Apartments vs Hotels

Before you embark on the exciting journey of self catering accommodation in an ancient city like Rome, Florence or Venice take a moment to consider if you have realistic expectations from your Italian accommodation.  This page was inspired by those clients who have arrived at their rented accommodation expecting hotel services, such as a fully stocked fridge and pantry and the sorts of amenities that do not even exist in Italy.

Be informed of the realities of apartment rentals before you book, as an unhappy client who had unrealistic expectations is not what we are aiming at and your holiday is very important and should be a joyful experience, not one laced with regret. Read our own story, apartments vs. hotels to understand the positive aspects of apartment renting from a personal point of view.

Apartments in Italy and other parts of Europe, are in fact the real thing; real homes - not like the standard serviced holiday apartments that you may be familiar with back home.

The Positives of Renting an Apartment or Villa in Italy

If you choose the self catering route, you will be rewarded with the enriching experience of living like a local in your own space, you'll be able to go to the markets and buy the local produce, if you're fortunate enough to have rented an apartment with a terrace, you can dine outdoors overlooking a magnificent skyline or maybe some characteristic ancient roof tops.  You'll certainly save money and have more space.

The Facts of Italian Self-Catered Accommodation

The facts you need to be aware of when renting "Self Catering Accommodation" in Italy are that you are making the choice to be a more independent traveler. Are you prepared for the realities of this experience?

Self Catering Accommodation has many positive benefits as mentioned above, however you need to be informed about self catering in Italy - it is not like renting a hotel room, or an apartment at the embassy suites where you are renting an apartment with hotel services - rather, you will be renting a true home which will have only weekly cleaning and linen changes, not daily, and there will be no front desk.

For any extra services you require, you will need to think ahead of time and book them before you travel.

Although our agency does offer many different services,  these do need to be booked in advance as you will not have a 24 hour front desk at your disposal, but rather a home away from home; your own kitchen - you will need to go out on the first day and do your grocery shopping.  You should not expect to find a stocked fridge or pantry, although certain proprietors "may" provide some basics, you cannot expect this in Italy.

You should also consider that your arrival and departure need to be thought through, by choosing to arrive after 2pm and choosing a morning flight out, so you don't have to consider baggage storage.  It's a matter of being prepared and organizing your trip with these things in mind.  If you need to have an early check in or late check out, you will have to book the property for the previous night or the following night.

The above facts may swing you away from renting a self catering apartment, if so, we wish you a wonderful holiday and hope that your vacation is all that your hope it to be, but for those clients who choose to rent an apartment through our agency, we welcome you and look forward to assisting you in creating the most memorable experience possible, with many positive memories of your time in Italy and like so many of our clients who return yearly to discover the "real Italy"  we will be here with new properties and regions to offer you in our ever expanding listings.

Sincerely,

The Team at Italy-Accom