For one or two night stays, we prefer Bed and Breakfast places. But, for longer, I think an apartment is probably optimal. In Dublin, we stayed in an apartment hotel — the best of both worlds. There was a front desk staffed from 7 am to 9 pm, but we had room to spread out which is helpful if one or more of the people in the travel group have to work some of the time. I usually travel with my husband on his work trips, so that’s us most of the time. It was also centrally located. Shockingly, it was also less expensive than the conference hotel which was further out from the City center and which had terrible TripAdvisor reviews.

@Sofie – It’s definitely worth trying and both apartments and hotels have their advantages/disadvantages. I think it comes down to what is important to you and what type of trip you are planning. If I’m just staying somewhere for one night, or arriving really late, I usually prefer a hotel, but for stays of several days or longer, I like the homeyness and kitchen in apartments.

@Luke – Excellent point!