Planning on going on a trip to Germany soon? One of the key questions that come up often is where to stay. In particular, choosing between a hotel or a vacation apartment/holiday rental. Hotels are typically very easy to book and most major travel sites offer these. There are also many vacation rental sites available to inquire about Germany vacation rentals. However, booking a vacation rental often requires to interact with a property owner in Germany, who may not even speak English. Payment processing might also be complicated (e.g., transferring funds to Germany), and the overall paperwork can be complicated to handle. Given there are more hurdles to overcome when booking a vacation rental why is it worthwhile than doing that instead of going the easy route with just booking a hotel online on a major travel web site?
Imagine this: a completely furnished apartment, with all the amenities of a fully functional home, conveniently situated in the area of one’s option and priced a minimum of 20-80% under the cost of a hotel room (with far less convenience) for the identical length of keep – this can be offered only in a vacation rental! We, therefore, believe that staying in a vacation apartment will offer you several unique advantages compared to a typical hotel:
More Space: Instead of a small hotel room, a vacation rental allows the entire family to stay comfortably under the same roof and enjoy full privacy. Rental accommodation is also very well suited for extended stays.
More Amenities: Vacation homes typically offer more amenities than hotels do. There are fully-equipped kitchens, a large dining and family room, a balcony, and sometimes a backyard.
More Privacy: Vacation homes offer freedom from the people and the noisy environment present in many hotels. Privacy is one of the biggest benefits of choosing a vacation rental.
Strong experience of daily German life: Vacation rentals offer a major difference from the typical resort or hotel. A resort is a contained environment. If you stay in a regular apartment, you can enjoy and become a part of the daily life of a small German village. You’ll meet other tenants and neighbors close by, the local people when you walk through the streets or shop in the local village.
One can quickly see that the overall benefits of vacation apartments compared to a hotel may outweigh the extra work involved during the booking process. There are also a few Germany travel web sites available that can help during the booking process to make this less of a hassle.
So when is staying in a hotel a good choice then (given all the advantages of vacation apartments?) Our recommendation is: If the number of nights is 2 or less (e.g., a short weekend), typically the hotel is the way to go. Many property owners require a minimum stay of 3 days or longer to rent their vacation rental. Therefore for a very short stay, the hotel in fact might be the only viable alternative. Sometimes it also makes sense to combine hotels and vacation apartments. For example, if you’re going on a 14-day trip maybe you stay in one or two vacation rentals, and if there are short stays required take a hotel for a night or two.
