While in Europe this past December, my family and I stayed at Airbnbs in Amsterdam and Madrid marking our 4th and 5th cities where we’ve opted for an Airbnb over a hotel. Unlike Airbnb stays in the past, these latest apartments were lacking a few things in comparison to the past ones that we’ve stayed at and really enjoyed.So I thought it might be useful to offer the 6 tips for choosing the right Airbnb.

1. How much space do you need?

You’ve probably noticed by now that a lot of my lists are designed to be question and answer. I’m a big believer in being honest with yourself as much as possible. While we should always be willing to step out of our comfort zones for the sake of travel and adventure, we also have to be real with ourselves about how far outside of that comfort zone we’re going to go.

If you’re like me, you’re not too keen on staying with strangers but you’re perfectly fine with staying in their home without them. I always choose to rent out an entire place. While I understand that for a lot of folks, staying with a host is fine, we prefer our own space, especially with a baby.

A beautifully decorated apartment goes from an awesome deal and unbeatable view of the Coliseum to a liability with a baby. We learned that the type and size of space that we needed traveling with our son was different than when we traveled just the two of us. I think a great way to gauge if a place is right for you (and your family if traveling together) is to ask how similar this layout, etc. is to your home. And if not, how will you need to adapt? So ask yourself seriously how much space you need to feel comfortable for the amount of time you plan to spend in your Airbnb.

2. What amenities do you need/want?

It’s important to remember when choosing the right Airbnb that you’re still on vacation. Common things that I’m used to here at home include multiple bath towels, paper towels, carpet and rugs, etc. I probably sound silly but these are things that I actually really missed in Amsterdam and Madrid. My son was pulling up and attempting to walk and my husband and I could barely catch our breaths for telling the other to watch him when one of us turned our back.

And the paper towels… maybe it’s a US thing? As far as the bath towels, I just don’t care to use the same towel for 4 days straight. This didn’t used to bother me before but having a baby has made me more sensitive to how clean and sanitized things are.

Remember that comfort zone I mentioned?

Pro-tip: Do you plan to cook in your kitchen or do laundry? Take a close look at the pictures of the kitchen, read the reviews about how stocked said kitchen will be, and make sure that the washing machine actually is a washer/dryer combo. Don’t be like me and end up having to bring damp clothes home with you because you weren’t careful. 

I digress.

3. Location, Location, Location

How close to the city center do you want to be? Are you hoping to have an incredible view of a landmark? Do you plan to be out at the bars late at night and just want a bed close by? Or are you mostly concerned about how close you’ll be to the metro, train station or airport? All of these are super important questions to ask yourself when choosing a location for an Airbnb. You can find information on most neighborhoods by doing a quick google search such as “best neighborhoods for first time visitors to Paris” and find several posts and articles detailing best and worst places to stay. You would probably do this for a hotel stay anyway.

Just like you would do a search for favorable locations, you should also do a search for the areas that you should avoid staying in. Remember, you’re probably staying in a residential location with Airbnbs so it’s important to make sure that you’re in a safe place within whichever big city you’re traveling.

4. Entire apartment vs. shared room

I mentioned this earlier. Renting a shared room or a room in an apartment or home instead of an entire apartment will save you even more money. But considering that darned comfort zone again, what can you live with? Seriously though, renting entire apartments are still cheaper than hotel rooms and you get more space and a kitchen to cook in to further save on the cost of meals. When choosing the right Airbnb for you, keep this in mind.

A bonus to sharing a room vs. renting an entire apartment is that you should be able to get more time with your host. I was actually bummed that in both Amsterdam and Madrid, we never actually met our host. At all of our previous Airbnb rentals, our hosts greeted us and got us off to a great start and I missed that. Whichever you choose, there will be pros and cons.

5. Lack of amenities

Back to this whole bath towel thing. I’m really not the type to need a new towel every day and actually agree that that’s pretty wasteful. But there is something about hotel towels and the towels that came with my Airbnb apartments that don’t compare: they were cheap.

I am in no way saying that this is the case for all or even most Airbnbs but that added to the fact that we never actually met our hosts, only confirmed to me that I chose apartments that were bought for profit and not for true “hosting”. They gave us the minimum required by Airbnb standards and it just wasn’t good enough.

I also enjoy having a kitchen when I travel because it’s so cost-effective to cook breakfast at home before heading out for the day and make sandwiches to eat for lunch. Our last apartment in Madrid was so lacking, the only thing they had in their kitchen besides pots, pans, and enough cutlery for a small army was sugar. I couldn’t explain it either. That was terribly disappointing so we only cooked dinner there once. I have to say that that was the only time that a kitchen was stocked so poorly. It wasn’t the end of the world by any means but definitely not as convenient as I’d expected. Keep all of this in mind when considering expectations for amenities or basics with Airbnb rentals.

6. Superhosts

Airbnb has what they call Superhosts, people who have gotten rave reviews from folks who have stayed at their homes based on cleanliness, location, communication and basic overall expectation based on pictures, descriptions and other reviews. Superhosts are also known to leave things like fruit and local treats and delicacies for you to welcome you. I would recommend staying with an Airbnb Superhost if it is your first or second time trying out the program because they will definitely make you feel more at home.

Just don’t expect a fresh towel on demand or paper towels to dry your hands after washing the dinner dishes 🙂

In all seriousness, I hope I didn’t sound like too much of a brat in this post. And if I did, I’m sorry. But I wanted to be transparent about a platform that I usually rave about to say that sometimes it’s a hit and a miss.

What do you think about Airbnb?