Homestays v/s Hotels: Which are the better option?

In the age of eco-friendly tourism and responsible tourism, living in hotels is passé! Home stays are the new in-thing. When staying in a locals home, one gets to observe the local culture up close and personal. The authentic local cuisine, the traditional way of staying and most importantly interacting with your hosts who are the locals of the region; all these things make up for a much more interesting holiday than staying at a regular hotel.

Pros and Cons of staying at a homestay

Explore through a local’s eye: The number one pro is that as a traveller, one gets to experience the destination through a locals perspective. They will be able to give you tips that no tour desk at a hotel can compare. The hosts at the homestay usually tell their guests about handcrafted experiences and these experiences enrich your holiday a lot.

For example if you are staying amidst the coffee plantations in a homestay in Chikmagalur , then the hosts usually give a personal guided tour of their estate and tell the guests about the life cycle of how coffee is made. Not only are these experiences much more adventurous, but one also gets to know how the locals make their livelihood.

Authentic food: Another big advantage of staying in a homestay is the authentic food. The guests are usually treated to the most sumptuous delicacies which are authentic to the region. In a hotel, one gets the usual buffet breakfast which has no input from the cuisine from the destination. It gets pretty mundane after a while, whereas in a homestay you will always be treated to the local cuisine.

Personal attention: Also, in a homestay there will be a personal touch to your entire vacation. The hosts usually go to great pains to ensure that all the needs of the guests are taken care of. From separate kiddie food to taking care of your pets – hosts go the extra mile because of their warm nature. In a hotel, there’s no such personal touch and it is more of a commercialised set up.

Different experience: No matter how the hotel is, it is at the end of the day- a hotel. Whereas, each homestay will provide you with a dramatically different experience. A stay in a heritage property in Goa will be completely different from a treehouse experience in Coorg, for example. Not only do homestays entice you, but they add to your experiences.

Guests are treated as family: If you opt to stay in a homestay, the entire family will take care of you. They might even invite you to a local wedding or function! Imagine the fun in that. You might never get to experience something like this in a hotel. Hence, you make so many new memories when staying in a homestay, rather than a hotel.

More space: In a hotel, you generally pay a price for a room. But in a homestay, you don’t have to stay confined in a room. The entire house can be your playground! You can relax in the gardens, swim in the pool, explore the coffee plantations, chill in the living room! In a homestay, the entire home can be yours. And generally, the rooms are bigger in a homestay as well.

Celebrate and party: If you are booking a villa or holiday home, where the owners don’t stay at the property itself, then you are free to party in the entire house! You can celebrate anniversaries, birthdays or any such fun occasions without just being cooped up in one room. Imagine the fun there! Not only can you travel, but also party any time you want or feel like. Having an entire villa to yourself, at a great price certainly sounds appealing to us!

Cons of staying in a homestay

Don’t know what to expect: Some cons of staying in a homestay can be that you don’t know exactly what to expect as it is not a chain of hotels and sometimes even the pictures can be deceiving. In these matters websites like AltHomes.co really make a mark, as they carefully hand pick each and every property after going through careful inspection and taking care of certain key parameters.

Might not have all the amenities of a hotel: Since you are staying in a home, you may not get facilities like room service, buffet meals etc. But, for those who have travelled and lived in hotels often, we know all these things can get boring after a while. Some of the most fun experiences you have, are when you interact with the locals, mingle with the other guests of the homestay and just soak in the destination.

For your next holiday, choose a homestay instead of a hotel!

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