We love staying in apartments rather than hotels when we travel. They often don’t cost much more than a hotel room but you have lots more space, privacy, a couch to relax on, and a kitchen to cook your own meals and save even more money. As long term travellers we really like the fact that an apartment rental feels much more like home than a hotel room.
It can be difficult to find short-term apartment rentals when you are travelling though, so we were happy to discover the Roomorama website. Roomorama lists short-term apartment rentals around the world where you can rent direct from the owner.
I tend to drive myself crazy comparing all the options when looking for accommodation but the site makes researching easy―you can choose your location, dates, price range, neighbourhood, amenities and whether you’d prefer an entire apartment to yourself or just a room in someone’s house.
I usually choose an apartment and amenities such as a kitchen, wireless internet, bed linen and towels, a washing machine, air conditioning and a swimming pool. Once you have chosen your criteria the site shows the properties that meet them – in a list or on a map. I like to sort the options by Price (Low to High) to see the best value options. If nothing is available for your dates and budget then you’ll need to reduce the number of criteria.
Once you’ve found a property you like then hit the “Inquire Now” button to check the availability. In our experience the availability calendars on the site are not always kept up to date by owners so its best to contact a few different properties to increase your chances of finding one available.
Once the owner has confirmed availability the Roomorama booking process is very easy. You pay online by credit card or Paypal and payment is kept by Roomorama until you have checked in and handed the owner a payment code, so you feel very secure.
We have loved our experiences renting Roomorama apartments around the world (in Thailand and in Italy), not only because it’s easy to use, great value and more comfortable than a hotel room, but because it allows you the opportunity to live like a local. The properties we have rented have been in untouristy neighbourhoods where we’ve been able to experience local life, shop at the markets and cook in our kitchen. The owners have always been very friendly and happy to provide tips on the local area.
There are currently 1187 properties listed in India and although there aren’t a huge number in Kerala there are a number of interesting options with rates from $20 a night for a double room and it could be a a good way of finding a home stay. Have a browse on Roomorama for yourself and you might find a great alternative to a hotel for your India trip.