Europe this summer - Accommodations Questions

[Anonymous]

We've just started planning. 3 countries. 2 weeks. 4 adults (two parents, a 20 yr old, a 24 yr old).

We're over the whole short-term rental/AirBnB of it all. We've been disappointed time and time again and found that there wasn't really any money savings going that route. We plan to have a pretty active vacation, no cooking. Lots of walking and being exhausted at the end of each day. We're leaning strongly towards hotels, am I doing this right? I know it's all a matter of "do what you want", but we haven't been to Europe in ages and we want to get the most out of our trip. Going to hit London, Paris, Rome.

PS, will be going early June so as to miss the Olympics crowds.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We've enjoyed hotels in Europe.

One AirBnb in Tuscany was lovely. But overall, hotels have been nice with the amenities.

[Anonymous]

Yes! Hotels are fine!
My suggestion would be to pick a great location that is walkable or near transport so you minimize Ubers taxis etc. Many hotels in Europe have continental breakfast included in their rate if that matters to you. If you have status at a hotel chain the elite lounges might offer a nice happy hour as a break in your day. If you need air conditioning do the research or stay with an American brand, some hotels only offer mediocre or non existent ac. Lastly if you can swing a suite that will give you more room to stretch most europe rooms are small.
We loved the location of Marriott County Hall in London, great hotel and great service.

[Anonymous]

We only stay in hotels when we travel to Europe. We like that most of them include a really nice breakfast. And I don’t like to cook on vacation!

When we were in Seville last summer we actually booked a 2 bedroom apartment through a boutique hotel. Their family room was booked and the apartment was just a little bit more and just a few blocks from the hotel. We got the included continental breakfast at the hotel, daily maid service and got to do laundry mid way through our trip and it was so much easier than having to deal with Airbnb.

[Anonymous]

We love the extra space of an apartment while in Europe. It’s easy enough to walk to cafe for morning coffee and in my opinion that is preferable to hotel breakfast. I like the feeling that we are “living” there 😉

[Anonymous]

For two days or less we do hotels, for three or more we tend to do apartments etc. I now strongly prefer booking.com to air bnb.

[Anonymous]

We only do hotels. Airbnbs are a joke.

[Anonymous]

I generally prefer hotels. Depending on where you are staying and how much your budget is, hotel rooms in Europe can be a lot smaller than the ones in the US. Which is fine for us but something to keep in mind with 4 adults traveling together. I'd probably opt for 2 rooms so that if your kids want to go out together for a little bit one night, they can come back without disturbing you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love the extra space of an apartment while in Europe. It’s easy enough to walk to cafe for morning coffee and in my opinion that is preferable to hotel breakfast. I like the feeling that we are “living” there 😉

You realize you don't have to eat the hotel breakfast if you stay there, right? I never do.

[Anonymous]

When traveling as a family we also tend to do hotels for short stays and apartments for longer stays.

Having the extra space is really nice, especially if you are on somewhat different schedules for going to sleep/getting up (although recently we stayed at a nice hotel which had lovely public space which we used a fair bit).

[Anonymous]

Hotels is the way to go. The only thing you may not be doing right is the three countries in that span of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We only do hotels. Airbnbs are a joke.

Why do you say Airbnbs are a joke? Always curious about the negative responses as we have always had great rentals and loved having balconies, a living room etc.

Try this....when looking through Airbnbs only look at "Super hosts" and then scroll to see who the host is. Many times, the hosts are actually local vacation rental places and even small boutique hotels. You can then go directly to their website and compare prices.

[Anonymous]

With adult kids, you will need 2 rooms or a large "family style" hotel room so everyone has a comfortable bed

[Anonymous]

I prefer hotels in foreign countries because it’s nice to have someone to help you navigate things. For instance, the day we were to leave Paris, there was a train strike (of course) and the concierge called us a taxi, which were hard to find that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We only do hotels. Airbnbs are a joke.

Why do you say Airbnbs are a joke? Always curious about the negative responses as we have always had great rentals and loved having balconies, a living room etc.

Try this....when looking through Airbnbs only look at "Super hosts" and then scroll to see who the host is. Many times, the hosts are actually local vacation rental places and even small boutique hotels. You can then go directly to their website and compare prices.

+1 I’ve only ever had positive experiences in AirBnbs, but I spend a lot of time researching/comparing/reading reviews. I like hotels, too, but if I have to get two rooms to comfortably accommodate my family, the Airbnb wins every time.