Has anyone used Air B and B before or is it a scam?

[mandymeans]

Or is it a no go?

It looks a bit too good to be true - for example, 7 nights in a villa with a private pool for £1300... right next to beach and some shops. 45 minutes from Menorca airport

The host has really good reviews but it oooks a bit like a scam since all the reviews are nice? No complainers. Whereas on Trust pilot or general reviews for All inclusive hotels/resorts, it's always a mixed bag or at least some negatives mentioned

I really think a private villa is needed (very loud non verbal son who hasn't managed to eat out at all inclusive we've just been on)

Positives for him were the sun, pool and beach. He likes to pick at tapas stuff all day and eat ice cream though!

For reference, I think I am at 20+ Airbnb stays

Air b&b is my go to if I’m looking for an apartment or villa over a hotel for example. I would rarely book with anyone else

I love an AirBnB!

I use it for pretty much every trip now and have never had a bad one.

Hi OP,

Air BnB is fine - I’ve booked properties through it loads of times and never had any issues - but it’s not really comparable to Jet2 or TUI - totally different set up - they’re travel agents/airlines - Air BnB is a platform which people can list their properties on - you get everything from people renting out a room/their second home to companies with multiple properties running a business. Air BnB get a cut of any rental payments.

I have heard of people having bookings cancelled on them when they’ve already got flights etc booked and Air BnB have found them something else but it’s not guaranteed that they’ll find you something and of course it might not be as nice or in exactly the same place so it’s a bit of a risk but most Air BnB’ers are reliable - they get bookings/superheat ratings through having good reviews so it’s in their interest to have happy renters.

You’re only covered by ATOL if you book a package holiday - so flight and accommodation as a package.

Echoing PPs - Airbnb is a well established business. I've used them many times.

But, you can also check VRBO, who I use mostly for villas in Orlando, but they also have properties in Menorca (and most other countries too.)

We've booked an apartment in Montenegro via Air BnB. The property is on booking.com as well but was more expensive. If you are worried about things going wrong make sure you have robust travel insurance that will cover you. Look elsewhere for reviews as well as often properties are listed in more than one place.

Any villa owner can cancel last minute . Most hosts with villas list on several sites so you're no less likely to get a cancellation if you go through owners direct or similar. A superhost will not cancel you last minute.

Correction - am up to 40 stays

That isn't true as the property owner can't see your review until they've posted one about you as a guest first, to avoid that happening.

Often the same property will also be on Booking .com and Vrbo. So you can use that to cross check reviews and photos etc.
I've rented AirBnB places in europe and Canada with no issues. I'd always go with a superhost with plenty of recent reviews though.

Re cleaning - I treat it the same as any other SC accommodation. Leave it tidy, with beds stripped and surfaces wiped down. But I wouldn't be vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom(s) (or cleaning the hob etc). That's what you pay a cleaning fee for.

Used them a couple of times, no issues at all. Don't feel morally great about it but was probably better than expected, did have enough money to cover emergency hotel if it fell through though. It's in the company's interest to be above-board so I wouldn't worry too much.

I booked AirBNB for first time last month for a family holiday - host was responsive to a couple of questions I had and we booked. Two days later they cancelled the booking as “they had realised dates clashed” - I had less than a week to find something else for 4 . I booked a different property with VRBO - all I can say is I had an excellent experience with them - host was quick to answer questions I had , had a very late check in that they accommodated and place was exactly as described and in my opinion worth every € .

Love air bnb. It’s fab

It does sound quite cheap but we rented a 3 bed villa with a pool last minute in Cala n’ Porter in Menorca two summers ago and it was about £2.5k for 2 weeks so probably about right. It was great (kitchen a bit dated but it had everything we needed) but I don’t think it’s as desirable a resort as others which is why it was more affordable and available at such short notice. We were in Cala Galdana a couple of weeks ago and it was much more expensive! Which resort is the Villa in OP? If you’re nervous about Air BnB it’s worth looking at Villas Plus - decent prices and you get an agent who meets you at the villa on arrival and you can contact with any issues.

You realise both Airbnb and VRBO are exactly the same business model right? The vast majority of hosts wouldn't cancel a booking but you're just as likely to have that experience on VRBO as Airbnb because it's the individual who cancelled you not the company. Your good experience was also because you found a good host and property, not because the company did anything different. The host you stayed with probably lists on Airbnb too!

I’ve used Air bnb loads with no issues.

Usually if something is cheaper than similar listings there is a reason : eg main road, not great condition, noisy (eg next to nightclub) etc but you would get hints of this from reviews.

If you’re used to AI then obviously s/c is very different, you’ll need to get all your own food and/or go to restaurants, so you may also need a hire car unless everything is walking distance. Beach may be a drive away too. If you’re a drinker consider who will be designated driver in the evenings. Etc.

Maybe just post the link to the Villa and you can get more specific info...

🤣 it’s been going for over 10 years all over world. BUT I don’t think it’s as guaranteed as a hotel. Ultimately you’re relying on private individuals. Also people tend to only write good reviews and not leave reviews if bad. We use air BnB regularly and I’ve not had any awful experiences but there is less….consistency than with hotels. For example things like towel and bedding quality, crockery. Last place we stayed in UK the TV was really cheap and you had to have a google account to use it which was a big fafth. We were paying £250/night - you’d expect a decent TV in any normal hotel room. But you also get wonderful things you wouldn’t in hotels, like a lovely private garden, or your own kitchen etc. I’ would expect a villa to be much cheaper than a hotel

Not true. Your host can’t see your review before they have written and posted their own, precisely to avoid this kind of behaviour.

Plenty of negative reviews on there.

If something is consistently well reviewed it’s either a) really good b) ok but much better than expected for the price c) ok but the hosts are very nice and made an effort so you don’t want to review them badly

I love an Airbnb - and a super host is an extra level of reassurance. I always toggle my search to include them and have never had an issue.

Villa holidays are great with kids, especially if there are SEN and you aren’t looking for kids clubs and family discos. You can shop at a local Aldi/Lidl and buy what they like to eat, stick to your own routine, have the pool to yourselves. It’s always been my first choice with my kids - much more relaxing than AI for me.

It is not a scam, but it is hit and miss. There is no real quality control. We booked a cheap villa. It was fine, but the pool was cold.

I do Airbnb in my home. I don’t see the guests review until I have posted a review about them so if they’d said something negative I wouldn’t know till after I’d posted my review.Once you have booked you can be in direct contact with your host. If you’re not happy you’ve the option to cancel quite close to the date of travel.

We did a road trip across the Pacific North West US and used Air B&Bs almost exclusively. We only booked ahead for the first night,the rest of the time we just stopped somewhere that seemed a nice place and did a search for nearby Air B&Bs. We were never let down and met some great people.
We've also done the same in the UK with great success.

I've used it in uk and Europe and found it very good. Not worth the money on just one occasion, but that's similar to a hotel. If you had a problem you can call Airbnb and they find an alternative, or resolve it.

If you leave a negative review, they will probably do the same to you, and if you clock up a load of negative reviews then hosts won't want you to book their properties.

That's impossible. Both sides review without the other one seeing what has been said, so then they are both published at the same time.