A choice between a hotel and a vacation rental

Thinking Where to Stay During Your Travel? Consider Vacation Rental Apartments

Are you planning a trip and thinking about where to stay? Unless you have a friend in town, the two most common options are renting a vacation apartment or staying in a hotel. A hotel is usually a more common choice. However, vacation rental apartments have many pros and are becoming more and more popular. We are going to discuss why.

Vacation rentals pros

Living like a local. Why do people travel? One of the main reasons is to get out of the comfort zone, to see and experience new things. Often we want to experience the local culture, so we listen to stories, look for hidden gems, and taste traditional dishes. Guess what? Renting an apartment instead of a hotel can also help you feel more like a local! While the atmosphere in hotels might be unique and exciting, it does not necessarily feel local. When you rent an apartment with locals for your neighbors, go out to buy groceries, and make food yourself, you will be able to immerse yourself in a local culture much more.

Cooking. When you stay in a hotel, you usually don’t have a place to cook. That means you either order food from the hotel or eat out. Both of these options can increase travel costs quite a bit. Preparing the food yourself is much more economical. Moreover, it will also allow you to experience what locals do every day.

Privacy and space. While leaving a messy room and coming back to find it clean might be very appealing to some, others hate the idea of maids visiting their rooms. You will have to clean up after yourself in the vacation rental, but at least you’ll know no stranger touched anything! Moreover, apartments have more space and are great for groups: you can stay in separate rooms but will still be very close.

Finally, if you are staying for a longer time, a vacation rental might be much cheaper. Hotels are quite expensive to run, so they take more from you. Of course, in an apartment, you have to buy the food yourself, but generally, they are still more cost-effective.

Here are some other comparisons between a vacation rental and a hotel

When booking a hotel might be better

While we believe that renting an apartment is still the better choice overall, a hotel can be a good choice in some cases. One of the main reasons to book a hotel is when you are traveling for a short time. Often, the apartments are rented for at least a week. The checking-in might also be a bit harder than at the hotel: you have to get the keys from an owner at a convenient time for them. Although nowadays some use smart locks which ease the things quite a bit!

You will also have to clean up after yourself. Unlike in a hotel, no one will make your bed for you. If you are on a business trip or only want to see the sights and come back somewhere to sleep in the evening, hotels might be a better choice.

If you are staying in a vacation rental alone, the cost might not differ too much from a hotel price for a room. Vacation rentals are the most cost-effective when you are traveling with a group.

How to find the right vacation rental

It really depends on what you look for (and your budget). For example, if you plan to use public transport, a remote apartment might not be too comfortable. On the other hand, if you have a car or are planning to rent a car, inquire about parking.

Some other things to consider are the neighborhood safety, beautiful views, and proximity to shops and restaurants. You might also be looking for a home with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, or a washer. It might not be possible to find an apartment with everything cheaply, but you can find one with at least some of the things you want.

To sum up, there is more than one reason to book an apartment instead of a hotel during trips. Most importantly, you get to experience how locals live, but you will also be able to cook and save money if you travel for a longer time or with a group.

Do you have an apartment at a popular vacation spot yourself? Check out our tips to earn more with short-term rentals!

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