Our Simple Guide To Airbnb Log in, book and chill out
Sue Hayward heads down memory lane with some of her favourite Airbnb stays
Iwas a late arrival to Airbnb. My friend Leah had been excited about it for a couple of years, so when my husband and I planned a road trip across Devon and Cornwall I decided it was finally time to dip my toe in the waters of the popular accommodation website.
Torquay was our first ever Airbnb experience; a pitstop between seeing friends. I’ll admit to a back up plan in the form of a Premier Inn in the town centre. After checking out lots of Airbnb options, we chose a modern one bed flat a short walk from the beach. Pictures and reviews looked great, but my heart sank when we arrived and were shown through a dim and dingy hallway. However thankfully, with a huge sigh of relief, our bright and spacious flat upstairs was a world away from the shared entrance hall.
Since then, we’ve discovered some amazing places without breaking the bank. When winter sun beckoned in Malta, we were sold on the view from Aldo’s apartment in Gzira, which overlooks Marsamxett harbour. We booked a week’s stay and the view, along with the apartment, was even more stunning in real life.
On a city break to Vienna, we wanted somewhere fun and functional, and booked a funky green and white themed studio flat tucked away in a side street. Just minutes from a handy U-bahn stop, this was also immaculate, and we were greeted by the owner’s son. We found plenty of maps and a book with tips and local restaurant recommendations.
A solo trip to Lincolnshire saw me driving along country lanes to meet Claire, with her fabulous farm house among open fields. I had the run of the new upstairs apartment and within minutes of arriving, Claire was dishing me up a bowl of delicious pear crumble she’d just made.
Our last couple of trips have been closer to home due to lockdown travel restrictions and we found an apartment in Bournemouth for a late summer trip. Just minutes
from Alum Chine beach, we were greeted with fresh croissants and a very generous “breakfast pack”. From there next stop was The Bakehouse in the tiny village of Boldre, in the New Forest. This was Airbnb Plus, and like staying in the west wing of a gorgeous country house with our own tennis courts, and resident cat – who lived in the big house but popped in every day.