The Amazing Airbnb

It was the first time that I was going to use AIRBNB.

CJ and I really didn’t have a plan when we went on vacation to the U.S. We are the type of travelers who can just go with the flow. You can also say that we were just lazy and didn’t really bother.

Nonetheless, I was just really confident about traveling, especially with all my travel apps. From “Cheap Flights”, “TripAdvisor”, “GoogleMaps”, “Kayak” and “Waze”, I just felt that we would always have a back-up.

On the last few days of our trip, we decide that we were going to head back to L.A. from Phoenix. We thought, “no problem”. There were tons of hotels there and we were sure that we could get something last minute. Wrong. We totally forgot it was Spring Break. Hotels were fully-booked, or prices were just off-the-charts!

So I whipped out my phone out and started surfing AIRBNB. CJ was skeptical. I kept searching and looking for anything that was within our budget and in the area that we prefer. I wanted to see the beach you see, having been stuck in the dessert for quite a while by then.

Then I found it.

A single bedroom house with a kitchen, sala, bathroom and a cute little patio, well within our budget… and it was at Marina Del Rey! OCEAN! PACIFIC OCEAN!!!

The great thing about AIRBNB is that it allows homeowners to personally interact with their guests. As a guest, I appreciated the fact that I can talk to my temporary landlord right before I stay over and actually find out if the place is for me. I get to ask about the neighborhood and get firsthand information about the surroundings.

Another reason why I totally trust AIRBNB is that there is a screening process even for guests. You need to register your passport with AIRBNB so they have information on you, and that you’re not just some weirdo who would probably end up stealing from homes.

Our landlord for those few days was Thomasina. She was very pleasant to talk to. There were 125 positive reviews on her listing. Awesome. She even let me use her Walmart and Walgreens discount code in case we needed to buy anything.

But the absolutely best thing about the house was that it was a 2 minute walk down the street to the beach! HAPPINESS!

Everything was transacted on-line. You get charged on your credit card. You get a map to the place. You agree to the terms of the owner with a single click of a button. I didn’t get to see Thomasina in person because she had to go to Chicago on a family emergency, but she was always available when we needed to chat.

When I think about what I could have paid for an over-priced hotel room, I make a sigh of relief. CJ and I were playing house in this quaint little place for a few days, away from the tourists, and a block away from the water. Amazing.

Definitely recommending AIRBNB to all travelers who have not tried it yet. There are actually quite a few listings for Philippine destinations now. Because of AIRBNB I have totally changed my outlook on travel and accommodations. I feel more at ease, more secure and more relaxed when planning vacations.

Now on to the next adventure!!