Choosing Accommodations

In our travels we have found that staying in a hotel can be wonderful, but it can also make you feel trapped. If you are planning to stay in one place for a week or more you might consider renting an apartment. It may sound complicated and expensive, but it is not as difficult as you might think, and tends to cost less.

A few summers ago my husband and I spent a week in Paris. We had never been there before and booked a room at the Hotel Lenox St-Germain. This charming hotel is a short walking distance from the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay, and the Seine River. Our room was a bit cramped, but elegant, with a rich, burgundy brocaded wallpaper, a very comfortable queen-sized bed, mini-bar and two windows that overlooked a quiet street and the rooftops of neighboring buildings. The hotel had a classy Art Deco jazz bar with inlaid wood artwork on all the walls portraying legendary jazz musicians, and period deco furniture in perfect condition. We often stopped by for a cocktail just because the atmosphere was so alluring--but alas, it was only a bar, without live music. The hotel served a continental breakfast, but had no restaurant on the premises.

Although we enjoy going to museums, we typically prefer wandering around a city to experience the local events and details of everyday life, and perhaps stumble across less known attractions "off the beaten path". Unfortunately, during our stay in Paris, the weather was stormy, but in spite of the driving rain we took in the sights from underneath our umbrella. One day we even walked all the way to the Eiffel Tower, on the opposite side of the city. Due to the weather we were forced to pit stop at our hotel frequently to get out of the rain or just change out of our wet clothes. We started wishing we had a little more room. The only place to sit was on the bed, and after a while we felt claustrophobic and wished we had a little more room.

The first few days we dined at some wonderful restaurants recommended by the hotel concierge and our guidebook, then we graduated to exploring and experimenting, and finally we longed for our own kitchen! French cuisine tends to be covered in rich sauces. Though often delicious, after a few days this heavy food can take a toll on your stomach as well as your wallet. Every day I saw foods I would have liked to bring home for dinner, but couldn't. One day we were wandering around and passed a window with a mouth-watering display of home made quiche featuring my favorites, spinach and Lorraine. I almost bought a few to bring home for dinner--then I remembered it would never fit in our mini bar and there was nowhere to heat it up. Instead we bought a few baguettes and some junk food snacks to keep on our dresser and resigned ourselves to eating out at every meal.

After we got back to the states I tried to figure out what could have made our trip more enjoyable--and the answer was simple:, we should have rented an apartment! There are several reasons why this would have been a better arrangement for us. First, we would have had the option of cooking our own food. We both enjoy grocery shopping in foreign countries, for the many enticing items on the shelves that you would never see in the states, and most definitely would never be exposed to if you were eating exclusively in restaurants. We love to push the cart around and just throw in anything that looks good. Having an apartment would also have allowed us to relax more. Wandering around in any city, and especially museum hopping, is extremely exhausting--at the end of the day you really need to put your feet up! In an apartment, you have room to move around, sit on a couch and watch TV, or even better sit on a balcony or in a garden and read a book. Staying in a hotel for a whole week made us feel trapped, and at the mercy of the city. Some nights we really didn't feel like going to a restaurant and it would have been nice to just go back to an apartment, crack open a bottle of wine, make a little something to eat and just relax.

On our next trip we did things differently. The following year, on a trip to the Liguria region of Italy we rented an apartment for a week in a town called Corniglia. We knew immediately that we had made the right choice. Not only did we feel more comfortable and independent, we also saved money. Our apartment had a cozy living room, a small but functional kitchen and a stunning balcony overlooking the whole town where we ate dinner almost every night. Throughout our stay, we shopped at several local stores and got to know the owners who would give us suggestions on the best wines and local products to try. We did eat out periodically, but didn't feel pressured to do so at every meal. Ligurian leftovers were really worth bringing home! By the end of our trip we knew so much more about the local culture and didn't feel like we had been living out of a suitcase.

A hotel is perfect for a short stay, when you don't want to worry about cleaning up after yourself and just need a place to crash at night. For an extended stay we discovered that having an apartment is much more enjoyable. You engage with the place and people more directly, learn about local customs, and feel more like a traveler and less like a tourist. However, if staying in a hotel is more your style, make sure you get yourself a large room with a couch!