The Benefits of Short Term Rental Barcelona Apartments

There is a large variety of short term rental Barcelona apartments available, both for visitors to Barcelona on vacation and to businesspersons attending exhibitions or conferences at one of the conference centres in Barcelona.  However, why should these people opt for rented accommodation rather than simply book a hotel room? Here are several reasons, both for and against rental apartments as opposed to hotel accommodation.

Price is a major reason, and although an apartment may be more expensive for a single person than a hotel room, it will certainly save money for a party sharing. Some Barcelona apartments can cost as much as 270 euros per night: that is expensive, and many people would consider themselves extremely lucky to be able to afford that level of expenditure for accommodation. But just stop and think for a moment.

Let’s assume that 6 people were sharing that apartment:  perhaps it has three bedrooms. Three couples would be paying 200 euros, or 45 euros each.  That’s less than a standard business hotel room.  That is the attraction of short term rental Barcelona apartments:  they can be less expensive than hotels for family holidays, or even business groups comprising people that can split between three or four bedrooms.

However, not all apartments are so expensive, and that example is an extreme one. If you are visiting Barcelona for a long weekend or city break or perhaps for a shopping spree in Spain or even a vacation for a week or two, you can get a two-bedroom apartment in Las Ramblas or Nou Rambla for less than 35 euros each!  Try getting a hotel room in Barcelona for less than 35 euros!

Of course, you might think, a hotel offers you so many amenities, such as a laundry service, a bar, a restaurant, room service and daily cleaning of your room:  even sometimes free tea and coffee making facilities. So what? Short term rental Barcelona apartments provide a fully fitted kitchen with all the tools, cooking equipment and crockery required to cook a meal. You can wake up and smell the coffee from a real coffee maker. You have a dishwasher to help you, and a washing machine, so your laundry is free.

OK, you will probably need to clean your own apartment, but so what?  You do that at home, but if you don’t want to do it, then you can generally have it done for you at a price. You have a TV, DVD and CD player in most apartments, and also a Jacuzzi (in luxury ones) and a terrace in which to enjoy the Spanish sun. Cots and cribs for the children, bedding and towels are all provided in the price, and many have an internet connection.

If you have your children with you, they can sleep in their own bedroom and you will know that they are safe, unlike if they had a separate hotel room.  You would always be worried about what they are doing. You can share everything as a family, and save money on food.  How much is it going to cost eating in restaurants for just one week?  You needn’t eat out all the time with short term rental Barcelona apartments, and in fact, you needn’t eat out at all:  you can cook all your own meals if you wish, of course.

That likely won’t suit business people, whose expenses will cover their meals, but for families on vacation it is a significant saving.  It would also allow you to get the experience of living like a Catalan - visiting the markets and local shops to purchase your food. Then cooking it according to traditional local recipes - that’s the way to visit Spain, not as a traditional tourist living in sanitized hotels, with westernized food.

When checking the prices of Barcelona apartments, keep in mind that they change according to the number of people. An apartment costing 92 euros for one person could be 100 for two and 120 for four, and so on.  The more people in party the more expensive the apartment becomes, but also the less expensive per person.

There is also a lot more room in an apartment.  Hotels are basically sleeping places, with lip service normally paid to the living space.  Not so with short term rental Barcelona apartments. You get plenty room:  generous bedrooms, a proper lounge and a kitchen.  These apartments are the same as others of the same design intended for private occupancy.

If you are concerned about where short term rental Barcelona apartments are situated, you needn’t be.  They are everywhere: in Nou Rambla right in the centre or Las Ramblas surrounded by the night-life, bars and restaurants, or right on Barcelona beach.  You might prefer the peace of Eixample or Sants, or for business people there are many short term rentals at Montjuic Hill or Plaza España. Whatever your reason for visiting Barcelona, you will find suitable accommodation for short term let.

Of course, there is more to decide between an apartment and hotel than just price, amenities and convenience, though they would be hard to find.  You can’t determine the standard of an apartment from is rating, as you can using the star rating applied to hotels, but generally, the more spend the better you get.

If you are unsure what time you will arrive at your apartment, check-in is normally around 2 pm to 3 pm, though there is no regulation on this, and you have to check out by around 11 am to noon.  This is not cast in stone, however, and you can often come to an arrangement for late checkout and early check-in. Luggage could be another problem with an apartment.

Whereas a hotel can keep your luggage for you until you need it, for example, before you can check in, or until you are ready for the next stage of your journey, such as the airport, you can’t do this with an apartment. However, there are places in Barcelona where you can leave luggage.  Depending on where your apartment is, the Sants train station and Estaçio de França railway station in Barceloneta have baggage storage facilities. So too does the Barcelona Nord bus station, but if you have to head for Barcelona International Airport, Terminal B also has a left luggage facility.

There are few doubts that short term rental Barcelona apartments offer excellent value when compared to hotels, particularly for groups such as families or business trips. Many prefer an apartment irrespective of cost benefits, due to the convenience of being able to cook your own food when needed, and the privacy that they offer. An apartment is, after all, just like your own home in that respect.