One of the things that was a constant source of stress during my adventure was finding places to stay where I wouldn't get mugged, attacked by killer cochroaches or kidnapped by aliens. Turns out that for the most part, I really didn't need to worry. During my travels, I only encountered a couple of somewhat questionable places and even they weren't that bad.
I used three different types of lodging -- people's apartments or cottages (airbnb.com or france-gites.com), bed and breakfasts (booking.com) and hotels (booking.com). Each had its own strengths/weaknesses. When I was going to be somewhere for two or more nights, I tried finding an apartment/cottage -- leaving the other options for fill-ins when doing a short stay.
Apartments/Cottages: Advantages
One of my primary goals for the journey was to get to meet "real" people, not people whose livelihoods depended upon tourism-- and maybe "I found what I was looking for" -- there's a big difference between the two groups -- the people I stayed with thru airbnb ranged from retirees to winemakers to college professors to office workers to artists to medical professionals to government workers -- in other words a real cross-section of ordinary people just trying to make a few extra euros. Most of them were as interested in getting to know me as I was in getting to know them -- and many times it was hard to pack up and say goodbye, knowing I'd probably never see them again. They were more than willing to recommend places to go or to avoid (restaurants, shopping, local attractions, off-the-beaten path curiousities) and almost without fail, they were spot-on and I did things I otherwise would have missed. B&B's were a distant second, and hotels, with a few exceptions, were pretty bad on this count.
The apartment/cottage option provided significantly more spacious accomodations than either of the other two options -- many times I had an entire house (2-3 bedrooms, LR, DR, 2 BA and a patio or balconey to myself. Costwise, I tried to stay in a middle-range place which in most cases was less than either a B&B or a hotel wouldn've been. Staying in an apartment/cottage also allowed me to prepare my own meals -- which meant I got to go shopping at local groceries, supermarkets, and small boulangeries, vegetable markets and boucheries -- pretty much as a local would -- adding to my getting to experience what life was like for the typical local.
This type of accomodation also occasionally provided me with the opportunity to do a laundry -- a real luxury when you're on the road -- laundromats are rare in Europe with large cities having maybe one or two and smaller villages having zero. Full service cleaners -- where they'll wash, dry and fold your clothes are more common but can be pricey (10# of clothes for 18 euros without ironing). The only other option is washing clothes in the sink and draping them over towel warmers, the odd radiator or metal chairs -- hoping they'll dry before you have to pack-up and move on to your next destination. While it may sound quaint, doing a lanudry in Europe is really a PIA!
An apartment/cottage also affords you the opportunity to have a private outdoor area (balcony, patio or garden) where you cn lounge or take your meals -- a wonderful luxury after a long day of sight-seeing!
Apartments/Cottages: Downsides
Apartments/cottages are not a perfect alternative -- yoiu're relying on a brief description and some photos -- and some people are pretty good at "putting lipstick on a pig"! Once you book the place, you get what you get, for better or worse -- unless it's outrageously misrepresented, there's no one to complain to like there might be at a hotel. Most landlords put a positive spin on their descriptions -- "parking available on the street" can translate into "there are parking spaces but you'll never see one because they're in such demand" or "sure, they're available if you have a tiny two-seater vehicle"; "close to clubs and nightlife" might translate into "the place is located acrosss the street from an all-night venue blaring techno music so loud you can feel it through the walls" or "there are so many aggressive street people coming and going that you'll probably want to block your apartment's front door with a large dresser each night". Bottom-line -- you need to be somewhat jaded/skeptical when looking for a place.
Apartments/cottages are also not necessaarily decorated in the way you might prefer -- the majority of places are an extention of the host's home which may feature blue and yellow plastic wall tiles from the 1960's in the kitchen or a stuffed cows-head in the living room -- others may be extremely functional with zero in the way of decorations. Most are pretty clean but as they say "cleanliness is in the eye of the beholder" -- one place had me wondering if they washed the linens or merely re-made the bed from the previous visitors -- kind of an "icky" feeling. None of this is likely to be an issue at a B&B or hotel.
