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View Poll Results: Your first choice of accommodation?
Hotel / Resort 140 72.92%
Rent a house or apartment (e.g. airbnb) 20 10.42%
Homestay at a local's place 21 10.94%
A friend's / relative's place 7 3.65%
SUV / Tent / Caravan / Outdoors 4 2.08%
Voters: 192. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 15th December 2016, 16:22   #16
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Have to grudgingly admit that the choice has been taken away from me post marriage, and is now almost always a resort. I can select any destination, as long as it leads to a nice resort with good reviews on tripadvisor

Have read some wonderful things about homestays on this forum, so that's something I would like to explore in future
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Old 15th December 2016, 17:52   #17
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Voted for Hotel/Resort since it depends on purpose of visit and time on hand.

A vacation is usually better spent relaxing at a resort away from the usual crowds and if the trip is for sight-seeing/visits to few places of interest, I'd opt for a hotel instead (if available, else a homestay). Example:A hotel near Hampi (Hospet/Tornagallu) will make a lot of sense as there's so much to see, you'd miss all of it if holed up at a resort!

A homestay is good option too, the ones in estates/farms give you a feeling of being in a resort (especially the location) with a home-like feel (especially the hosts/caretaker and the food).

Yet to try renting a house/serviced apartment.

Last edited by NPV : 15th December 2016 at 17:55.
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Old 15th December 2016, 17:53   #18
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Voted for Hotel/Resort.
I feel selecting a stay options depends a lot on the place you are visiting and the people you are with. Generally I prefer Hotels/Resorts when I'm on a holiday. A Safe Environment, Clean and tidy rooms, good hospitality is what I look for when selecting a place to stay.

However during our recent Kerala Trip, we chose Home Stays as we wanted to experience the local life and mainly the local cuisine. The experience was fantastic and we loved the hospitality of the owners.
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Old 15th December 2016, 18:21   #19
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Voted for Hotel/Resort.

I've mainly stayed in Hotels if it's for 1 night, a pilgrimage or in an intermediate stop- Eg. Darjeeling on my way to Gangtok.

I love Club Mahindra Resorts (Parents are members) and most of my vacations are at Club Mahindra.

I have to mention that Homestays in Estates in places like Coorg and Waynad are worth it.

Campming with like-minded friends is fun. I don't drive to a camp spot, just take a bus or a train.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post

My first choice is renting a house. Reasons:
What's your source of renting properties?

And has anyone used Airbnb? I've heard reviews from relatives in the US, but never tried to use it in India.
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Old 15th December 2016, 18:26   #20
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Quote:
Originally Posted by landcruiser123 View Post
What's your source of renting properties?
Most of the times its word of mouth.

Another thing I have noticed is that Renting out Bungalows is immensely popular in Mumbai-Lonavala-Pune areas - Big time.

I have been part of one such get together near Badlapur, not the movie and yes the place exists near Mumbai.

It was simply a very well managed show - We were easily more than 20 members and 10 cars. We had hired a cook who cooked all the food (for Dinner) and Breakfast for the next day. I quite liked the idea and it worked brilliantly in terms of cost factor too.

Last edited by bblost : 16th December 2016 at 12:26. Reason: as requested
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Old 15th December 2016, 19:38   #21
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Although I voted for homestay, I would agree with paragsachania that the choice of stay boils down to who you are traveling with and also the destination.

During my college days we preferred home stays and hotels in my numerous trips to Alibaug and Konkan area of Maharashtra and also at most locations in Karnataka and TN.

Post wedding and on outings with family, I prefer a resort with good ratings in tourist locations.

For the metros its mostly serviced apartments for the availability of a kitchen. Or else Ginger/Formulae1/vits type of hotels.

Have not tried airbnb yet. But many in my circle tell me its good, particularly when traveling abroad.
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Old 15th December 2016, 22:47   #22
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

At least in HP & UK I prefer homestays over the hotels/resort. I understand it comes with its own limitations but I personally feel it's worth it

Here are the 2 beautiful homestays we stayed in this year.

Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?-fagu.jpg

Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?-img_20160618_153426.jpg

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Old 15th December 2016, 23:15   #23
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

As an avid tourer, here's my takes:

Hotels/Lodges - For overnight halts, sightseeing heavy trips. It is very flexible when your entry, exit timings are odd timings. Odd arrival timings are a norm on my drive trips. Have heavily used this option.

Resorts - Very rare. Unless we are lazing around in one place for a few days. Have used this only 3 or 4 times in 9 years.

