Every Friday, I feature a fun and budget-friendly option in the Greater Boston area. The “Feature Friday” is typically mentioned on the Cheap Eats list, Free Things to Do in Boston, or Discount Attractions. However, there’s so much budget-friendly ideas on my pages, I thought it would be fun to feature something budget-friendly and different each week. Also, each Feature Friday is something I have personal experience with or took advantage of recently! Enjoy!
Last weekend I attended a wedding a few hours away in a popular summer town. It was a great wedding and location but the only problem was the area is quite popular in the summer with little hotel availability. If there was lodging available it was either 1.) Really expensive or 2.) requires a minimum night stay.
I really didn’t want to pay $400 a night nor did I want to drive 2.5 hours home after the wedding. Have you ever had a similar predicament?
I ended up looking (and booking) at AirBnB.com. If you are unfamiliar, AirBnB.com is a community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world. You are able to book a shared room, a private room or the entire place. You can also list a room or your entire place if you have extra space and want to make extra money.
We ended up booking a private room 10 minutes away from the wedding site and walking distance to many shops and restaurants. It was a private room with our own bathroom in the room which was a major reason for booking this place. It was $145/a night and didn’t require a minimum night stay, which was so much better than the $400 rooms at proper hotels in the area.
Also, when I signed up with AirBnB.com for the first time, I signed up through a referral link which gave me a free $25 credit to put towards my stay. I also shared my referral link on my blog prior and two wonderful readers signed up so I had an additional $50 credit to use. After the room rate, additional service fee, and credits, I ended up paying $86 out of pocket for the room.
However, even if I didn’t have AirBnB credit, I probably still would have booked because it was still much cheaper than a hotel.
I was pretty nervous about booking and staying with AirBnB because you are booking with an individual and not a hotel management company so experiences can definitely vary. However, I made sure my hosts were verified and had reviews first, which made me feel a little better.
I was really surprised how positive my experience was. Our room was spotless and the overall place was gorgeous. Our hosts were so nice and accommodating and they even gave us a little present as a thank you. We would definitely stay with our hosts again, and we are most likely going to check out AirBnB again, especially when hotel rates are above our price range in certain locations.
If you do check out AirBnB.com, make sure you do your due-diligence because I have read AirBnB horror stories and there are cons regarding AirBnB.
My first experience was great and I’m so thankful I didn’t have to overspend on a hotel room or head home after the wedding.
Have you used AirBnB before either as a guest or a host? What has your experience been like? Do you have any tips to share?
To check out AirBnB, please head here and head here for a free $25 credit when you spend $75 or more (my referral code).
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