Locating/Arriving at an apartment/cottage is almost always an experience -- they almost never have signs announcing their presence -- and as I've mentioned in other journal entries, street signs in Europe are a rarity and forget trying to understand their house numbering system (if it even has a number). You need to be sure you get detailed directions as many places are "out in the country" or on small neighborhood streets -- it's a good thing guns are not widespread in Europe as there were a number of times I pulled into a place anxious as to whether or not I'd be looking down the barrel of a shotgun because I had made a mistake with the directions. Twice I actually had to get out of my vehicle and open/close cow pasture gates to get to where I was staying. On the other hand, it seems Europeans are a little more used to strangers being lost and stoping to ask for directions -- unlike in the US where you're sometimes putting your life on the line by driving down a farmhouse driveway. Again, B&B's tend to be a little better marked and hotels (while they can be) are not usually a problem.
Lastly, checking into an apartment/cottage can be more time-consuming -- each is unique so the host needs to show you around, explaining where things are and how they operate (tv's, showers, kitchen appliances, washers/dryers, alarm systems, door locks, recycling requirements) -- as very little is standard in Europe. Checking out will also take more time as you need to "tidy-up" the place (or have a substantial cleaning fee tacked-on), take out the garbage/recycling, return the keys, open/close windows and pack-up your unused groceries. B&B's and hotels -- much quicker coming and leaving.
B&B Advantages:
Typically no "minimun" number of night you need to stay and "booking" online is usually instantaneous -- with apartments/cottages you may need to "make a request to stay" and then have the host "approve you to stay", which can take a day or two (and may result in no response at all which puts you back at "square one" for accomodations for that time period).
B&B's are often in "nicer/more convenient" areas and are professionally run (a more consistant experience than staying in a variety of people's homes) and will typically have amenities such as parking, soap/shampoo/nice towels, A/C and heating, nicely decorated rooms, cleaner rooms, free coffee/tea, etc.... Hotels are slightly less likely to have free parking or free coffee/tea, room decor can vary and rooms are only as clean as housekeeping is conscientious.
Plus, obviously, you get breakfast at a B&B, and, typically a pretty good one featuring local produce, baked items, area specialities.
B&B Disadvantages:
Some B&B owners can be a little bit too "particular" re what you can and can't do while there (food allowed, alcohol allowed, how late you stay out at night, arrival/departure time, etc...) -- apartment/cottage hosts are usually much more "flexible/mellow" -- hotels pretty much don't care as long as you pay your bill.
B&B's are very often multi-story houses with no elevators and narrow stairways so getting you and your luggage to your room can be more "challenging".
Hotel Advantages
Hotels tend to be much more flexible with arrival/departure times -- if I knew I'd be arriving late or having to leave extra early, I'd always stay at a hotel.
Hotels almost always have an on-site restaurant and/or bar -- making geting a "quick bite" or not having to go out after a long day much more convenient.
There also tends to be someone on-duty at a hotel 24/7, whereas at a B&B, they need to get out and run errands at various times during the day and might not be available when you need them -- at an apartment/cottage, it's a crap-shoot, you may never even meet your hosts during your stay or they might be there all the time, you never know until you arrive.
Lastly, hotels roms, while typically being teeny-tiny in Europe, are also more likely to meet health and safety codes and to be less "quirky". My head has plenty of bumps to show from banging into low ceiling beams in bedrooms or short doorways in apartments/cottages and B&B's. Apartments/cottages also are more likely to have uneven floor levels with step or half-step "ups and downs" when moving from one room to another -- sometimes made getting to the bathroom "fun" after a couple glasses of wine or in the middle of the night when I was half-awake.
Hotel Disadvantages
Hotels tend to be boring and meeting "real" people is difficult -- employees are paid to be nice to you and they tend to have "canned" responses to questions asked of them multiple times a day.
Other guests you might meet are also transient and probably somewhat unfamiliar with the local area other than tourist attractions.
Hotels are noisy in general either from other inconsiderent guests, the large number of guests, guests' differing schedules or the limited locations where they can be built and operated.
