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For a city break with style, hire a hot apartment in a
cool part of town, says Mark Hodson
Why pay a lot of money for a boring citycentre hotel when
you could stay in a spacious house or apartment in an
atmospheric neighbourhood, often for much less?
The advantages of renting your very own city pad
are endless. You’re not in the tourist quarter — you’re
hanging with the locals. You’re not prepaying for a
bog-standard hotel breakfast — you’re getting your own
from the cool little deli round the corner. You’re not
having to tip the porter, the bell-hop, the cleaner —
you’re left in peace in your own private home from home.
Okay, there’s no concierge and no 24-hour room service —
so pack your own concierge (it’s called a guidebook) and
put some midnight munchies in the fridge when you arrive.
No problem.
In the past, organising such a holiday has been
tricky. Homeowners want renters to stay for months rather
than days, and tour companies find it easier to book rooms
in hotels than in private properties. But the internet has
made the whole process easier and more flexible, and some
operators are catching on, offering weekend breaks in
locations close to the beating hearts of cities — places
where you will have a thrilling, authentic experience at a
decent price.
Most visitors to Amsterdam find themselves strolling along
the canals, admiring the historic houseboats and wondering
what it must be like to live in one. Inside, many are
surprisingly comfortable, spacious and well equipped — and
some are available for short lets.
From water level, a new Amsterdam opens up to the
visitor. There is a camaraderie among those who live on
the canals, and the scenery changes as you notice passing
boats rather than cars.
It is no use asking a tour operator to find you a
houseboat. Instead, try Amsterdam Houseboat (00 316 538 30
105, www.amsterdamhouseboat.nl), which has a spacious boat
with central heating and fully equipped kitchen on a
quiet stretch of canal just a few minutes’ walk from the
cafes and restaurants on Nieuwmarkt. Two people pay a
total of £94 per night, with a minimum stay of three
nights. Getting there: Basiqair (020 7365 4997,
www.basiqair.com) flies to Amsterdam from Stansted; from
£49. Or try KLM (0870 507 4074, www.klm. com), which flies
to Amsterdam from 14 UK airports, including Birmingham,
Edinburgh and Leeds/Bradford; from £89.
A SMART APARTMENT IN RIO
First-time visitors to Rio tend to head straight to
Copacabana beach. The Brazilian bourgeoisie, however, far
prefer the discreet charm of Ipanema (yes, the place
Frank’s famous girl was from), which has a pristine beach
where beautiful people preen themselves from dawn to dusk.
This is the city’s most desirable neighbourhood, and the
acme of sophistication is a spacious apartment close to
the seafront.
Such apartments are available for rent, and at much
lower prices than those charged by neighbouring hotels.
For instance, Rio Apartments (00 55 21 2235 7180, www.
rioapartments.com), a Swedishrun company, has more than 80
properties across the city, including a handsome
three-bedroom flat half a block from the beach at Ipanema.
It costs just £75 per day — between six people, that’s a
mere £12.50 each.
Fashionable bars, restaurants, shops and markets
are all within easy walking distance. The minimum rental
period is three days — but that’s about the right amount
of time to get to grips with one of the world’s great
cities. Getting there: Trailfinders (020 7938 3939,
www.trailfinders. com) has flights to Rio from Heathrow
with British Airways for £454 (book by October 7), and
from Manchester via Madrid with Iberia from £512.
Given the exorbitant prices that hotels charge in Venice,
can you imagine what it could cost to rent your own
16th-century palazzetto in the most fashionable
residential district of San Marco? Answer: not that much.
Sansovino is a unique apartment that takes up the
top two floors of this historic building, and sleeps six
people in comfort. It is named after the Venetian designer
and architect said to be responsible for the spectacular
woodcarved ceiling in the dining room. The location is
superb: just 100 yards from a vaporetto stop on the Grand
Canal, which gives easy access to the whole city.
