My wife and I considered renting a spare room or apartment from a local landlord for our next trip, because we've heard it's often cheaper and / or more comfortable than staying in a traditional hotel. We've also found a few websites catering exclusively to this listings. Has anyone tried this before? Was your experience positive or negative?
There are a multitude of sites now where you can find apartments. I have done this several times, but it is always good to communicate beforehand to ask all the questions and also verify how genuine it is because of scams. Ask for photos, things like what will be provided and if they are easy to get hold of that's a good sign.
I personally wouldn't go for it since I find it counter to my need to relax. I find having to worry about a landlord is just not worth the few dollars I'll save. These days you could just rent a condo unit for half the price of what you'd pay at a hotel, and since most of these condos are new and modern you'd pretty much feel like you're in a hotel anyway. If these aren't available in where you're traveling to, however, I guess it can be a good compromise. Just make sure you consider the feedback they get from whatever site you found them on. I heard there was a couch surfing site where people could stay with other people and everyone trusts each other just from the feedback they get from the site.
Whether it will be cheaper or more expensive depends entirely on how long you'll be staying in a place. In some places it doesn't matter how long you'll be staying, you'll have to pay three months rent . . . just in case. In such places if you aren't staying for longer than a month it would be better to find a cheap hotel and stay there. Sites such as airbnb however make it a lot easier for a traveler to find cheap apartments.
No, I've never done this before. The closest I've come to that is booking into a b&b LOL Once we did find a lovely cottage to rent when we were planning to go to Spain. It was so reasonably priced that we went ahead and paid before I secured the visa. It was considerably cheaper than the hotels and even the b&bs in the area. Alas! the trip never happened as the Spanish embassy wasn't issuing visas at that time But that's the only (non) experience I ever had of that nature.
We have a trip to Hongkong later this month for a brief tour of 4 days. Since the hotel there is so expensive, someone suggested we rent an apartelle. Unfortunately, the apartelle has the same cost per night and the email said the rent is cheaper if we rent the unit for 1 month. Huh, that's a nice bargain but we wouldn't stay that long. We are still on the hunt for accommodation in Honkong, preferrably in the Mongkok area.
Very definitely positive and although I haven't found it always to be that much cheaper than a hotel - as we generally rent an apartment rather than just a room - we much prefer to travel this way - as not only is it more relaxing, quieter and way more comfortable than staying in a hotel - but a lot less restrictive too - as you have the freedom to come and go as you please and at times to suit you. In fact - if you are not planning to travel during peak season - one site I would highly recommend checking out for short stay accommodation is Owners Direct - especially as - not only are the owners usually very accommodating and pleasant to deal with - as well as very happy to offer bargain prices for short off peak stays - but all the places that we've stayed in from there have been really nice too.
Yeah, airbnb was the main site we'd looked at during the early planning stages. We've heard some good things from friends who went abroad and used it. Still, you never definitively know whether a landlord is going to be great or monstrous until you get there.
I've rented cottages for holidays but never an apartment while I'm away. I can see why it would interest families as you would have all the conveniences of home. It would also save money as you would be eating out less, doing your own laundry and not having to worry about maid service and tipping. I think if you were going away for a longer holiday stay it would be great. I know when we went to Florida for 2 weeks we rented a hotel room with a ktichenette and I found that handy with kids to be able to make a quick snack, keep milk and juice and even make breakfast in the room. As long as you rent your apartment from a reputable site and get what you pay for it would be a good way to travel.
I think renting an apartment is only better if you are travelling with a group of people, or if you really intend on cooking most days. I love staying in hotels because you don't have to clean and cook, if you are travelling you deserve the relaxing and fun times, and those are kind of ruined if you need to keep cleaning and cooking.... so that is why I wouldn't stay in an apartment when travelling unless travelling with a large group, to a place where hotels are expensive and to save a considerable amount of money.
I agree with youLog In renting apartment are better option if travelling with a group of people. Because in this way they can manage the lots of things liking cooking,cleaning and apartment rent. I think for solo traveler is will be costly rather than hotel..
I don't usually stay in one place long enough to consider renting a room. Most of my destinations are short term and for those situations, a hotel or motel rooms works just fine. I don't really know if I would enjoy renting from a landlord, although I have stayed in B and B's. These are the types of places we choose to stay in when wanting a homelike setting, although they can be a bit expensive.
You can do this so easily with AirBnB or HomeAway. It is such a great way to save money. My favourite is having the amenities of home, such as a full kitchen. It is not that I mind paying for breakfast, it is usually the cheapest meal of the day, but sometimes I just want to relax in the morning with my eggs and coffee in my PJs which is much nicer than getting ready to go out at 8am. I think it is a fabulous idea, and so many people I know travel this way.
There are a lot of sites like Airbnb. But none of them actually look into the legitimacy of the rental or renter. That is my only concern. It is not like Trip Advisor with thousands of reviews and pictures, so you really know what you are going to end up with. Until I find a site such as that for rentals, I would rather stick to hotels. However, now there are a lot of hotels that offer vacation rental type units with kitchens and living space. So, that is also an option.
Another better option would be to stay at hotel for a day or two, extract information you need [about rentals] from the concierge and find use it [the information you obtain] to find a house, apartment, etc to rent. While yes it might cost slightly more [than an apartment you'd find via airbnb], you'd still save some money since staying at hotel especially if you'll be staying at a place somewhere for longer than a month can be very expensive.
There are scammers on these sites too, so you have to be aware of that. It does depend where you are going, but sharing a bathroom with a landlord is okay for some people, but not really for a couple on holiday unless it's a big house. The times I have rented from other people, I have always had good contact with them and also double checked that they owned the property and that they are who they say they are. (You can check social media, or do a search for their name and directories.)
I know of an apartment complex that rents out an apartment for $75 a night. I am not sure how many bedrooms it has or what size the beds are. I assume with the price being that low, it is just one bedroom. Still a great deal though, especially since it has a kitchen area and there is the option to cook if you would rather stay in instead of sitting in a restaurant.
I have come across such websites and have thought about it but never actually followed through. It seems if you stay just a couple days to a couple weeks it makes sense pricewise but I would be a little concerned about renting it with my kids not that they damage something. Therefore, I prefer cheap hotels because I know hotels do not have that much for my kids to break
I totally agree, @isabbbela! It can get quite expensive if its' just you or just you and your significant other. Usually those types of places are suitable for those travelling in groups, and to be honest, i'm not really up for that most of the time LOL I'll push it to family once in a while, but even then, like you, I'd rather stay in a hotel so as to allow for as much relaxation as possible. When I'm on holiday, the thing I look forward to the most is just vegging and having fun, without ever having to lift a finger LOL
I think a real overseas vacation, especially if you want to learn the language and/or really absorb the culture, should require at least a month and a rented apartment. I mean, for instance, I have never understood why people would want to travel to France for 5 days and then think they've really seen France. I know that just isn't the case. Anyway, though, you should shop around because the best deals might not be immediately apparent.
