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!

We used air bnb last year for a 3 bed apartment in a gated complex with 2 pools in Spain (not menorca)

Was half the cost of a hotel and worked well for us in terms of food and having space to relax so a villa sounds even better

Have previously used james villas to book a villa in mallorca but the price was extortionate for very little support from them

I have found places that are listed on air bnb and on other sites tend to be fine. But places only listed on air bnb are more likely to be run amateurishly. I tend to avoid them now, but if it was a bargain it is worth a punt.
For example we stayed in a nice place in New Zealand run by an elderly woman who seemed lonely who came to have a chat to us a couple of times a day.

I like jet2.

I’ve stayed in AirBnB villa which was fine, but yours does sound remarkable cheap. How many bedrooms does it have? Does it have aircon? Is the use of the pool and house exclusive to you?

Same

Its not a scam but its not great, IMO. Cancellation policy not very strong, if same property is listed on Booking.com you are better to go with them, cancellation much quicker and easier.

Be careful getting a villa….you’ll be spoilt forever!
No random people, complete peace and do as you please, absolute bliss. You’ll struggle to ever go back to hotels or apartments ever again.

Booking.com are in trouble and are not always passing on payments to owners.

This is true with a good villa, but not a poor one. I have had both.

I’ve stayed in loads of AirBnBs and never had any problems yet. Typically paid a bit less than for a hotel room but for a lot more space and comfort.

My daughter and her Dbf traveled for 6 months using Airbnb they never had any problems but I do understand I booked our holiday with Jet2!

Ooh that’s interesting @AnnaMagnani this happened to me my first (and last) time using Airbnb.
I knew it was someone’s spare room, in an American city, didn’t think it would be a problem. I booked for a week.

the host expected me to sit in the living room in the evening with him, watching tv, chatting etc. He was most put out when he realised I was generally going to come in after 10pm and go to my room to be alone.
Never again!

edit to add: you should have commented that on her review: ‘who complains guests are too quiet?’

I had a terrible experience in air bnb in Britain, it was filthy. And not a great experience once abroad, it was nowhere as good as it looked in the photos. I have had good experiences, but I think it is hit and miss. I think hotels with good reviews are more reliable.

Ah now you see, I was warned about that when we did a couple of years in villas but we decided that despite having complained about “other people” in the past we missed having other people around 😂 IOur ideal is a villa complex - so you’ve got your own lovely villa with a private pool but there’s also a hotel reception, big pool, restaurant etc - best of both worlds. I think of it a bit like how I like to go to a coffee shop to work sometimes - I don’t want to talk to anyone but I’m much more productive with the background noise!

Maybe give this website a try …
https://www.oliverstravels.com/

I rented a villa in Spain through Vrbo private pool 1000 pound for the week.

Did it state heated pool? I would assume unheated unless specifically stated otherwise.

Used it loads of times with no problem.
If it were a scam it wouldn't be so popular!

You won't see each other's review until both of you have written them. So it's not a case of one leaving a bad review then the other doing the same.

I think it does sound worryingly cheap. I've had good Airbnb and VRBO experiences. I do a lot of research, try to find the name of the villa and see if it has Google reviews or a Facebook page or it's own website. Try to dig around and be sure it's genuine. Make sure you select 'entire place' so you are not sharing.

Only used them in the UK and never had a problem. When we've wanted self-catering abroad I would usually use Booking.com.

Well they don't let the host see your review until they've written one for you, so that's your theory out the window.

I use Air bnb all the time and I've rarely had issues OP. I had one in Scotland cancel on me fairly late in the day which was very annoying, but air bnb found me a replacement and paid the price difference.

You may find that once you click reserve, it adds on the cleaning fees and is significantly more expensive than you think. If air bnb doesn't work out, try Villa plus. We found them really good value.

We have frequently used Air B and B, mainly because we are a family of five and often struggle to find hotels where we can all stay in a single room. We have had no problems. We normally look to book with Superhosts, who tend to be professional landlord as opposed to someone renting their own house while away. You can filter your search to only show Superhosts.

I only ever use AirBnB for holidays now..Iove self catering and being independent. I’ve stayed in some great places. I only usually use superhosts and make sure I click on ‘whole house’ in the filters so I don’t accidentally end up having to stay in someone’s spare room.. I also read all the reviews before booking.

We go out for dinner a couple of times and chat to people but we don’t have that dreadful moment where people think you should ‘join them for drinks’ because you’ve passed the time of day.
I’m probably over cautious as DH and I are going on our first holiday without the kids in 25 years next week and a villa seemed extravagant for 2 so I booked a nice hotel, already wishing I’d stayed true 🤣🤣🙈