This one isn't a review of any particular AirBnb, but rather my overall experience with the company so far, a quick overview of my stays, and why I enjoy using them over hotels. AirBnb started in August of 2008 and has been going strong since then. Though there are some horror stories about both hosts as well as guests, my experience is that if you only book with Superhosts you get positive results. Superhosts are hosts that consistently receive positive reviews and are trusted in among AirBnbers, also (like anything else nowadays) read. the. reviews. Always read the reviews! Whether its a product, hotel, AirBnb, place to eat, whatever, just take the time to read them. If feedback is mostly negative and about the same things, take that seriously into consideration about whether that's something you can compromise for a cheaper price, or whatever it is that's drawing you to that property!
What I especially like about AriBnbs is the communication with the hosts, through the app/website, in person, and through notes in the rooms. Often there are brochures, pamphlets, folders, notebooks, etc with ideas of things to do and information about the location you're in. For example, bus times tables were provided in NJ, with highlighted sections that would be important to visitors (namely, how to get into the city), and in Placencia and Richmond there was a whole folder full of information and maps. There's also cute little things like local products (Red Lion and Belize), snacks and water (Richmond), fresh baked goodies (Placencia) , fresh local flowers (Belize), and enjoying the host's sense of style that made you pick the stay in the first place.
A few weeks back I took two weeks to cover my 2018 trip to Belize, covering restaurants, places to stay, tour companies to go with and just some basic ramblings about the trip. My bnb in Placencia, Belize, Casa Placencia, was amazing, you can read that here for a more in-depth idea of what staying at her property was like. We also stayed in Caye Calkuer for a few days and you can read about my experience at Maxhapan Cabana, here. Looking for the TL;DR version? I gotchu. Casa Placencia was amazing, close to everything, I think we may have gotten the best room, and our host Jacki was a wealth of knowledge, hands-on experience, kindness, and all-around great lady. Maxhapan Cabanas was great for just the two of us, had a hammock that I never wanted to leave, was close to everything, and while we didn't have much interaction with the hosts, the little we did have was very pleasant.
Dublin Ireland was the only messy one I've had so far. I had a hard time getting into the building, I couldn't call the host because my phone refused to work at the moment I needed it to, and I could not for the life of me figure out the apartment's call box. Thankfully someone let me in as they were going in...but I had been sitting outside for a while. Not his fault, but this can be a hiccup when traveling abroad, so be mindful of it. I had also just got done hiking around Ireland, basically all day, just to find out that there was no hot water at the moment. I wanted to cry, but kept it cool...literally. Had an icy shower and went to sleep. But the host himself was pleasant and friendly (and apologetic too), the place was very clean and the bed was cozy comfy. Also within walking distance to the bus that would take me to the airport, which is one of the main reasons why I picked it. Great for my short stay.
When I was planning on being in NYC in May for a concert, I decided to stay in North Bergen NJ, as the bus was super cheap, took maybe 20mins to get into the city, and the property I found was maybe a 5 minute walk to the bus stop I needed. I felt bad for the hosts because this was a room in someone's house and I arrived late due to traffic and weather on my 12 hr drive. Then I was never there, and I think the host John thought I was crazy. I left early to wait in line all day for the concert and got back late because...concert the first day. Woke up early again the second day, handed them the keys and thanked them, then went off to explore the city before I left at 4pm. He advised me to slow down and enjoy life, but its hard to do that with a 2 day stay in a super big city! Had to do what I could. Haha This was a nice, inexpensive place that was really cute, well decorated, in what felt like a safe neighborhood to me (and I walked back, alone from the bus stop at like 11:30pm/12am), Luz and John I'm sure are both absolute peaches...I just didn't get to interact with them much since I was go, go, go. I think this not having an entire place to myself worked because it was NYC and I didn't want to pay a lot for a place I'd barely be in, but I don't know that I would do it again if I did a similar trip. I didn't anticipate how late I'd get in both days really and I felt terrible and just hoped I didn't wake them up!!
When attending another concert, this time in Richmond, VA, I stayed in this absolutely stunning apartment on a main rd, right across the street from a late night restaurant which I definitely hit up after that show. Somehow I don't have my pictures from any of my Airbnb stays, even though I know I took pictures in all of them, its so strange. But the link will take you to their AirBnb page, which you need to click because this place was really gorgeous. There were snacks and candy provided on tables and nightstands, water bottles in the fridge, a long list of restaurants and things to do in the area, and the style in this house was so me! I really wished I had made the stay a little longer so I could have enjoyed it, after all I was barely in it since I went to the concert and then home the next day (after exploring a bit beforehand), similar to NYC.
Red Lion, PA was a quick one-night stop on my move from VA back to NY. It was legitimately in the middle of nowhere and was so sketchy driving out there at night. It was my mom's first AirBnb experience and she was 100% unsure of where I was taking her. When we got there, we loved it! The rooms were cute, really playing up the farm-house-aesthetic (probably because it is a farm house) and my mom said it reminded her of her grandam or her aunt's house dfrom when she visited them as a kid. This house could seriously fit like 8 people easily, so there was plenty of room for the two of us, a rabbit, and a kitty cat and it was a very good price. The killer thing for me was the view. No, not of the corn field (although, if you're into corn, you're in luck!), but of the night sky. We were so far out of the way that there was no light pollution whatsoever. I just sat outside for a bit after we settled in and stared. I could have done that all night really. It reminded me of camping. If I remember correctly, there was no kitchen in the home, so we had to find some breakfast after we hit the road, it was a good thing we only spent the one night on that front, but I'm sure the host has ways to get your belly full, it is on a farm afterall.
Reykjavik, Iceland is my next stop on my AirBnb journey. Check in with me in two weeks, on March 22nd, when I'll be discussing my AirBnb as well as other hotels we'll be staying in on our whirlwind tour of the country. It looks cute though, so it should be good!
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