During our travels around the world and across the US thus far, one type of accommodation has really stood out from the rest, Airbnb. And while we are attracted to the concept, what really makes an experience memorable are the hosts and unique locations.
We have had several different types of experiences while saying with Airbnb hosts from Brooklyn New York to the Big island of Hawaii. A lot goes into choosing a particular Airbnb host and location, so we wanted to share with you some of the things we have learned and our Airbnb reviews from across the country!
Location is Key – (St. Louis, Missouri)
When choosing a host to stay with, one of the first things we consider is location. If we have a car, then we will look for a location that includes parking, as well as being a reasonable distance to the things we want to do so we don’t have to spend much time in the car, or money on gas.
During a recent stay in St. Louis, we stayed in the perfect location based on everything we wanted to do. We were only a few minutes to downtown, but we were also in a fun neighborhood where we could walk to shops, food, and drink (including the historic beer district across from Anhesuier Busch Brewing Factory). We enjoyed exploring this neighborhood and experiencing life in urban St. Louis.
Culture – Live like a Local (Nashville, Tennessee)
One of the main reasons we have loved staying with hosts through Airbnb is that we get to experience the local flair of a city without feeling like a tourist. During a recent stay in Nashville, we arrived not knowing our host, but left feeling like we had a friend in Nashville! Our host Sarah Lou was just wonderful. She helped point us to some of the fun things to do in the city of Nashville, as well as some of her favorite hidden spots.
Overall, Nashville can be pretty touristy. But with local knowledge and insight from our host, we felt like we had been living there for a long while. Every Airbnb host is different, and some are more helpful and informative than others. But for the most part, we have found that they all truly enjoy showing guests around their city.
Local Transportation – (Seattle, Washington)
Depending on how we are traveling (car or not) we may need to base our stay near local transportation. This became important during our recent stay in Seattle. It is super expensive to park in downtown Seattle, but our host had a public bus stop right outside the front door! We were able to hop on the bus and be right in downtown Seattle in a matter of minutes, for only a couple dollars!
Plus, our Airbnb was located in West Seattle; which is a lot less expensive than staying in downtown Seattle! So we were able to save more money by staying here and even more money by taking the bus to popular destinations like Gas Works Park!
Lots of Good & Airbnb Reviews – (Brooklyn, New York)
With all that said about location, culture, and transportation; we also rely heavily upon the Airbnb reviews before choosing a host and location. Often times, the reviews will help us make a final decision if we can’t quite make up our minds. Our first stay with AirBnB was in Brooklyn over Christmas, and we mainly made the decision because of the awesome reviews of the location and the host!
This was our first stay with Airbnb, so we were concerned about staying somewhere reputable and with a reliable host. That being said, if you ever stay at an Airbnb, please do your part to submit your own honest and helpful Airbnb reviews so that others can get the benefit from your experience before booking their stay.
Awesome Hosts Make all the Difference – (Big Island, Hawaii)
While we have enjoyed all of our Airbnb experiences, there are some that have really stood out…mainly because of the host! On a recent stay on the Big Island of Hawaii, our host Jeannie brightened up our day and our stay with her friendly aloha spirit. She welcomed us with open arms (literally), as though we were long lost friends; and we loved it! During our stay with Jeannie, we sat down at the kitchen table numerous times and to talk about life, and our travels with her. She also gave us a lot of great information about the area and life on this part of the island.
Jeannie not only gave us some great recommendations on where to go, see and do, but we thoroughly enjoyed staying with her! There was also an older couple that was traveling on holiday and staying with Jeannie as well and we really enjoyed chatting with the two of them each day too! After talking Jeannie for hours on end about life, business, travel, and happiness, we left feeling as though we were saying goodbye to a dear friend. But we vowed to visit her again in the future, her place was awesome!!!
Each Airbnb Experience is Different – Embrace It!
Each of our Airbnb stays have been special to us in their own way. Whether it was the view of the Manhattan skyline from our bedroom in the Brooklyn loft, to a fridge full of local bagels and donuts in St. Louis, to the musical insight of Nashville, a personal touch of local brew in our fridge in Seattle, and the welcoming spirit and tropical paradise of Hawaii. Every destination holds a special appreciation in our hearts and we will always look fondly back at these vacations, in part because of the places we stayed and the people we met!
Now as we travel the world and leave the US behind for a little while, we look forward to seeing what amazing Airbnb experiences await.
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