I have stayed in incredible places that are better than any hotel I could have stayed at by using Airbnb. Just to give you an idea, I have stayed in an incredible joglo (pictured above) in the middle of a rice field in Ubud, Bali. I also stayed in a magical roof-top glass enclosed bedroom, nestled in the trees, with a gorgeous view of all the churches and colonial buildings in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. If you’re headed to Singapore, you can stay in a very luxurious Singapore Airbnb. Here’s my Airbnb review that details my experiences both good and bad.

My Airbnb Review

All of my experiences except one of them have been good. I booked a bungalow in Mexico that turned out to be very run down and dirty when I arrived and very different from the pictures that were shown. I cancelled early and got out of there as soon as I could. The only thing was the owner of the place didn’t want to refund me the right amount.

So, I put in a complaint to Airbnb. They called me the next day apologizing for my horrible stay. They agreed with me on the amount that I should be refunded, but said because they were also having a hard time dealing with the owner, they were going to let the owner refund me the amount he wanted, and make up the difference by refunding me out of their own pockets. Now that’s service! So my Airbnb review is a good one. I have found charming places to stay most of the time, and when I didn’t, they handled the matter with great customer service.

Airbnb Tips

An Airbnb rental in Guatemala

My most useful Airbnb tip is to ask the owner of the place you want to stay at for a discount. Especially if you are looking at booking a place last-minute. I have found the owners are usually happy to oblige, as they would rather rent their place for less than not at all.

Next, don’t get so caught up in the photos of how great a place looks that you forget to look at the reviews. I didn’t do that in an Airbnb rental that I stayed at in Guatemala. While it turned out OK (the views were worth it), it was much further from town than I really wanted it to be, and I would have realized this if I had read the reviews a little more carefully.

Also, I would recommend communicating with the host a little before booking. This will give you an idea of what they are like and how responsive they are. You want to make sure the place is a good fit for you.

For more advice on Airbnb, check out these Airbnb tips from Drive on the Left.

An Airbnb Coupon For You

Would you like to save money on your first booking with Airbnb? Just click here before you book, and they will give you a $25 discount off of your booking. (The reservation must have a total value of $75 to use this Airbnb coupon.)

Do you have an Airbnb review that you want to share? 

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