Since we arrived in Europe in November of 2017 we have lived in 16 different cities in as many apartments. Many people ask us how we find our apartments and if we are comfortable in them. They are also curious about what the apartments look like and what kind of features they have. This should answer those questions.
We found most of our apartments on Airbnb. We have also used HomeAway for a few, SabbaticalHomes for one and Booking.com for one. Unlike most sites SabbaticalHomes doesn’t support the use of credit cards. We’ve found trying to wire money or use PayPal inconvenient and expensive. Airbnb tends to have more choices with better prices.
The question most frequently asked is, “Are the apartments clean?” The answer is yes. So far we have been very lucky. The bathrooms and kitchens have been very clean. We always do a check for bedbugs before unpacking, as well. I always do an initial clean of the dishes, glasses, pots, pans and utensils before we use them. Sometimes they are not always one hundred percent as clean as I would like. People seem to forget to clean the bottom of plates, pans, etc. and I prefer them to be clean when I stack them.😊. Sometimes the dish sponge provided looks a little dirty so we just bring our own now. Sponges aren’t heavy to pack and I like a nice, clean sponge. We leave the new sponge as a parting gift. The websites ask you to review the apartments when you leave and most of our hosts really care about getting positive feedback. (The hosts get to review us and those reviews appear on our profile with the website. So far we have had stellar reviews. We are very goal oriented.😉)
We choose our apartments based on location, price and amenities. We like to be in the center of town or close to the Old Town/tourist area. The price of the apartment is related to location so we have, on occasion, had to take an apartment slightly farther away from our desired location in order to stay on budget. Our minimum requirements are a working kitchen, hot water, a washing machine and WiFi.
Most of our apartments have been one bedroom apartments. To stay on budget we took a studio apartment in Dresden, Germany and Zadar, Croatia. We were only there for a short time and both were very spacious so it wasn’t uncomfortable. (Germany, in particular, is rather more expensive than the other places we have visited on this trip.) We had a lovely two bedroom apartment in Sofia, Brasov, Zagreb and Pula.
We try to avoid buildings with lots of stairs to climb. Many of the older buildings don’t have elevators so on at least six occasions we’ve had to climb stairs. The worst climb was our apartment in Prague. We were on the third floor (fourth floor for you Americans) and there were 100 stairs! Arriving and departing with our suitcases was the worst part of that stay. We did have to climb four flights of stairs in Kraków, Brasov and Zagreb but there were fewer stairs. It didn’t seem as challenging.
The hosts provide most everything we need in the kitchen. That includes dishes, glasses, utensils, pots, pans, coffee maker, microwave and dish towels. Several apartments did not have a vegetable peeler or a corkscrew. We purchased inexpensive ones and carry them with us. I guess we consider them essential. (We had trouble finding Ziploc bags in Rome and Bulgaria so when we found them in Budapest we bought quite a few and carry them with us, too.)
We have had several small kitchens in our NYC apartments but most of the European ones are even smaller. They use space really well and fit in as many appliances as possible. However, that usually means there is very little counter space and the sinks are very small and shallow. You can easily get a shower by turning the kitchen water on with too much pressure. It is best to make slow, deliberate movements in a tiny kitchen to avoid spilling or burning something.
(Compact Kitchen)
The refrigerators are usually small for the same space consideration. Some have been like dorm fridges in the US. We did have a nice big refrigerator in our Budapest apartment. We usually shop for groceries every other day so we really haven’t had many issues.
We have had electric stoves in most places. We have found that the stoves in Croatia are gas, so far. One of them had a propane bottle under the sink. They don’t have automatic ignition so you have to light the burners each time with a lighter. All the stoves have worked very well except for the hot plate in Kraków. That was difficult to regulate. The whole device, not just the burner, got very hot.
A few places have had wet rooms for bathrooms (the whole room is a shower with a drain in the floor). You have to get use to it but it isn’t too bad. You just have to dry the room after you shower unless you want to sit on a wet toilet seat. Several other places have had showers and/or tubs with just a hand held shower head. We prefer a shower head that can be attached to the wall high enough to stand under.
