Here's a copy of Ben's tips, and some tips from other club members, on renting apartments in Europe and elsewhere, presented at the January, 2007 meeting of the Travel Club:
Renting apartments in cities around the world is a great alternative to hotels, offering lower cost, more space and comfort and complete anonymity. If you travel with a small group, sharing an apartment with friends or family makes economical sense. It also allows you to get into a neighborhood, seeing and living the life of the locals! Most apartments are located in good neighborhoods, near public transit and often within walking distance of historic districts, fine restaurants, great shopping and other attractions. You can come “home” after a long day of sightseeing or “stay home” one a rainy/windy day.
We have rented apartments in many cities, including Florence, Venice, Sedona and Honolulu. Here are some things you should consider as you look into this option:
Sometimes, private citizens rent apartments directly to tourists. Other times, they place their apartment to rent with an agency. Or, there are even companies that build apartment blocks and then rent all or some of the apartments to tourists. We have rented from both and have had good results each time. The advantages of using an agency center on the reliability of a company that is in business to serve your needs. You have a fallback in case something goes wrong. Private parties might not care as much, so it’s important to know whom you are dealing with as you shop around. Use the Internet to gather data, then, call to ask questions. What’s the condition of the apartment? What specifically is in the apartment? What’s the exact nature of the sleeping arrangement? What kind of kitchen does it have? How is the neighborhood? Is it quiet or next door to a lively bar? Are there testimonials you can read? If you have a car rental, what is the parking situation? Whom do you contact in case of an emergency (if there is no concierge)? Ask....and then ask more. Don’t forget, you are seeking a home away from home that is much more comfortable than a small hotel room. And, you are making a commitment for a specific period of time that is not easy to shorten. A hotel can always rebook your room if you don’t like it. A rental agency or private party can’t easily turn around and lease your apartment!
Apartment rentals also come with a variety of terms. Some are rented weekly, beginning and ending on a certain day. Most require a sizable, refundable deposit to guard against damage. At times, the owner or an agent will meet you upon arrival. But at other times, if you arrive late, a key might be left with a neighbor or in a mail box. If you keep thinking “apartment” instead of hotel, you will continually remind yourself that this is very independent vacationing......there are not many resources once you “check in.”
There are many great websites from which you can gather info. Here are a few examples:
Most large, international cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Venice, etc. have many agencies that rent numerous apartments. I recommend that you research your specific city first to get a feel for the neighborhoods and where you’d feel most comfortable. Then, you can shop around for an agency that has apartments for rent. There are also multi-country websites. Some of the better ones are:
Europe – Apartments Apart - http://www.apartmentsapart.com/
Worldwide – Vacation Rentals by Owner – http://www.vrbo.com/
TripHomes – http://www.triphomes.com/
Holiday Rentals - http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/
Owner Direct - http://www.ownerdirect.com/
Derek Stables also recommends:
a) St. Petersburg, Russia: http://www.oksanas.net. We received this recommendation from a friend of a friend, which is just about the best of all recommendations. Oksana's full service travel agency in St. Petersburg also provides transportation to/from airport/train/ship, private guides (very useful for expediting admission to the Peterhof Palace), ballet and opera reservations, and advance train tickets with seat/sleeping car reservations, ALL of which we used, in addition to the excellent, very central apartment rental. We were totally satisfied. No cleaning deposit required.
b) St. Petersburg and Moscow: http://www.pulford.com/. Their website and their very central office in St. Petersburg, past which we just happened to walk, both look very efficient. I assume they also have an office in Moscow. No cleaning deposit required
c) Amsterdam: http://www.citymundo.com/. I have made a reservation through their efficient website and also received advice on desirable locations by phone. I will post a follow-up after our return. No cleaning deposit required.
Don Jacobsen has used and recommends:
a) in Paris: http://www.parisperfect.com/
b) Two affiliated sites (http://www.londonperfect.com/ and http://www.italyperfect.com/) look similar, but have NOT been tried by Don.
Peter Ronai writes:
a) In Sydney, Australia, I recommend the Harbourside Apartments (http://www.harboursideapartments.com.au/). These apartments cost about what you'd pay for a good hotel room, but most of them have a panoramic view of the city, Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is impossible to match in accommodations just about anywhere else in Sydney. And of course they are apartments with much more than just a bed and bath, such as you'd get at a hotel. They are fully furnished and have a small kitchen in which most meals can be prepared. There are studio apartments as well as one and two bedroom units. The apartment building is located on the opposite side of the harbour to the city (hence the sensational view across the harbour to the city), but are only a few steps away from McMahon's Point ferry wharf. Ferries run frequently to Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, and from Circular Quay you can get ferries all over the harbour. The apartments are only a short walk to local shops, good restaurants, to the North Sydney Shopping Centre, and to North Sydney train station, to and from which trains run to city stations, Circular Quay and much of the Greater Sydney area, as well as to Kingsford Smith (Sydney) International Airport. There is secure undercover parking for those travelers with cars. My wife and I have stayed at Harbourside on most of our visits to Sydney, and have always found it ideal. We do a lot of traveling on both north and south sides of the harbour, so it's location is central for us. For newcomers to Sydney, the north shore location is not as convenient as accommodation in the CBD (Central Business Distict), but an inexpensive ferry ride (I recommend you buy 10 tokens at the Circular Quay ticket office) gets you to the CBD, or Darling Harbour in a few minutes. You can get all the information as well as make reservations on the web site. If you arrive in Sydney and elect not to rent a car (Sydney is not the easiest city to negotiate by car), you can take a train from the airport to North Sydney Station, and a taxi from the station to the Harbourside Apartments (or if you have only carryon luggage with wheels, you could even walk; it's about a kilometer from the station to the apartments).
