To my dearest:
Happy Thursday! And it is Travel Thursday again featuring my recent trip in Miami Beach! For this trip, I wanted to experience a piece of Miami Beach. I’ve been to Miami Beach before, so I knew what the hotels were like here, so I thought, why not experience South Beach in a different perspective. Airbnb is definitely the way to go, if you want to experience a city like a local.
Back in the days, hotels were the only type of accommodations available to travelers. However, in recent years, Airbnb has given travelers a second option for accommodations when traveling. And although both provides boarding for travelers, I’d say they are two very different markets and not so much competition.
Hotels are great. I love hotels and I always choose the best within my budget. But, you also expect to go to a hotel and have a “resort” like stay with stellar hospitality service. Basically, a hotel provides a comfortable stay while you’re away from home — not necessarily a “home”. Because let’s face it, there’s no way, you can have the hotel experience at home. And that’s precisely why we choose to book a hotel for vacation!
Airbnb on the other hand is different. It is essentially a hosted home. It gives the traveler more of a chance to explore the city like a local. The reason being is that it is usually located at less touristy saturated areas. And if you’re lucky, you will also meet with hosts who are locals and will tell you their favorite local spots that maybe tour guides don’t even know about. You can choose whether you want to rent a room, a studio, or an entire apartment. This is more budget friendly for travelers who are on a tight budget for their trip, such as: students or backpackers.
Airbnb is also a more home away from home choice, because if you choose an entire apartment, it is usually completely furnished. This includes: amenities, kitchen, TV, internet, and more. Kitchens definitely make a traveler feel right at home! For my trip, I always cooked breakfast at my Airbnb before heading out! Having your own TV and internet is also a plus. I felt right at home, when I was able to connect my Chrome Cast to their TV and watch my favorite shows after a long day of travel. It really felt like I was able to be home in my living room and I can completely unwind.
For my trip to Miami Beach, I chose Red Rentals Solution through Airbnb. As you can tell from the name, they are a large hosting company, so they have buildings of apartment rooms for rent through Airbnb. It is suitable even if traveling with a big group. I always do thorough research when booking an Airbnb, because you never know what you really will get. After all, pictures can be deceiving and so you really have to choose carefully. I was also aiming for roughly a $100 per night budget for two and this was the best I could find at the time.
The Airbnb was located on 15th street, a 10 minute walk away from Lincoln Road, where most beaches are in South Beach. There were plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, and CVS about 4-5 minute walk away from the location. Check in process was smooth. They were still cleaning when I arrived, but they took my luggage and held onto it. I went out for a quick lunch and came back with my room ready. I would say that the rooms were as pictured, wifi was quick and speedy, and location was convenient as well.
However, this is not to say, it did not have its quirks. I was excited when I first arrived and took many pictures to post. I tried turning on the TV, and it would not turn on. I proceeded to call management, only to have them come and tell me I’m in the wrong room. But they were the ones who brought us into the room, so I don’t understand how that could’ve happened. They knew exactly who I was also and said my name correctly and everything. At this point, I’ve already unpacked, did my portion of filming and picture taking. I had to pack everything up and move to another room. After all the shenanigans, I was exhausted and that’s the reason why, you will not be seeing many pictures of the property. You can review the link here for more photography, the pictures are pretty accurate.
This place was also one of the Airbnbs that was lacking in amenities, there were no towel napkins or soft tissues, they only had toilet paper. Their stove was also nonfunctional. I ended up cooking breakfast by boiling eggs in a coffee maker. Crazy, I know. My friend googled it out of desperation. Not to mention, half way through our stay, one of the light bulbs burnt out and needed to be changed. We couldn’t be bothered with it and just used the table lamp as light the rest of the stay.
However, after everything, I would still rate the stay as worthy and make recommendation of it because of its budget friendly price and convenient location. I’m also sure that if I called management, they would be able to fix things, but given the time frame I had, I just didn’t want to be bothered with it. Nevertheless, it did provide a true home away from home experience to me. I was able to make breakfast, live comfortably, return “home” to watch TV – casting my favorite shows, and catch up on blogging work! That’s a plus in my books.
So that’s all folks. Have you guys Airbnb? How were your experiences? Do share and let me know! And here’s a little extra, if you have never Airbnb before, click on my link here, to receive traveling credit. Or if you plan to host your home, you can check it out by the same link and get special offers! Toodles!
Instagram | FB | Twitter | Pinterest | G+
Read my other Miami Beach Travel Posts to follow the adventure!
Travel | Essentials for Miami Beach
Jetsetting to Miami! Airport Fashion
For reference, I am 5 feet 2 inches. I typically wear XS/S or 0-4 for apparel and 6.5-7.5 for shoes.
- Glamping at Eastwind NY - March 11, 2021
- Effortless Cozy Home Decor Revamp for 2021! - December 23, 2020
- Make a Girl Swoon This Valentines for Under $50! - February 12, 2019
STOCK PHOTOS: PIXABAY | OTHER PHOTOS: RED RENTALS SOLUTION
*This post is a non-sponsored collaboration post.*
I’ve never heard of Airbnb before, but it sounds like an amazing alternative to hotels when traveling. I love that you can have access to locals who can show you the real fun of the place.
