Travel Style Part 1- Accommodation

One of the best things about travel is that you get to do things your way.  We all have different interests and different things we like to focus on when on vacation, so I'm going to share some of my travel methods with you :) This will be broken up into 3 different parts, starting with Part 1, Accommodation.

 

 Flats

When I travel, I always prefer to rent a holiday apartment rather than stay in a hotel. Apartments offer you the chance to really experience a city like a local.  Of course, at the end of the day you're still on vacation, but it's really nice to be able to go home to your apartment in whatever city is playing your home for the time.  Apartments are also usually cheaper than hotels, especially when it comes to longer stays, and I tend to go away for 2 weeks at a time in the summer.  If you plan on staying somewhere for 5/6 nights or more, I would go with an apartment.  In the end, you'll probably end up saving a substantial amount of money, as many landlords offer deals for certain amounts of time (for example, 4 weeks for the price of 3 etc).  You also get much more space in a holiday apartment for the same or less amount of money that you would spend on a hotel.  This of course all depends on the hotels and apartments in question, but I am speaking from my experience. I like having a kitchen and living room in addition to a bedroom. I also like being able to come and go when I like to, since I like to go out at night, and many hotels lock up after a certain time, and then you have to ring the doorbell to be let in, something that always makes me feel like an annoyance to the staff.  If you're looking to try out apartment rentals, just remember to send out many inquiries and then pick from the responses that you receive, since some landlords can take a while to get back to you, or may never respond at all. 

Here's some websites I often use for rentals -

-http://www.homeaway.com

-www.residences-paris.com (I personally know the owner and loved my apartment in Paris)

-https://www.airbnb.com (this year for Paris is my first year using this, but so far everything has been great.  This is a great site if you still want an apartment but are only staying a few nights)

Hotels

I have nothing against hotels, and I use them quite often when I am going somewhere for only a short time.  The other instance in which I use hotels is if a city I am visiting does not offer many rental properties.  Dublin was quite lacking in this area (very few rental options), so I stayed at the O'Callaghan Mont Clare Hotel, and I enjoyed it, but it's never the same as an apartment.  My mom actually prefers hotels because she likes having cleaning and room services available and she also likes having a  front desk to ask for directions to sights etc.  These things are nice to have but aren't as important to me personally.  A hotel also breaks up my feeling of being "in" a city, somewhat.

In the end, what you pick is up to you, and should be based on what you're looking for.  If you want more services, and are staying for a weekend or a few days, a hotel is the way to go.  If you want a more authentic city experience, and are staying for a week or more, go with a holiday rental.  Before long, you'll find what you prefer!