Downside of booking an apartment

[Markanddonna]

We first learned about how wonderful it could be to stay in an apartment or B&B when we stayed at one for four days in Krakow. Great location, modern, clean, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc.

 

Then we traveled to Rome on ITA and they lost our luggage. It was found on day three and they would have send a courier to bring it, but our apartment only staffed from 8:30-12:00 AM. We were given an access code to the apartment before we came, and there was no staff to help us outside of those hours. We decided to go to the airport to retrieve our luggage instead of wasting ANOTHER day in Rome. 

 

I think we will only book hotels with 24 desk service from now on.

[ColeThornton]

Wrong forum. 

[cruisemom42]

40 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Wrong forum. 

 

Why?

 

The post isn't about a particular place, it's about renting an apartment vs. staying in a hotel.

 

If you think a post is in the wrong place, the best thing to do is alert the moderator. 

[ColeThornton]

Just now, cruisemom42 said:

 

Why?

 

The post isn't about a particular place, it's about renting an apartment vs. staying in a hotel.

 

If you think a post is in the wrong place, the best thing to do is alert the moderator. 

 

 

This is the "Ask A Cruise Question" forum  Mods were alerted.

 

[cruisemom42]

11 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

This is the "Ask A Cruise Question" forum  Mods were alerted.

 

 

This forum is for general info. Where else would you put this, just curious?

[ColeThornton]

8 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

This forum is for general info. Where else would you put this, just curious?

 

This is for general CRUISE questions:

 

Ask a Cruise Question

Post your general cruise questions here.

 

There was actually not even any kind of question by the OP.   Not that big of a deal. 

 

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

I think it is very useful information to have. Lots of people fly in to stay in a city before boarding their cruise and many don't really stop to think about things like luggage delivery at an apartment or AirBnB versus at a hotel. 

 

As a solo traveler, I also feel safer in a hotel, especially if I don't know the city that well...

 

[edinburgher]

I think we will only book hotels with 24 desk service from now on.

 

Aparthotels could be the perfect solution, offering the flexibility of some  self catering (breakfast) and more space, but usually having reception desks staffed for longer hours and more security..

 

In recent years (especially now that we are not able to venture out all day and evenings too!) we have become big fans of aparthotels and now prefer them over hotel rooms.

[Hlitner]

We have found that the pros of renting an apartment/flat far outweighs the cons.  Over the years we have rented apartments in several places within France (i.e. Paris, Avignon, St Remy, etc) and annually rent an apartment in Puerto Vallarta.  Rentals allow is to get much larger (and nicer) places than a simple hotel room.  Our rentals always include a full kitchen, several rooms, etc.  In Paris we have been able to rent a large flat in St Germain des Pres (an expensive neighborhood for hotels) which was fantastic.  In St Remy de Provence we rented a large flat within walking distance of the town square.  Our Avignon rental was truly amazing with a large modern apartment including our own private rooftop patio (with view).  All these rentals cost us much less than a decent hotel room and a fraction of what a suite (which would have been much smaller than the apartments) would cost.

 

The biggest con is finding the ideal flat, dealing with the specific arrangements necessary to access the place, etc.  We only use rentals for a week or longer (many of the best rental properties have minimum number of days or weeks).  

 

I do understand that many travelers prefer the "hand holding" they get at hotels and that is simply a personal choice.  But for longer stays it can be difficult to justify the cost of a hotel and the lack of facilities such as a kitchen.   And instead of being in a 200 sq foot hotel room we are generally in a flat of over 800 sq feet.  Another issue is parking!  In many places, we look for flats that have nearby free parking (except in Paris where we do not want/need a car).

 

One of my fondest memories of or 2 week rental in St Remy was walking to a local boulangerie (every morning) to buy some fresh croissants/pastries.  I also fulfilled a strange "want" of walking down a French street with a fresh banquette under my arm :).

 

Hank

[GreenFamily]

In Europe, apartments to rent are cheaper than hotels IF you are staying for a week or more because of the fees. We only use VRBO in Europe in case something goes wrong or we need a refund. We discovered the landlord can often arrange transportation to or from the airport for a lot less than a taxi, just ask.  Plus having a washer/dryer is wonderful. We found a VRBO in Rome that’s $100 per night less after 7 days, so we plan to stay longer than a week. In fact, the apartment is so roomy, my mother plans to join us for the land portion of our trip. The cost of an extended vacation plus an additional person will be less than the cost for two rooms (family of four) in a hotel and dining. 

