Airbnb "over there"

[Red Badger]

So, we're in Airbnb #4 in our 3 week slog through parts of Europe. We stuck to highly rated, medium to high volume properties with specific amenities (elevator and washing machine). Where possible, we also chose super host locations.

We're in property #4 as our trip winds down. Just awesome stays!

We've done several US stays, but I was a little nervous with four different properties in four countries. We didn't go cheap - whole apartments on the rivers with awesome views, etc.

For about the same money, we get a small European hotel with nothing but a kettle for instant coffee. At our Airbnb's, full kitchen, multiple rooms, commanding views of some of Europe's finest rivers. Throw in terraces, balconies, and huge spaces, and we've made the commitment to avoid hotels wherever and whenever.

We don't care to eat out except for lunch (when we're doing stuff), and enjoy cooking breakfast and dinner most nights (a few targeted dinners out). At our stay in London, there was a small working farm next to our apartment, where we could buy most everything to make a meal (and we did). Being in the kitchen together is quality time for us - maybe not so for others....

Did same with taxi's a few years back. Uber and Lyft whenever possible.

We are fans of disruptive businesses - where needed. Lodging and ground transportation fit that criteria nicely.

Anyway, just wanted to report that we enjoyed our Airbnb experience here in Europe. As a former road warrior, it is so much nicer than a hotel (unless you are into a single room, 3 meals out or room service, and that great hotel food).
YMMV!

 

[audreyh1]

Great!

Are you using public transportation this trip?

 

[Nemo2]

I can't recall ever having a bad airbnb yet, (or Wimdu & House Trip either, for that matter).

Leaving tomorrow we have this one booked in Toulouse:

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/4327076

And this one in Perpignan:

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/20131295

 

[audreyh1]

I can't recall ever having a bad airbnb yet, (or Wimdu & House Trip either, for that matter).

Leaving tomorrow we have this one booked in Toulouse:

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/4327076

And this one in Perpignan:

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/20131295

Thanks for the links.

We’ve never done Airbnb and for some reason it makes me very nervous, even though many folks have had good experiences.

We’re getting ready to shift to a mode where we spend at least a week up to a month at a given destination, so our type of lodging will change.

 

[NW-Bound]

We used Airbnb for the 1st time last year in Europe. It was a 6-week long car trip, which worked out well as I spent a lot of time to research the parking situation at each location. Parking condition is something not to be taken for granted, unless you are in the countryside.

Wonderful trip. We enjoyed doing grocery shopping to see what the locals ate, how much they paid. Or strolling down the narrow street in the center of a medieval Tuscan hilltown, and saying high to old villagers sitting on their front steps passing the time.

Never had taken a tour and always did our own things, but this raised it to a new level.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

We don't care to eat out except for lunch (when we're doing stuff), and enjoy cooking breakfast and dinner most nights (a few targeted dinners out).

That's how we did Europe while living there from '15 to '17. After a while I found booking.com to be a great resource for non-hotel stays also. Europe can be very cheap, but it can cost quite a lot to get there from the States.

 

[gauss]

DW use to be afraid of AirBB. Finally got her into one and now she is on board.

BTW - Here is a photo of the funky little shack (ie. the building with the white door) that we stayed in.

-gauss

 

[kaudrey]

In June, we used AirBnB for our stay in Dublin. Hotel prices were crazy, and we found a cute 1 bedroom with a quiet courtyard a block from the river and Temple Bar. It was a great stay!

 

[Nemo2]

Thanks for the links.

We’ve never done Airbnb and for some reason it makes me very nervous, even though many folks have had good experiences.

We’re getting ready to shift to a mode where we spend at least a week up to a month at a given destination, so our type of lodging will change.

We've also booked Riga & Gdansk for next year, (both with airbnb IIRC); no schedule for Lviv, Kiev, etc, etc, at this point so we might have to take our chances.....early days yet.

