And I LOVED it! I must admit, I am usually a points snob. I prefer my free hotel rooms (I mean who doesn’t!), the complimentary breakfast by having status, and housekeeping – especially when on vacation. Over July 4th, Adam and I decided to get away for a night without the kids. We left the kids with my parents in Cape Cod and headed over to Martha’s Vineyard for two days. And for some reason we decided to invite my sister and her husband along for the ride.
If you’ve been to Martha’s Vineyard before you know that chain hotel options are slim. There is a Comfort Inn and Suites (which actually looked nice and was in a great location), but we opted for an AirBnB. Why not give it a chance where there are a ton of super cute cottages near the beach. Since we looked into this little getaway pretty last minute, we were left with only 5 AirBnB options. Literally only 5 on the entire island. So we picked one which received great reviews and was located where we wanted to be. Instead of having a little cottage on the beach, we were going to be in an apartment over a yoga studio with a Stop & Shop super market next door. We had low expectations, but thats what you get for waiting so last minute.
Boy were we wrong. Our host was awesome, the location was actually great, and the apartment more then exceeded our expectations. The reviews were spot on. We were able to check in early and grab a couple beach towels he had stocked there. The apartment was fully loaded with coffee, pots and pans, shower essentials, and even beer! The host even left us pastries and rose petals on the bed. Yes we were above a shopping center, but that just made getting bottled water and snacks that much easier! And we were only a short walk into town and the beach.
Yes, one of the beds was a loft that could look right over into the bedroom but we knew that going into it. The description and the pictures were spot on – there was no surprise there. If anything the lofted bed was actually very comfortable, so my sister said.
While I’ve heard some horrible stories about AirBnB’s, this actually left a very pleasant taste in our mouth. I absolutely would not hesitate to rent through AirBnB again, especially when traveling with my kids and we can guarantee that they get their own bedroom – no begging at the front desk for a suite upgrade!
Some AirBnB tips…
AirBnB hosts can cancel on you at any time and leave you high and dry. While this is probably not common, I personally recommend only renting with “super hosts”. Also, make sure to read the reviews (and make sure there are a decent amount of reviews). You also might want to have a backup hotel room booked just in case (with a flexible cancellation policy).
There are also so many opportunities to purchase AirBnB gift cards at a discount. Sometimes through Amazon or gift card resale sites like Raise.com. You can also purchase them at an office supply store (i.e., Staples) and receive 5x points when using your Chase Ink credit card. Ultimately, you should never be paying full price for your AirBnB!
New to AirBnB?
If you are new to AirBnB, you can also receive a $40 credit to use towards your first trip. This is my personal referral link, so thank you in advance!
Have you ever stayed in an AirBnB? I’d love to hear about your experience!
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