How to Choose an Apartment Rental for Your Vacation
If you’re planning on being in one location for more than a few days, renting an apartment might be a good choice. It will give you a little more room to spread out and be comfortable. You can have breakfast before you go out and even cook some of your meals to save money. And you can often get a feel for the local atmosphere instead of just the tourist areas. Here are some tips to choose an apartment rental that will help you enjoy your next vacation.
Apartment rental location
This is probably one of the most important things to look at. Is it near public transportation? If you are going to rent a car or bring your own, is there parking nearby?
Is it in a safe neighborhood? Do you want a pretty view? Are there restaurants and grocery stores nearby?
Check maps and see how long it will take you to get to the places you want to see. Staying in a residential area has great benefits, but if it takes you too long to get to the sights, you’ll lose a lot of precious time.
Choose an apartment rental that’s close to the things you want to do and the sights you want to see.
Amenities
Decide what 2 or 3 things are most important to you so you can be more comfortable in your apartment rental. If WiFi is important, make it a priority to find an apartment that has WiFi.
Since renting apartments gives you the option to cook, make sure there’s a real kitchen, not just a hot plate. If you will need to do laundry on the road, try to find an apartment with a washer.
Traveling to a warm destination? Look for air conditioning. And if it’s winter, check for details about the heat.
Apartment sites have a wide variety of amenities you can use to filter your results, so use them to help you choose an apartment rental the fits your needs.
Apartment rental price
What’s your budget for lodging? Even if the nightly rate is the same, or even a bit more, than a hotel, if you plan on cooking some of your meals, you could easily save money by renting an apartment.
Apartments can often be cheaper per night when you book for a week or longer, but do the math. See if the site you’re using shows weekly or monthly rates. (Airbnb often does, but many others do not.)
Also look out for extra charges. Some sites will show you the full price, while others tack on cleaning fees or service fees in smaller print.
Please note that some posts contain links that earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Want to learn more about apartment rentals?
My friend Gillian is also a big fan of apartment rentals like I am. She recently wrote a book called How to Find the Perfect Vacation Rental. In her book she describes all the ins and outs of apartment rentals.
She tells you where to look for vacation rentals, what questions to ask the owners during your search, how to determine which apartments will work for you, the advantages and disadvantages, and much more. It’s a wonderful resource for those of you who are new to the apartment rental concept.
Choose an apartment rental for your next vacation, especially if you’re going to be in the same place for several days. I personally love having the extra space an apartment provides. I enjoy not having to eat out for every single meal, and exploring the less touristy side of a city is often fun too. Apartment rentals have quickly become my favorite choice for where to stay when I travel, and I think you’ll enjoy it too.
You might also enjoy:
- How to Choose the Right Hotel for You
- 7 Simple Steps for How to Plan a Trip
- What’s It Really Like to Stay in a Hostel?
Ali is an expert at packing and loves to travel. On Travel Made Simple, she shares her best tips for packing less, dealing with layovers, planning travel itineraries, and more tips that will help you have the best vacation. Originally from the US, she now lives in Berlin, Germany with her husband and their adorable Yorkie.
Gillian
February 21, 2014 @ 5:06 pm
Thanks for your help on the book Ali! Your experience with staying in vacation rentals was a good compliment to my own experiences and made the book an even better resource!!
Ali Garland
February 22, 2014 @ 11:51 am
Thanks Gillian, glad to help! I love apartment rentals, and I think others will too!
Matthew Cheyne
February 21, 2014 @ 1:38 pm
This article has come up at the right time. I have my Nanna who lives in Perth on the other side of Australia just undergo successful surgery for stage 2 melanoma. I was seriously considering flying over there to be there because there was an 85 percent risk of heart attack for her during the procedure – she is 87 years old. Luckily, that didn’t eventuate but I forgot to consider apartment rentals in Perth when doing the mental planning for a future trip when I have to eventually say goodbye to her. I don’t want that to happen for quite a while because I love my Nanna very much but being her age and having the health that she does, I need to start planning for these things now.
Ali Garland
February 22, 2014 @ 11:50 am
Hey Matthew, apartment rentals are great for a little extra comfort in my opinion. Keep in mind it might not be the easiest thing if you need a place to stay last minute though, because you’re generally dealing with an individual owner instead of a hotel which means response time could be slower. Especially if you have questions for the owner, the emails back and forth could take a few days. I don’t know how well you do with stairs (due to your condition) but also keep that in mind if you start looking for an apartment rental. Having to go up several flights of stairs might not be the best thing for you, but the owner can tell you if there is a lift.
Matthew Cheyne
February 22, 2014 @ 12:26 pm
Thank you for your reply Ali. I didn’t think about steps at all. Most multi-story apartments in Australia have lifts, even the very old ones in Sydney and Melbourne. However, I wasn’t aware that I’d be dealing solely with owners if I went down the apartment route. I think there is also the serviced apartment alternative that is available to us in Australial. It’s basically the same setup as your regular apartment complex except that a management company rents out and maintains the properties on behalf of their respective owners. I would definitely be interested in this sort of set up wherever my travels may lead me.
Ali Garland
February 25, 2014 @ 2:15 pm
Sorry for the late reply Matthew! I guess in Europe buildings often don’t have lifts because they’re older buildings, but that makes sense that most places in Australia would have them. As for dealing with owners, it really depends on what sites you go through. If you go through something like Airbnb, most of the time it’s an individual owner, like if Andy and I put our apartment up for rent through there. But there are also some companies that have apartment rentals. Our apartment on the Amalfi Coast was like that, it was a company that owns a handful of apartments and has them listed on 9flats.com among other places. There are also lots of companies who just have their own site, and if you search for vacation rentals in Perth, you’ll probably find a few.
Matthew Cheyne
February 25, 2014 @ 2:18 pm
Thank you again for your reply Ali. It’s much appreciated 🙂