Luxury hotels abroad as an alternative to expensive apartments

Apartment rental prices are rising in Swiss cities. An alternative is playing on TikTok: staying in a luxury hotel abroad.

Benjamin Weinman/Media

“We had been looking for a slightly larger apartment in the greater Zurich area for a long time,” says Andrea K.* (*name known to editors). “But the research is disappointing.” A few months ago, she was seeing fewer vacant apartments, and their prices seem to have taken a big jump in the past few months. “Many properties are no longer an option for me and my partner.”

Andrea K. She's not the only one looking for a rental apartment who's about to bury her head in the sand. Sand may be the answer, at least if you believe the videos on Tiktok that are liked by thousands. There, many users, especially from expensive English cities, declared that they pay less in foreign five-star resorts in beach destinations than in their own apartments.

But does this also apply to Switzerland? Next time the couple moves house, would it be cheaper to take a longer break at a resort near the beach, if work allows? Or if you can sublet your rented apartment while you live abroad?

Upon request, the real estate company Wüest & Partner analyzed rental prices for typical 3-room apartments in ten large Swiss cities. The values ​​show the average rent for a 1-3 room apartment of 85 sqm including additional costs and are based on current advertisements, i.e. in old and new buildings:

This is the cost of 3- and 3-bedroom and a half-bedroom apartments per month:

And now the comparison: CH Media searched the online booking portal for bookings for accommodation during the entire month of May in the three holiday destinations of Hurghada (Egypt), Antalya (Turkey) and Rhodes (Greece). We were looking for a room for two people in a 5-star complex with all-inclusive food service, i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner, including return flights. The findings are likely to awaken wanderlust in some tenants.

Kairaba Aqua Mundo Hotel Hurghada.Photo: Facebook

For Hurghada on the Red Sea, the search engine shows three resorts that meet all the criteria and fit the budget of two people from Zurich or two people from Geneva. The cheapest is the 5-star Kairaba Aqua Mondo Hotel at about 1,600 francs per person. Guests don't have to do chores like taking out trash bags or washing dishes. Alternatively, you can swim in three outdoor pools and on the private beach. There are 8 on-site restaurants that make shopping at Migros or Coop unnecessary, and the café also eliminates the need to brew your own coffee or dispose of pods. Going out takes place in one of the seven bars and lounges. Instead of a view of the next apartment building or the main street, the lower room category offers a garden view.

As for residents outside Zurich and outside Geneva, the results exceed the monthly rental budget. The cheapest 5-star hotel in Hurghada costs around 1,300 francs for the entire month of May, i.e. 2,600 francs in total.

Ozkaymak Falez Hotel, Antalya.Photo: Facebook

But in Antalya, Turkey, things are also looking bleak for renters in the two largest Swiss cities. The cheapest 5-star accommodation costs just under 1,900 francs per person, for a total of 3,800 francs. If you're willing to spend a little more than the monthly rent, you can use that money to stay at the luxurious Özkaymak Falez Resort – which features its own private beach on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast, two outdoor pools, an indoor pool and a hot tub. Water slide. The fitness studio is as much a part of it as live piano music in the lobby bar.

All Senses Nautica Blue Exclusive Resort, Rhodes.Image: zvg

On the Greek island of Rhodes, rents in Geneva and Zurich are also not enough. The All Senses Nautica Blue Exclusive Resort is the cheapest at just under 2,000 francs per person for one month. However, there is a bungalow room with garden view. And you don't have to worry about free time. The complex is located directly on the beach on the coast of Vannes. The resort has three restaurants, three bars, an open-air amphitheater, mini golf course, tennis courts, petanque courts, an open-air summer cinema, etc.

Conclusion: The comparison of resort rental apartments in Switzerland can also be used, but only for selected and cheaper destinations, primarily for couples from Zurich and Geneva. As for solo travelers living in a two-and-a-half-room apartment, the choice of hotels is likely to be slightly larger.

According to Hotelplan spokeswoman Muriel Wolf-Landau, there is currently no overall trend toward significantly longer stays. Since the coronavirus pandemic, Hotelplan, TUI and Kuni have talked more about so-called business bookings: guests combining their holiday with work, whether that's with a few extra days on site or moving their home office to the holiday resort for a day or two weeks.

“However, we have noticed that long-term stays have increased, especially in certain destinations,” says Wolf Landau. This applies, among others, to Thailand, the Canary Islands, Egypt and the Maldives. “A higher than average number of stays between 16 and 22 days were recorded here.”