Apartment Rentals vs Hotel Stay in Venice
Apartment rentals are becoming popular as an alternative form of accommodations when you travel around the world these days. We’ve been lucky enough to stay in all sorts of accommodation over the years from cheap guest houses to five star resorts, and recently had the unique opportunity of staying in both an apartment and a hotel while visiting Venice.
We thought it would be interesting to compare our experience between our apartment rental and our hotel stay in Venice and give our readers some trip advice so they know which form of accommodation we think is better. At least in Venice anyway.
Lets start with the price.
Both the apartment and the hotel cost the same amount of money. Our apartment, booked through HouseTrip and our hotel were both $250 USD. That sounds pricey, but for Venice it is on par. Most people go to the city on day trips or stay on one of the nearby islands.
Property is at a premium on Venice proper so you will be a paying a lot if you want to stay in the heart of the action. So when you do shell out that kind of cash for a romantic couple’s holiday, you want to make sure that you make the right decision.
Hotel All’Angelo
This photo of All’Angelo Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor
We stayed at the Hotel All’Angelo in San Marco very close to St Marks Square. It claims to be a 4 star hotel, but it felt more like a 2 to us. Our room had stains on the wall and even some sort of blood streak right by the key holder. The air conditioning didn’t work and the room had a downright dirty feel. To top it all off, the woman at reception was rude. We couldn’t get over just how horrible this hotel was. The frustration came when we thought about the cost.
We would expect more for $250 per night hotel, no matter what the location.
As we sipped on €9 Euro glasses of wine, which we were deceived into thinking were €3 glasses, we smelled the stench of the canal. We couldn’t tell if it was sewage or garbage but the entire lobby reeked of the sour aroma.
As Dave said though, “these people don’t care.” There will be another batch of unsuspecting tourists coming in the next day and filling up the rooms and they are not concerned if people have a good experience or not. They know that thousands of people come each year and will keep coming because it is Venice!
Apartment in Venice
Renting an apartment during your vacation takes a little more organization and leg work, but it can be the better option. Normally apartments are owned and run by independent families so they care a lot more about customer service and making sure that their clients are happy.
Armed with a phone number and emails from the apartment, we set out to find our key pick up. Naturally, being Venice we got lost. After over an hour of searching we finally found our apartment.
It was clean and quiet and located in the neighbourhood of San Palo. We figured that it must be a good spot since tour groups stopped regularly in front of our building to check out the square during the day we arrived.
Comparing the price of the two places, the apartment was by far the better option.
While breakfast wasn’t included, we did have a kitchen to be able to make our own meals. Eating out is the most expensive part of travel for us and to be able to hit the supermarket and buy some cured meats and cheeses with a bottle of wine is a huge savings. We never would have dreamt of eating in our room at Hotel All’Angelo, it was too dirty, but here at our apartment, we had a spotless kitchen and traditional living room.
I felt that the apartment was a little dark but at least it was very roomy and spacious. We had a kitchen, living room bedroom and bathroom.
We even were able to do laundry! When traveling, it is an excellent perk to be able to wash your clothes. The managers apartment was a floor below ours so whenever we had a question or problem we could ring their bell. We didnt’ have any problems except trying to work the laundry. We always seem to have problems working the washing machines in Europe. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve locked our clothes in the washer!
The Verdict of Apartment Rentals vs Hotels
Comparing the two places in Venice we were much happier with the apartment. It was farther away from the touristy area as we stayed in an area with a more local flair. Being off the beaten path and away from the crowds we enjoyed it more than being so close to all the crowds.
The owners of the apartment actually cared about us and talked to us. It had all the comforts of a hotel and more. They supplied us with towels, were available when we needed help and the location was central enough that we could walk everywhere.
While we do enjoy staying in hotels in many cities that we travel to, our vote is going to have to be for an apartment rental when traveling to Venice. The hotel just wasn’t up to par for the price. With an apartment rental you’ll have far better service and save money if you take advantage of the kitchen and laundry.
Check out HouseTrip to book your apartment rentals anywhere in the world. Also check out our apartment rental in Venice for great ideas on places to stay in Venice with House Trip.
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14 Responses to Apartment Rentals vs Hotel Stay in Venice
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Wow, sorry to hear you had such a bad hotel experience in Venice! I’m glad the apartment redeemed the accommodation situation. Next time, just stay with us! We’re only a short train ride from Venice.
Thanks Jennifer. I can’t believe we didn’t think of you! We knew that too. Next time we come to Venice (Aw wouldn’t it be nice to be able to go again:) we’ll be in touch!
OMG! Ok, we thought it was bad when we paid $50 for a hotel room that had blood on the walls! Disgusting! The apartment looks like a much better option. It also had the space we’d need to fit two kids into the picture. Love the kitchen and laundry, too!
Hi Ian and Wendy, You are right, apartments are a much better option for a family. Instead of having to book to hotel rooms for double the money, you can all stay in one big apartment. The apartment we stayed in in Venice slept 5 people.
I think I would choose apartments over hotels, only for the facilities that they offer. However, when I visited Venice I stayed in Hostels which I found were really quite good. They were a much cheaper option, and a great way to meet other travelers. It offset the amount of money that I spent on the Gelato!
Good point Elle. Hostels are a great way to meet other travelers and definitely good for those on a budget. Apartments are great for afterwards when you met those other travelers. YOu can then pool your money together and stay in an apartment that sleeps 4-8 people for a very affordable alternative.
I mostly prefer apartment for rental because I had a very bad experience in Venice. So I only prefer apartment on my stays.
Ooh, you had a bad experience in a Venice hotel too eh? I think that the hotels there are resting on their laurels too much. One day it will come back to haunt them. People may always flock to Venice, but you can’t treat people poorly and not care about customer service and survive forever. One day something will happen that will make them see the light.
HILARIOUS! We thought we we were the only ones to spend an hour looking for the property manager to get the key for our apartment rental in Venice. 2 boat rides and a couple of phone calls and we finally connected.
And we, too, had a panic attack the night before we left Rome when we couldn’t get our laundry out of the washer!
I agree, apartments are totally the way to go! And I heart Housetrip.
Haha, so good to know we weren’t the only ones. I believe you stayed in the same apartment in Rome. We got our clothes stuck in that one too! We always get our clothes stuck in the washer in Europe. We just don’t have the magic touch. And yes, if there is one drawback of the apartment rental it is having to go elsewhere to pick up the keys. I think that I will arrange to always pick up the keys at the apartment. Give them a time that we’ll be there and ask them to meet us then. If we didn’t have a cell phone we’d be in a bit of a pickle.
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I also prefer apartments because apartment rental is very cheaper than hotel rent. I also agree with your point regarding cooking. It gives us freedom to cook food according to our choice as well as saves money on eating in expensive restaurant outside.
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