Four friends, two nights away and a Christmas shopping list to work through. Before booking a hotel room for each couple, try searching for an apartment for the whole group.
Our research found an apartment in Bath priced at £737 for four adults, compared with £1,637 for two hotel rooms for the same weekend. That is a £900 difference, or £225 per person. In Cardiff, the selected apartment cost approximately 50% less than two rooms at the hotel we checked.
Apartments were cheaper in six of our seven named property comparisons. The results give groups a reason to compare the full accommodation bill before booking, while checking what the price includes.
The largest difference we recorded, in Bath. One apartment for four adults against two hotel rooms, two nights, 4 to 6 December 2026.
All figures cover two nights from 4 to 6 December 2026, with prices checked on 2 November 2026. They are research findings, rather than current booking offers.
Each row compares one entire apartment accommodating four adults with two hotel rooms, each accommodating two adults. The examples are ordered by percentage saving.
These are comparisons between selected properties, rather than average prices across each city or a ranking of the cheapest destinations.
| City | One apartment, four adults | Two hotel rooms | Apartment cost difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | £737 | £1,637 | £900 less, approx 55% |
| Cardiff | £333 | £660 | £327 less, approx 50% |
| Belfast | £392 | £660 | £268 less, approx 41% |
| York | £904 | £1,412 | £508 less, approx 36% |
| Birmingham | £421 | £644 | £223 less, approx 35% |
| Manchester | £723 | £791 | £68 less, approx 9% |
| Nottingham | £683 | £594 | £89 more, approx 15% |
Nottingham was the exception: the checked apartment cost £89 more than the two hotel rooms. Edinburgh was also researched, but no qualifying four-adult apartment price was available from the six properties checked, so no comparison was calculated.
The Cardiff and Belfast apartments had two bedrooms. The other apartment examples used a bedroom and a sofa bed. Breakfast was included in the Bath and York hotel rates, while cancellation terms varied.
Our Manchester apartment checks show why it pays to look beyond the number of guests a property can accommodate.
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive Manchester apartment we checked, for the same four adults and the same two nights. Prices ran from £723 to £1,326, a £603 spread.
The options offered different stays. The £723 apartment used a double bed and a sofa bed and was non-refundable. The £1,326 apartment had two bedrooms and offered free cancellation.
| Manchester property | Two-night total, four adults | Sleeping arrangements and cancellation |
|---|---|---|
| The Tourmaline Suite | £723 | Double bed and sofa bed; non-refundable |
| Cove Minshull Street | £860 | Double bed and sofa bed; non-refundable |
| Church Street by Supercity Aparthotels | £921 | Two bedrooms; free cancellation before 2 December |
| Native Manchester | £921 | Premium one-bedroom apartment with sofa bed; non-refundable |
| Staycity Aparthotels Manchester Piccadilly | £1,326 | Two bedrooms; free cancellation before 3 December |
The highest and lowest prices do not represent identical accommodation. The range comes from five available options in a shortlist fixed before prices were checked, rather than every apartment in Manchester.
If your group wants separate bedrooms, make that part of the search from the start. Then compare the full price, cancellation terms and any deposits.
We manage serviced apartments and whole houses across Manchester, bookable direct. Minimum stays run longer across December, so most Christmas market weekends need three nights rather than two. Enter everyone travelling to see the real price for your dates, or send us your dates if you want a shorter stay and we will tell you what is possible.
For couples, we also compared accommodation in Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham. Each benchmark is the median, or middle price, of five qualifying property prices checked on 2 November for the same December weekend.
| City | Two-night accommodation benchmark, two adults |
|---|---|
| Glasgow | £262 |
| Liverpool | £285 |
| Newcastle | £296 |
| Nottingham | £314 |
This comparison covers four selected cities. It does not identify the UK's cheapest Christmas market destination. The two-adult benchmarks and the four-adult property comparisons use different calculations and should not be combined into one ranking.
| City | Apartment and accommodation type | Hotel and room type |
|---|---|---|
| Bath | Hiding Space, Trim Street Apartments: Deluxe Mezzanine Apartment | Hampton By Hilton Bath City: two Queen Rooms with Sofa Bed, priced for two adults each |
| Cardiff | Sapphire Premier Apartments with Secure Parking: Superior Apartment | Four Points Flex by Sheraton Cardiff: two Efficient Double Rooms |
| Belfast | Camden Luxe Apartments: Two-Bedroom Apartment | ibis Belfast Queens Quarter: two Twin Rooms |
| York | Goodramgate Apartments: Superior One-Bedroom Apartment for 2 to 4 adults, King Richards Snug | Hampton by Hilton York: two Queen Rooms with Sofa Bed, priced for two adults each |
| Birmingham | Aparthotel Adagio Birmingham City Centre: One-Bedroom Apartment for four adults | Holiday Inn Birmingham City: two Standard King Rooms |
| Manchester | The Tourmaline Suite: Apartment | Hyatt Regency Manchester: two King Rooms |
| Nottingham | Heritage Mews Nottingham: Broderie | Leonardo Hotel Nottingham: two Standard Twin Rooms |
Percentage savings were calculated against the two-room hotel total:
(Two-room hotel total − apartment total) ÷ two-room hotel total × 100
Percentages are rounded to whole numbers. Bath's calculation was:
(£1,637 − £737) ÷ £1,637 × 100 = approximately 55%
The Manchester apartment range was calculated separately:
(£1,326 − £723) ÷ £723 × 100 = approximately 83%
This means the highest apartment quote was approximately 83% above the lowest. It does not measure a price increase over time or a difference between identical accommodation.
The five Manchester apartment totals were £723, £860, £921, £921 and £1,326. The five two-room hotel totals were £791, £872, £937, £950 and £1,070.
Research by Beyond Stays. For the underlying workbook or comment, contact hello@beyondstays.co.uk. Please credit Beyond Stays and link to beyondstays.co.uk.
Photography by Rebecca Campbell and Brï Jesh on Unsplash.