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Airbnb- any experiences, both good and bad?

Logan Sapphire

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Sep 5, 2003
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My husband, sister, and I are traveling to Seoul in Korea in Oct. and are considering doing Airbnb. We've never done it before and my husband is a bit nervous as he feels an Airbnb is just more of a gamble and less assured than staying in a hotel. Both hotel/Airbnb will have washer/dryer and either a kitchenette or full kitchen.

The pros- less money, and one of the Airbnbs I'm looking at is really nice; probably nicer than the hotels we could afford. The host stocks the pantry with breakfast items and other sundries. He provides free WiFi and portable WiFi.

The cons- potentially more hassle and definitely smaller than the hotel rooms we're considering. South of the river in the Gangnam district, so while nice, further away from the touristy areas north of the river.

Any experiences- both positive and negative- to doing Airbnb?
 

azstonie

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Hi Logan Sapphire: The New Yorker did an article on AirBnb (particularly mentioned Asia and Korea) recently, give the archives a search and read that article.
 

TooPatient

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"A" Went with her mom for a weekend to Oregon and stayed did that. It cost more than a hotel room would have (cleaning fees and stuff). They were only given one towel per person (to use for 3 nights). The sheets were not clean (like not even run through the wash).

They were shown the place and told not to touch anything. Not allowed in certain areas. Even with cleaning fee (non refundable, just a charge) they were required to sweep/vacuum/etc.
 

VirginiaZee

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DH and I used Air BnB when we went to Paris, fulfilling a life long dream. We checked out lots of reviews for the places we were considering, and only looked at ones where the people had written a description of themselves/put effort into the online listing. We found a great flat in a little neighborhood within easy walking to public transit and such. The gentleman who rented it (he bought it solely to rent, and lived in a different flat in the same building) was very polite and helpful. For us, at least, it was a fantastic experience.

Enjoy your trip to Seoul! :appl:
 

blackprophet

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Never stayed Airbnb but have done VRBO (similar website). Did it in Hawaii, and it was amazing.

I think with anything related to this type of service, reviews are key. Hopefully the places you are considering have multiple positive reviews. That is no guarantee, but neither is going to a well reviewed hotel either.

Going to Europe in Sept and will be airbnbing. Not really worried.
 

lemoncookie

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I've stayed a few and overall, really enjoyed it. So much so that I plan on only staying at AirBnbs during my trip to Europe. You can stay at more unique places and in neighborhoods that might not have hotels. I just make sure to look closely at the photos and read all the reviews.
 

Sky56

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I have had all great airbnb experiences. I used to own a place and rented out with VRBO - on the reverse end, it all went well.

Same with my friend who runs the lower level of her home as an airbnb.

Some advice, obvious I know - Only stay at airbnbs which mainly have a lot of good to great reviews. This doesn't mean the place is high end or fancy (some airbnbs I stayed at were unique, lower-end and clean but funky in a good way)

I've only done airbnb in the US & Canada.
 

NonieMarie

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We are using airbnb for our trip to DC coming up in Sept. The 5 day trip will cost each couple $1000 for lodging. I couldn't find a nice hotel at that price, $200 a night including all the taxes. The house is in Capital Hill and has 3beds, 2.5 baths and is stunning. It had lots of favorable reviews. We could have gone cheaper but the extra money for the house we picked was worth it. If all goes well we will be using airbnb next year for our trip to Italy.
 

Tacori E-ring

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My brother has an airbnb in SF. It is a win/win. Cheaper and more space for the travelers. Extra money for the home owner. It is peer rated so people leave him a rating and he leaves them a rating. Seems pretty legit. Not sure I would be comfortable renting a private room though. FYI they give them free professional photographers. That's why the places look amazing!
 

armywife13

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I do not have any experience with airbnb, but I wanted to pop in and say that I would worry too much about staying a bit south of Seoul in Gangnam. There is amazing public transit here, you will be able to get into Seoul pretty quickly via the subway. I hope you have a great time on your visit!
 

asscher_girl

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I used it for a flat in London last spring, it worked out really well. Great price and amazing place!

I've also used VRBO twice in the Caribbean and both times it worked out great. I have another VRBO booked in the Caribbean for later this year as well :bigsmile:
 

LLJsmom

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Airbnb for HK. Paid a lot for a bigger apt. Bad experience. Lousy kitchen. No mattress. Mostly non functioning bathroom. VRBO For Paris and London. Awesome!!
 

Lady_Disdain

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I stayed at an Airbnb last time I was in the US. It turned out great - comfy place, fresh eggs, in a nice residential area and cat privileges. Much more comfortable than the chain hotel alternative. However, I read tons of descriptions, profiles and reviews. Some places looked amazing and high end, others were clearly flea holes. Finding a nice place in the area I wanted took some work. However, I find that looking for hotels is pretty much the same: you need to read the reviews and research what the hotel is like (even a chain hotel).

Will I use Airbnb next time I travel? I don't know. I will check what is available, though. If I find a nice place, I will. If I find a nicer hotel, then hotel it is.
 

