Apartments

If you're pining for an immersive getaway, to feel like a real local, to get seriously stuck into a place and feel like you've been living there for years, an apartment could just be the perfect accommodation choice. Dispensing with the lobbies and breakfast schedules of hotels, these sorts of stays let you manage your own time, decide when you want to rise and spread out in a pad that's a real home away from home.

Features like big kitchens and large dining spaces are normal additions to the apartment. That means you can settle in and enjoy these spots like you would your own place. A trip to the local market no longer results in stacks of food you can't cook – it means piles of Italian veg or French cheese that you can turn into a feast for the whole family. Other apartment stays throw lounges into the mix. That puts chilling with a cup of tea and a film on the evening itinerary, or perhaps a little get-together of your own. But it doesn't end there. Apartments tend to channel the local style and character. There are apartments in Rome that look every inch the rustic Latin bolthole. There are apartments in New York that'll have you feeling like a bohemian Greenwich Village native, laden with modern art and exposed brick walls. There are apartments in London, where Victorian bathrooms converge on sculpture-peppered lounges, all close to Big Ben, the Southbank or the happening Strand.

The extra flexibility and character that comes with an apartment is a ticket to immersion in a destination. When you return to your pad from a long day of gallery hopping or sightseeing, you can crash in the PJs or opt to entertain – just like a local would. What's more, it should be easy to find somewhere that's got enough beds and bathrooms for the whole crew – just take options like the swish 88 Studios Kensington, with their triple-bed rooms and large family suites. And then there's all those extra amenities, like fridges, kitchen spaces and TV-ready lounges. From New York – try the Radio City Apartments on 49th street on for size – to Paris, London to Bangkok, there are plenty of pads in the apartment style to pick from. So, get ready to take up residence somewhere else around the globe.