 

[Sojourner]

I've also found Airbnb to be an excellent alternative to hotels, both domestically and abroad. Typically much better value for the money, although there are some trade-offs. Sometimes communications with your host(s) can be spotty or not as timely as you might want, and check-in/check-out procedures aren't always as smooth as they are with hotels. Also, sometimes you get to your Airbnb place and find that certain basic amenities are missing or insufficient (e.g WiFi, ceiling fans, kitchen utensils). And you do have to understand that Airbnbs are not regulated or subject to the same oversight as hotels, so you are relying on your host(s) to make sure the place is safe and clean and sanitary.

Having said all that, I've had 90-95% good experiences with Airbnb over the years, which is quite a bit higher than what I've had with hotels and motels. And I've saved a fair bit of money along the way.

 

[NW-Bound]

I can't recall ever having a bad airbnb yet, (or Wimdu & House Trip either, for that matter).

Leaving tomorrow we have this one booked in Toulouse:

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/4327076

And this one in Perpignan:

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/20131295

I used to daydream about having my own 2nd home in Southern France. That's from reading all the books by Peter Mayle. But there's a lot of headache with that, let alone the cost.

With Airbnb, it is a lot cheaper and no hassle to stay in a place and experience the local culture for a week, or a month if I want to.

 

[athena53]

Good timing! I'm on a 2-day excursion in Paris in a traditional hotel but will be returning Wednesday to my Airbnb in Edinburgh. This is my second experience; I suspect the first one, in Iceland last year, spoiled me a bit. It was clearly the residence of the lady who rented it out (I think she moved in with her daughter during rentals). Artwork she created was all over, it was filed with family pictures and a couple of Bibles in Icelandic and there was a well-tended garden outside.

The place in Edinburgh is an obvious Airbnb "flip". Everything is modern and immaculately clean- but no wastebaskets, not a lot of light (only an overhead in the BR), no electrical outlets in the bathroom, none open in the BR, no TV programming (you use your own Netflix, etc. accounts), no microwave. Bedroom has- a bed. No bedside tables, no chest of drawers. No hot water in the bathtub; it comes from an instantaneous-heat shower unit on the wall. Clearly meant for quick turnover. A tactful poster outside reminds us that others in the apartment complex are NOT on holiday, so please minimize noise and revelry, and that families were displaced from the complex in order for investors to acquire units as Airbnb rentals. (I did pay only $900 for 8 nights and the location is good, but was still a bit surprised at the minimalism!)

I will use Airbnb again and will read the reviews more carefully but I have mixed feelings. I know that in many areas popular with tourists, Airbnb has made property less affordable for people who just want to live there and has meant that otherwise quiet, owner-occupied complexes are suddenly being overrun with party animals on vacation. I support the idea of limiting how many weeks houses/units in residential areas can be rented out but I'm not sure how they can be enforced.

 

[OldShooter]

We've been happily using AirBnB for a few years now. Wild guess: 40-60 nights. For those who are nervous, here is what has worked for us:

Search for the location, sort by highest prices first. Skip over the chateaus, etc. and start looking for private apartments: ensuite bath, kitchen or kitchenette, favorable location, parking. Then read the guests' reviews. Look at cancellation policy to make sure it is generous.

We use the kitchens very lightly, usually just OJ, croissants, and coffee in the AM. The fridge is nice for some beers at the end of the day though. We are driving almost 100% of the trips, so we carry one of those throwaway foam coolers with our OJ, croissants, butter, beer, etc. from property to property.

The one difficult experience we had (in Norway) was because it was a new property when we booked and there were no reviews. Subsequent to our booking but well before our trip, reviews appeared saying that the place involved two flights of very steep steps between the sleeping rooms and the shared bath. Had we been smart enough to check back, this would not have been the surprise it was when we got there. Fortunately the host had another property that worked for us, so in the end things were fine.

 

[athena53]

Airbnb "over there"

Thanks for the warning- a shared bath AND 2 flights of stairs between the bedroom and the bath would be dealbreakers for me! I'll be very diligent about reading reviews.

 

[OldShooter]

... I will use Airbnb again and will read the reviews more carefully but I have mixed feelings. I know that in many areas popular with tourists, Airbnb has made property less affordable for people who just want to live there and has meant that otherwise quiet, owner-occupied complexes are suddenly being overrun with party animals on vacation. I support the idea of limiting how many weeks houses/units in residential areas can be rented out but I'm not sure how they can be enforced.

