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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Postcard from Mallorca: our Palma apartment

When my co-writer and photo- grapher husband Terry and I aren't on the road doing research, and therefore don't need to move hotels every night or two, we prefer to try a few hotels in a city and then spend the rest of the time in an apartment. If we're working on a city guidebook for big cities such as Buenos Aires or Amsterdam or Milan, then we might spend a couple of months or more holed up in a place, pounding the pavements most days, writing in the afternoons and evenings, then heading out at night to try restaurants and bars. Our aim during these stints is to live like locals and get to know the locals as much as we can so we can find those hidden gems only locals and expats know about. Mallorca has been no different, except, because the island is small, we've spent just a couple of weeks in the city of Palma, and the rest of the time on the road, driving around the island. We spent two weeks in this sprawling, rustic-chic apartment in a renovated historic building in the old city owned by a lovely man (a former fashion designer) who has as much character and charm as the atmospheric accommodation he rents out. I found the place on Owners Direct, an excellent site which (along with vrbo.com) I've used all over the world and absolutely love because there's no middle man. You can check them both out here. Is renting apartments something you do when travelling? And how often would you rent and why?

8 comments:

Sherri said...

Now that we have a little girl we really like to rent. Before we had CC we stayed in B&B's or hotels and in my younger days hostels.

In the last 2 years If we've stayed a week or longer we've rented. Next week were renting a beach house in Hawaii that we found through VRBO.

jessiev said...

we usually rent - it makes so much of a difference (esp with a child)!...your new apt is so pretty!

mina said...

The short-term apartments I have stayed at during my travels have been some of the most beautiful accomodations I have had. They have also been incredibly cost efficient compare to hotels. I just found your site today, your list of publications is impressive!

Team Rees said...

Nice digs! We've rented apartments in the states on vacation... it's often so much cheap and we have lots of space as a result. In Amsterdam we gave up on the tiny hotel rooms for big bucks and rented a houseboat from a local bike rental shop. It was incredibly posh and we loved walking home every night. It saved us money on breakfast and snacks and we really felt at home in the city.

Lola said...

Very nice! Love the simple decor

Jamie said...

I'm getting ready to start out on my 'round the world trip and I've been contemplating the idea of renting apartments. I don't want to rush through a country, and I believe that the more you force yourself into the countries local scene, the more enjoyable the country will be.

And living in an apartment as opposed to a hotel does that for sure.

Lara Dunston said...

Hi all

Thanks so much for the comments! Sorry for the delay in acknowledging - I've been on the road in Mallorca. I'm so glad you all agree. Don't get me wrong, I love a good boutique hotel, as I'm sure Tamara would agree, but there's something about renting an apartment and taking soaking up the vibe of a city more slowly, as Jamie has suggested, isn't there?

Anonymous said...

I experienced renting an apartment only recently in Vienna, and I found that option absolutely fantastic. It's completely different being in a house, because on one hand you feel @home, but also part of the place you are visiting. Also, I don't know why but I cannot associate a hotel room with relax.
So I will certainly choose the apartment option as much as possible in the future. I also visited the sites you mentioned for aprtment renting and they are absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing. I would like to include them in one of my future posts as well as your blog.
Cheers!