Airbnb an MSE way to stay ?

duchy

I've always liked the idea of Airbnb in principle but never actually booked one until now.

It has always seemed to me that you need to read the reviews carefully and that any stay will be as good as your host. Well now I'm about to find out as I've just booked two !! :eek:

My trip has several stops - and I looked at airbnb for all of them. Frankly it seems to work better in some area than others.

The first stop of my trip is Gothenburg which is simply a transit stop . I wanted either somewhere really close to the airport or somewhere very central in Gothenburg ideally walking distance of the very good and frequent airport bus. Hotels that fit that criteria started at over £100 so I looked at airbnb. There were lots of choices but I ended up rather than booking someone's spare room with a room on a hotel boat ten minutes walk from the central station. The boat usually sells rooms ensuite for around £100 (on expedia etc) but have similar rooms with the shower opposite for £50 through airbnb. For a one night stop for me that is fine and any disadvantage is offset by the cost and location as it is very central so no cabs or trying to find the right tram. Next morning it's a ten minute stroll to the station for the very frequent airport bus.

Next stop is Chicago airport for a night before flying out the next morning . Airbnb simply didn't work for me here- I can get a cheap motel with free shuttle for less than any airbnb once I cost in the cost of getting to the accommodation- by cab or uber.

I did consider a beautiful ensuite room in Michigan for a night or two in the next town to where I need to be (which is not the prettiest of towns whereas this town is) and the host even offered to drive me where I needed to be -which was amazing and lovely but I would have felt like I was imposing so decided against it- but it goes to show that some airbnb hosts will go above and beyond.

Last stop needed to be downtown Chicago -where hotel prices make London look reasonable or out in the western suburbs - which are quite desirable . The only hotel walking distance of where I need to be for an event was an eyewatering £150 or something more reasonable an uber ride away at least £100. I found a ensuite room with really good reviews for £36 fifteen minutes safe and pretty walk from the event. and an even shorter walk to get me back to downtown Chicago the next morning

So this is going to be an interesting experiment..
I'm travelling light and these are one night stops so if it all went horribly wrong I could just leave and book elsewhere but if it is as good as some people claim it may be a very good way to make a trip more MSE than even budget hotels but with a better experience...

benjus

We've only rented entire properties through Airbnb, never rooms, but so far we've stayed in:

• A small flat just outside the centre of Vienna
• A modern villa in Croatia with pool and all mod cons
• A beautiful house in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• A comfortable flat in the Roma area of Mexico City
• A tiny hut (with double bed and shower room) in Mousehole, Cornwall

They have all been great experiences, and all were cheaper than hotels in the same area.

PompeyPete

Twice for us.

Firstly in Kathmandu...

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/889095?s=KdFkACMY

Wonderful experience, all the reviews are spot on. I'd have happily paid 3 times as much.

Second time was in Sanur [Bali]. Experience was less that what we'd hoped for, but probably right for what we'd paid. It's not listed now. During our stay in Bali we found that out of peak season there's a massive over supply of hotel rooms, and we could of done a lot better for the same price.

Staying at this Airbnb in a couple of weeks...

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/262697

...but I booked it for a better price direct with the owner.

I think that providing you do your homework properly, and check every word of the place being advertised then you can't go far wrong.

Ames

Even more MSE is Couchsurfing:

https://www.couchsurfing.com/

I haven't tried it but I've spoken to people who have and it sounds great.

duchy

benjus wrote: »

We've only rented entire properties through Airbnb, never rooms, but so far we've stayed in:

• A small flat just outside the centre of Vienna
• A modern villa in Croatia with pool and all mod cons
• A beautiful house in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• A comfortable flat in the Roma area of Mexico City
• A tiny hut (with double bed and shower room) in Mousehole, Cornwall

They have all been great experiences, and all were cheaper than hotels in the same area.

I'm also looking at Vilnius in Lithuania for a weekend later in the year - Plenty of studio and one bedroom flats in the old town for sole use for much cheaper than hotels too.

pendragon_arther

I've used them three times now and I'd use them again.

Pincher

I stayed in Paris, with a group of six, five days stay. I would say that is the kind of thing that AirBNB is ideal for. With our own kitchen, it was easy to do breakfast together, and just go. There was a Novotel about two minutes walk away, and three rooms would have been more expensive than what we paid AirBNB.


It's not really the money, it was more the convenience. We had a washer/dryer. It was also easy to have discussions to make decisions.


For one night stays, it's best to keep it hotel, or hostels with 24 hours front desk. Too many things can happen to cause delays, and the host can't be expected to wait forever.


There are lots of places that advertise rooms in Cuba, some of them on AirBNB. The problem is, I don't you can get a Cuban tourist visa with an AirBNB reservation.

Doshwaster

I must admit that I've never been tempted to use AirBnB or Couchsurfing (or even http://www.sleepinginairports.net/). I don't know why - maybe I just don't like the idea of stopping in someone else's house when I could have a proper hotel.

paddyrg

Some people like properties 'with personality', but I prefer hotels. AirBnB and internet agencies have had a great effect on hotel room prices in London, these days I pay less for a decent 4* than I paid for a regular 3* in the 1990's.

I'd consider staying in someone's apartment if I had it to myself and they used it minimally, but I just don't do sharing well. As for a shared bathroom, forget it!

holidaysforme

We've used Airbnb a couple of times successfully, and would use them again.i would only ever rent a whole house or apartment though. However I haven't always found them to be the cheaper option, over just renting an apartment directly, or even through booking.com or the like.
I think prices are starting to creep up a bit now that they have become established and popular.
Your trip sounds great OP. I hope Airbnb works out for you.

budgetflyer

For me its just another option.
I normally prefer "non chain" places as I prefer to benefit the community im going to rather than some big corporate. however if a Hilton comes up and it fits the bill, Id book it, no hassle.