Yes. In fact I have thought that our very favorable experience may at least partially be a thing of the past as "professional" AirBnB hosts increasingly pop up and are buying/renting just for the AirBnB market. We actually like meeting our hosts. We are often able to get local information, restaurant recommendations, etc. In Bergen Norway our host served us a light dinner with pleasant conversation and she was also agreeable to driving us maybe 15 miles to the airport. Of course I paid her what a taxi would have charged but riding with her on a flexible schedule was very nice. We try to avoid profesional AirBnB hosts where possible.

 

[Bamaman]

As soon as we left our last Air BnB stay, the company was after us to rate the property. At the same time, I realized Air BnB was asking the host to rate us as guests. Ratings go both ways.

I'm always trying to stay at alternative accommodations anytime we travel overseas--Air BnB and Booking.com properties.

My only gripe was once having my credit card hit when I made the reservation, even though I wasn't going to be there for 4 months. I prefer to be billed after the fact.

 

[Fedup]

I don’t know how to find out our ratings as guests. I didn’t give one bad review at one Airbnb because I thought I could wait until I get home.

 

[NW-Bound]

The Airbnb's I have used are not all equal. Some were "wow" when we first set foot in, while some were ho-hum. However, we are not picky, and I also consider the price and the convenient location when I shop for them. Can't expect 5-star for 2 and 3-star prices.

 

[Fedup]

I just want a decent king size bed, I’m not picky either. We failed on that criteria for our 3 Airbnbs in Europe.

 

[Nemo2]

I don’t know how to find out our ratings as guests.

- Log into airbnb

- Hit 'Edit Profile'

- Scroll down to 'Reviews' (There are reviews about you & reviews by you)

I didn’t give one bad review at one Airbnb because I thought I could wait until I get home.

They only allow you a finite period to post, and after that you can't submit a review.

 

[marko]

I'd like to share a funny story. "The Original European Airbnb"

Back in the 90's I was skiing in Austria with a German friend. We had just arrived and had no plans or any idea on where we'd stay. It was about 10PM.

We went into a noisy, very crowded bar for a quick bite and a beer.
My friend disappeared leaving me with a pretty 'English teacher' who spoke no more English that I do Chinese and materialized a half hour later with "Osvald". "This is Osvald!" he exclaimed. "He's going to put us up for the night." Osvald was quite exuberant and very pleased to meet me.

After buying Osvald a few more beers and chatting for a while we followed his car up to his chalet. Very nice. Spectacular in fact. Slopeside to boot.

Os set us up in a guest room; two nice beds in a big room and brought in some bottled water. Showed us how the shower worked. After back and forth in German with my friend, my friend said: "Osvald will make us breakfast...what would you like?" I said whatever he had.
"Vell Zen, gut nacht!"

Lying in bed in the dark, I asked: "So, Hans, Osvald is a great guy... how do you know him?"
"Oh....I just met him at the bar. I don't know who he is!".
Os wouldn't take any money the next morning.

 

[Fedup]

- Log into airbnb

- Hit 'Edit Profile'

- Scroll down to 'Reviews' (There are reviews about you & reviews by you)



They only allow you a finite period to post, and after that you can't submit a review.

Thank you. I checked and it was the one in UK, he wrote great guest. The other two were no reviews.

 

[Red Badger]

Great!

Are you using public transportation this trip?

In some places, less in others.

ie. London tube /streetcar in Germany. Not in Brussels, just hung around Grand Place. Some use of subway in Cologne - my old stomping grounds. A little use of RER in Paris, prefer Uber (no gypsies hitting on us).

Anyway, we use a fair amount of public transit, but supplement with taxis and Uber as DW has some mobility limitations.

 

[Fairfax2018]

I concur with the poster that said in Europe booming.com operates the same as AirBnB. We recently moved back to the US after living in Germany for 3 years and booming.com typically had more/better properties for some reason.

 

[Nemo2]

I concur with the poster that said in Europe booming.com operates the same as AirBnB. We recently moved back to the US after living in Germany for 3 years and booming.com typically had more/better properties for some reason.

Booming.com or Booking.com?