It’s there when you need it. There’s also the smell. I can’t stand bathroom spray “fresheners” that–combined with the poop odor–smell horrible. P U :))))
I know what you mean. I still remember following a coarse-talking ol’ gal into the ladies room once and she hollered out, “Geez!!..smells like someone sh*t in the Christmas tree!”
(I can’t believe I wrote that.)
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Toooooo funny!!! That’s similar to some other comments I’ve heard too. I hate that spray. I’d rather smell just the poop and not the Christmas tree! :)))))
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Price. Price is the most important factor. I first set a certain price range. I am not going look into places I cannot afford anyway.
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Location. I do not have a preference for where want to be. But more like where I do not want to be. This is not a fixed thing, it depends on the kind of trip I am making.
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Size/Space I hate small cramped hotelrooms/appartments where I hit something with every turn or step. If I see pictures of rooms cramped full with furniture and accessories, I look for the next one.
For me, I think it stems from the fact that my regular job is spent on the road visiting homebound people, so many people live in homes in which I would never consider using their bathrooms, so I basically spend all day keeping in mind where the businesses are that have the cleanest bathrooms that I can use in between home visits!
When I was house hunting 4 years ago, my mother thought I was crazy that as a single woman that my priority was two full bathrooms. But seriously, to me it’s an absolute luxury having access to a clean bathroom at any moment I want to use one.
I passed up a couple houses that were within my budget and were good deals due to lack of two bathrooms, but in the end, hasn’t it worked out well because if I didn’t have two bathrooms, I couldn’t do ABB, because I just couldn’t do the shared bathroom thing!
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If I’m travelling in my own country I like to stay in a shared Airbnb as my compatriots are notorious for being chatty and I like that when I’m on holidays. So I try and choose hosts who have similar interests to me as they will suggest places which appeal to me.
Travelling internationally my first priority is location as I want to be in an area that is fun yet “local” and not touristy. For instance, recently I stayed in Bushwick in New York and loved it. Much more fun than staying in a hotel in Manhattan.
A kitchen is not important to me as I don’t want to cook on holidays.
However, I find about 80% of my guests want to cook. Usually it’s the first question they ask me: Where is the supermarket.
I provide a full kitchen with everything from a garlic crusher to (yes) scales.
I didn’t see anyone mention price. That’s number 1 for me. It has to be in my budget. And my budget is just enough to keep me above the “ICK” factor. Sadly I’m finding out that, with airbnb, even spending well over $100 a night doesn’t guarantee the place will be clean. Twice I’ve gotten into houses that were disgusting. Previous reviews LIED. I’m to the point now that, like @konacoconutz, I’m not even interested in staying in an airbnb.
I do crave some kind of outdoor space, some kind of view.
If traveling by myself I don’t mind sharing a bathroom.
But usually I have a van full of people with me. ; )
I don’t mind us all sleeping in one room (for a short time). And the 5 of us can use one bathroom -for a short time
I need some kind of kitchen - see ‘budget’ above. Feeding 5 is expensive, plus, it’s such a HASSLE. If it’s good, it’s very very good and worth the money. But so often it’s not.
Very close into the city is usually expensive, so I do a lot of research to see where I can stay for a reasonable amount but be close to transportation.
It all revolves around money. That’s first - then what I can get for that - I love hot tubs, especially when staying in the country. tv and wifi I don’t care about; I can bring my own resources.
And please, no threatening horses…
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Chris posted it as his #1.
I’ve only stayed in a handful of ABBs but they were all clean. One was quite cluttered and had common areas that were dusty but my bedroom and bathroom were clean. It’s upsetting that reviews lied but we see it here on the forum all the time, the belief that reviews don’t have to be honest for one reason or another. As I’m shopping for airbnb’s I need to see pics of the bathroom. I’m a little suspicous if the there are no pics of the shower area. However, I’m staying in one this fall where there are no pics but the condition of the bathroom is disclosed as “old, not dirty.” We’ll see what I think after staying there. They have dogs so I’m going for it.
Do you save money staying at an airbnb? Can you get a hotel room for 5 in your price range? By the time you add going out to eat could you raise your airbnb budget?
LOL come visit St Croix USVI
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At five people; $100.00 is $20.00 per person. I believe that you said your recent Airbnb was $125.00; $25.00 per person. At this price point I believe you can expect dirty lodging no matter if it’s an Airbnb or a hotel. I’ve had skanky experiences at budget hotels. In Italy we had reservations at a cheap hotel. We saw someone shooting up in the stairwell. We decided to stay elsewhere. In Costa Rica we stayed one night at a very cheap hotel. There were so many cockroaches on the ceiling that we were scared that they would fall on us while we were asleep. We turned the light off in the bathroom and left the light on in the living room so the cockroaches would stay in the bathroom. In the morning we found a different hotel.
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Very interesting thread, don’t know why we haven’t thought of it before.
As people have said, different spaces for different types of trips. When I go to the UK I usually stay with family or friends but a couple of times I’ve been on a course or to a festival and have stayed in Airbnbs. I do like a private room then, with private bathroom and preferably breakfast as I like to interact with hosts especially if I’m travelling by myself; I don’t have particular things I need but I’m very influenced by photos and look for the kind of place that would interest me. I wouldn’t choose anywhere that looked cluttered and I really don’t like “quirky” decor! For a couple of days’ stay I don’t need a kitchen but I do need to make my morning cuppa - so an electric kettle and some mugs is the minimum!
For longer stays, such as our Cape Town visits, my priorities are:
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Price - don’t want the cheapest but has to be within our budget
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Whole apartment with kitchen but doesn’t have to be a gourmet one as my holidays are meant to be a break from cooking!
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Location: we don’t like city centres and always hire a car, so I like somewhere with at least some green space. Parking is quite important.
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Outside space. Unless we’re travelling in Winter, this is a deal-breaker for us. Even a tiny balcony will do, or access to a shared garden or pool.
But I really go by the photos particularly and then the reviews. I live in a pretty, though not luxurious house and I want equal attractivenss when I travel! I think the places we’ve booked in Cape Town look pretty good from this point of view!
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/10377744
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/12465061
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