When planning a trip with children, a question that often arises, before booking a structure, is whether to prefer an apartment or hotel accommodation for the holiday.
Answering is not easy.
It depends on many factors, including the type of holiday you want to do, the destination you want to reach and the price you want to spend.
Let’s see together the characteristics of the typical accommodations that are usually chosen for family trips with our impressions and advice.
The apartment: when to prefer this solution
Surely the apartment with children is the accommodation that we prefer, and that we recommend, especially if you are planning to stay a few days in a place and visit its surroundings.
In fact, between an apartment or hotel, the first is certainly the accommodation that gives more freedom and more space.
With children, if they are small, it is difficult to have defined times, especially for meals or for bedtime.
On vacation, it happens to us, habits change: we go to sleep later and wake up later in the morning, maybe even meal times vary.
With the apartment, there are no problems with set times, with this arrangement you can better follow the rhythms of our children.
The children, when we are at home, have even more space available.
Sometimes they have a room of their own, where they can play safely … while mum and dad plan the itinerary and places to explore!
And if you have the bad luck of the rain … the space in the house is never enough for games!
In addition, in an apartment, the atmosphere of home is recreated, with mum cooking baby food while dad takes care of playing and entertaining the little ones.
Finally, if you don’t want to “sauté” for meals, with the apartment, you can change the restaurant every day and savor the typical cuisine of the place!
We use this solution very often, here you can find our road trips where we also describe the facilities we have chosen.
The hotel: when to prefer this solution
Between apartment or hotel, the hotel is definitely to be preferred if you want to be in complete relaxation and don’t want to think about anything!
Then generally, even if it depends on the category, hotels have much more comfort than apartments: between swimming pools, saunas, whirlpools, gym, etc … you are spoiled for choice.
Furthermore, if you choose a specialized hotel for families, you will find several services dedicated to the little ones that are certainly comfortable for parents and fun for children.
Just think of the games room, babysitting, baby clubs, dedicated entertainment.
We, in our travels, use hotels for short stays, as “stops” where we can stop for 1 or 2 nights or when we do a weekend away!
In fact, between apartment or hotel, the hotel is the best in case of a shortstop, it is equipped with more comforts, you arrive and everything is ready then in the morning you leave after a nice breakfast!
In this category, it should be noted that some hotels have rooms with a small kitchenette.
A small kitchen with everything you need for any eventuality that traveling with the little ones never fails!
A request for a glass of warm milk at 2 am is always lurking!
The Bed & Breakfast: a cross between apartment or hotel
An excellent compromise between apartment or hotel, which guarantees beautiful rooms, good comfort, an excellent breakfast, and a family atmosphere, is the Bed & Breakfast.
Very often, the B & Bs are located in quiet and strategic places to visit the surrounding area.
In Puglia we used this solution, staying in a family-friendly Bed & Breakfast, designed for children with spaces dedicated to them and all the accessories to enjoy a relaxing holiday.
We also used this accommodation on the occasion of our participation in the BIT in Milan, where we stayed at the B&B Atmosfera di Season, an excellent accommodation, in a quiet area, close to public transport, convenient to reach the city center!
The last positive note for this accommodation is the cost, they are generally cheap and furnished by the hosts with taste and particular attention to detail.
Then, very often, there is also a shared kitchen, very useful for a quick meal!
Camping – a fun choice for the whole family
An alternative family accommodation that children like a lot is camping!
This does not necessarily mean a tent… even if we have tried it and it is not bad, for the little ones it is the top, very fun.
In modern campsites, in fact, there are wonderful cottages or bungalow-style accommodations with even a small adjoining garden.
With children it is an experience to try, there are large spaces where children can run freely and play with others.
Often the campsites, inside them, are also equipped with real entertainment facilities.
From huge pools with slides and water games to super-equipped playgrounds and sports fields.
Apartment or hotel? Listen to your needs
Finally, we can say that the choice must be made based on your personal tastes, the type of holiday, the age of the children and also the cost.
Our advice is not to exclude anything a priori, but to try.
We use all the accommodations, preferring, however, the apartment, above all for its characteristic of being able to recreate the home environment to which children, especially if small, are linked … but after all we parents too!
One last piece of advice, whether it is an apartment or hotel or other before booking makes sure that there is everything you need for the little ones in the structure.
Cot with sheets, high chair, changing table, the baby bathtub is taken for granted but are not always present in the structures.
And now, make your choice and go… it will surely be a good trip!
Another article on this blog that may interest you:
Aged Care: The importance of social services for the care of the elderly
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