Why I Prefer Apartments To Hotels When I’m On Holiday

There was a time, not that long ago that I would have loved to stay in a five-star hotel. It was my dream to have a concierge or butler service. The room would have it’s own bar, jacuzzi tub and grand piano. And dinner would be served in the room at the dining table big enough for ten. There would be a gorgeous balcony and patio for me to sit out and stare down at the city.

Then I had children. Now all my holidays are booked with them in mind. It’s not all about the kids having plenty to do. It’s about having the facilities to get up for a 2 am feed or change a nappy without worrying where to put the bag. Hotel rooms that claim they cater for families rarely do a good enough job.

For a start, there is never any space for a baby or toddler to crawl around and get their toys out. The beds aren’t always as safe as I would like for little ones either. There are no changing tables so I’m worried the bed will get messed up, or I’m on my knees on the floor. Sterilising feeding bottles and bowls is impossible. Just getting a modicum of water for the bottle warmer is impossible with those push taps too.

What I really want when I’m on holiday with small children is a home away from home. I’ve been looking more and more at rental apartments instead of staying in hotels and motels. Sometimes you get caught out, and you just want to stop somewhere for the night. Hotels are great in those circumstances. But they’re just not easy to manage for a week. There’s often no fridge for the milk for a start!

When you look at websites like HouseTrip and see the type of facilities you get in a holiday apartment, you too might wonder why you haven’t done it before. Just because there is a kitchen it doesn’t mean you have to cook all the meals while you are on holiday. But if the kids are tired at 6 pm, you can order a takeaway delivery, or prepare them food they are used to eating. It just makes so much more sense to me.

Incredibly, you can usually find a gorgeous city centre apartment for less than a hotel room in the same area. All that convenience makes it excellent value for money. OK, so there won’t be a cleaner coming in every morning to tidy up and sort you out some fresh towels. But there probably is a washing machine to clean up that soiled baby grow! Maybe when the kids are bigger, I’ll be wanting to use hotels again.

Travelling and holidaying with babies and toddlers can be really stressful. I don’t like worrying about finding a baby change room while I’m on the road. And public transport is almost impossible to cope with! But when I get to my destination, I want to be comfortable, with everything I need to hand. Have you tried holiday apartments?

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