.

thursdaysd.. I have kept yogurt and fruit in my hotel mini fridge, I don't need a full kitchen for snacks and stuff like that, just some plastic spoons! .. no dishes to wash.

I like:
being able to puddle about in my night attire at breakfast should I choose to
having the extra space and decent seating
having a washing machine & dryer
the independence

But . . . I don't travel solo! Di

Solo traveller - I mix it up, usually prefer apartments / apartment hotels. Happy to stay in interesting, special hotels, chalets etc.

I like the space, facilities, privacy & local feel afforded by non- hotel options, but a hotel can be nice, too.

I don't do "carry on only", although I never take more luggage than I can comfortably handle. Can't be bothered with that & I like, and usually need, to have a few different temperature zone & occasion/ activity outfits.

We usually stay places a week at a time and almost always rent apartments. For shorter stays we book hotels.

My husband likes to stay up late reading and I'm an early riser.

In an apartment we don't disturb each other's sleep. He can read in the living room as late as he likes and I can get up early, make my coffee and relax.

I'm enjoying reading these responses, seeing how many folks are like me and how many have different criteria. Interesting.

I'm a solo traveller, and I much prefer apartment living. I spend hours and hours finding just the right one (well . . . I'm retired, and that's my hobby). Views are very important to me, and (so far) I've been able to find apartments with great views. Charming decor is also important, and, again, I've had good luck with that.

I also want a washer in the apartment.

I adore the independence -- I don't like thinking that the cleaning staff or desk staff know when I'm going out and when I'm inside. I don't think it's important information or that their knowledge is nefarious . . . I just don't like it. I prefer to be anonymous.

I also prefer to have breakfast in my 'jammies, and I normally have breakfast at 07.00. I really dislike having to (as my mom would say) "put on my face" that early. I prefer to take my time in the morning, relaxing with breakfast over the morning news and seeing what the day looks like outside the window, and dressing slowly.

So apartment-based vacations just fit me better -- and I usually stay in one place for 4 days, 1 week, or 2 weeks, so it works out better.

s

For all the reasons given by those who like apartments above, and one more.

Living like a local.

There is something different in returning to a one room Hilton, Marriott, Novotel, etc. versus using your key to open the door to a private house, or apartment, which is someone else's home in the foreign country you are visiting to take in the way of life. It's almost like looking at a picture of a site as opposed to seeing it with your own eyes.

We will rent a house or apartment if we are spending a week or more, and if our planned day trips do not require long drives to and from the other towns we want to see. If the drives are time consuming, or the itinerary filled with many towns along a route, then we usually opt for hotels, and the usual pack/unpack, checkin/checkout.

Karen's DH.