Having stayed in 25 different Airbnbs so far (and no doubt more to come,) what are my tips and recommendations for anyone thinking of booking with them
Please note – I am not going to take a position on the debate about whether they should even be allowed in popular tourist areas, because of the elevation of local rents that are caused. I feel that it is up to those areas to decide what to do about this and to introduce whatever legislation they feel is necessary. I came to this conclusion after seeing the positive effect Airbnb was having in Donegal where cottages that would otherwise be empty (like so many holiday homes) were being put to good use. I am also aware that this is not the case in other parts of the world.
One of the things I have learnt by being continually on the road now for nearly 9 months, is the importance of having a good place to stay. As I have posted elsewhere, I think my trouble with diverticulitis may have been triggered by moving so much in a short space of time.
Part of my history is being made to move often as a child and in particular taken from a rented semi-detached home with bathroom and garden to a purchased terrace house with an outside loo and a paved yard. Place matters. In that move I also lost my friends and felt cut off from all I had known to that point.
I also remember hearing from a person with a history of depression who had been in and out of psychiatric care for a number of years. After a suicide attempt, a psychiatric nurse called to see him at his flat and said “I’m not surprised you are depressed living somewhere like this.” The person was in a ground floor flat with no natural light and near to a main road with constant traffic noise. With help he was able to move to an upper floor flat on an quiet estate with countryside views. His depression all but disappeared. Place matters.
So here are 11 things that I consider when making a decision on where to stay.
Noise:
I think it is important to consider your own red lines – and this is the most important one for me. I really need a good night’s sleep and although I can snore through constant traffic noise, (I have on several occasions,) it is one of the things that gets me down. As I am often in the accommodation during the day, it’s important that things are reasonably quiet then as well. This blog isn’t going to get written if I keep putting my fingers in my ears to drown out the bagpipe practice next door.
Heating:
Probably my second red line. I hate being cold. I have taken to carrying around a small electric heater so that at least my bedroom is warm, in case I can’t control the heating to a place. This is not something that is highlighted by Airbnb so it will be worth checking the reviews to see if the heating can be self-controlled. I would steer clear of any that can’t or those that highlight “being cold” in the comments. Obviously less of a concern in the summer or in a hot climate.
Amenities:
This is the section on the Airbnb site, which lists what the accommodation contains. So this is where I can screen out places on the basis that they do not have things which I think are necessary for a stay. Again, this might change depending on how long I am staying for. I only tick the box for a washing machine if I am staying for a week or more – and I don’t tick it if I am in a place where I know there is a laundrette nearby. My must haves are; heating, wi-fi and a lap-top friendly workspace. Also, if I know the space is in a block of flats / apartments, I will check that there is an elevator if it is above the 2nd floor.
The only problem I have found is that – although something might be listed as being there, it is not always listed as being there and WORKING!
In one of the spaces, the listing included wi-fi, and it was there, but it was SO slow that it was frustrating and as someone who needs it every day this was a big issue. None of the reviews had mentioned this, but I realised that most people were only staying for a day or two where slow internet didn’t matter.
At Brussels – I arrived only to find the elevator wasn’t working and my apartment was on the 5th floor. After carrying my suitcases up one at a time – on the 3rd. trip I met the repair man – who had it going again within 20 minutes. It was never a problem after that!
Cleaning Fees:
One to watch for is a cleaning fee. Not everyone charges this; and in the beginning, I was a bit sceptical. Surely it is better to avoid places that charge for this?
However, I soon came to realise that if a cleaning fee is not charged, the owners of the property will expect me to clean before I leave. This has caused me two problems, firstly that my idea of clean may not fit with someone else’s. Not a big issue so far – but one to watch out for. But the second issue did become a problem. This was waking up on the day of leaving feeling really ill and being unable to do the work that was needed. I did as much as I could but did leave the place dirty, simply because I ran out of time and had a plane to catch.
I left a note to apologise – but still had a run in with the owner of the place. So, now I am more inclined to go to places that charge a fee – but I wouldn’t rule out those that don’t, if everything else is in place.
Cooking facilities:
Airbnb does list whether the place offers pots and pans etc – but strangely does not cover all the cooking facilities and this can make a difference. One place I stayed in only had a toaster and a microwave to cook with, which meant some juggling of meals. Toast but no boiled eggs!
Several places have not had microwaves – which is fine, but it will limit what I can cook. Airbnb tell you if there is a fridge but not if there is a freezer or ice-making compartment. My latest flat didn’t have a kettle – but that turned out to be a mistake and after I queried it, the host came round with a brand new one. Again, what is acceptable may change depending on whether I am staying for a night or a month.
Cancellation Policy:
Near the bottom of the Airbnb listing page – is the cancellation policy of the place to be booked. I have come to realise how important this is. They vary enormously, with some being really strict and charging the full fee if you cancel after two days, whereas others will allow you to cancel right up to the day before with no charge (except the service fee which goes to Airbnb.)
I had to cancel one two of my bookings when I had my health scare on a trip back to the UK. One place did not charge, the other still charged me 50% of the fee. I had to pay and perhaps could have tried to claim back from Airbnb and my travel insurance – but I decided not to. Too much trouble when there was so much else going on.
