I know I’m very late to this party, but have you used airbnb before? It’s been around for a while but if you haven’t heard of it, it’s a website that lets you rent apartments, rooms, castles, log cabins, grannie flats, igloos (well, probably not) and all kinds of accommodation all over the world.
I had my first airbnb experience on Saturday night in Melbourne. We rented an apartment in South Melbourne for a night from a lady whose name I can’t recall. I know I’m from Melbourne, and so have plenty of lovely people I could stay with but I was looking for a place for Mum and I to stay for the night and I kind of have a thing about staying at peoples’ houses. I sort of hate it. I feel like a total impostor.
Anyway, the apartment was fantastic; excellent location, great view over Albert Park lake, tastefully decorated, clean and a really good price.
The balcony.
There was also a seriously well stocked fridge (cheese, juices, cold meat, sparkling mineral water), a Nespresso machine and an excellent range of teas that we were welcome to help ourselves to.
Bread wrapped in a tea towel. Seriously.
Staying in someone else’s apartment without them being there also satisfied the voyeuristic snoop inside me, I loved lurking through the books and kitchen cupboards.
So many cookbooks.
I also enjoyed watching the sunset from the warmth of the lounge room.
Cosy.
It was really great. Screw hotels! My sister has used airbnb all over the world with excellent results. She and her partner have also hosted people at their place, which gives travellers the added bonus of local knowledge and tour guides.
I have a night in Perth coming up soon, so I’ve booked a place with airbnb there too. I’m hooked! Have you used airbnb before? Would you?
My Bloggable Day 
I’ve never used it but always been intrigued… any tips on finding a decent place? Which countries has your sister used it in??
From my sister: “We’ve used it in Hong Kong, the US and Colombia and will be using it in Europe later this year. Go for places with plenty of reviews and book ahead because the best places tend to be in high demand”. Hope that helps 🙂
I’ve used it quite a bit and have had mostly good experiences. I’ve stayed in two really really cool apartments in New York (weirdly, I just got a LinkedIn request from one of the hosts in NY who I never actually met), another super trendy one in LA and on my recent trip to London I had one good and one terrible experience with it. The first place I booked in London was a dodgy apartment in East London (not the trendy part). It was quite dirty and very noisy so I ended up leaving and going to a hotel. But then I stayed with a lovely couple in their cute apartment in Shepherds Bush and it was a really good experience. They even cooked dinner and made cocktails for me! I usually opt to book the whole place instead of sharing with the owners but since I had such a good experience with the couple in London I might try that out more! I also used it on a work trip to Canberra once because all the hotels were booked out. I stayed in someone’s converted garage, which was freezing (they had a heater but it took a while to warm up and it was in the middle of a Canberra winter), but they gave me breakfast so all was good.
It seems like the really good experiences would probably outshine the bad ones, it’s so nice when people go above and beyond. Cocktails! So fancy!
I haven’t used it, but definitely would if the opportunity arises! I was actually considering putting my whole apartment up on it for Grand Final weekend given I’m only a 10-15 minute walk from the MCG (and it’s highly likely there will be an interstate team playing) but I’m a little nervous it might get trashed by drunken footy fans celebrating (or commiserating) after the game!
Hmmm yeah that’s a tough one! Maybe there are some kind of terms and conditions that outline what to do if the guests cause damage, but I suppose once they’ve left it might be a bit hard to sort things out. On the other hand it would be a great opportunity to make some money! I’ll be interested to hear how you go 🙂
Love Airbnb – I was lucky enough to find a great place on it for my first 3 weeks in Canada. The chick I shared the apartment with is now one of my very close friends! 🙂
That’s awesome! I’m definitely using it next time I travel 🙂
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I’ve always wanted to try this option for accommodation.
The apartment looks really neat, with an amazing view.