[ldubs]

Take care of the scams happening with vacay rentals. Seems to be on the uprise.  Major vacay rental sites have advice on how to avoid being tricked.    

Edited December 9, 2022 by ldubs

[LHT28]

7 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

It was found on day three and they would have send a courier to bring it, but our apartment only staffed from 8:30-12:00 AM.

That is pretty late hours  for them to have deliveries

Would you not have been able to have an early dinner & be there  for your luggage??

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

Take care of the scams happening with vacay rentals. Seems to be on the uprise.  Major vacay rental sites have advice on how to avoid being tricked.    

Always an issue with rentals and one must use lots of caution and due diligence.  VRBO does have a guarantee process which is one popular option.  Another practice is to carefully check out references (i.e previous renters).  But like many things in the travel world there is some risk.

 

Hank

[Markanddonna]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

That is pretty late hours  for them to have deliveries

Would you not have been able to have an early dinner & be there  for your luggage??

I made an error. 8:30 AM to noon. 

[Markanddonna]

I agree with all the benefits of an apartment. We research extensively and typically have few problems. This 23 day trip had quite a few challenges including this missing luggage problem. We spent a week post cruise in Israel and an apartment was helpful in dealing wth shabbat restrictions. One thing we will do in the future is to divide our clothing in our two suitcases.  I'd love not checking luggage bur we often visit family in Europe and that means gifts. 

[Markanddonna]

10 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

This is for general CRUISE questions:

 

Ask a Cruise Question

Post your general cruise questions here.

 

There was actually not even any kind of question by the OP.   Not that big of a deal. 

 

 

 

 

How about if I play the game? "Why shouldn't I rent an apartment?"

[Mary229]

19 hours ago, edinburgher said:

I think we will only book hotels with 24 desk service from now on.

 

Aparthotels could be the perfect solution, offering the flexibility of some  self catering (breakfast) and more space, but usually having reception desks staffed for longer hours and more security..

 

In recent years (especially now that we are not able to venture out all day and evenings too!) we have become big fans of aparthotels and now prefer them over hotel rooms.

These have become quite prolific even with the major brands now offering them.  We stay in them as often as possible for working travel.  When working we can’t risk down time dealing with lodging issues and these are the perfect solution.  the only downside to these is they don’t tend to be in neighborhoods.  The real attraction to apartments is their location, being in a neighborhood close to groceries, pharmacies, small cafes and diners 

[DirtyDawg]

Many times when we are staying for a week or so before or after a CRUISE (hate to have the amateur moderators around here complain that I'm not posting a cruise related subject 😉) we have rented, not only apartments, but full homes if the kids are with us. Several posters have already listed the benefits and the caveats. They are just another option. 

 

Happy Cruising!

[Joebucks]

There are pros and cons to any choice. Personally, I lean towards hotels. While some of the extra amenities can be nice, are they really needed? Then you may have to cleanup certain things after yourself, bedding arrangements can be wildly inconsistent, and with the fees, it's no savings. Like OP said, then if there's a problem, it's nice to have people around for resolution. 

 

The true all star is the "extended stay" suite hotels. Some of them are very inexpensive and include a consistent room, breakfast, etc.

[Mary229]

5 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

There are pros and cons to any choice. Personally, I lean towards hotels. While some of the extra amenities can be nice, are they really needed? Then you may have to cleanup certain things after yourself, bedding arrangements can be wildly inconsistent, and with the fees, it's no savings. Like OP said, then if there's a problem, it's nice to have people around for resolution. 

 

The true all star is the "extended stay" suite hotels. Some of them are very inexpensive and include a consistent room, breakfast, etc.

There are extended stay and then there are aparthotels.   There seems to have been a division developing.  The bare bones, cheap monthly/weekly rents are now extended stay where the more upscale version geared to the corporate/business traveler on a weekly visit are now called aparthotels.  

