So, you're planning your next holiday.
This means you have a lot of decisions to make.
Where and when to go, what to do, where to stay...
hotel or holiday home? Hopefully these points will help you take a fresh look at the positives of choosing the holiday home option...
I have enjoyed many more holidays in self catered individual properties than in hotels, so perhaps I'm biased, but objectively it does seem to be the better choice, and here are some reasons why; - Shared facilities.
There's something essentially more enjoyable about having holiday facilities all to yourself and your family or friends.
It means you don't have to share your hard earned holiday with people you don't know- and don't necessarily like! I know, I know, it's a good way to get to know people and you can make 'holiday friends'...
but can't you do this when you go out for a meal, or better yet, take your friends with you? Holiday acquaintances are more often than not fairly transitory, so why not stay in a self catering property and have an experience that is truly your own? I defy anyone who says they don't want to wake up in their own holiday villa and share a day by their own private pool in the sun with their family, friends or partner.
- Freedom.
That's right, along with private facilities comes your own freedom! You don't have a cleaner coming in at a certain time, you don't have to 'check in' and you don't always have to go out to cook a meal.
You can wake up late -or early- and pad around your own private house, head down to the local market for some breakfast, and plan your day on your terms.
- A custom holiday.
It follows that a holiday rental is generally much more personal than a hotel room.
In most cases a hotel is a lot colder and less homely, and most of the time all the rooms are identical except for a size difference.
A hotel is designed with tourists and unfamiliar visitors in mind, and you won't often find a welcome hamper.
A holiday home tends to be more hospitable, probably due to the obvious reason that it is an actual home.
Most owners do also tend to get the right balance between a personal property and the right atmosphere for visitors.
A holiday is more your own when it's not the same as the one your neighbor is experiencing in the room next door.
- Cultural benefits.
And along with creating a more customized holiday, a rental home offers a better opportunity to see local culture.
A holiday home in France, for example, is better for this reason than a hotel.
The hotel is built for the visitor, so you get your carbon copy room and regulated breakfast, whereas with your holiday home you can choose where, what facilities it has and explore at your own pace.
Your next door neighbors may be locals, the supermarket you walk to gives you a taste of everyday life in the country, and the restaurants you find all by yourself- rather than through the hotel concierge- are sure to create a better memory and a greater sense of the local lifestyle.
- Cost.
And before you say it, no, these types of facilities and freedom don't need to cost you more.
In fact, a holiday home can often be cheaper than a hotel- and you get much more than a room with an en-suite shower.
This is the main reason that I personally choose this type of accommodation over hotels.
I once stayed in a lovely apartment in the centre of Edinburgh with four poster bed, separate bathroom, kitchen and living room, for a fraction of the price of an average hotel.
I rest my case.
After stating these points, I will admit it; there is certainly an appeal to staying in a hotel.
Ideas of comfort and luxury come to mind.
But, realistically, these are outweighed by the benefits of staying in your own holiday home.
Whether it is an apartment in the city, cozy cottage or poolside villa, a holiday home offers much more flexibility, more freedom, a bunch of facilities all to yourself, and often at a much better price compared to a hotel.
So for your next holiday, why not plan a stay in a self catering holiday rental?
This means you have a lot of decisions to make.
Where and when to go, what to do, where to stay...
hotel or holiday home? Hopefully these points will help you take a fresh look at the positives of choosing the holiday home option...
I have enjoyed many more holidays in self catered individual properties than in hotels, so perhaps I'm biased, but objectively it does seem to be the better choice, and here are some reasons why; - Shared facilities.
There's something essentially more enjoyable about having holiday facilities all to yourself and your family or friends.
It means you don't have to share your hard earned holiday with people you don't know- and don't necessarily like! I know, I know, it's a good way to get to know people and you can make 'holiday friends'...
but can't you do this when you go out for a meal, or better yet, take your friends with you? Holiday acquaintances are more often than not fairly transitory, so why not stay in a self catering property and have an experience that is truly your own? I defy anyone who says they don't want to wake up in their own holiday villa and share a day by their own private pool in the sun with their family, friends or partner.
- Freedom.
That's right, along with private facilities comes your own freedom! You don't have a cleaner coming in at a certain time, you don't have to 'check in' and you don't always have to go out to cook a meal.
You can wake up late -or early- and pad around your own private house, head down to the local market for some breakfast, and plan your day on your terms.
- A custom holiday.
It follows that a holiday rental is generally much more personal than a hotel room.
In most cases a hotel is a lot colder and less homely, and most of the time all the rooms are identical except for a size difference.
A hotel is designed with tourists and unfamiliar visitors in mind, and you won't often find a welcome hamper.
A holiday home tends to be more hospitable, probably due to the obvious reason that it is an actual home.
Most owners do also tend to get the right balance between a personal property and the right atmosphere for visitors.
A holiday is more your own when it's not the same as the one your neighbor is experiencing in the room next door.
- Cultural benefits.
And along with creating a more customized holiday, a rental home offers a better opportunity to see local culture.
A holiday home in France, for example, is better for this reason than a hotel.
The hotel is built for the visitor, so you get your carbon copy room and regulated breakfast, whereas with your holiday home you can choose where, what facilities it has and explore at your own pace.
Your next door neighbors may be locals, the supermarket you walk to gives you a taste of everyday life in the country, and the restaurants you find all by yourself- rather than through the hotel concierge- are sure to create a better memory and a greater sense of the local lifestyle.
- Cost.
And before you say it, no, these types of facilities and freedom don't need to cost you more.
In fact, a holiday home can often be cheaper than a hotel- and you get much more than a room with an en-suite shower.
This is the main reason that I personally choose this type of accommodation over hotels.
I once stayed in a lovely apartment in the centre of Edinburgh with four poster bed, separate bathroom, kitchen and living room, for a fraction of the price of an average hotel.
I rest my case.
After stating these points, I will admit it; there is certainly an appeal to staying in a hotel.
Ideas of comfort and luxury come to mind.
But, realistically, these are outweighed by the benefits of staying in your own holiday home.
Whether it is an apartment in the city, cozy cottage or poolside villa, a holiday home offers much more flexibility, more freedom, a bunch of facilities all to yourself, and often at a much better price compared to a hotel.
So for your next holiday, why not plan a stay in a self catering holiday rental?
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