Having travelled across many different parts of the world for almost 40 years, I have stayed in my fair share of hotels. For me, there was nothing better than arriving into a stylish hotel and being greeted y a member of staff and shown excellent service throughout my stay.
I had a friend who for a long time would much prefer to stay in private vacation rentals from a company called Elan Vacations, and as nice as they sounded when he told me about them, I could never see sufficient reasoning why I would ditch my hotel in favor of these private rentals. A few years ago, I decided to follow my friend’s advice and go with him on a vacation to a rental property. I was absolutely blown away by what I found and it was from that point on that I realized that I would never again stay in a hotel, and here is why.
Cost
Generally speaking, the cost of a vacation rental is far lower than the cost of a hotel and whilst there are always hotels which you can find that will be lower than a hotel, in terms of what you get for your money, a vacation rental will always offer better value.
Groups
If you are traveling in a group then a vacation rental is a far better option for you and one which will not only see you all save a great deal of money but also enjoy your time much more. The problem with a hotel when you are traveling in a group is that you are forced to sleep in separate rooms which could be some distance away and share your time in communal space which is shared by others at the hotel. Staying in a vacation rental as a group means that you have all of the space to yourselves and that you can spend far less money per head.
Privacy
Whilst in a hotel you can close the door and enjoy the privacy of your room, in a vacation rental you can come the door and enjoy the privacy of your house or apartment. Privacy for me is a real premium when I go away and the added privacy in the lounge, pool and kitchen areas are particularly valuable for me when looking at a vacation rental.
Character
Whilst I do love hotels, I often feel that they all look the same, they are white, bright and clean, but they very rarely offer any real character. When you stay in a vacation rental, you are essentially staying in someone else’s home and it is because of this that I more often than not feel far more comfortable in these types of accommodation than I feel when I am staying in a hotel, no matter how swanky it is.
I will of course stay in a hotel when I am traveling somewhere for a night or two but whenever I plan to go away for any longer than that, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be looking for a vacation rental.