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Happy Anniversary, Only-apartments!
Did you know that Only-apartments is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year? When Elisabet Cristià and Alon Eldar – a couple, both architects – first got the idea to rent out their apartments in Barcelona little did they know that this idea would turn into one of the leading web portals for short-term rentals. Now 10 years later the web counts over 20,000 apartments in 104 countries worldwide. They sure have come a long way since 2003. The success of the last 10 years wouldn’t be possible without you, our customers. So our mission for the next ten years is to keep working hard to be the best place to book holiday rentals. We’ll do this by: Increasing the choice of apartments we offer. Further improving our instant booking process and offering the best customer service possible. Guaranteeing minimum prices. And as a special thank you to our customers we have launched “The ONLY Summer Star” where we are paying for one lucky winner’s vacation if you are spending your summer with Only-apartments this year. Miss Moci If you have booked recently or plan on booking with Only apartments in Barcelona or any of our other destinations in the near future be sure to check out our competition for a chance to get your vacation paid for....
Holiday Depression – Are you suffering from post-vacation blues?
Just like every year, the end of August is also the end of the summer vacation period for most of us. Returning from a vacation one of the first things that come to my mind is this quote from the movie Juno: “I never realize how much I like being home, unless I’ve been somewhere very different for a while.” I look forward to sleeping in my own bed again, not living out of a suitcase anymore and other little luxuries of life that only your own home can provide. However, I usually also can’t shake some feelings of what can be best described as holiday depression: The dreading thought of going back to work, having to wear clothes other than your holiday attire that consisted of a bikini and flip flops, the fading tan that you worked so hard on. As it turns out there even is an entry on Wikipedia about post-vacation blues which lists some of the common symptoms. Photo: gnuckx Here are 5 signs that you are suffering from post-vacation blues: 1. Denial about having to go back to work. 2. Already planning your next trip. 3. Tiredness. 4. Loss of appetite. 5. Strong feelings of nostalgia. Are you experiencing any of these signs as you are reading this post? If this is happening to you right now, don’t worry vacation blues usually wears off quickly. Our remedy is to start planning the next trip, maybe a city break – a short getaway in one of our main destinations. On our website you find great places to stay in Lisbon , Paris,...
Ways to see the Statue of Liberty
Considered as the greatest symbol of American democracy and known throughout the world as the most representative icon of the Big Apple, the Statue of Liberty, or Lady Liberty as New Yorkers call it, is the most famous monument in the United States. Lady Liberty was the largest iron structure ever built at its time with 45 meters height and 204 tons weight. It took over 200 men working day and night during seven days a week for nine years to build it. The statue stands on Bedloe´s Island, which was renamed as Liberty Island in 1956 by a law passed by the American Congress. Photo: slagheap Although the statue doesn’t really have a high monetary value, it has great value as one of the icons of the American ideals of freedom and democracy, and that is why it is monitored 24 hours, seven days a week by the marine guard of the NYPD. Lady Liberty has been the target of several attacks in history: in 1916 it was badly damaged by an explosion triggered by German spies, in 1956 it was kidnapped by a Hungarian nationalist group who hung its flag on the lady’s face, in 1980 a Croatian terrorist triggered a bomb inside the face of the statue and in 2012 it was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. On July 4, 2013, Lady Liberty reopened its doors, after being closed 18 months due to the damages caused by Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of tourists from around the world flock everyday, once again, to admire the most famous monument in New York since then. However, if you prefer to...
Berlin Marathon 2013
Among the marathons that all runners must run there´s Boston (which this year has sadly been in the news for all the wrong reasons), New York City, London, Chicago and, of course, Berlin. The experience as a runner or as part of the crowd is definitely worth it because they say that it´s one of the most historical and beautiful routes in terms of architecture. Write this down: the date is Sunday 29th of September and the time is 9am and the majestic Brandenburg Gate is the start and finish of this race. Photo: Amy EWen This is a call to all runners around the world. Berlin is one of the World Marathon Majors and a luxury for those runners who enjoy strong challenges. It´s not easy to get a number for this popular race and it´s a luxury to be there for those who understand marathons as an exercise of improvement and daily effort. It´s the goal of all goals and the stage could not be better because the race starts and finishes in the famous Brandenburg Gate. In total it´s 26.2 miles of pure visual training, a different visit to the German capital because the race also goes past all the main city landmarks. The ideal thing is to stay a few days there and walk around it calmly with less people around. The Wall, Alexanderplatz, Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag, the museums… there´s plenty to see. The current world record of the Berlin Marathon is held by Patrick Makau, who ran it in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 38 seconds. If this year you were thinking in beating that...