Logan Sapphire

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armywife13|1437203156|3904395 said:
I do not have any experience with airbnb, but I wanted to pop in and say that I would worry too much about staying a bit south of Seoul in Gangnam. There is amazing public transit here, you will be able to get into Seoul pretty quickly via the subway. I hope you have a great time on your visit!

Armywife- do you have any recommendations for kids' activities. Mine are 5 and 7. We haven't decided if we're taking them yet; if we do, my parents are coming and we'd ditch the Airbnb idea and just get a hotel.

I've been to Korea once but before kids so wasn't paying attention to kid activities. Are the amusement parks- Lotte, Everland, etc- worth it?
 

zoebartlett

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My sister and BIL own an airbnb. We stayed there while on visiting them earlier this summer. It's a fantastic place, and I know how much work they put into it. Okay, so I'm biased, but we really did have a great time!They leave a journal on the coffee table for guests to write in while traveling, and it's a great resource for local restaurant recommendations and activities to do. We had a lot of fun reading others' experiences.

One thing I'd recommend is letting the owners of the airbnb you stay in know how your experience was. Reviews can make or break an airbnb, and a great owner will reply quickly and do everything possible to make your stay a positive one. My sister goes through the journal at their airbnb after every guest stay ends, and she reads what people have had to say. If someone makes a recommendation to her, she or my BIL take care of it and leave a note in the journal so others know they're very attentive owners.
 

armywife13

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mmeowcollins said:
armywife13|1437203156|3904395 said:
I do not have any experience with airbnb, but I wanted to pop in and say that I would worry too much about staying a bit south of Seoul in Gangnam. There is amazing public transit here, you will be able to get into Seoul pretty quickly via the subway. I hope you have a great time on your visit!

Armywife- do you have any recommendations for kids' activities. Mine are 5 and 7. We haven't decided if we're taking them yet; if we do, my parents are coming and we'd ditch the Airbnb idea and just get a hotel.

I've been to Korea once but before kids so wasn't paying attention to kid activities. Are the amusement parks- Lotte, Everland, etc- worth it?

Logan Sapphire,

We have not went to Lotte and Everland because my kids are too young, but I have many friends with kids the same age as yours who have had a great time at the parks!

We have taken the kids to Children's Grand Park and Seoul Grand Park, which both would have things your kids would probably enjoy. Children's Grand Park is always a big hit with kids, they have an interactive kids museum at the entrance that is great. Inside the park there is lots of room to run around, the iLand amusement park, a water playground, and a small zoo. Seoul Grand Park is somewhere we have went several times with the kids, it has a HUGE zoo, including a petting zoo. There is also an art museum and Seoul Land amusement park.

These two links might come in handy, they have several suggestions of kid friendly activities in Seoul.
https://kidsfuninseoul.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/20-things-to-do-with-kids-in-seoul/
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1208139
 

OoohShiny

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I joined up and stayed one night at an ex-hotel/B&B owner's private home, who had sold her business and was just hosting 1 to 4 guests in her private home through AirBnB.

The place was beautiful, immaculately kept in an extremely quiet village, with an amazing breakfast in the morning, taken while looking over a perfectly-kept classically English garden, well-trimmed lawn and feeding wildlife included.

The cost? £40 or so, IIRC.


I wouldn't hesitate in using AirBnB again, going from my experience, but AirBnB subsequently refused to let me log in (or even give positive feedback to the lady) without demanding full face photos or a video, along with all my address details, neither of which I am ever going to transmit online to someone I don't know, and especially not to a giant, faceless internet company.

I understand they operate with the viewpoint of "you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide", with the perception that it's safer, but I would prefer a real person's feedback to illustrate my suitability for renting to, rather than sending a random company enough information for someone to steal my identity! :|

I have therefore not been able to use the service again, which is unfortunate, but I am not going to compromise my principles on personal privacy to save a tenner here and there... :roll:


If you are happily using Facebook or similar applications, though, you won't have the same issue as me! :lol:
 

apacherose

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May 19, 2014
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Swooping in to say Lotte World and Everland should be great hits with your kids- if it is a crummy day I'd recommend Lotte World as so much of it is inside.

:wavey: Hey Armywife, don't know how old your kiddos are but our littler ones enjoyed Lotte World lots- especially in the winter or crummy rainy days as it has so many indoor activities- you can get cheap tickets through ACS occasionally (M. Higgins? is it still?) They could spend ages in the little fairy tale play land and doing the floaty airball contraptions. Even my 1 year old had a great time there.

I do not have any Airbnb experience, but, I would have some trepidation about doing it in Korea vs. a western country, just for my comfort level. I know you said you went there but being in a hotel vs. living 'on the economy' is a bit different. Just one example- Korea has some really strong smells, like, many people have kimchi and other fermented vegetables in their homes and hang many peppers and herbs to dry- this is normal and fine, they eat very healthy food there, but if you are not used to it you might find it hard to get used to over a short trip. I imagine they would have western toilets and beds... but that would be another thing I would want to be certain about... and having a plentiful supply of toilet paper. They are pretty tight about paper products like handing out a napkin or a square of tp. Just food for thought. I love Korea, I SO love Korean food... enjoy your trip!
 
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