Airbnb also have this odd policy of no refunds after 48 hours of booking, if you stay for a month or more. So just stay for 3 weeks and then rebook? Well the issue here is that there can often be substantial discounts for stays of over 4 weeks. So it is a bit of a calculation. Every time I have booked a month or more it has worked out – but I am still aware I am taking a bit of a risk and I am more considerate of the other factors in this post.
Also you need to consider what happens when the host cancels YOU. This has never happened to me* – but has happened to friends. My only advice, to try and minimise the risk, is to stay with superhosts. These are people who have been renting for a while and have scored well on a variety of feedbacks, as well as having a record for not cancelling bookings. Whilst booking with them wouldn’t guarantee no cancellations, it would lessen the risk as a) they haven’t done it before and b) they would want to keep their superhost status. Superhost is a searchable term on the Airbnb site.
Storage:
Another thing which is time defined. I need more storage if I am staying for a month rather than overnight. One thing which has surprised me is how many of the stays have very limited space in the kitchen. Some are so full of kitchen equipment which I know I will never use, (some I don’t even know how to use,) there is no space for the actual foodstuffs. At some places there has been quite a lot of food available – which begs the question of whether it is okay to eat it? Will they miss all the ice-cream in the freezer, (I usually feel guilty and replace it.) At the other end of the scale there is …
AirB but no B.
Airbnb was supposed to stand for Air bed and breakfast – but when (as I do) you stay on a “whole place” basis – quite often the breakfast element is missing. Now I have stayed at places where there has been stuff left in the fridge; one owner even asked what I would like and went out and bought it for me! At the other end of the spectrum – I turned up at one place on a really hot day into a flat went into the fridge to find it completely empty. Not even some juice. Strangely there was some ice-cream in the freezer – but it wasn’t really thirst quenching. I now work on the basis that there will be no breakfast and if anything is left for me – it is a bonus. If I know I am going to arrive late in the evening – I have been known to bring my breakfast with me. Even a few sachets of coffee!
Layout
Did I tell you that I have diverticular disease? Did I tell you that I am 64 and slightly … oh ok, I am … overweight. No? Well why should these things matter when it comes to flat or house layout? Let me give you a scenario.
I was looking at a bungalow in Ireland and was all set to book it when I noticed an odd phrase in one of the feedbacks – it said, “climbing up a step-ladder to the bed was a fun way to start the night.” Well not for me it wouldn’t – and particularly sliding down it at 3.30 am when I am in urgent need of ….
Again – Airbnb does offer some information – it will say if there are stairs in the house and if the entrance to the bedroom or bathroom are level. What I need to know is if the bedroom and bathroom are on the same floor! I don’t want to be running up and down stairs if I have a bad bout of the you know whats. Different things may be important to you. Don’t be afraid to question the owner if it is not apparent in the listing. The length of time it takes for you to get an answer (if any) may also tell you something about the let.
Location:
At the moment, I am travelling without a car, so the location of the property is a major consideration. Frustratingly Airbnb will quite often not reveal the exact location of a stay until I have booked. I guess this is a preference of the owner, but it does make booking difficult when I am dependent on public transport. Again, you may be able to glean things from the owner’s comments or from the reviews; but often I have had to message owners to get this information. If travelling with a car, a more pertinent consideration is whether there is easy parking or not and if this has to be paid for.
View:
Some of the best places I have stayed in have been those where I have looked out of the window and I have had to catch my breath. A great view is worth a lot – but again is not a necessity if the stay is just overnight. One of the things I have learnt on this journey is not to disparage high-rise apartments. I thought they would be noisy and draughty and I couldn’t have been more wrong. The views from my apartments in Liege and Brest have made the visits to these places special – but I also loved the view from a bungalow by the sea in Donegal. It is something that I will take more into consideration in the future and something that I would be prepared to pay a premium for.
So there you have it – and now you can see why it takes me so long to book an Airbnb. So far so good. I have stayed in some grotty places and luckily they were only overnight. I have got through traffic noise issues and have learnt to be creative with limited cooking facilities; (it’s a good job I like Pot Noodle!) As usual I would welcome other people’s views on the Airbnb experience and if you have not stayed at one before and would like a money off coupon – please click on the link here.
2021 update * the last minute cancellation has now happened to me. During the beginning of the covid crisis I was cancelled by someone outside of Airbnb and then tried to book somewhere else with the platform. This too was cancelled leaving me without anywhere to stay the next night. Luckily it only took a couple of more searches to find somewhere. Not ideal – and I was glad it happened in the UK so there was less of a language barrier – but it is a warning to try and prepare as much as possible. 2023 update! I have also updated that I am now 66 with nearly 100 stays under my belt!
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Comments
The strangest Airbnb we found was one in Austria with the bathroom behind the kitchen with a glass door in between. Not great when you are travelling with grown up family. We have had very good Airbnb experiences as well especially in Spain. It is a great way to meet local people and learn more about how they live.
Yes – that’s a good point – that perhaps I should have added. I have met some lovely hosts and it is a way of meeting at least a few locals. I much prefer it to a ubiquitous chain hotel.
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