Air B&B

[Bananallama858]

Hi all,
Going to a Malta next year for the first time for a wedding. DP wants to book air b&b but I’ve never used them before. Does anyone have any experience they could share? Thanks!

[Frenchfancy]

They are simply an advertising site for self catering accommodation. Some are good, some are not so good. Booking through Airbnb gives you some level of protection but you may pay more than you would if you book direct with an owner.

Use the reviews to get an idea of the place.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

We have used Airbnb a few times.

Just back from Spain rented a villa with private pool.

Look carefully at the pictures, don’t be afraid to ask any questions, make sure it is exactly what you want and in the place you want and look at the bedroom to bed configuration if you don’t want to end up on a sofa bed.

I always get one with a washing machine and dryer so I wash everything before we leave so I can put everything away when we get back.

I think though I have a washing obsession.

Also there is a charge that Airbnb add and usually there is a cleaning fee (though I tend to tidy up and wipe down surfaces before we leave as well)

I don’t think we will ever return to staying in hotels.

And look at the reviews

[notacooldad]

I've used Airbnb several time, twice in the Ukraine, once in Moldova and also several times in Portugal.
Weve never had any problems.
We just had a language issue in Moldova but just used Google translate.

[Bananallama858]

Wow ok thanks for advice so far - the washing machine tip is a good one! Guess I’ll need to make sure we really do our research before hand

[cricketmum84]

Check what sort of reviews the landlord has left for other people. We stayed in a lovely one in Spain. I spent ages cleaning and leaving it in perfect condition.

The owner left us awful feedback saying it had been left a mess which has now messed up our air bnb profile. Reading back through her reviews we weren't the first people she had done this to!! It's put me off wanting to use them again to be honest.

[ThomasRichard]

I’ve had some great experiences with Air BnB and some really bad ones where hosts have cancelled at very short notice. By then everywhere decent is booked up or far too expensive and there’s no comeback.

[Allhailthesun]

Used AirBNB numerous times. Cheaper than going through a management company for holiday rentals - you can often see it advertised on TripAdvisor rentals or Owners a Direct site for more than on AirBNB.

Do look at photographs and read reviews carefully. As people can adviertise properties that aren’t really proper rentals ( ie they aren’t technically allowed to sub rent or are people’s homes most of the year) you can get some some that are a bit more lived in than a purpose built unit.

It’s safer than other sites that are merely advertising owners properties I think.

[Firsttimelondonmum]

I had 2 great experiences, followed by a terrible one, so I wouldn't use air bnb again.

They took the side of the owner over a minor dispute, BEFORE discussing it with me. Air bnb sent 1 email and then tried to charge me the following day even though the email stated I had 3 days to respond. (In a nutshell)

Didn't ruin our entire holiday but definitely cast a shadow over it.

[buttermilkwaffles]

I have also had good experiences and bad, worst was one in London which was filthy but still charged me a £30 cleaning fee and the toilet broke and took 2 days to fix, so 48 hours without a working toilet. Airbnb support were useless when I tried to get at least a partial refund even though the non working toilet qualifies as a valid reason for refunding in their t&c due to accomodation basically being unfit for purpose. I try to avoid them now, except where I cannot find reasonably priced alternative. I also find the reviews of even very average places tend to all be good reviews, so not really reliable.

Also depends on the country, eg in Croatia it's a lot less popular with owners than it is in eg the UK or France so more/ better options can be found elsewhere.

[ovenchips]

I know from friends that if you have an unsatisfactory experience it is next to impossible to get help through AirBnB customer support. I've heard more positive experiences than not, but if you are unlucky enough to have a crappy experience, they don't seem to want to know.

[GinMama1]

We've used them a lot and generally had good experiences. I had one place that wasn't very clean and that got sorted straight away.
Read the reviews, check the cancellation policy and the facilities. Always, always, always make sure you are paying through the airbnb platform. Don't pay the host directly.

[ginswinger]

I run an AirBnb! Look out for Super Hosts, they have a proven record of good service. These are the ones who do it because they like meeting people and enjoy hosting.

Read the guest notes the host provides, things like they have pets or check in times can be overlooked and cause you issues. Do they have kids in which case it might not be suitable for a romantic breakaway. Also check the cancellation policy. Most are free cancellation up to 5 days beforehand but book carefully.

Do bear in mind that you are often in the hosts' home so it's not like a hotel. The up side is you get to stay with someone who knows the local area well and can offer suggestions for places to go.

Just don't pinch the towels, we really don't take enough for anyone to do that (yes that's happened).

[Nesssie]

Tip - take a photo of the apartment before you leave to prove the condition you left it in in case they try and dispute it.

I've never had any problems.

[buttermilkwaffles]

I recently noticed a place I stayed in July last year has been relisted. It was awful and nothing like described, eg described as luxury flat when it was clearly a shared student flat rented out for the summer on Airbnb, described as having great views when it was a basement flat and had no views, appealing sounding garden was overgrown, tiny, didn't get any sun and basically unusable, etc etc

Made all this clear to Airbnb at the time, including several photos as proof. They did nothing and the listing remained unchanged.

Eventually I noticed that it had disappeared, I assumed because by then it had so many bad reviews it had fallen below the threshold as the average was about 2.5 stars. Of course by then it had been fully booked all summer, earning the owner a fortune.

Now it's back again, photos and innacurate description completely unchanged. Only one thing has changed, the name of the host. First name only and a generic photo of a local landmark. The listing description even still has the name of the old host. Peak summer period and it's getting booked up again, which will obviously result in many more unhappy guests as per last year.

Reported this to Airbnb days ago, no response, no changes to listing. Don't know why I even bother, they clearly don't give a shit and it makes a mockery of their review system and the claim that they remove listings that fall below an average rating of 4 stars. After this and a couple of other experiences I will never trust them again...