[cruisemom42]

20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have found that the pros of renting an apartment/flat far outweighs the cons.  Over the years we have rented apartments in several places within France (i.e. Paris, Avignon, St Remy, etc) and annually rent an apartment in Puerto Vallarta.  Rentals allow is to get much larger (and nicer) places than a simple hotel room.  Our rentals always include a full kitchen, several rooms, etc.  In Paris we have been able to rent a large flat in St Germain des Pres (an expensive neighborhood for hotels) which was fantastic.  In St Remy de Provence we rented a large flat within walking distance of the town square.  Our Avignon rental was truly amazing with a large modern apartment including our own private rooftop patio (with view).  All these rentals cost us much less than a decent hotel room and a fraction of what a suite (which would have been much smaller than the apartments) would cost.

 

The biggest con is finding the ideal flat, dealing with the specific arrangements necessary to access the place, etc.  We only use rentals for a week or longer (many of the best rental properties have minimum number of days or weeks).  

 

I do understand that many travelers prefer the "hand holding" they get at hotels and that is simply a personal choice.  But for longer stays it can be difficult to justify the cost of a hotel and the lack of facilities such as a kitchen.   And instead of being in a 200 sq foot hotel room we are generally in a flat of over 800 sq feet.  Another issue is parking!  In many places, we look for flats that have nearby free parking (except in Paris where we do not want/need a car).

 

One of my fondest memories of or 2 week rental in St Remy was walking to a local boulangerie (every morning) to buy some fresh croissants/pastries.  I also fulfilled a strange "want" of walking down a French street with a fresh banquette under my arm :).

 

Hank

 

Different strokes. I travel solo, so have no real need for extra space. 

 

I wouldn't say it is "hand holding", but a good hotel can assist in many ways -- I have had hotels obtain dinner reservations for me to fully booked restaurants, and figure out how to get access to sites that are operated by a maze of local institutions and/or individuals who have to be rung up and asked to meet one at ____ o'clock with a key. Not to mention random issues like assisting with luggage repair, or knowing where to find a store that sells watch batteries.

 

I fully admit that I LIKE staying in hotels. I don't have to make my own bed or clean the bathroom. 🤣. I also don't miss cooking (keeping in mind that my longest trips so far have not exceeded four weeks). That's not to say that I haven't traipsed back to my hotel with the equivalent of a baguette, a bottle of wine and some charcuterie to enjoy a light dinner -- nothing is stopping me doing that in a hotel. 😉

 

I have stayed in apartments with others. (I do not miss walking back from the grocery store with heavy bottles of water for the week....).  I fully anticipate some long stays once I retire and would book an apartment in those circumstances.  But in general I think hotels are fab!

 

Because I do really like to stay in the city center, I will also reiterate that I think hotels are a good option for solo women travelers in particular. I generally let the staff know when I am coming and going and feel there is at least some level of awareness....

[edinburgher]

I travel solo, so have no real need for extra space. 

 

For those of us who do not travel solo.

 

As we sightsee during the day and usually enjoy a full meal for lunch, (which makes us rest for 60-90 minutes, meaning we can continue sightseeing all afternoon in addition to the morning.)  we are usually in the room in the evening.  As aparthotels usually offer either a separate sitting area and bedroom or the equivalent of a studio with a seating area  incorporated into the large room, it means we have either  two comfy armchairs, or a sofa, a low coffee type table, a floor lamp or side table  lamps and a tv which can usually be adjusted to be viewed from the bed or from the seating area..  This is the perfect area to relax of an evening, enjoying a couple of drinks, and watching tv news, or reading, or more usually, going over the photos or film we took that day and planning for the next day.  By contrast, a hotel room often offers only one armchair-type chair and a tv. And some aparthotels  offer a full height dining table and chairs for two or four, meaning the snack we have brought back (having had our main meal earlier that day) can be eaten in comfort as  crockery, flatware, glasses and mugs are always supplied. Much better than having to use the glasses from the bathroom in a hotel. And we like having either our own laundry facilities, or access to a communal laundry area if we are there for a week or so.  And the kitchen area is very convenient as we can make tea or coffee whenever we want and the fridge keeps wines and beers nicely chilled.

 

 

I don't have to make my own bed or clean the bathroom. 🤣. I also don't miss cooking

 

Unlike some apartments,In aparthotels we have not once had to make our own beds or clean a bathroom as they are usually fully serviced.  As for cooking, we only self serve breakfast, so very easy to do.  On arrival we stock up with butter or marg, fruit juice, croissants,a  bread loaf or pastries, jam, yoghurts, milk, sugar and fruit from a local supermarket at a cost of around 20-25 euros max.(plus wines and beers) and doing that   saves  on the cost of two breakfasts a day, every day,and with aparthotel/hotel breakfasts nowadays costing anywhere between Euros15pp and euros 25pp (and some are higher than that)  there is quite the saving to be had. 