La Mercè Festival Barcelona – 2013
In late September the capital of Catalunya celebrates the biggest street party of the year: La Mercè, which is a celebration in honor of our Lady of Mercy, the patron saint of Barcelona. This celebration goes from the 20th to the 24th of September. Photo: somewhereintheworldtoday History of La Mercè It all started in 1867, when the city of Barcelona suffered the effects of a locusts’ plague. Legend has it that was our Lady of Mercy who saved the city by getting rid of the insects. From that moment the Mare de Deu de la Mercè was named as the patron saint of Barcelona. Correfoc San Joan is famous for its bonfires and La Mercè for its Correfocs . Without Correfocs there wouldn’t be any La Mercè festival and without La Mercè festival there wouldn’t be any correfoc. Following the beat of drums and the light of fireworks, everyone tours the city while witnessing great street performances to which, by the way, you should come well prepared: some people even wear fireproof suits for the occasion. It is important to wear hats, goggles and long sleeve to protect yourself against skin burns. The so-called diablos are the groups who dress like demons and parade with fireworks on their hands. The tour goes from Porta Cambo to Consolat de Mar, passing through Plaza de Antoni Maura, Via Laietana and Antoni López Square. This is the festival of lights because, although it is celebrated during the night, the fireworks illuminate the city. Castellars During this time of the year, authentic human castles are raised in Plaza de Sant Jaume. This is one...Four golden rules for dealing with negative comments
As we mentioned in the post How to manage your client reviews, we contributed to an article in the British magazine A Place In The Sun. We also talked about the four golden rules for dealing with negative comments: Four golden rules for dealing with negative comments640-816 certification • Don’t panic: it can be upsetting to receive criticism, but it won’t necessarily affect your sales. If you have an occasional negative review amongst generally positive feedback, this can even be a good thing if a customer expresses a strong opinion, it’s usually better not to enter into a debate with them. Not every apartment will be to everyone’s taste, all of the time, so accepting feedback in a positive way will help you to better attract the next...
App of the month: Postagram
It seems like an eternity ago when people were still sending letters and postcards from their holidays. Thanks to advances in technology messaging or communicating over the distance in general has become much easier, particularly thanks to smartphones. This development over the past years has lead to the drastic decline of actual mail. To capture memories from our trips the camera is an indispensable companion, but nowadays less people print out their pictures and they stay “digitally locked up” on our computers or phones. Since August is the epitome of the holiday period, we think it is time to bring postcards back! This month we chose Postagram as app of the month, an app that allows you to send your pictures from your phone, computer and even social media accounts as real postcards. This review is by Laura, digital marketing analyst. Photo: Postagram My view: My sister lives with her family in France and I live in Spain, like our parents. My nephew is nearly two years old. Since he was born pictures of him are being sent via email and cell phone almost on the daily between all family members. At the moment my sister is here with her family to visit. Her husband’s parents live in Canada and they don’t get to see my nephew all the time. My sister was actually the one who pointed this app out to me as they’re using it to send personalized postcards to the grandparents in Canada. It is a very cool way not only to send postcards, but also to share pictures. Over the weekend we took some really good...
10 Things to do in Helsinki
Are you looking for adventure in Scandinavia? Look no further! Helsinki is your destination. Today we’ve brought you a list of 10 hot activities to do in this cultural melting pot. Welcome to the gorgeous Helsinki: The Senate Square Located in the center of Helsinki, Senate Square is a magnificent example of neoclassical architecture. There we will find four buildings considered by many as architectural jewels: the National Library of Finland, Helsinki Cathedral, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the he Government Palace. Designed by the German architect Carl Ludvig Engel, the square shows a certain resemblance to the architecture of St. Petersburg. Right in the center of the square you´ll find the statue of Alexander II, a man of great historical importance in the country, because thanks to him, the Finnish became an official language. Do not miss the opportunity to visit the dome of the cathedral; apart from the beautiful panoramic view of the square, you will see the master sculptures of the 12 apostles at the top of this wonderful building. Sauna Going to a Sauna is one of the most favorite activities for locals in Helsinki, so it is a must do in the city. Considered as the best places to clean body and mind, saunas, just a few years ago, were the places where women gave birth. In Finland there is one sauna for every three Finns and are very important sites for the local culture that even major businesses negotiations are dealt there. Aleksanterinkatu The Aleksanterinkatu shopping street is the best place to shop in Helsinki. This street is famous, because...
Travel Inspiration in August: Meet the latest additions to our website
We at Only-apartments are constantly working on the amplification of our offer. By now we are offering short-term accommodation in 103 countries and we are trying to increase this number for you. Our main destinations are the big cities, but did you know that we also offer accommodation in many other, more remote places? Ideal for a more relaxed vacation. We would like you to become familiar with a couple of our latest additions as travel inspiration for your next trip or vacation. Koh Mak, Thailand This island is popular among tourists particularly for its beaches and the crystal clear water. Despite the growing number of Thailand travelers, Koh Mak still remains somewhat of a secret spot. Life there is pleasantly easy and quiet with little car traffic. Photo: Pigneguy Bridgetown, Barbados Bridgetown is the capital and the largest city of Barbados, which makes it to the central hub for the island and a great starting point to discover all that Barbados has to offer. The country mesmerizes with its natural beauty, especially the paradise beaches. It is the birthplace of the rum and the positive outlook on life of the Bajans is contagious. Dubai Dubai has grown into one of the most important cities in the Middle East. It is the home of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. The shopping possibilities, man-made islands and other innovative constructions continue to attract many visitors. Budva, Montenegro Going back 3500 years Budva is one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic Sea coast. Nowadays it is a popular destination in the summer known for great beaches and an exciting nightlife. Caraiva, Brazil Thanks to the Soccer World Cup next...
