Key points: travel to a hotel or travel to an apartment?

We have the dates of our vacations, we know how many of us are going to travel and we have decided our next destination, but… when choosing accommodation, we are struck by the doubt, hotel or apartment? To solve this crossroads, today we show you the advantages and disadvantages of traveling to a hotel compared to doing it in an apartment.

Obviously everything will depend on your needs. However, with the following information in hand, you will immediately know what type of accommodation is the best suited to what you are looking for.

Hotel or apartment? If you choose the hotel you should know that:

Hotel advantages

All done: There is nothing better than dedicating the holidays to leisure and rest and not having to deal with housework, picking up, cleaning … That is the main advantage of staying in a hotel, that when you return to the room everything is done.
Solutions at the moment: You need an extra blanket; you want to change your pillow … In a hotel they solve this type of inconvenience at the moment, or at least you can complain about what you do not like instantly.
Room service: If you want dinner delivered without even having to leave the room, one of the advantages of staying in a hotel is that they will bring you what you ask for simply by using the phone.
Resolved doubts: At the hotel they will be able to advise you on how to move around the city, what transport options to use, they will give you maps or brochures about what to visit in your destination … The receptionists will clarify any doubts that may arise when you leave the room.
Hygiene details: Did you forget to put the gel in? Didn’t you get the towels? Nothing happens! In the hotels you will not have to go with sheets, towels or many toiletries since, generally, they offer them the basics for free.

Disadvantages of choosing a hotel

Little privacy: A hotel is basically many rooms along a corridor, therefore the lack of privacy is one of its drawbacks. It’s easy to hear guests next door or being disturbed when entering rooms late in the morning.
Not suitable for groups: If you are going to travel as a family and you want to be all under the same roof, it will be difficult to do it in a hotel since the rooms are usually individual, for couples or a maximum of 3 people (adding auxiliary beds or cots).
Nothing to cook: A hotel is not the cheapest form of accommodation and to this we must add that all meals, dinners and breakfasts will have to be done outside the room … You will not have a kitchen, sometimes you will not be able to have a refrigerator to have fresh water and this is a great disadvantage.
Lack of space: You are going on vacation for more than two days and it seems that you have the house on your back: suitcases, bags, bikes, mattress … Do you think everything will fit in the hotel room? Or rather, can you move with the gear in between? It is not very comfortable, the truth …
Parking: Virtually all hotels have parking, but this is usually paid, and quite expensive! It is not always easy to find a free place in the vicinity and if we are going to drive a lot, it can be a bit uncomfortable.

Hotel or apartment? If you choose the apartment you should know that:

Advantages of the apartment

Like at home: We want to get out of the routine but at the same time feel at home on a vacation and this can only be achieved in an apartment. Having your kitchen, your own bathroom, having space for all your things … No other type of accommodation will give you this autonomy.
Saving is easy: You can choose an apartment based on the number of people you go. For example, if there are only two of you, a studio will be enough and if you go in a group, you will have more rooms and the final price will be shared among all. Saving on an apartment is very easy!
Own kitchen: We love to eat out, but… Have you added up the expenses of all the vacations if all the meals are made in restaurants? In your apartment you will have a kitchen, you can save money, it will be much more comfortable if you travel with children and at any time you can have the appliances as you do in your own home.
Visits are accepted: You go on vacation for 15 days and your friends spend the summer next door… In your apartment you can have visits and, for example, eat together on your terrace without having to give explanations as would happen in a hotel.
More variety of extras: The options that a hotel gives you are quite limited (smoking or not, room with a view and little else). In an apartment you can choose infinite options: that has a barbecue, that has a swimming pool, with a terrace, with sea views, that includes parking, that accepts pets …

Disadvantages of an apartment

It’s time to clean: Logically, if you want the autonomy that an apartment gives, you won’t let anyone come in to clean it, so yes, you’ll have to spend a little time picking up on vacation. Nobody likes to live in dirt!
You don’t know the neighbors: In a hotel you can complain at reception if other guests are making noise, but if they bother you in an apartment you will have to speak directly to these neighbors.
What do you have to bring? Each apartment offers some characteristics but in most of them you will have to take some elements that a hotel does offer: sheets, towels … On the other hand, having a kitchen you should check what utensils the accommodation has to know if you have to Bring an item that is essential for you.
Give and leave the keys: And finally the issue of the keys. In a hotel you naturally ignore this since the reception will take care of checking in in a moment. But in an apartment you will have to meet the owners in some way to enter and leave the accommodation. It is not too annoying aspect but it is something to keep in mind.

So now you know, now that it is clearer to you and you have a rough idea of what one or the other option offers you, you will be able to decide the type of accommodation that will best meet your needs. Hotel or vacation rental apartment? It’s up to you!

You may also like to read: Guide and tips for a best value hotel accommodation