I’ve seen Airbnb around for a while now but was never really certain exactly what it was. Airbnb is the worldwide alternative for hotels. When planning our trip to New York, hotels were coming up ridiculously expensive for just a week’s holiday. For 2 of us we were looking at about £800-1000 for the week for a reasonably standard hotel. Even looking further afield outside of Manhattan, the prices were extortionate for what was essentially a bed and a bathroom. Seven of us were going to New York so the prices soon added up and realistically I couldn’t afford the costs! I decided to look into Airbnb to see if there was an option for seven of us to stay together.
I browsed many apartments in New York ranging from £100-£300 a night. I then found a 3 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn which seemed perfect for what we needed and close by to a subway station to get us into the centre and other amenities. The apartment slept 8 people and had a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and an en-suite. Having a kitchen also meant saving money on food as we could have breakfast and prepare meals at home rather than eating out for every meal. Before I chose the apartment I looked at many others and read the reviews until I found one that I thought was suitable. For the week the apartment came to just over £1100, Around £160 each – so affordable for a week’s accommodation and LOADS cheaper than a hotel!
When I booked the apartment it required me to pay the full balance right away which is worth noting, you will need to have the money before you book. We did this on a credit card for that extra protection if something was to go wrong. I added a comment when booking that we were staying for my mums 50th birthday and our host responded almost instantly saying he couldn’t wait to host such a momentous occasion and said if we have any questions then he would be happy to help out. Airbnb holds the money until after you’ve arrived. We were booking 9 months in advance so it’s good to know the host isn’t just going to run off with your money!
A couple of days before we flew, our host popped us a message saying if we had any questions then we could ask, we were also given the wifi password and code for the door as it was a keyless entry which was also brilliant. When we arrived our host was just finishing getting everything ready and was there to greet us and show us around. Although they lived just below, we didn’t see much of them and we were able to enjoy our holiday with absolutely no interruptions but knowing they were close by if needed. A couple of nights we ordered take-aways and used the hosts phone number as our English ones weren’t accepted and the host was so great about this. Communication was excellent and they were always there when we had a question or needed a recommendation for something in the area.
The apartment itself was exactly as the photos, clean and very spacious. It was everything we could have hoped for and served the seven of us very well. I would always look to airbnb for future holidays as the price and convenience was just fantastic. Airbnb have properties all over the world so are great for wherever you plan to travel, including UK breaks!
If you would like to try Airbnb for yourself, I have a code to get you £30 off your next trip, just use my link HERE. You don’t have to use it right away, you can click my link, make an account and your £30 will be stored and ready for you to use at a later date (within a certain time range). There are apartments all over the world and even if you’re looking for a short break in the UK there is bound to be something out there waiting for you. There are even pet friendly places or you can save even more money by renting just a room instead of a whole apartment. The possibilities are endless!
Have you ever used Airbnb – what was your experience?
I browsed many apartments in New York ranging from £100-£300 a night. I then found a 3 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn which seemed perfect for what we needed and close by to a subway station to get us into the centre and other amenities. The apartment slept 8 people and had a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and an en-suite. Having a kitchen also meant saving money on food as we could have breakfast and prepare meals at home rather than eating out for every meal. Before I chose the apartment I looked at many others and read the reviews until I found one that I thought was suitable. For the week the apartment came to just over £1100, Around £160 each – so affordable for a week’s accommodation and LOADS cheaper than a hotel!
When I booked the apartment it required me to pay the full balance right away which is worth noting, you will need to have the money before you book. We did this on a credit card for that extra protection if something was to go wrong. I added a comment when booking that we were staying for my mums 50th birthday and our host responded almost instantly saying he couldn’t wait to host such a momentous occasion and said if we have any questions then he would be happy to help out. Airbnb holds the money until after you’ve arrived. We were booking 9 months in advance so it’s good to know the host isn’t just going to run off with your money!
A couple of days before we flew, our host popped us a message saying if we had any questions then we could ask, we were also given the wifi password and code for the door as it was a keyless entry which was also brilliant. When we arrived our host was just finishing getting everything ready and was there to greet us and show us around. Although they lived just below, we didn’t see much of them and we were able to enjoy our holiday with absolutely no interruptions but knowing they were close by if needed. A couple of nights we ordered take-aways and used the hosts phone number as our English ones weren’t accepted and the host was so great about this. Communication was excellent and they were always there when we had a question or needed a recommendation for something in the area.
The apartment itself was exactly as the photos, clean and very spacious. It was everything we could have hoped for and served the seven of us very well. I would always look to airbnb for future holidays as the price and convenience was just fantastic. Airbnb have properties all over the world so are great for wherever you plan to travel, including UK breaks!
If you would like to try Airbnb for yourself, I have a code to get you £30 off your next trip, just use my link HERE. You don’t have to use it right away, you can click my link, make an account and your £30 will be stored and ready for you to use at a later date (within a certain time range). There are apartments all over the world and even if you’re looking for a short break in the UK there is bound to be something out there waiting for you. There are even pet friendly places or you can save even more money by renting just a room instead of a whole apartment. The possibilities are endless!
Have you ever used Airbnb – what was your experience?
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