In the past few years, holiday rentals – be it apartments, condos or villas – have grown steadily in popularity as the most opted for accommodation choice. This trend has never been as en vogue as it is right now; whilst holiday homes have been around for many years, the surge and demand for more and more holiday rental property is a relatively new concept. Hotels are on the decline, while holiday rentals are on a steady incline. However, what makes a holiday rental such a favourable option, over an accommodation which offers breakfast and cleaning services on a daily basis?
1. Vacation Rentals actually cost less than hotels.
Are you counting your pennies and saving up every Euro for your upcoming holiday? (Aren’t we all!). Indeed, everyone loves saving money. Why spend €500 when you could get the same deal for €250? Believe it or not, a vacation rental will cost you significantly less than a hotel would. Imagine being a family of 5 and renting a family room or else two rooms in a hotel. Family rooms are one of the most expensive options you can opt for when booking a hotel room, while the price of two rooms is obviously doubling all costs. Booking one 3-bedroom house will prove to be much, much cheaper – as you would be paying for the house, regardless of the amount of people. For example, a family room in a typical 4-star hotel would cost you around €1600 for a week in July, while a 3-bedroom house, for the same dates, in the same area, would cost you around €950. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a hefty save of €650. Still convinced that a hotel is the best option?
2. You get so much more space!
If you could choose between having a whole apartment to yourself, or having a bedroom and en-suite bathroom, which one would you opt for? You know the answer, no need to spell it out for you. You get more than triple times the space you would get in a cramped hotel room, while paying significantly less! What’s not to love?! Plus, you also get the added privacy of going in and out at whatever time you please (without any nosy Receptionists or Night Receptionists tutting and shaking their heads as you walk in barefooted at 5am). For you, dear parents – would you rather share a room with your kids, or having them share a room with each other, giving you some peace and quiet? Thought so 🙂
3. Having a Kitchen, you’ll save big bucks on food.
I know, I know – who the hell wants to cook while they’re on holiday?! People on a budget, that’s who! Also, people who love to sleep in (alternatively missing breakfast cause you woke up after 10am), people visiting notoriously expensive cities (alternatively forking out ridiculous amounts of money for gourmet plates which barely fill you up), people with food intolerances (alternatively having to look for specialised restaurants or having to ask each and every chef about how the food is prepared), and the list goes on and on. Need more convincing? Imagine waking up at whatever time you want to wake up, being unrestricted by breakfast times or dinner times, and eating whatever tickles your fancy, instead of eating from a set menu. Ah, the kitchen life!
4. Live like a local.
Sure, your camera and back-pack will still give you away for the bright-eyed tourist that you are, however, nothing screams ‘Tourist’ more than a hotel. Want to mingle with locals? A hotel is generally the worst place to start. Locals do not frequent hotels for the same reason you do not hang around hotels in your city – cause you live there! Chances of meeting local people while staying in a hotel are slight. Living in a rental home puts you smack dab in the heart of the local scene – start with your neighbours – a friendly ‘Good Morning’ or ‘Hello’ can be an ice-breaker. Most people are willing to help, if you only have the nerve to ask. So fire away, ask any local you meet about the best hangouts in town and you will get top-notch advice. You can also eat as the locals do – buy fresh local produce, local bread – any local speciality. You will be experiencing much more than just a package holiday!
5. (Sometimes) Pets are welcome.
True – this does not apply to each and every vacation rental, however rental home owners tend to be more flexible when it comes to allowing pets. Be prepared to pay a slightly higher security deposit, but you can get this back in full if your beloved pooch leaves everything intact. Hotels are way more fussy when it comes to allowing pets, and most of them flatly refuse to allow pets altogether. And let’s face it, one of the hardest things about going on holiday is leaving your adorable four-legged friend behind, so why put yourself through that kind of trauma?
6. A WASHING MACHINE.
BYE RYAN-AIR OVERWEIGHT FEES! Why, why, why lug around a fortnight’s worth of clothing, causing you to put on half your luggage’s worth of clothes at the airport to avoid overweight fees, ending up with TONS of laundry to do as soon as you arrive home? WHY? Cause hotels have no washing machines, that’s why. And because hotel laundry service is daylight robbery, that’s why. Surprise surprise, you’re most likely to find a washing machine (and sometimes a dryer too!) in every, single, rental home. This means that you can half your luggage weight by bringing a lot less clothes (leaving more room for mementos!), and you have very little laundry to do when you go back home. If that’s not a sweet deal, we don’t know what is.
blog.shortletsmalta.com 