<p>I am planning a family trip to Portugal over the Christmas holiday - Lisbon and the Algarve region. Our boys are now 20 and 23 so for several years now, we book either 2 rooms or a 2-bedroom suite type room so nobody is stuck on a sleep sofa. .</p>
<p>In researching those rental sites, I am finding large, beautiful apartments, in great locations at VERY low prices. For example, the GRAND total for apartments I have pinpointed for our Lisbon stay (4 nights) would cost about the same or less than ONE night at a comparable hotel. I realize a part of my skepticism is my unfamiliarity with this process as we have always stayed in hotels. My 23 year old son has used these sites with college friends but, their standards are just a wee bit below mine </p>
<p>We used airbnb on our Europe trip summer before last. Loved it. I made sure to book places with several reviews and contacted the owners before booking to be sure the apartment would work for our family. I really like that it is a 3rd party booking agency (with quite small booking fees) because it felt much safer booking overseas that way. You pay when you book but airbnb holds the money from the property owner until you’ve been there 24 hours to make sure everything is ok. We loved having apartments, ended up in fabulous locations, and the prices were great! I narrowed my search to apartments (not rooms in someone’s house) and added some other filters. Some other friends have used airbnb since and have been very pleased. Just really read reviews, look at photos, consider location, etc… Good luck and have fun!</p>
<p>Google Earth is your friend, too. Plug in the address and see if the actual unit, surrounding area and location would be acceptable to you. Sometimes the unit may be terrific, but if it’s situated next to a freeway or bar or too far from a city center, you’d want to know…</p>
<p>I’ve done a good number of Airbnb. It is much more dependable than VRBO. The key is to REALLY look at the pictures with attention. Some of the pictures have been verified by Airbnb and they tell the story. If the pictures show the outside, compare them with Google Maps and let that little guy do the walking for you. Be careful with over the top reviews as some of the reviewers might have very different standards. My take is that it works much better in the high end market than it the cheaper version (rooms for rent – shared apts)</p>
<p>Only one experience was not that great, but it was mostly my fault as the price was too good to be true and I did NOT pay enough attention to the exact location and the included pictures. The owners were truthful and did not misrepresent the property. I did not do my homework. All the others were always MORE than I expected and the cost were about 1/4 to 1/3 of a comparable hotel stay in expensive cities. </p>
<p>We stayed in Airbnbs through Italy last summer and thoroughly enjoyed each of our stays. As others have said, read the reviews, double check that the area is where you want to be and email the owners with questions.</p>
<p>Used Airbnb for trip to Boston last spring, worked great. I’ve used VRBO numerous times without any problem. Just make sure there are plenty of good reviews and they are current reviews and talk to the person who rents it out. (Note, never used either service overseas, just in the US.)</p>
<p>A gf and her family used Airbnb in Ireland, Amsterdam and France. Like 7 total. Sounds like some were great, some were hellish to find (Irish country side) even w local help, some were weird (old lady who really wanted company). </p>
<p>Hi - we stayed at an AirBNB in NYC last month. It was very nice and much more affordable vs. staying in a hotel in Manhattan. Sample size of one but it was a good experience. We also used Google maps to walk the neighborhood.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the helpful replies. I’m pretty excited to try something new. As much as we enjoy a nice hotel stay, I think having our own, large apartment/condo for this type of trip will be fun. </p>
<p>Have heard good things from a friend who swears by airbnb. Have no personal experience using them as H likes hotels and I like harmony. May try airbnb one day, but haven’t yet.</p>
<p>We have had good luck with VRBO and Homeaway. Never used airbnb but my sister had had great success. I have only used VRBO once outside of the US, in Jamaica. As others have said, reviews are crucial. Most places we have rented have kitchen, laundry and outdoor areas. So much nicer than a hotel. The idea of “walking the neighborhood” on Google Earth is great. I will do that from now on, instead of relying solely on reviews.</p>
<p>I own properties that are listed on VRBO, Homeaway and AirBnb. To help with your “trust issues,” read the reviews. On VRBO, only those who have actually stayed in the home can leave a review. I have all perfect 5 star reviews, but…if you see a property that has a lesser review, read the review and determine whether it is fair (some crazies will give a lower score if you can’t permit a late check-out of a few hours…which is impossible if you have a same-day turnover that your housekeeper needs to prepare for)… </p>
<p>Edited to add…also look at the pictures. Trustworthy owners have LOT of pictures so that you can see the quality of the place. Also read the detailed list of amenities. Thoughtful owners include lots of creature-comforts so that you will have a better-than-hotel experience.</p>
<p>Did a US beach area airBnb this summer, renting the entire house that the owner used regularly as well. What a great option it was! Exactly as billed, no hassles and we were happy to take good care of his home. The reviews helped (including those by people he had stayed with at other airBnbs abroad) and by our contacts we got a good feel for his integrity. </p>
<p>^^
Right. Read the reviews. Owners whose reviews mention things like cleanliness, well-maintained, owner is easy to work with, responds quickly to questions, etc should give you confidence.</p>
<p>The quality of the rental will depend on how much you are spending. Some lower-priced good places will simply offer the basics and a clean place to sleep. Others will be quite high-end, and their prices will match. Some will be in-between.</p>
<p>Be careful when you rent beach-like places. Some of those have been mistreated by guests and owners kind of “give up”…but the prices will still be high because of location. </p>
<p>(I would never own a beach place rental…horror stories)</p>
<p>I have experience with Airbnb as well. I have rented four apartments in NYC and two in Argentina through Airbnb. All worked out as expected and were as represented. As others have mentioned, rent places that have several reviews that are positive. Lots of photos helps. Looking up the property via Google also helps (see the street, etc.). It is cheaper than a hotel and you get a lot more for it. </p>
<p>Also, last winter, I was a host on Airbnb. My full time home was in a ski resort town in Vermont and I was there but rented out my master suite. All of my guests were great and they had use of the whole house and frankly got a very good deal, and cheaper than what they could have gotten at regular lodging accommodations at the height of ski season. </p>
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