Apartments - Extremely rare. Also this has been mostly in Europe. Used only in super expensive cities, where renting an apartment works out much cheaper than hotels. For example: In Paris we stayed in an apartment for 130€ a night which was 2 mins from a metro, where hotels with good ratings and metro proximity were north of 200€. In super expensive places, it also gives you the flexibility to cook, at the bare minimum to finish your breakfast in under 5€ than spending 15-20 odd € in a coffee shop.

No experience with homestays, so can't comment.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbohead View Post
Voted: stay with relatives. I'm surprised there aren't many votes for this as I type.
This would work if you are single. Or one family visiting another family at best. Multiple families with kids visiting in another relative's place does not work. Too many variables involved

Personally, visiting a friend's place has worked out better than visiting a relative's place. This am talking with a family with 2 kids in tow.
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Old 15th December 2016, 23:24   #24
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Voted for Hotel/ Resort. Choosing between hotel and resort depends on the place and the purpose of our visit. If we don't want to move around and plan to spend leisurely reading books, we prefer Resorts. When the priority is visiting places, a good hotel with car parking will be our choice.

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Old 16th December 2016, 11:23   #25
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Voted for Hotel/Resort because that's where we eventually end up.
Again, these choices are purely based on the kind of company we are travelling with.
But personally, I prefer HomeStays. More attention, lesser crowds, more independence.
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Old 16th December 2016, 12:05   #26
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

3rd generation of avid travelers to Himalayas. In Himachal, its always Forest Rest Houses especially in mountain jungles built by British.

In Uttarakhand, any comfortable hotel belonging to a chain (like sarovar portico in Badrinath) is primary concern, then comes the destination features.

Govt. tourism lodging/boarding (GMVN/KMVN) have deteriorated too much over the years. Location is no longer only factor with age, comfort and safety are more important.

Last edited by GTO : 16th December 2016 at 12:15. Reason: Typo
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Old 16th December 2016, 12:20   #27
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat View Post
Are there any other aggregators like airbnb.in ?
All the big travel websites have jumped on the bandwagon; have seen bungalows on MakeMyTrip, TripAdvisor etc.

But Airbnb remains the king. It offers the best experience .

Quote:
Originally Posted by landcruiser123 View Post
What's your source of renting properties?
Mostly word of mouth or contacts built over the years. That said, we've started using airbnb now and have had a pleasant experience.

Quote:
Originally Posted by paragsachania View Post
Another things I have noticed is that Renting out Bungalows is immensely popular in Mumbai-Lonavala-Pune areas - Big time.
You said it! Include Mahabaleshwar also in the list.

Quote:
Originally Posted by narayans80 View Post
Apartments - Extremely rare. Also this has been mostly in Europe. Used only in super expensive cities, where renting an apartment works out much cheaper than hotels. For example: In Paris we stayed in an apartment for 130€ a night which was 2 mins from a metro, where hotels with good ratings and metro proximity were north of 200€. In super expensive places, it also gives you the flexibility to cook, at the bare minimum to finish your breakfast in under 5€ than spending 15-20 odd € in a coffee shop.
Fully agreed. Renting an apartment abroad is so much cheaper than a hotel.
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Old 16th December 2016, 14:20   #28
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

My vote was for resort since that is the option I have used most of the time. But as mentioned by many, it largely depends on many entities like whether your are traveling with a group, family, vacation etc. Moreover the place matters a lot, I would prefer a homestay in place like to Coorg just because of the culture and variety of Coorg cuisine it can offer, but I may prefer a resort in Munnar for the environment it can offer. I have done my share of outdoor camping while aboard, but may not do it in India for various reasons. I had stayed with friends and relatives while on travelling abroad a shoestring budget.

To sum it up, I feel the choice is not fixed and will be situation dependent
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Old 16th December 2016, 19:33   #29
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Voted for home stays. I prefer the explore the local food and culture. sometime we get get to see pet animals in the home stays and the kids enjoy so much.
Options to prepare the foods for your liking. Not to forget that we get all in low budget.
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Old 17th December 2016, 16:34   #30
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Re: Holiday Stay Options: Hotel, House Rental, Homestay or someplace else?

Hotel/Resort.
Resorts are preferred ahead of hotels as it will have green trees and enough space for evening stroll. As i normally go with my family, my kid will enjoy the garden & play area. Just in case if we could not go out for any reason, a resort will help to pass time than a hotel (it helped on an uexpected rainy day). Renting a house/apartment is cost effective while going with a bigger group where you may need many rooms and a common area to get together. While only once i tried Homestay (in Coorg), my experience had taught me not to opt for relative's place. They have to make arrangements, i had to adjust to their routines & vice verasa, out choice of food could strain them, could not come late and disturb them etc.
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