7 Awesome AirBnbs That Blow Hotel Rooms Out Of The Water

I’m an AirBnb fanatic. I almost never stay in a hotel room anymore if there’s an AirBnb option nearby.

For starters, AirBnb is almost always comparatively priced if not cheaper than a hotel room, and it often comes with better amenities like a private pool or a full kitchen.

It’s also a great option for traveling with a dog. I’ve found AirBnbs to be way more flexible in allowing pets than most hotels, and they don’t come with the added pet fee that even pet-friendly hotels charge you.

Finally—and my favorite reason for using AirBnb—it adds one more special element to the trip that you don’t get from your standard-issue bed-minifridge-bath hotel room. This post is in no way affiliated with AirBnb by the way, although I sound like a walking advertisement. I just really love the service and want to encourage more people to take advantage of it!

To show just how awesome AirBnb can be, here are seven completely unique places I’ve stayed at that I never would have gotten to experience if I’d opted for the Holiday Inn.

1. Houseboat in the Florida Keys

For my birthday one year (27? 28? Gosh time flies), we rented a house boat in Key Largo to stay on for the weekend.

It had everything you’d need for a 3-day stay—a bedroom, kitchen, normal bathroom, etc.—and this amazing rooftop deck where we spent the mornings sipping mimosas and soaking in the sun.

In the afternoons, we launched our paddleboards off the back of the boat and cruised out into the ocean. Bo even stayed on the boat with us! It was one of the most memorable trips and definitely one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed.

2. Townhouse in the Garden District

I had my bachelorette party in New Orleans and we stayed in a big historic townhouse in the middle of the Garden District. It was walking distance to some of the best food the city has to offer and an easy streetcar ride to the French Quarter.

I loved that everybody could hang out together in the big airy kitchen, lounge on the living room couches and easily chitchat between rooms as we got ready and sipped cocktails. We wouldn’t have been able to do that if we were all split up in different hotel rooms.

3. Cozy house in the Poconos

On a freezing weekend last fall, we drove up to the Poconos to get together with some friends. I booked a pretty standard-looking Airbnb, a house in a lakeside residential community.

When we got there, though, I was pleasantly surprised by how charming it was, nestled back in the woods down a dirt road. Although it was part of a neighborhood, it was so tucked away that you could barely tell there were any other houses around.

Aside from hanging out with our friends, my favorite part of the trip was enjoying my morning coffee all bundled up on the front porch looking out at the changing leaves.

4. Beach bungalow in Costa Rica

This should help convey my love for Airbnb: I used it on my honeymoon!

Johnny and I stayed in a beach bungalow in Tamarindo, Costa Rica and it was the perfect location, slightly removed from all the crazy party spots but still within a five-minute walk to the beach.

It had a private pool that was shared among the five units on the property, and each unit had its own balcony where we relaxed with glasses of wine before dinner every evening.

The best part? It was only $100 a night, so much less expensive than the luxury resorts in the same area.

5. Mountain cabin in the Catskills

We were the first guests to stay at this newly-listed AirBnb property a few miles from Windham Mountain. The funny thing was, we had been scoping out the house on Trulia when it was for sale a few months prior!

It had a wood-burning stove which I used to fill the house with smoke on our first night, and the bedroom we picked to sleep in was up at the top of a spiral staircase in an attic that had been converted into a loft.

We visited this cabin in the middle of winter when there was about four feet of snow on the ground, and Bo had a blast romping through the drifts in the backyard. I would love to go back and stay again in the summer.

6. Studio in Cambridge

When I was getting ready to visit Boston for the first time last fall for a marketing conference, I was floored at the price of hotel rooms. I’d heard that Boston was even more expensive than New York City, and it was proving to be alarmingly true.

In a bit of a panic, I turned to AirBnb hoping to find something in the price range I had planned for. I found a cute little studio apartment in Cambridge that was a short ride on the T (Boston’s equivalent of the subway) to the conference center, and snapped it up right away.

While it wasn’t as convenient as staying at the conference hotel, it also wasn’t nearly as cookie-cutter. I got to see a lot of the city while walking between the apartment, train station and conference center that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise since most of my trip was spent in marketing sessions.

7. Basement Apartment in Long Beach

Finally, our most recent AirBnb stay was right in our own backyard. Our plumbing had to be cut off for a couple days while we were having some work done, so we stayed in a basement apartment across the street from the Atlantic Ocean.

It was kind of funny packing a bag to go and stay less than a mile from our own house, but it also felt sort of like a mini-vacation. If you’re craving a getaway but don’t have the time or money for a big trip, booking an AirBnb nearby is a nice compromise.

If you’re ready to plan a trip, get a $40 travel credit when you sign up for AirBnb using this link! I’ll also get a $20 credit (which I’ll use, like, immediately), so it’s a win-win.

I’d love to see you back here again! Subscribe below and get my latest updates delivered to your inbox.