Dear Clare: What are your thoughts on house rentals like Airbnb vs. hotel? Which option is usually cheaper? How do you find good houses that are clean and in safe neighborhoods? ~ Denice
Dear Denice: I get asked this question a lot and my answer is always “it depends.”
Reasons to stay in a hotel instead of Airbnb
Hotels are best if you’re only staying a night or two. They’re also nice when visiting unfamiliar countries, where you want help with transportation and dining suggestions. My go-to site for hotels is Booking.com. I love their search features, reviews and easy cancellation policies. They include small inns and bed and breakfasts, which offer helpful assistance without the mass tourism feel. When I book travel overseas, I often use Booking because I can reserve several locations a year in advance and cancel the extra reservations once I’ve finalized my plans.
View from our balcony
Preferred site is Booking.com and you can read about some of our favorite stays at Haus Hepi in Austria or the Pelican Inn in California.
Reasons to stay in an Airbnb instead of hotel
If you want to feel like a local or crave privacy, skip hotels and look for houses or private rooms within a house. This type of lodging is also preferred if you want household amenities, such as full kitchen, laundry, and outdoor living. My favorite site is Airbnb, so I’ll focus on that one, but you can always check listings on VRBO (sometimes they’re cheaper). Just like hotels, there is a huge range of rentals available through Airbnb. Prices range anywhere from $30 for a private room in someone’s house to $3000+ private estates. You’ll find cabins, apartments, tree houses, house boats, farm stays and more. I once stayed in a converted boat hut in Faroe Islands. It had a composting toilet and tiny kitchen, but its location directly on the ocean with private hot tub made it one of our most memorable experiences.
As with all things travel, cost will be determined by how much luxury you want and whether or not your location is in high demand. You will get more bang for your buck with an Airbnb if you stay longer. Nightly rates are often cheaper than hotels, but Airbnb adds cleaning fees and those add up quickly. We typically spend most of our trip at an Airbnb but may stay a night in a hotel close to the airport. You should also factor in cost savings of staying in a house with a kitchen — not eating out for every meal saves a lot of money! With most trips, I look at Booking and Airbnb to see if anything strikes my fancy. You can’t go wrong with either choice.
Are Airbnbs safe and clean?
I’m glad you asked about the cleanliness and safety. I often hear people say they prefer hotels because they’re more trustworthy. I couldn’t disagree more. My worst experiences with lodging were hotels. Like anything else, the quality of your stay depends on the management of that site and whether or not it meets your expectations. Once you narrow down your search to a few options, read the reviews. They are full of details including extras like “they have bicycles and canoes” or “the owner greeted us and invited us for coffee.” If you’re still in doubt, especially about the neighborhood safety, use Google Maps. Airbnb doesn’t give an exact address until you reserve, but it does show enough detail for you to find the block on Google Maps. Click on Street View to see real photos of what’s nearby.
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