The first time that I stayed in an Airbnb was in Port Dalhousie, Ontario. My husband, my friend and I were visiting one of our friends in Canada.
My first Airbnb – Port Dalhousie, Ontario
The whole process was simple and straightforward. It was in a great location, in a nice neighborhood. We had the amenities of a whole house for less than the price of a hotel.
The house had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was decorated cutely. Literally, the only negative about the house was the gnats in the backyard. You can’t even imagine. I know that gnats and other various bugs can be expected around water, but this was insane.
Where every gnat in Canada lives
Solution: Don’t sit in the back yard. Simple enough. I would definitely stay there again.
My worst Airbnb experience – Tornoto, Ontario
So, we decided to stay in downtown Toronto for a couple of days. We rented an Airbnb in a condo which was centrally located, was nice and had great reviews.
When we first walked in, we heard water running.
Immediately to my right, the kitchen sink was on. The sink was stopped up, and water was everywhere. The kitchen floor was full of water, the trash bin under the sink was full, the hallway and living room also were wet. (This photo does not do it justice.)
So we waited in the doorway and called our host. Luckily, he lived in the same building, so he was there quickly.
Apparently, the water was off in the building earlier that day, so when the maid had stopped by to clean, she had accidentally pushed the faucet up. When the water came back on, no one was there to stop it!
We helped him clean up the water, he apologized and said that he would give us a night free. Good enough for us! (It did warp his floor, which was unfortunate.)
Later, my husband sat on the bed. He immediately stood up and pulled up the mattress. There was, what I can only describe as a boulder, holding one corner of the bed up. This wasn’t a huge deal since it was near the edge, but it did make it slightly uncomfortable.
Besides these issues, the place was great. The view was amazing and it was so close to everything!
In the end, the guy didn’t refund our money. So that was annoying.
But honestly, I still preferred even that Airbnb over a hotel. There’s something about having a whole apartment to yourselves that is both convenient and comforting. Not to mention how much cheaper it was compared to a hotel near the same location.
My Favorite Airbnb – Chinatown, NYC
This past December, we stayed in an Airbnb in Chinatown. Like most places, there were a couple of negatives that I will go ahead and get out of the way.
The main thing, since it was winter, was the radiators. I have never in my life experienced a radiator that was this loud.
After the first day, we realized that we could turn it off. So we did and we actually slept during the night for the rest of our stay.
The only other thing that could really be considered a negative was the fact that it was a four or five story walk up. This may not bother some people, but others may not be crazy about it.
The place had two bedrooms, a small kitchen/living room and one bathroom. It was definitely all we needed.
It was a cute place and the location was great. It was directly across from a Chinese restaurant called Food King. I’m not sure if the others agree with me, but I considered them to have the best egg drop soup I had ever had.
Still Better than a Hotel
Even with all of the negatives of the places that I mentioned, I would still prefer any of them over a hotel. The main reasons I prefer Airbnb are: budget, convenience, location and staying in a house or apartment in a city that you are visiting can help you feel more like a local.
Have you stayed in an Airbnb? Do you prefer them over a hotel? Or are hotels more your style? Let me know!
-Haley
I love that airbnb is now an option virtually everywhere. I’ve used it in Dubai- an excellent choice except for the loud pipes with water running thru them. 😩😩We also used an airbnb like place in Paris and loved this one too but we had to climb 4 flights of stairs since it was an old beautiful building with no elevator! The pricing is still a winner for me though
I bet the Airbnb’s in Paris are great! Also, I can definitely relate to having loud pipes when we stayed in Chinatown, NY. It was sooo loud! I definitely agree with you about the pricing being a winner. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I’ve never stayed in an Airbnb before. I’ve thought about it, but I feel a bit scared about sleeping in someone’s house, ya know? I know a lot of people have great experiences though. The poor guy with the flooded apartment though.
I can definitely understand your hesitation about sleeping in someone else’s house! I think because each time I’ve stayed in one I’ve had three other people with me, so it kind of lessened the tension. I’ve definitely been lucky in my stays so far. We definitely felt bad for our host with the flooded floor! I wonder if he is still renting out his apartment after that. Thanks for your comment!
Nervous sleeping in someone’s house. You may think someone will come take away your neck! Costs aside, I would feel secure in a Hotel. What dou think?
After your bad experiences, its good that staying in an Airbnb is still your preference, we’ve only stayed in one and it all went fine, but will be travelling to Australia this September and staying in a few Airbnbs and a few I feel are a little dodgy. Would you ever consider the rent a room, or is that out of the question for you, as it is for us.
I hope that you have great experiences in your Airbnbs in Australia! Personally, I do not think that I would consider renting a room either. I think it may be a little awkward for me, and I would feel that I could not come/go as I please because I would be afraid to disturb my host. I definitely do enjoy renting out a whole apartment / house though! Thanks for your comment!
First of all thank you for following my blog , I really appreciate it when fellow bloggers enjoy my posts . I have never stayed at an Airbnb , I’m more of a hostel and Hotel person. I know friends that have stayed in them and they never have anything bad to say about them. Maybe soon I’ll try it and see what all the excitement is about.
You’ll definitely have to try it one day! There are so many different options, I’m sure you could find a place that you would enjoy! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Airbnbs are great not only save you money but also convenient!
I totally agree! I’ve had pretty good luck with them so far thankfully.
Hello Haley,
Thanks for dropping by! Do lemme know if you ever visit India, we can tag along 🙂 😉
Love, T.
Tiru, I do hope to visit India one day! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Thanks for the like of Catting Around Kuching. I liked this post on your Airbnb experiences. After three years (80 hotels and 90 AirBnBs) we prefer Airbnb for longer stays (5 days or more). Budget hotels are generally tidier than budget AirBnBs. With the longer stays, we factor in first day organizing and cleaning, and the last day cleaning. When accompanied by our daughter, Airbnb is first choice as two bedroom options are plentiful compared to hotels along with more flexible cooking options. Cheers on the new year.
Great points! I have found more recently that I agree with your views, and do prefer hotels in certain situations. For longer stays or when staying with multiple people, Airbnb is definitely a good thing to consider. Thanks for your comment!
I have rented apartments a few times through other portals like owners abroad and Homeaway. AirBNB is the next one for me to try. Looking for a long let in the Canary Islands Jan – Apr 2019
Informative post. Thanks