Holiday rentals - why???

[Bonsoir]

We were away last weekend and popped in to visit some friends who were staying a fortnight at the same seaside location.

They have rented a massive house on the beach for the whole two weeks, with another family. Because the house is big, they have taken their Filipina cleaning lady with them.

Why oh why do people like having holidays in (a) other people's horrible furniture and possessions (b) having a cleaner living with them the whole time. It's quite beyond me.

A nicely decorated hotel with staff who disappear gets my vote every time....

If you are in a hotel you are still using someone else's furniture!

We are renting a villa for our holiday this year as we want to have lots of space and comfort, a hotel room is no good with 2 adults and 2 children. The villa we are renting is beautifully furnished, I wouldn't choose somewhere that looked horrible.

I don't have a cleaning woman (if only!) but I'm sure if I did I wouldn't take her on holiday with me. I know people who take nannies to look after their children while they are away too and I can't see the point of that either.

I hate hotels with children with a passion. Give me a house or cottage any day preferably detached and then you don't have to listen to other people coming in at some ungodly hour, banging doors, toilets flushing, or worse walls so thin you can hear the next door occupants snoring or hmmmm doing something else.

And I have stayed in grotty horrible hotels up to 5 star and they are all noisy.

Ooh no. Hotels far too claustrophobic. We're in a lovely villa with a pool all to ourselves. The dc can wander around the garden without me worrying about them. No eating in restaurant dramas. Holidays with small children are not relaxing (unless you take a nanny with you ) but this is about as relaxing as I can make it.

I intensely dislike hotels . Am always aware there are people sleeping in rooms either side, above and below me, plus wandering past the door. I don't have this at home and hate it on holiday. Cottage or whatever gets my vote every time.

Agree with Franke. Choose a villa or apartment that it NICER than home. Cleaned on arrival, sometimes mid week and when you leave. Kids can loll in bed all day (teenagers ) pool to yourself and you can walk around looking any-old-how.

Hotels=other people! (anti-social emoticon)

Another Villa vote here! Different when we were just a couple but as a family , Villa's are great. We always stay in a contemporary beautifully furnished places-wouldn't pay to stay somewhere horrible.
My rule for a villa is book somewhere that is as nice or nicer than your home thats part of the luxury of being on holiday staying in a lovely place.
No fights for sunbed space -we will just go to our pool when we choose, kids have plenty of space and no avoiding annoying people around the pool (we too can be a bit anti social on holiday!

I like both We've done 10 days in a lovely hotel this year, every whim catered for, and are doing a week in a rental next month. That will be more laid back and flexible, we'll have the pool to ourselves, and won't have to pay 2euro+ for every coke we drink . We can also put the kids to bed and sit outside with a drink, often harder in a hotel.

Love the flexibility of a villa- and I have always stayed in lovely ones!
For me, where I saty on holiday has to have every thing I have at home ie dishwasher, washing machine, good cooker, big fridge...and lots of space. A bedroom for each and at least 2 bathrooms.
I'd hate a cleaner "living in" .

I once lived in a hotel for 6 months. It was hell, tbh (and this was a 5 star job0. very stifling.

we always go with villa rentals now as the dds are multiple food intolerant, and we cannot get food that is safe for them to eat easily in hotels. so we go self catering - lots less stress than wondering whether there will be anything that your autistic 5 year old can eat for 2 weeks...

Def rentals. With kids it's so hard in a hotel (worrying about not being able to have a drink in the evenings etc). In a gite we can put kids to bed then have a glass in peace and quiet without worrying about them.

And yes, we're a little antisocial on holiday too!