Relocating With Family: Choosing a Serviced Apartment

When relocating with family, choose a serviced apartment with a separate bedroom, a kitchen you will really cook in, laundry in the unit or on site and confirmed sleeping arrangements for each child. Ask for cots or high chairs in advance and check the occupancy rules. The first weeks go better when daily routines are easy.

What a family needs that a solo traveller does not

A single person can live in a studio for a month. A family has competing routines: naps, homework, bedtime, early starts. The apartment has to absorb them. Four things carry most of the weight: sleeping space, kitchen, laundry and location.

Aparthotel.com’s relocation guide notes that a separate bedroom, a fillable wardrobe and space for empty suitcases help, and recommends comparing room sizes where published and looking at photos of the specific apartment type rather than the building’s best suite. That advice matters double with children.

A family-focused comparison

Need	What to check	Why it matters
Sleeping	Number of bedrooms, bed types, sofa beds	Children and adults need real sleep
Kitchen	Hob, oven, fridge size, dishwasher	Regular meals cost less than eating out
Laundry	In-unit washer, drying space	Children generate laundry
Safety	Balcony access, stairs, window locks	Check what is stated; ask
Occupancy	Maximum guests for the apartment type	Rates and rules depend on headcount
Extras	Cot, high chair, extra bedding	Request in advance
Location	Park, shops, school or nursery	Routine anchors

Sleeping arrangements and occupancy

Book by guest count, not just bed count. Rates and permitted occupancy can depend on how many people you enter in the search. Check what the listing says about sofa beds and whether an extra guest or cot incurs a charge, since optional extras such as an extra guest or cot are listed among charges that may apply, per Aparthotel.com’s fee guide. Our piece on long-stay charges covers how to ask.

Key takeaway: request cots, high chairs and extra bedding in writing before arrival, and keep the reply. They are not always included.

Kitchen and laundry come first

Families eat more often at home and wash more clothes. A kitchenette that suits a couple becomes a daily frustration for four. Look for an oven, a proper hob and ideally a dishwasher, and see full kitchen vs kitchenette for how to verify.

For laundry, an in-apartment machine changes the week. The checks are in serviced apartments with a washing machine. If you must use a shared room, check opening hours against school-run times.

Location for routines

Prioritise the daily things: a supermarket, a pharmacy, a green space and the route to school or nursery if they have been arranged. Look at the area by day and by night, since quiet residential streets suit sleep better than busy centres, a point the long-stay checklist makes. For a method, see choosing a neighbourhood for temporary housing.

Pack with children in mind

The packing list suggests comfort items, books, games, snacks and bath toys for families, and notes that cots and high chairs should be requested from the operator in advance. Keep an arrival kit in your carry-on with a change of clothes, toiletries, medicines, chargers and snacks in case shops are closed.

Timing: stagger arrival if you can

Many families send one adult ahead, then bring the rest once the apartment and school details are settled. If you do, use a shorter first block and extend when everyone arrives. How long to stay when relocating explains how to split a booking and what to check on extensions.

Cancellation and uncertainty

Family moves have more moving parts: school places, partner job dates, shipping. Prefer free-cancellation rates, read the deadline beside each rate and keep confirmation emails. With Aparthotel.com, bookings can be managed from My trip and any cancellation fee is shown before you confirm.

Practical checklist for families

1. Count beds and bedrooms for your exact headcount.
2. Confirm cot, high chair and extra bedding in writing.
3. Verify kitchen appliances and cookware.
4. Verify laundry and drying space.
5. Check safety points the listing mentions, such as balconies and stairs, and ask about the rest.
6. Check the location against your real routine.
7. Choose a cancellation deadline that survives plan changes.

No listing can promise a smooth first month, but this list removes most avoidable surprises.

Children of different ages

What counts depends on age.

• Babies and toddlers: cot, high chair, a safe place to cook while keeping an eye on them, a washer, and a kitchen with a bottle-friendly set-up. Ask about stairs and balcony access.
• School-age children: a table for homework, quiet evenings, a route to school that does not need a car, a laundry routine that survives school uniforms.
• Teenagers: their own space if possible, reliable internet and a bedroom door. A separate living area helps adults and teenagers avoid sharing a single room all evening.

Money, deposits and holds

Families often face several deposits at once: accommodation, a lease and utilities. A card hold on the apartment can reduce your available balance at a bad time, so ask the amount, the card type and the release date. The long-stay charges guide sets out how to ask. If your employer pays for part of the stay, confirm the policy on family members before booking, since cover for a spouse or children can differ from cover for the employee.

Schools, registration and paperwork

Check official government and school-authority guidance for your destination on school places and local registration. Rules depend on nationality, length and purpose of stay, and we do not state them here. Ask the property which documents it can supply, such as a booking confirmation showing your address and dates, as the Aparthotel.com long-stay checklist suggests.