For a long time we had been looking indirectly at Airbnb’s, but in the end we always chose a hotel. This year, however, we got the taste for it.

Our baptism of fire was an apartment on Lanzarote. Boy, what a great view we had there. The apartment was not really modern, but everything we consider important was present.

A kitchen does not have to be super luxury for us. If we can make a cup of coffee, make a sandwich and have a fridge to keep a pack of milk and some cold meats cool, we are already satisfied. After all, we are on holiday and so we do not cook; traveling means eating a bite outside the door for us.

A good and not too narrow bed is a requirement that can not be tampered with and we also like a bathtub. It is so nice to have a nice comforting bath after a long intensive day without having to stand on your legs. It also cools your body a lot better than a shower if you have a hot day and that is beneficial for a good night’s sleep.

A beautiful view if you stay somewhere longer than a single night is something that can make us happy.

Our second experience was a beautiful apartment near Disneyland Paris. Around the theme parks the hotels are now so expensive that in this case we have also started looking for an Airbnb. We had a fantastic time. We found a beautiful apartment with a complete kitchen and bathroom. All this on the second floor of an apartment complex. It also had a spacious balcony at the back. We were able to have breakfast in peace without all the noise of a crowd of people who want to go to the parks in a hurry. We were able to park the car at a reserved spot in a garage underneath the building and all that at fifteen minutes drive from Mickey and his pals.

For several years, one of us once wanted to go to Northern Italy to explore the lake district. We could not find a hotel to our liking at a nice price so again for the third time in a short time we went for an Airbnb. We found a nice apartment on the less touristy side of Lake Maggiore. It was a nice introduction to the area, but next time we choose a more central bed and perhaps one of the other lakes, because the area is larger than we thought in advance. There are many villages that each have something to offer, in short, in Northern Italy we can still spend a week or so without being bored.

All three apartments were fully at our disposal and we really liked them. One had a priceless view, the other was modern and very complete and the third was very well cared for and well priced. The owners/managers have done everything in their power to please us and the communication went according to plan. In Italy, however, we were unable to shake hands with the landlady herself, but she had found a lovely lady willing to receive and wave us. A small handicap was that she only spoke Italian and let our brain now just have failed to download Italian. However, it was not a problem. The landlady had a very well documented folder in the apartment that provided all the necessary explanations for a pleasant stay and the Italian just pointed out everything and we think we understood her well.

Sometimes some things go differently than the owners/landlords can foresee. This can always happen. In the third apartment we saw some water seeping under the toilet bowl one evening. We have immediately reported this to the landlady and then she has done her utmost to have that repaired. You can not ask for more!

If you also have the plan to try out an Airbnb for the first time, you can use this discount code. You will receive a € 25 discount.

But if this is still a step too far and you prefer to stay at a small hotel or apartment, then you might have use for this discount code from Booking.com.