What a gorgeous place! I’ve heard of Airbnb and need to try it out. I’ve never been to Miami–I must visit!
I LOVE Airbnb. I just stayed at one during a recent trip and I’m not sure I’ll go back to staying at another hotel. Yours looked great!
I love how modern everything looks! I have never heard of Airbnb, but it looks fantastic!
I’ve heard the most marvelous things about air bnb and also stories from hell! This one looks amazing 🙂 lush apartment!
Do you prefer staying in a Airbnb to staying in a hotel? Or do you think it is location specific? I know I prefer to stay in hotels when I travel to a city however I love Airbnb’s for those vacations where you want to relax outside the city. 🙂
Wow, the photos are great. Makes me want to drop everything and just go there
Looks like an amazing AirBnB! So bright and modern! I am in love! I would love to get such a beautiful flat! x x corinne
Even with the quirks I still think this seemed like a better stay than at a regular hotel. I have yet to try Airbnb but I think it would be a great way to get a true feel for a city. This post was informative and I loved the photos to go along with it!
Wow this is awesome! I didn’t know such accommodations existed. I think it’d be really neat to be more of a local versus staying in exactly what’s catered to a tourist.
I have never used Air BNB but have hears so many great things! The pictures look beautiful!
I love Airbnb! What a great way to travel!
I enjoyed learning about your Airbnb experience. From your beautiful photos the tiny apartment in Miami looks completely adorable. But it’s such a bummer that there was not a working stove and that it lacked other small amenities that could have made a vacationer’s stay great. Hopefully owners who list their rentals on Airbnb find this post and use it as food for thought when prepping for their own properties for rental guests.
Author
Yes I definitely agree. 🙂 Thank you for your input!
I have never heard of this. they look great. We often travel in our motorhome so we don’t have to worry about where we are staying.
I quite like the home away from home element, and it is certainly budget friendly, so well worth considering.
We have used Airbnb several times and had good experiences. Your photos are beautiful!
I just traveled reading you! what an amazing photos! and such a great place to visit!. I love the fact is a budget friendly, this way, maybe I’ll go with my son there soon!
I love Airbnb! I’ve also recently listed my place on there and it’s quite easy to make some extra money if you know you’ll be out of town.
Cheers, Sarah Camille // SCsScoop.com
This is a great review. I have never stayed at an air bnb but I am interested in the idea. I may list my place.
Author
That sounds wonderful! I bet you have a beautiful home!
Ohhh that picture of the water makes my heart sing. I still have my Florida tan-I was just there too, stayed with in laws, had lotsa fun, wish I’d gone to the beach more. That AirBnB is GORGEOUS. I had no idea they were like that!
I’ve heard of Airbnb but never tried it. Great post and pics, I’ll have to check it out for my next vacation!
What a lovely alternative to a hotel! It seems so cozy and modern. I would have to think about it when I travel.
I love the cozy interiors. This looks like such a relaxing place to stay in while in Miami Beach!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
I would love to stay in a rental like Airbnb instead of a hotel when I visit Florida. Sounds really good
I have yet to try Airbnb, although my friend from Oregon recently came over to the east coast to do a long vacation/work travel, and she used Airbnb all the way up the east coast. It sounds like a great option!
I have always wanted to try Air BnB out and I am glad that you had a good time too. Such beautiful photos xx
I love using airbnb! It’s fantastic to explore the area like a local and the price of savings is well worth it for us when we travel. I usually plot out what I want to see in an area then search airbnb’s that are central to everything I want to see/do. I like how you explain airbnb’ here because there are so many people that still have questions about what it actually is. I’ll send them a link to this article next time I have to explain it someone! 🙂
I personally haven’t tried booking a room through Airbnb yet. I’m a bit hesitant to do so, because I’m mostly looking for family (aka toddler) friendly spaces. A bit odd though that they brought you to the “wrong room” such a hassle.
Author
Actually I know most families like to Airbnb rather than hotel. Only because they get their own private house or apartment if they choose to do so. They’ll also get kitchen and all amenities, which becomes much more convenient for families especially with babies. But yes. My experience was one of a kind. But only with that one. So it’s really hit or miss and really depends. But you definitely will have a good experience if you scout well!
Ohh what a beautiful location. It makes me feel like packing immediately. I love the decorations and yes, using Airbnb is one of the best ways to travel.
I have only recently heard of Airbnb. I think it is great how different it is from staying at a hotel. It is nice to have a home away from home experience while on vacation.
I must confess that I prefer hotels to Airbnbs. I like the extra amenities that come with a hotel stay and frankly, with a bit of effort and membership in airline and hotel discount groups, the prices are competitive.
Wow, what a great loft to stay in! You scored an awesome find!
This looks like so beautiful! Such a wonderful place to stay in a great city!
I’ve always been dubious about the AirBNB stuff but everyone I have ever talked to about it have praised the experience. Time to take the plunge I think!
Katja xxx
http://www.katnapped.com
The rental solutions place looks absolutely gorgeous!
I have never tried AirBNB. I have so many friends who rave about it. I should really test it out. Your Miami spot looks nice! Thanks for sharing
We typically like to stay at an airbnb when we travel. This place looks amazing!