[hgbrn]

For those of you that have travelled, do you recommend staying in a hotel or an apartment? We plan on hearing this next week the region and travel dates and we will need to tell the agency where we want to stay. Thanks.

[dlbmcgill]

I think you'll be much more comfortable in an apartment. You have the luxury of not having to eat every meal out and hopefully also a washing machine so you don't have to keep sending your laundry out. Also, it's nice not to feel like you're living out of a suitcase for several weeks.

[scassady]

Definitely an apartment. It makes it easier to cook and can thus save you $ on eating out every day. Ours was $70 per night (cheaper than a hotel) with a full kitchen including microwave, washing machine, iron and ironing board.

[hgbrn]

Thanks! I was thinking for the hotel, it might be more convenient for the meals if they are included ( breakfast) and more things to do (indoor pool,gym) but I agree with you that an apartment sounds more confortable.

[hml1976]

We stayed in a hotel in uralsk and loved it. Breakfast was included and that made planning meals a lot easier. But I will warn you that we didn't have an indoor pool or gym or even an ice machine Maybe some cities do though.

[sak9645]

Personally, when I adopted from China, I was delighted to be staying in a luxury hotel. I could spend 100% of my time caring for my daughter, and didn't have to make beds, cook dinner, clean the kitchen, take out the trash, etc. I came home rather spoiled, like, "You mean I actually have to wash clothes?"

Staying in an apartment is not an option for China travelers, and while it might have been nice to see how the Chinese people actually live, the adoption trip might not have been a good time to do so. It was May, and I was in Southern China where it's hot and humid in May, and most Chinese apartment dwellers don't have air conditioning. Many apartment buildings don't have elevators, either, and I probably would have had to haul my daughter, a diaper bag, a stroller, and anything else I was carrying up and down several flights of stairs. Hot water may or may not have been available at bath time. In the hotels, the air conditioning, elevators, and hot water were perfectly reliable.

One of the two hotels I used had good, Western style beds. The other, alas, had the absolutely rock hard narrow twin beds that are traditionally Chinese. Fortunately, I was there a much shorter time than in the other hotel. My guess is that apartments probably have the latter. And while they are good for the back, they don't do much for muscles that are exhausted from carrying a new child everywhere.

I didn't spend a lot of time in my room, as I was usually touring with my daughter and group. When my daughter napped, I read, did my adoption paperwork, organized things, etc. Many people use their laptop to keep in touch with people back home. And in the hotels, international CNN in English was available on TV. I never felt overly confined.

All in all, I think that the idea of a home stay is nice for most regular tours. You get to see a country as the locals do. But the adoption trip is not a regular tour. It is hard work, learning to care for a new child who may be sick, grieving, angry, and/or scared. In such a situation, it is often best to be in an environment that is familiar and easy to navigate, and maybe even a little bit pampering.

Sharon

[sienna5]

We stayed in an apartment during our trip to our region and were very glad we did. Keep in mind that you have an option of splitting your trip into pieces. Typically, at least with our agency, they wanted a 21 day obligation for an apartment. But unlike some countries you will not have an infant in these first three weeks (at least). Running back and forth to the baby house a couple times a day we liked to eat a couple meals at home, read books, etc. And we did a lot of sightseeing in the middle of the day with our staff (the region we adopted from did visits in the morning and afternoon each day). Kazakhstan is a looooong trip and it was nice to get sort of a home environment - make things your own style, etc. Also, the cost of a hotel that had any luxuries made a real difference in the cost - we also paid $70 per night.

And we were glad we had the apartment when we brought home my daughter. Even in the week we were there, it was nice to have a few different rooms - separate room to be up in at night, etc. And fortunately - although this may not always be the case - the bonding period really did work and by the time we got custody we were already her favorite people and so there was not a hard transition at all. She was thrilled to be with us - not really attached but I think she felt we were definitely an "upgrade".

When we returned to Almaty we tried to line up a high end hotel to pamper ourselves - to the tune of $300 per night (see the cost difference with $70 or $80 a night). But there was some Kazakhstan holiday or event and we could not get into any of the major hotels. We ended up staying at an $80 apartment and disliked it - it just was not the kind of clean you want for a very young child.

Hope it helps. Good luck. No matter what you do it will all be worth it in a few months.

[DET62]

I think your choice might depend on where you will be, what region, and what's available. I just returned from Petropavlovsk, and I was happy to be in a hotel, for several reasons.

It was only about $90/day and two meals were included. I had a fridge in my room so sometimes I just ate yogurt or something for lunch. The room was as large as a small apartment.

I also met about 4 other American families, and we all got to be good friends, eating meals together, watching DVD's together, trading ideas for sightseeing, etc. Since I am single, this interaction was important.

I felt much safer in the hotel. There was always a security guard on duty in the lobby.

I also had laundry service - for $1-3 per item my laundry was done in a day, beautifully pressed also.

The hotel had a gym, and a pool.

You might not have this same type of hotel in your region, or you might prefer to save money and get an apartment, but I really preferred the hotel.

Dee