- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Europe: Hotel v. Hostel v. AirBnb
Posted on 6/19/16 at 5:34 pm
Posted on 6/19/16 at 5:34 pm
So I'm going on my first overseas excursion this summer. Traveling with my best friend(both 25) and we're going to Barcelona, Prague, and Amsterdam. He's more well traveled than me, but all his Europe trips have been with his parents and have been hotels
Trip is 2 months away so we're starting to plan out more logistics. All we have now are a round trip flight.
Just skimming stuff for Barcelona...seems like hotels run about 150 a night, airbnbs are anywhere between 100-200 a night(hard to find one that for sure has 2 beds though, a lot seem vague), and hostels are like 35-45 per bed or like 130 for a 2 bed private. Granted, I haven't exactly figured out what areas are the tourist ones or not so the affordable hotels or airbnbs could be way away from everything.
Should we do a mix of all?(we're at least thinking of getting a hotel the first night after our flight). I would like the communal aspect of meeting other travelers for people to go out eating/drinking with, but I'm not crazy about staying in a room with people partying/banging all night. But I think hostels are something I should experience and the price seems the best. Maybe the extra money for a private room so we can sleep in peace but have people to meet is best.
Hotels are whatever, I don't really care about doing it more than the first night to make sure we get sleep.
Airbnb seems interesting if we could find the right place, I'm just a little skeptical that the places are as advertised and everything that claims to have 2 beds doesn't really look like it in the picture(unless they're counting a tiny couch).
Any advice on what to focus on? When I should definitely have accommodations booked? Any specific place you'd recommend for those 3 cities? Thanks
Trip is 2 months away so we're starting to plan out more logistics. All we have now are a round trip flight.
Just skimming stuff for Barcelona...seems like hotels run about 150 a night, airbnbs are anywhere between 100-200 a night(hard to find one that for sure has 2 beds though, a lot seem vague), and hostels are like 35-45 per bed or like 130 for a 2 bed private. Granted, I haven't exactly figured out what areas are the tourist ones or not so the affordable hotels or airbnbs could be way away from everything.
Should we do a mix of all?(we're at least thinking of getting a hotel the first night after our flight). I would like the communal aspect of meeting other travelers for people to go out eating/drinking with, but I'm not crazy about staying in a room with people partying/banging all night. But I think hostels are something I should experience and the price seems the best. Maybe the extra money for a private room so we can sleep in peace but have people to meet is best.
Hotels are whatever, I don't really care about doing it more than the first night to make sure we get sleep.
Airbnb seems interesting if we could find the right place, I'm just a little skeptical that the places are as advertised and everything that claims to have 2 beds doesn't really look like it in the picture(unless they're counting a tiny couch).
Any advice on what to focus on? When I should definitely have accommodations booked? Any specific place you'd recommend for those 3 cities? Thanks
3
Posted on 6/19/16 at 6:16 pm to tween the hedges
I've done all 3. They're all completely different experiences, and there's pros and cons to each. I'll try to give a few.
Hotel: Pro is obviously you know what you're going to get, you get a concierge that may help, you'll likely be in a central area to the city, and security aspect. Con would be cost and lack of interaction with others for the most part.
Hostel: Pro is the cost and interaction. Con is pretty much everything else. You really don't know what you're going to get. There isn't as much security to your stuff, unless you et the private room. The beds probably aren't the best. There could be a lot of noise, especially in cities like Amsterdam.
AirBnb: Pro is the flexibility in picking where you want to stay and the price is typically pretty good. If you like cooking or just having a bit more space and a living area, that's nice too. Con can be cost and sometimes hit or miss, but you can take away the latter by looking at reviews.
I think you have to do what's best for your budget and what you feel safe with. If this is your first trip overseas, i would stay away from a bed in a hostel with 8 strangers, honestly, unless you really want to find others to party with...but you can also do that just by going to local pubs and stuff and talking to others. Aussies know how to party...find one and you'll be set. I don't see much of an advantage to a private room in a hostel over an airbnb or hotel, outside of the social aspect. But to each his own. I think the idea of having a hotel the first night is unnecessary, unless you're landing late. If you land and can get to an airbnb before sunset, i would do that. I've had so many fantastic airbnb experiences abroad. find one with a lot of 5 star ratings...those know what they're doing.
have fun
Hotel: Pro is obviously you know what you're going to get, you get a concierge that may help, you'll likely be in a central area to the city, and security aspect. Con would be cost and lack of interaction with others for the most part.
Hostel: Pro is the cost and interaction. Con is pretty much everything else. You really don't know what you're going to get. There isn't as much security to your stuff, unless you et the private room. The beds probably aren't the best. There could be a lot of noise, especially in cities like Amsterdam.
AirBnb: Pro is the flexibility in picking where you want to stay and the price is typically pretty good. If you like cooking or just having a bit more space and a living area, that's nice too. Con can be cost and sometimes hit or miss, but you can take away the latter by looking at reviews.
