Goodness! I have so much to write about this week that I almost wish I had a team of writers that I could just assign all of these stories to because it's hard to cover all of the stuff that I've been finding lately. I'm so inspired by a lot at the moment, my cup is flowing over. I think it has to do with summer and all of the people I've been meeting on my recent trips  - and even here in my own city there is so much to explore and do that keeps me energized to write. I'm going to keep you busy for the next few months with all of my finds so I hope that you enjoy what I have to share in the weeks to come. Are you ready to drool over this amazing business idea and these great flats? Because the company I'd like to share is called Creative Flats and the concept is brilliant.

Though these flats are only based out of Montreal (too bad I don't visit there each year as I once did when I lived stateside), the idea of having creative, beautiful resting spaces on vacation, a home away from home, isn't a new idea but also isn't so common even despite all of the traveling that creative people do to promote their work or to simply gain inspiration.

The idea behind Creative Flats, which launched 11 years ago, is to serve style conscious clientele who want to stay in high-end beautiful apartments vs. cracker box ho-hum hotel rooms for the same price. Creative Flats is owned by decorator Nathalie Bouchard and stylist Annie Horth and together they bring that Nathalie/Annie charm to each apartment for a stylish, authentic and even home-y feel. I love how they mix objects from different periods and how detail-oriented they are. They're a little Domino meets Vicente Wolf which is the best of the best really. Clean, modern, fresh.

I just stayed at a hotel and though it was nice, there was no attention to detail, security or comfort. I think the idea of Creative Flats is a great one - you have your own apartment, you can enjoy space to spread things out, everything is taken care of for you so you are completely comfortable. The more I travel, the more I crave comfort and convenience. I want extras, in fact, I expect them if I'm paying a good amount for the room. I want to enjoy beautiful surroundings but even more, I want to feel secure and taken care of and though it seems odd to say this, I want to feel like I am a special guest - I like that.

What do you look for in hotels and apartment stays away from home? Have you ever stayed in an apartment vs. a hotel? I have a few times, and some were hits and others definite misses or shall I say, "Run Screaming!" misses because they were that horrible. I wonder what your travel experiences have been most recently at hotels and apartments? Care to share?

(images: creative flats)