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Apartment in Granada, Spain |
Over the last 5 years, I’ve
used VRBO and Airbnb on numerous occasions – New Orleans shotgun house,
recently renovated apartment in Siracusa, Italy, farmhouse in Tuscany, attic
apartment in Paris, France, and a small garage apartment in Albuquerque. They have been positive experiences with only
a few surprises. We recently explored Spain and decided in advance to only use
VRBO and Airbnbs, rather than a mix of both.
It was a hard decision as I do love the small, charming hotels in Europe
which are very difficult to locate in the U.S.
But we needed at least two bedrooms and the apartment scenario seemed
more appropriate. Here’s our take from
our trip.
Observations of Apartment Stays -
Space, space and more space - separate bedrooms and baths
plus living areas. Suites in a hotel
with the kind of space an apartment offers would be cost prohibitive to most
travelers
Allowed possibility for bringing in food for breakfast and
other meals. All had coffee makers and
most provided coffee and tea. We ate breakfast in almost every morning and
brought dinner in twice. And that cheese and crackers with a bottle of wine was great in the late afternoon.
Hosts were helpful – some more than others. It was nice to get one who spent time pouring
over a map to be sure we were oriented and could make restaurant suggestions,
etc.
Felt more
a part of the city and neighborhood.
Easier
communication among us traveling. With 2
or three hotel rooms, we would have had to use phones or go the rooms to
communicate.
Washing
machines were available in two apartments which was helpful.
We had
balconies in three of the four apartments – a lovely addition.
Wifi
was available in all.
Had
booking fees but am not sure if the stay was subject to local taxes.
Had
some issues with neighboring apartment noise and street chatter.
What we
missed in not having a hotel.
Always
someone there to check you in. For the
apartment, you have to coordinate arrival times which can be tricky in a
foreign country, especially if you can’t use your phone easily. Whatsapp was a very popular app for
communicating with landlords.
Extra
keys are available if you lose yours or leave them inside. Most apartments had two sets of keys which
was enough for this trip.
Has
regular maid service with clean towels, extra pillows, etc.
Local
telephone in room
More
likely to have lots of TV stations.
Could
change rooms if your room were loud.
Suggestions in
the Future
Stay
in a hotel the first and last stop for easy check-in and to be assured of a
good night of sleep.
Use
the apartment route if you are more than 2 or 3 persons.
Use
the hotel for one night stays and apartments for 3 or more nights. For two nights, it depends.
Be
prepared for communication with landlords.
It should be worked out in advance.