Top 10 Places to Stay on Airbnb for Under $140

Yesterday I wrote about my new discovery, Aibnb, a website (and app) that lets you search for all types of places to stay at amazing rates.  I am now literally obsessed with finding cool places on this website so I wanted to share a few of my favorites.  (Sign up here to get a $25 credit!)

Irish Castle

I wanted to start with Ireland because this is where I went on my honeymoon last year and we stayed in a "castle".  I put quotations because it was more like a manor and boy did we fork out the money.  I wish I had known about this website when I had planned our honeymoon but oh well.  This is more of what I was imagining.

Ballintotis Castle, East Cork in Castlemartyr

Castle in Castlemartyr, Ireland. Writers Spartan 16th Century Castle- Join Yeats and Jung above it all in a tower. 1 small double four poster bed, one single bed and camp beds available (bring your own sleeping bags). Electricity, bath and wood burner. Four story 16th century ... View all listings in Castlemartyr

Italy Coast View

Capri is the most beautiful place in the world that I have visited.  I can't believe you can get this view and traditional Italian charm for such a price!

Your home on the roof - of Capri in Anacapri

Bed & Breakfast in Anacapri, Italy. You need to get up high to get the best views. Views like those awaiting guests from the terraces of B&B Monte Solaro, on the slopes of Capri's mountain. A welcoming little B&B with just 3 bedrooms and marvelous views of the Bay of Naples and the... View all listings in Anacapri

  

Costa Rica Tree House

How cool does this look?!

Rainforest Tree House w Hot Springs in Cooper

Treehouse in Cooper, Costa Rica. The Tree House Is charming, new and handcrafted at our 35 acre Bio Thermales rainforest reserve with natural hot and cool springs pools in the north-central Costa Rican heartland. This is authentic Costa Rica: clean, comfortable and close to natur... View all listings in Cooper

Eiffel Tower Boathouse

I can't believe you can't get this view for this price!

Houseboat/péniche Eiffel Tower in Paris

Boat in Paris, France. LISTED AIRBNB TOP 40 ALL OVER THE WORLD ! Private studio (11sqm) on a 100yrs old houseboat right under the Eiffel Tower, on an outstanding pedestrian pier (Port de Suffren, World Heritage of Unesco). Central, yet very quiet and safe. The owners... View all listings in Paris

 

New York Brownstone

I mean, who hasn't wanted to live in one of these?!

Authentic UWS 1BR Brownstone in New York

Apartment in New York, United States. Perfectly located near Central Park two floor apartment with 1br, 1.5bath, kitchen and queen bed. The apartment has lots of old NYC character with brick wall, fireplace and spiral staircase to bedroom. The perfect place to call home for NYC vacati... View all listings in New York

German House

Can you get any more German than this?!

House in Bad Sooden-Allendorf in Bad Sooden-Allendorf

Bed & Breakfast in Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Germany. A house in the district Sooden. The house has fully renovated rooms, shared services and located on the Kurpurk. In just a few minutes walk to a bakery, a butcher, Edeka supermarket and a (website hidden) Alice decorated apartment with 3 bedrooms,... View all listings in Bad Sooden-Allendorf

 

Colorado Igloo

This looks so beautiful!

Spacious igloo with mountain views! in Monument

Igloo in Monument, United States. Not available for the time being as vandals destroyed the igloo. This is a private igloo in a beautiful forest. It is quite spacious, warm, and even has candles in the walls. Can fit five or six comfortably. This is a one-of-a-kind mountain lodg... View all listings in Monument

Bali Paradise

I don't need to say anything about this one

Eco luxury lofts near secret beach in South Kuta

Cabin in South Kuta, Indonesia. Eco friendly bungalow lofts by the seaside. Enjoy luxury amenities and comfort in an eco-resort by peaceful Balangan beach. Swim in the infinity edge pool facing the ocean, get a massage at the spa, or dine in our thatched cafe with ocean views. ... View all listings in South Kuta

Classic Greek Island

Another one of my favorite places!

Studio 2 persons Oia Amazing view!! in Oia

Apartment in Oia, Greece. Our cool and comfortable studio with traditional greek style has a true good vibration! it comfortably fits two and it is centrally located at the heart of the most famous village of Santorini. Blue Sky villa is located in the middle of the tradi... View all listings in Oia

What places or types of lodging would you like to go?

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Traveling Cheaply, Part 3: Vacation Houses

I have been so excited to write about this ever since I discovered it a few weeks ago!  I LOVE traveling, but I hate the expenses that make it difficult so I always love finding good deals to be able to explore as much as possible!  One of the easiest ways to save money on traveling is by finding cheaper lodging.  This is a great option because it is a necessity that eats up a large portion of a budget but I feel you can have a slightly lower quality to save money because, if you're like me and you like to spend the whole day doing activities (which you should!), then you won't be spending much time there anyway.  One of my first recommendations was hostels which you can read about in my post Traveling Cheaply, Part 2: Hostels.

Anyway, next month my husband and I will be heading to our friend's wedding in San Diego.  When I looked at the price of hotels in San Diego, I was flabbergasted.  It is hard to find one for under $200/night, and I'm talking about ANYTHING without having to go an hour away.  (The wedding is by the zoo so it's a huge touristy area).  So I got this great idea.  Since I knew a lot of people around where we live would be invited, originally I thought it might be great to get a large group of people going to carpool to save some money on travel expenses.  Then it hit me, a vacation home!  If we had enough people, we could all chip in to rent a home for a week and it would significantly lower the price, which we could then afford to spend more time and actually do some sightseeing instead of driving 9 hours just to go to a wedding and coming right back. 

Well I did some searching and found out lots of people own homes in high tourist areas just to rent out short term for vacations!  And the best thing was, I was finding very cute homes in a safe neighborhood (even walking distance to the zoo!) that sleep up to 6 people for about the same price as one hotel room would cost!  I couldn't believe the price differences.

It ended up that most people couldn't come down earlier so if we did want to spend extra time, we'd have to figure it out for ourselves.  I thought we'd have to fork out for the hotel but I realized that there weren't just large homes listed on these sites, there were grandma cottages, studio apartments, all types of housing that fit any number of people.  Heck, some people even had just a room for rent!

What we ended up getting is a "detached granny pad" as he called it for $60/night.  That's a third of the cost of a hotel room in the area!  Super cute, take a look!




So my new favorite tools for vacation planning: vacation home rentals!

Here are the two websites that I found I really liked:



Rent unique accommodations from local hosts in 190+ countries. Feel at home anywhere you go in the world with Airbnb.

This is the website where I ended up finding the place we will be staying.  There's also an app.  And by signing up through this blog, you get a $25 credit!







Find great deals on vacation home rentals, whether you're looking for a beach house in Florida, a condo in Hawaii, or a cabin in Colorado.


This is the site I originally found the house I wanted to get for the large group.





Hope this helps in your future vacation planning!  I could see how it could be really beneficial for families to be able to have separate rooms for your kids while not being totally separated and to have a kitchen at your disposal.  I also think you might be able to better immerse yourself in a city.  I'm curious to see what places like NYC might yield.  Let me know what you think about these options!