Furnished Apartments in Cali Colombia - How to Find a Good One!

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb 10, 2010 -
If you are reading this, I must guess you know all the benefits of a furnished apartment compared to a traditional hotel. But how can you tell which option is the right for you? Here’s a short list of what you might want to keep in mind in order to properly choose which apartment to stay in.
1. The first rule in the book is, off course, checking your budget. Just as hotels, furnished apartment rates vary depending on location, size, and décor. The good thing is, at the end of the day, it’s always kinder to your wallet than a hotel. So check you budget and get started.
2. Location: Moving around a city can be time and money consuming. Choose a great apartment with no access to main streets and you’ll find yourself paying cab fares everytime you go out. Search the web for the city’s public transportation route maps and find an area near to a main street.
3. Surroundings: Checking for a safe area is not an easy task, if you don’t know the city, but asking a couple of rental agencies will help. Also try to have areas of interest close to your apartment, as they can make your life so much easier. Search the internet or ask your contact for nearby restaurants, convenient stores, malls, supermarket or any other spot that you fancy or need.
4. Contracts: Always see that you sign a contract or equivalent service agreement where you can see the services in detail. Make sure to have them clarify the exact amount you’ll be paying including the Colombian tax called IVA (VAT in English). Special note: There are NO extra taxes for foreigners or any other kind, as apartments are not hotels.
5. Rental agency: It is always advisable to run everything through a furnished apartment renting agency. You might go lucky if you find a good landlord, but an agency will always give you more confidence and back up.
6. Housekeeping: Help in Colombia is really affordable, so make sure you get the housekeeping included in the deal. This way you don't have to clean or deal with personnel especially if your Spanish is not that good.
7. Utilities: Try to get a deal where everything is included in the same rate: electricity, water, and phone are the most common of course, but you can also find them charging extra for cable TV or internet and that can mess up your budget.
8. Upfront: Never pay more than one month stay in advance!  If you don't like the apartment, or the service behind it, you can always play a last card and move to another one, if they ask for it, just say no (they’ll accept as it is not a common practice to pay for more than one month).
9. Language: You should try to find a renting company or person who speaks English when looking for an apartment in Cali, they will be able to guide you through everything and help you with anything you need.
10. Intermediaries: Last but not least, try to get your furnished apartment without intermediaries, otherwise they will charge you with a higher price that the real one. If you can, find a company that owns its apartments.

Trip Advisor it's a great tool to get more information about places where you can find accommodation. I highly recommend a place that I found after long hours of searching I got to stay in Cali and feel like home, a place called habita suites furnished apartments, here's their web page: http://www.habita.com.co
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