I think you have to do what's best for your budget and what you feel safe with. If this is your first trip overseas, i would stay away from a bed in a hostel with 8 strangers, honestly, unless you really want to find others to party with...but you can also do that just by going to local pubs and stuff and talking to others. Aussies know how to party...find one and you'll be set. I don't see much of an advantage to a private room in a hostel over an airbnb or hotel, outside of the social aspect. But to each his own. I think the idea of having a hotel the first night is unnecessary, unless you're landing late. If you land and can get to an airbnb before sunset, i would do that. I've had so many fantastic airbnb experiences abroad. find one with a lot of 5 star ratings...those know what they're doing.
have fun
Posted on 6/19/16 at 6:43 pm to tween the hedges
It all depends on your budget of course, but given you'll be gone for two months, I can't imagine you'll be able to spend more than $30-$40 per night. Hostels are cheapest, but if you and your friend can book a cheap airbnb for an extended period at each city (>1 week) then you can find good deals that way and get more privacy and comfort. Maybe do a mix of hostels and airbnb. You could start each city at a hostel to meet people and then stay at an airbnb for the remainder of your stay. I'd also recommend looking at locations in non-touristy areas but still decent neighborhoods. They'll be cheaper and give you a more local feel. Public transit is great in Europe so getting to the more popular parts of town will be easy.
As for Barcelona, don't stay at Kabul hostel. It's off la Rambla and has a good party reputation, but at age 25, you'll feel like an old man. An alternative is the sant jordi mambo tango in poble sec neighborhood. Smaller size but clean, quieter, and they set up social events for the guests.
As for Barcelona, don't stay at Kabul hostel. It's off la Rambla and has a good party reputation, but at age 25, you'll feel like an old man. An alternative is the sant jordi mambo tango in poble sec neighborhood. Smaller size but clean, quieter, and they set up social events for the guests.
Posted on 6/19/16 at 8:06 pm to Tigerbait46
Trip is in 2 months. It's only 2 weeks long. Slightly on a budget but if hotels were 500 more for the trip it wouldn't kill me.
I'm kinda leaning some hostels that have like 4 or 6 beds in a room. We would take half and just hope the other two aren't crazy
I'm kinda leaning some hostels that have like 4 or 6 beds in a room. We would take half and just hope the other two aren't crazy
Posted on 6/19/16 at 8:16 pm to Tigerbait46
I'd try all 3 to get the experience. I've found that for 2 people hostels really don't save much money, so go for location.
You are really never going to be or need to be in your room for anything outside of sleep. I'd say a lot of it depends on how easy you sleep also, if you need quiet and a perfectly dark room then a hotel is worth it. I'm well known for passing out everywhere including all weekend concerts and what not.
Definitely know that European hotel rooms are MUCH much smaller than you standard american room. Like 1/3 the size or smaller usually. Their beds unless you are in a high end or chain place are also not as great.
Booking.com is far away the most popular hotel search engine in Europe for hotels. I'd recommend using it and then trying to find the hotel's own website that you like, booking.com charges like 18% or something so you can often save $20 by finding it offsite.
Pay for saving your time. I'd rather pay $20 for a central location than have to spend $5-10 on transportation to get there and take 30 minutes each way. That money is well worth your time.
You are really never going to be or need to be in your room for anything outside of sleep. I'd say a lot of it depends on how easy you sleep also, if you need quiet and a perfectly dark room then a hotel is worth it. I'm well known for passing out everywhere including all weekend concerts and what not.
Definitely know that European hotel rooms are MUCH much smaller than you standard american room. Like 1/3 the size or smaller usually. Their beds unless you are in a high end or chain place are also not as great.
Booking.com is far away the most popular hotel search engine in Europe for hotels. I'd recommend using it and then trying to find the hotel's own website that you like, booking.com charges like 18% or something so you can often save $20 by finding it offsite.
Pay for saving your time. I'd rather pay $20 for a central location than have to spend $5-10 on transportation to get there and take 30 minutes each way. That money is well worth your time.
Posted on 6/19/16 at 8:26 pm to baldona
Stay in hostels but pay a bit more for the private room. You want to be able to meet people and do some of the organized activities (cheap tours during the day, nights out, etc), but still have security for your stuff, a decent night of sleep. Not to mention, being able to bring a girl back to an actual bed is a huge advantage over others in the hostel whose only option is the shower room (gotta do what you gotta do).
When finding the best hostel, read Hostelworld's reviews. They've never steered me wrong.
When finding the best hostel, read Hostelworld's reviews. They've never steered me wrong.
Posted on 6/19/16 at 8:57 pm to tween the hedges
As noted above, you have to look at the reviews carefully when using AirBNB as the experience can differ greatly. If a place has poor review or isn't reviewed, look elsewhere. If something seems off about the listing (like you mentioned re photos), look elsewhere. It can be a great way to travel for a lot of reasons (price and local feel being the two at the top), but it can also not be so great if you lock into a place you aren't happy with.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News