 

More than that though is the convenience.  We do not have to wait for both of us to be showered and fully dressed before heading to a breakfast room for that all important first hot drink of the day..  We can take our time in the room but make tea or coffee to be drunk and enjoyed whilst dressing. And are also not restricted to the opening and closing times of a breakfast room as we can eat as early as we choose, or as late, and never have to wait either  for a table or to be served.

 

Overall, aparthotels have suited us really well since we switched from hotel rooms.

.

Edited December 10, 2022 by edinburgher

[Hlitner]

I do think that most solo travelers would generally favor decent hotels.  But, these days, hotels have become something less than before with the exception of some high end hotels which usually charge high end prices.   Just last week we were in a Holiday Inn Suites (where we had a large suite) that did not offer daily maid service.  We were told (at check in) that if we wanted clean towels we needed to inform the Front Desk by noon and a maid would change our towels.    Even in some better brand hotels, the daily room cleaning/bed making has been eliminated.  Last month we stayed in a Miami Beach Resort Hotel (5*) that no longer provided daily room services.  We used to stay in a decent resort hotel at Myrtle Beach until they eliminated daily service in favor of twice a week limited service.  When I did ask about getting daily service (such as bed making) I was told it was available for an additional $40 per day.  We no longer stay at that resort and have replaced it with a nice Condo (which we rent from the owner) which gives us a lot more for our money (but no daily services).

 

There are other "issues" we have with hotels.  Go to a lounge/bar in a decent hotel and a single drink can easily cost $15 - $20 and they still expect a nice tip.  For that price, DW and I can enjoy a very nice bottle of wine (or cocktails) in an apartment along with snacks for a lot less money.  At our Miami Beach resort hotel, DW and I bought two excellent drinks at the pool bar (served in disposable plastic cups) for nearly $40!  And that was just for one drink (per person).   When we rented an apartment in the St Germain des Pres area, not only did we have a perfect location, but we had a large apartment with bedroom (king bed), large modern bath, expansive living room (with sofas, chairs and big screen TV, exellent WiFi, and a large modern kitchen with high end coffee maker, espresso machine, etc.  And our "landlord" left us two nice bottles of wine as a welcome gift.  That apartment cost us a little more than $200 a day.  To get anything close in a decent hotel would have cost at least 3-4 times the price.

 

For folks who have not done a lot of recent traveling, they are in for a shock.  Hotels have generally run into the same labor shortage problem that has destroyed many restaurants.  Their reaction has been to increase their prices and reduce services.  That being said, there are still some excellent hotels to be found, but they are often the small boutique places with decent management.  This past May we stayed in our favorite-ever hotel which was a small place in Prague.  The owner was a hands on kind of guy who was there morning, noon and night.  When I went to the included breakfast on my birthday the owner surprised us with a bottle of decent Champagne, specialty cup cakes, and more!  When he found out that DW and I were going to the Opera (about a mile from our hotel) he came back to his hotel so he could drive us to the opera.  But this kind of hotel and service is very rare.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

I have traveled and stayed in hotels in England, France, Germany and Italy since COVID. It is only at two hotels in the US where I have run into the "we don't service rooms every day" issue. Interesting...   But then I generally do stay in smaller one-off properties, not chains.

 

I also tend to choose hotels where breakfast is included. I don't need a huge American-style spread so whatever they provide is sufficient for me.  Nor do I drink in hotels unless it's for a purpose (e.g., the wonderful rooftop bar at the Albergo del Senato in Rome).

 

Perhaps my view is skewed as, while I do travel for business both in the US and in Europe, most of my travel for pleasure is in Europe and I never have had a problem finding a reasonable hotel in an ideal location. (Venice perhaps being one of the more challenging...)

 

[DirtyDawg]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I have stayed in apartments with others. (I do not miss walking back from the grocery store with heavy bottles of water for the week....). 

Amazon delivers heavy bottles of water. And I think they deliver heavy bottles of wine in some places too! Along with very heavy bottles of pain meds for those hangovers, of course! That Jeff thinks of everything!😁

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by DirtyDawg