And the cost? It’s £980 per week for the whole
threebedroom apartment, which means six people sharing
will each pay just £23.33 per night. For further details,
visit www. holiday-rentals.com/index.cfm/
property/6914.cfm. Getting there: EasyJet (0870 600 0000,
www.easyjet.com) flies from Stansted to Venice Marco Polo;
from about £45. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www. ryanair.com)
flies from Stansted to Treviso, 10 miles from Venice; from
£38.
A HISTORIC HOUSE IN DUBROVNIK
Enclosed by high walls and overlooking the clear blue
waters of the Adriatic, the medieval heart of Dubrovnik
has been beautifully restored, and is now one of Europe’s
most striking fortified cities. Because of a shortage of
hotels —most of which lie outside the old town — local
people have been encouraged to open their doors to guests,
and this is becoming an increasingly popular way to soak
up the Croatian city’s unique atmosphere.
Through the tourist office (00 385 20 323350),
double rooms in high season can be rented for £22 per
night; but by splashing out £27, you can get yourself a
self-contained apartment for two.
Better still, the specialist tour operator Simply
Travel (020 8541 2211, www.simplytravel. com), offers a
handsome two-bedroom house that predates 1667, when the
city was devastated by an earthquake. Karmen’s House is
near the cathedral and a short stroll from the morning
market, where local women sell fruit, vegetables, cheeses,
fish, figs and huge bunches of lilies. Dubrovnik’s palaces
and monasteries are also nearby.
A week’s self-catering starts at £445pp, based on
four people sharing and including return flights from
Gatwick and airport transfers. Departures from Birmingham
and Manchester are also available. Getting there: Croatia
Airlines (020 8563 0022, www. croatiaairlines.hr) flies
direct from Gatwick and Manchester; from £265.
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Corbis, Photobank, Imagestock
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Come back to your place: take a town house in
Manhattan, a palazzo within paddling distance of San
Marco or Karmen’s House, a private residence just
round the corner from Dubrovnik’s cathedral
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A RIAD IN MARRAKESH
Marrakesh laid down the template for authentic city living
when groups of artists and designers started buying up
traditional riads, converting them into plush homes and
renting them out. Today, many of the riads that feature in
brochures are, in truth, boutique hotels, albeit very
pleasant ones.
There are, however, some in the medina that retain
the look and feel of an opulent private house, suitable
for a group of friends or a couple of families. One of the
best is Les Yeux Bleus (00 212 44 37 81 61, despin@wanadoo.net.ma),
which has five stylish double rooms, set around a
courtyard with a small pool, and an attractive rooftop
terrace with views across the medina.
Expertly renovated by its French owner, Jocelyne
Despin, it costs £456 per night to rent. Or book through
Best of Morocco (01380 828533, www.morocco-travel.com),
which has four nights, B&B, from £572pp, including flights
and transfers. Getting there: British Airways (0870 850
9850, www.ba.com) flies to Marrakesh from Heathrow and
Gatwick; from £199 if booked by October 7.
A LOFT IN PARIS
Paris has long been the city of lovers, but wouldn’t it be
even more romantic if, rather than staying at a
nondescript three-star hotel, you could rent a loft in
Montmartre? You could gaze out across the city at night
and fantasise that you are Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge.
Not that your loft need be a dingy garret. Holiday
Rentals (www.holiday-rentals.com/ index.cfm/property/8755.cfm)
has a huge open-plan loft apartment near the Moulin Rouge
club, with two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a private
garden and gorgeous views. It is available yearround, with
a minimum stay of just three days.
And the cost? About £125 per night — which, with
the maximum of six people staying, works out at just
£21.66 per person. You’d never get a decent hotel here for
that price. Getting there: Eurostar (0870 518 6186,
www.eurostar.co.uk) has returns to Paris Gare du Nord from
Waterloo; from £59. EasyJet (0870 600 0000,
www.easyjet.com) flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle from
Luton, Liverpool and Newcastle; from £39. Ryanair (0871
246 0000, www.ryanair.com) flies to Paris Beauvais from
Glasgow (from £40), Dublin (from €67) and Shannon (from
€98).
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