When it comes to hotels, the nicer they are, the less you actually want to leave the room, right? Which is kind of the problem when you’re in, say, Florence. You didn’t fly across the ocean to stare at a king-sized bed, no matter how beautiful those linens might be. That’s where aparthotels come in - and honestly, once I saw an article about them, I started researching just how many there are out there and in places that are on so many travel bucket lists. They fix the one thing traditional hotels never quite get right: making you feel like you actually live somewhere, even if it’s only for a few days.

What is an aparthotel?

When I first heard the term ‘aparthotels’, I immediately went to those extended stays that are literally everywhere, but I was pleasantly surprised once I started digging in more. Think of it as the space and independence of a great apartment with the service and design of a boutique hotel. We’re talking full kitchens or at least kitchenettes, living areas, and sometimes multiple bedrooms, but also concierges, daily breakfast, housekeeping, and interiors that someone really thought hard about. The concept technically existed pre-2020, but the remote work boom gave it real momentum. People started packing up their laptops and working from anywhere in the world. Suddenly, the standard hotel room, as nice as it can be, just started to feel like an expensive box. This new generation of aparthotels understood the assignment: give people more room, better locations, and the kind of atmosphere that doesn’t make you feel like you’re on a corporate trip.

Why They’re Worth Your Attention

Here’s what I keep coming back to: aparthotels solve the Airbnb problem without creating a hotel problem. You get the actual space and sense of a place, not an identical Marriott room across 47 countries. But you also get someone at the front desk who knows where to eat and can call you a car at midnight. You don’t have to figure out where previous guests hid the bottle opener or decipher a laminated instruction sheet for Wifi. Aparthotels tend to be in neighborhoods rather than the tourist corridors, and that matters. Staying on a quiet side street in Cambridge and staying near the train station is the difference between a trip you remember and a trip that felt like logistics. It also helps you become more ingrained in the location and live like a local. And for anyone traveling with a group or family? Multiple bedrooms and a kitchen counter where you can actually set down your coffee in the morning changes everything.

Why I’m Into This

I care about where I stay in the same way I care about what I wear - it’s not just functional, it’s part of the experience. I want a space that feels unique and special. I enjoy places that don’t feel like the furniture was bought on a bulk special and the art on the walls wasn’t selected by committee. Aparthotels, at least the good ones I found, tend to get this. They lean into design the way boutique hotels do, with the breathing room that makes you want to settle in like it’s your own home. Through my hours of scrolling, I assembled a running list of properties that caught my eye. Places where the design is strong, the space is generous, and the whole thing feels less like checking in and more like moving in. Here are six on my radar.

This Time Tomorrow

Florence, Italy

Eight apartments. That’s all. And every one of them looks like something out of an interior design magazine - soaring ceilings, generous bedrooms, and an art collection that makes it clear someone here has very good taste. The Florentine grandeur is real, but it is balanced with a warmth that keeps it from feeling precious. What sets this apart is the concierge approach. Before you arrive, they send a questionnaire to understand what kind of trip you’re after, then build a full itinerary around your answers - everything from a welcome hamper of local treats to a rooftop dinner. Each apartment is stocked with wines from small local vineyards, priced and labeled so you can just grab one after a long day of exploring. It’s the kind of detail that tells you someone actually thought about what it feels like to be a guest here.

One Eleven

Seminyak, Bali

Nine villas, each one 350 square meters with a private 14-meter lap pool, a full living area, and your own spa gazebo. There’s also a three-bedroom rooftop apartment for anyone traveling with a large group. The design is Japanese-inspired minimalism with natural wood, stone, and floor-to-ceiling glass, and the property is adults-only, which creates and keeps a deliberately calm energy. What makes One Eleven feel like an aparthotel rather than just another Bali resort is the structure of the stay. You have a full living space, a private entrance, breakfast cooked in your villa each morning, and a butler who handles everything from restaurant reservations to airport transfers. The line between resort and private residence is fairly non-existent. The on-site sushi bar, Shiro, was designed by architect Shigemasa Noi, and the whole property operates with a kind of quiet restraint that makes you feel less like a tourist and more like someone who just happens to live very, very well in Seminyak.

Wilde Cambridge

Cambridge, England

The Wilde Brand, named after Oscar, naturally, has a talent for snagging prime locations and making them feel effortless. The Cambridge outpost sits on a quiet street just off Bridge Street, right in the center of town but removed enough to feel like a retreat. The lobby pays tribute to the surroundings with shelves of antique books sourced from the Cambridge Union, some of them still bearing traces of wartime history. The apartments range from studios to units that sleep four, with a clean, pared-back palette of greys, whites, blacks, and pops of sage. There’s a dining table, a proper kitchenette, and enough space to spread out without bumping into a luggage rack. If you want to feel like a very stylish visiting scholar for a long weekend, this is it.

Wilde Vienna Fleischmarkt

Vienna, Austria

Same brand, entirely different energy. This one occupies Vienna’s former grand post office in the historic first district, meaning vaulted ceilings, soaring proportions, and the kind of architectural character that a new build really can’t replicate. The bright, playful interiors keep things from feeling museum-like, which is exactly the right call. Studios and one and two-bedroom apartments are designed to function as a proper city base with kitchens and living spaces that don’t feel like afterthoughts. Breakfast at Oscar’s, the hotel’s café bar, is worth waking up for - particularly the Alpine spread of regional cheeses, cured meats, and pastries that sets you up for a full day of experiencing culture.

Mondovi Luxury Suites

Paris, France

From the same hotelier behind the Padam Hotel and Le 5 Particulier comes this “hometel” concept, and it’s everything you’d want a Parisian apartment to be. If your Parisian apartment happened to come with breakfast in bed, a 24-hour concierge, and the option to have a private chef show up at your door. The building is a Haussmannian beauty with a past. It’s been a convent, a cabaret, and a brasserie before landing on its current life as something altogether more refined. Think creamy marble, warm woods, soft neutrals, and the kind of quiet luxury Paris does better than anyone anywhere. It’s steps away from some of the city’s most recognizable sights, but inside, it feels like your own private corner of the city.

The Verse

Lisbon, Portugal

Fifteen rooms in a property that feels much larger, thanks to the sheer generosity of space. Whether you book a loft or a two-bedroom apartment, you’re getting the kind of square footage that most urban hotels would never dream of offering. The Verse leans into Lisbon’s neighborhood energy - this isn’t a place that insulates you from the city. It drops you right into the rhythm of daily life, which, if you’ve ever spent time in Lisbon, is exactly where you want to be. It’s the kind of stay that makes you briefly consider being an expat.

The Bottom Line

The best places to stay aren’t just about the thread count or the lobby furniture. They’re about how the spaces make you feel - whether you’re settling in for a week of remote work in Vienna or just need a long weekend somewhere that doesn’t feel like everything else. Aparthotels get this instinctively. More space, more personality, more of that thing that makes travel worth remembering. Because once you’ve stayed somewhere that actually feels like it’s yours, it’s hard to go back to checking into a box.

MORE TRAVEL