Why book direct with Flexiestays

Booking direct with Flexiestays gets you the same apartment you would find on Airbnb or Booking.com, booked with the team that runs it. On flexiestays.com you can use the discount code shown in the site banner, secure the dates with 25% of the total, pick up Flexie Perks with local businesses, and move to a monthly rate from 28 nights. If you have found a Flexiestays apartment on a marketplace, the same apartment is on flexiestays.com too.

This guide explains what a direct booking includes, what stays the same wherever you book, and how to compare the price for yourself.

What a direct booking includes

These apply to bookings made on flexiestays.com:

• A discount code. The current code sits in the banner at the top of flexiestays.com; the help centre says it gives 10% off. You type it into the promo code field at checkout and check the total has changed.
• Weekly discounts. Stays of a week or more are discounted automatically at checkout, with nothing to enter.
• Monthly rates. From 28 nights the booking switches to a monthly rate with the bills included. The long-stay guide explains what that covers.
• The 25% option. Bookings with check-in up to six months ahead can be secured with a quarter of the total, with the balance taken closer to arrival. See how the 25% deposit works.
• Flexie Perks. Every booking includes discounts with local cafés, delis and activities. See Flexie Perks explained.

The price you see on flexiestays.com before you pay already includes cleaning, and nothing is added at the end.

How to compare the price

Flexiestays is not allowed to advertise its direct prices on the third-party sites it lists on, which is why the difference is easy to miss. The fair test is to open the same apartment and the same dates on both sites and compare the final totals, after any code and any charges each site shows at checkout, not the headline nightly rates. Each marketplace sets its own pricing and fees, so the gap varies by site, by date and by length of stay.

Who you deal with

The price is the part most guests notice, but a direct booking also changes who you deal with and on what terms.

• The team that runs the apartment. The people who answer your message are the people who look after the buildings, 24 hours a day, by phone, WhatsApp or email. There is no platform in between passing messages on.
• Priority on early check-in. Early check-in and late check-out are never guaranteed, because the apartment may be occupied or being cleaned, but direct bookings go to the front of the queue when the schedule allows.
• Flexiestays’ own terms. Changes, cancellations and refunds are handled by the team under the terms shown at checkout, rather than through a marketplace’s process.

Guests who have booked both ways often mention the difference. One Trustpilot reviewer put it plainly:

“I’d also recommend booking directly, as there are often excellent discounts available.” (Richard, Trustpilot)

What stays the same

Flexiestays owns or manages every apartment it lets, including some run in partnership with their owners. The site you book on does not change the apartment you sleep in, the cleaning standard or the team that looks after you. Self check-in works the same way: your access code and arrival instructions arrive before you travel, and the apartment is yours from 3pm on the day you arrive, with check-out by 10am.

That is why the reviews on this site come from every platform. A guest who booked on Booking.com and a guest who booked direct are describing the same buildings and the same people. You can read them side by side on the value reviews page, where guests talk about price and what they got for it.

“What a fantastic break. From booking to checking out. Totally flawless.” (Phil, Trustpilot)

When a marketplace still makes sense

There are fair reasons to book through a marketplace. If you have loyalty credit or a gift card with one, or you prefer to keep every trip in one account, the apartment will be the same. Just know that the terms are the marketplace’s terms, and any change or refund goes through the marketplace rather than straight to the team.

If you are unsure, the Flexiestays team will answer questions before you book. Nothing about asking commits you to anything.

Is booking direct safe?

Yes. Flexiestays Ltd is a registered UK company (number 15208026), and every payment on flexiestays.com goes through a Stripe checkout, with cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay among the options. The team never asks for cash or a bank transfer outside the website. If a message ever asks you to pay another way, treat it as a warning sign and call the team on the number published on flexiestays.com. Our guide to whether Flexiestays is legit covers the checks in more detail.

How to book direct

1. Go to flexiestays.com and search your dates, or open the building you want from the hotels page.
2. Pick the apartment and check what the listing says about parking, beds and kitchen.
3. At checkout, enter the discount code from the banner and confirm the total has dropped.
4. Choose to pay in full or pay 25% now, where that option is offered.
5. Look out for your confirmation email, then your arrival instructions three days before you travel.

The full list of what a direct booking includes is in the Flexiestays help centre article on why to book direct, and the savings on longer stays are set out under discount codes and direct booking savings. The exact terms for your booking are shown at checkout.