Most of the apartments have a hot water tank somewhere in the apartment. We discovered in Rome that you have to be very sure where the switch is for the tank or you could accidentally turn it off and end up with no hot water. Many of the tanks are directly over the bathtub. They are often low and take up a lot of space. This makes the usable showering space even less. Again, it is better to move slowly to avoid bumping your head or hands. It is also a little disconcerting to see the electrical wires to the heater over the bathtub. So far so good but I don’t think that would be up to code in the US.
(Shower with Water Heater)
In addition to washers some of our apartments have also had dryers. This is a great luxury. The apartments in Sofia and Budapest had combination washer/dryer. The apartment in Dresden had a separate washer and dryer but they were in the basement of the building. There usually aren’t any words on the controls and the symbols used by every manufacturer are a little different but over time we’ve learned what they mean. A few hosts have left instructions for us and that was greatly appreciated.
The hosts usually provide laundry detergent, however, it is always heavily scented. Marc is particularly sensitive to scented products so we buy our own whenever possible. We have found it difficult to find unscented products in the areas of Eastern Europe we have visited. We finally found a product in a DM store. (DM is a German company with stores in every city we have visited in Eastern Europe so far. They are similar to a Walgreens or CVS in the US.) The detergent is DM’s own brand.
(Arf Brand Cleaner)
Another great luxury is a dishwasher. We had a dishwasher in our apartment in Sofia, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw and Brasov. We usually eat breakfast and dinner in the apartment so it is very nice to have this. Again, the hosts usually provide the detergent. They also provide other cleaning products like dishwashing liquid, bathroom cleaners and kitchen cleaners. We are not required to clean but it is nice to have these products so we can clean when we like. Our apartment in Prague actually came with a free cleaning service! Most apartments also have vacuum cleaners. Cleaning products have interesting names and descriptions in Eastern Europe. Mr. Clean is called Mr. Proper here.
(Mr/Meister Proper)
All the apartments we have rented have had some kind of TV service except the apartment in Dresden where there was no TV. They have either cable or satellite providers. We don’t watch TV unless there are programs in English. Most places have had at least one or two channels with English programming. The programs range from old movies and TV shows from the 70s to programs from a season ago from American TV to many shows from BBC. We haven’t gotten any recent TV shows from the US. The apartments in Budapest and Prague had Netflix.
Many of the buildings in which our apartments were located looked somewhat rundown. There were places with darkened hallways, damaged plaster on the walls and suspicious wires hanging down. Many of them could use a coat of paint but we learned not to judge a book by its cover. The apartments were usually beautifully renovated, comfortable and safe. So far we have never had a problem with safety or bugs or mice.
A number of our places had very nice views either from the apartment or from the balcony. The best ones were in Brasov with a view of Tampa Mountain, Zagreb with a view of the Cathedral and Belgrade with a view of the Clock Tower in Kalemegdan Park.
(Zagreb Cathedral)
Several people have asked us what our favorite apartment has been. I think our favorite apartment was in Budapest. It was in a great location, just a few blocks from the Danube, with a supermarket and great coffee shop right next door. It had an elevator that wasn’t scary to use, a dishwasher, a washer/dryer, satellite TV, a free Netflix account, a comfortable sofa, a shower head on the wall and even a smartphone for our use. Even though it was a one bedroom there was plenty of room for us. Unfortunately, we were their last guests. They sold the apartment.☹️
We have found a distinct difference between apartments with hosts who rent their apartments as a business as opposed to people who occasionally rent their homes when they are away. In the former case the apartments are setup for efficient use of space and have little or no clutter to get in the way. These people count on getting good reviews to further their business and so often go the extra mile to make you feel comfortable.
So far we have had great luck with our accommodations. On this trip we have traveled mostly in Eastern Europe and we hope these trends continue as we travel to other parts of the world.