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!

Ah yes. That’s happened to us a couple of times but I think we give off quite strong vibes of not wanting to make “holiday friends” (no disrespect to anyone that enjoys that side of a holiday, it’s just not for us!)

I’ve never had a negative experience with Airbnb but if the property is suspiciously cheap in comparison with others, it’s worth looking up the property to see how established it is, and looking it up on other sites to see if it’s listed elsewhere. Sometimes a surprisingly cheap, recently-listed property will turn out to be one that’s got poor reviews elsewhere. But every holiday place I’ve ever booked through Airbnb personally has been great.

You might want to check the pool will be filled. I have read that there are some parts of Spain where private pools cannot be filled due to water shortages. I think it is only on the mainland but worth asking of the price is too good to be true.

Some Airbnb is great! Be discerning only stay with superhosts.

and you can leave an honest review - Ive just left one and messaged the owner - the owner doesnt see your review or message until after they send in my review.

Good luck, its def not a scam and if the accomo is bad, complain to get your money back.

What time of the year is this for? If it's out of high season then it doesn't sound outrageously cheap . Have you google-mapped where it is? As villas are often quite isolated, up steep hills etc and those on the outskirts of a resort or very close to the beach tend to be more expensive .

Are you able to check whether the same villa is on booking . com and/ or Vrbo to see whether there are any additional reviews? Often you will find the same property across more than one site . We tend to use Vrbo but have used AirB&B a couple of times.

To bear in mind AirB&B will also put on a cleaning charge which doesn't show until you start going through with the booking . And of course in terms of your total holiday cost you'll need to add on flights, car hire, insurance etc

Airbnb doesn't add a cleaning charge, some hosts add it but many don't.

Do you mean it's easier to cancel as a guest on booking.com? Airbnb has 3 options of cancellation policy that the host chooses and plenty of properties will be able to be cancelled until very close to the stay date. It's very clear when searching how long you have to cancel if you change your mind.

How big is it, how many bedrooms etc and what time of year?

£1300 is a lot more than we've ever paid but we only ever book 1-2 bedroom properties in June or September but some of them are described as 'villas' which is just Spanish for house after all and have private pools.

Obviously if it's a huge spectacular property with 4/5+ bedrooms then you need to compare with similar properties at the same time of year to decide if it's the expected price or suspiciously cheap.

I have used Airbnb a few times and only had good experiences.
I choose properties that have at least a score of at least 4.7, and scour the reviews carefully. So for example I have just booked one that is meant to be lovely but does mention street noise as a concern, I am ok with that as we wear earplugs at night.

I also book a fully cancellable one, just in case. It's the same as a hotel - I wouldn't book without reading the reviews.

@DracoDormiensNumquamTittilandum

Airbnb doesn't add a cleaning charge, some hosts add it but many don't.

Ah OK - but I am correct in that whoever's choice it is to add it, that it doesn't show on the initial price you see,
rather that you see it as you start the booking process. So for information for the OP, I was explaining there was likely to be an additional charge to her booking . Didn't realise it didn't apply to all AirB&B lets but assume it's fairly common - unless I've just been unlucky ! This hasn't ever happened when I've used Vrbo or Booking.

I think Airbnb changed their pricing so that when you search the price it gives is the whole price including any extra charges. Feedback was exactly as you say that it's misleading to add extra charges at the end.

Airbnb is not a scam. Neither is booking.com which will have similar properties.

There have been a small number of scam listings on both though, so just be sensible about anything too good to be true.

Several in UK. All good.

Used it loads, IME lots of good reviews is just a good sign.

Scams tend to be in big cities when they can post pictures of anonymous looking apartments easily.

If booking an apartment through booking.com, do check the property policies - sometimes they ask for a hefty damage deposit by card/cash.

@DracoDormiensNumquamTittilandum as a guest. I've tried AirBnB twice and was aware there was fees for cancelling unless done very early (guess each property is different though). Booking.com definitely have longer cancellation period (eg if you change your mind, doesn't suit anymore).
AirBnB also have to be paid upfront (or partially paid) and refund was not immediate when mistakes made in booking (by AirBnB).
But concerned about mention upthread of issues with Booking.com also, I've always found it good, so far.

@JackieGoodman again, that is property dependent now on Airbnb - some owners allow free cancellation/payment near the holiday and some don’t. Same on booking.com, I think - at least for hotels! Though you can sometimes pay extra for the free cancellation option.

How do you not know that about a bazillion bookings have been made with Airbnb? Are you new to the world?

But it's a marketplace like eBay, and of course they are scammers who list properties just like there are fake sellers on eBay. No one can tell you about a specific place unless by total chance they actually know it in some context

Used one in Italy which had no reviews I was a bit worried it looked to good to be true. I messaged them and it was new. It worked really well it was immaculate and as pictured.

Also used one in the UK 9 5 star reviews. I also looked it up on booking.com and cross checked the reviews. It was lovely and as per photos and description. But our review which is only slightly less glowing hasn’t made it to the Air BnB site. So maybe try and do some detective work as these places are usually advised on multiple sites booking.com, privately, with Trip Adviser or Holiday Lettings etc.

It's often my first search when looking for a holiday. I've just checked my account to see I've done over 40 Airbnb stays. Never had a problem with any of them.
Out of season and for new properties especially you can get bargains - we stayed in a totally astounding huge 4-bedroom villa with a pool and large garden in Mallorca one Easter for about £600 for the week because it was new to Airbnb and they needed bookings and reviews.

Are you sure it's not 'from' £1300?
Ie that price in low season....but a hell of a lot more in peak season?

OP lots of people have given you quite detailed info, are you coming back to tell us what you're thinking of doing?

Yes, I feel a huge sense of relief! Because it's all very new to me, I will be booking a small trip of 3 to 4 days for my daughter's birthday in October

Then a week/10 days for the Summertime 2025 when I'm back and happy I can do it (I just feel nervous about getting everything right! Flight etc to slot with the check in time (or sort of), a taxi to take me there that actually turns up etc)

Glad you came back and the thread has given you what you need to make a decision.

Like many others I've been using the platform for years and have about 40 trips booked through them under my belt, from a room stay, apartments and villas with pools. Only two have been lousy, one my own fault, booked a cheap but conveniently sited place at the last minute and it was awful but a late arrival meant we had to stay. The other was another one night stop in France, lovely host, grubby house. Our last stay in Northumberland last week was superb and I couldn't fault it, just like most of our stays. Just choose wisely as per the tips on here and hopefully you'll have a great stay

Used airbnb loads of times - Spain, Barbados, UK, Greece, Ireland.

Never had a problem.