I stayed on Lido when I visited Venice as well because the AirBnBs on Venice were very pricey. Little did I know that I would be visiting Venice during Carnival (could have explained the prices). Had to take a boat to Venice which took a bit of time but was worth it given the price difference. It was also much quieter on Lido which made sleeping easier. To me, it was the right call but I’m kinda cheap when it comes to some things. A person more willing to splurge might stick with staying on Venice.
Yeah, for sure. I’m partial to the idea that time is scarcer than money when it comes to international travel, but I’m also no longer on a grad student budget, either.
I still remember the last time I tried to book an international Airbnb was in Paris.
We noticed it said noon check in, but our flights landed at like 8AM, so we needed somewhere to store our bags. We booked it, offered to book it and pay for the night before as well to guarantee we could check in when our flight landed. Woman in charge of the Airbnb said “No, it’s no problem, you’ll be able to get in at 9AM on Friday and you don’t have to book the extra night”.
We check with her at the airport before our flight leaves to make sure we’re still good. She does a total about face and says there are guests staying Thursday night, they will be there until noon, and the Airbnb won’t be accessible until 2PM and there’s no chance we can drop off bags or anything like that.
We end up having to book a hotel, we send all communications to Airbnb support but they do nothing because they insist they have no obligation in this situation as a multi-Billion dollar corporation.
Still had a lovely trip but Airbnb did not help with that in the slightest.
Such a bummer. The combination of COVID restrictions, it being off season and a weekday is killing some places here.
Shame because there are some cool joints in Como. But most see it as a jumping off point for the tiny villages along the lake.
EDIT: But some of them. 14 Euros for a fucking martini. I wouldn’t pay 14 Euros for a martini if it was sucked out of the Pope’s dick. Goes to show not all tourist traps are near the tourists. Even the guys at the pub I’m at now knew what I was talking about before I mentioned the place’s name.
I think I’ve probably stayed at 115 AirBNBs and 5 hotels over the past 10 years. I don’t think I could go back to hotels, AirBNB is usually way better priced and it’s a nicer experience for me having a kitchen, home-like feel, etc.
That said, AirBNB fees seem to be ever creeping up. It’d be nice if a competitor could gain some footing. I’ve tried Booking, but it seems like AirBNB almost always has better offerings.
Part of it is the government imposing taxes on Airbnbs
They did that in Prague and it just led to passing the buck onto tourists.
Sucks that you ain’t gonna be in Istanbul in Easter. Would love to meet another 2p2er/UPer
I’ll still be in Istanbul then.
Girlfriend and I just arrived 3 days ago, and really love it here and have already started checking out apartments for a year and will seek a 1-year residency permit.
Food is very good and so cheap. We’ve had like 6 meals and I’d say 1 was average, 1 pretty good, and 4 very good. The most expensive bill was $20 (total, not per person) w/1 water/soda included.
And yah, the taxes are really driving up prices. Mexico got hit with a 15% tax hike that has really pushed up prices in CDMX. But I also think AirBNB’s cut keeps creeping up every year.
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I remember my first day in Istanbul I ordered a kofta meal, and it was only a few dollars so I thought maybe they don’t give you a lot, so I ordered a salad too. They came out with a an oversize platter of food and salad that serves 4-5 lol. The value for food is tremendous.
Do you ever smoke shisha? I do kinda love the shisha cafes there too.
For the airbnbs vs hotels, a nice locally run guesthouse is a good bridge between the two I think.
Stayed in Trastevere and it was great, good restaurants/bars and seemed close enough to everything. Personally I couldn’t spend more than 3 days in Rome, and in those 3 days we saw everything we wanted to (including Vatican).
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I usually look at VRBO before AirBNB. Don’t know how the fees compare between the two though
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Well, we’re going to Salt Lake. Thanks for the tips.
Yah, the portion sizes have been pretty generous. The Turkish breakfast is kinda absurd. So many cheeses, breads, and jams.
I’ve never smoked shisha but will probably do it here at some point.
Global warming is striking Istanbul with a vengeance. Normal highs for this time are about 12C, but we’ve yet to see higher than 6C, and are probably getting a little blizzard this week (worst snow in 35 years or something, and it’s coming in March).
I used to be a big AirBnB user, but I’ve gone in the opposite direction in the past few years.
I’ve found AirBnB experiences too unpredictable and inconsistent, and not much cheaper than a hotel if at all, whereas for my Japan travels it’s easy to find a nice centrally located business hotel that is clean, affordable, quiet, and consistent in terms of quality.
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Turkish breakfast almost seems like a robbery. Best breakfast I’ve had and the final bill was $13.07 for this entire spread for 2 which included medium teas and then my gf added an OJ.
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What’s the name of the place?
My gf and I were supposed to fly this mornig around 6 a.m. to Newark and then on to San Juan, Puerto Rico. At 10 pm the airline texted the 1st flight was delayed-- this would cause us to miss the 2nd flight, and there were no more seats until next week. Airline is United …they’re offering a free flight change in the next 2 weeks and after that, credit? Does that seem right?
Honestly, we’re stunned. We’d been planning his for weeks and the whole thing has kind of evaporated at the last minute.
I would be expecting a large credit to deal with the hassle. Thats insane that you can’t get a flight until next week.
Edit: I would demand a cash offer that you can use on a different airline.
Sorry about this situation.
wtf at United’s response here? There are no change fees on any flight for any reason right now. That’s hardly any compensation.
I would be absolutely beyond livid. Exploring every single possible routing, standby, double connections, interline connections, etc.
What is your originating airport?
I had this happen to a client years ago, who suddenly got a notification he wouldn’t be able to fly home for three days. Delta ~never does this crap and even when their systems meltdown they go above and beyond to accommodate.
This is true although you still pay the fare difference, which for a flight in the next few days to 2 weeks, could be considerable. So the ability to book at no fare increase is something.
Is there a stated reason for the delay? If they put it on weather/ATC, it’s probably going to be an uphill battle unfortunately.
Have you tried going on the app/website and booking the flights they say have no seats? I assume it’s the connecting flight? (Since I see lots of EWR-SJU flights for sale the next few days.) Sometimes if you find a flight yourself with seats and specifically push for that one, you have more success than just letting the airline/agents dictate.
Sorry you have to deal with this. I’m honestly not sure you will find a great solution, but if you are a squeaky wheel after all the dust settles, then you may be able to get a refund/credit/miles/etc.
Thanks everyone. … The reason for the first delay is the flight crew was surpassing allowed hours. I’m going to talk with my gf soon about pressing for more compensation. This seems absurd. But really, I think this is going to be one of those situations where we’re just gonna wind up eating a ton of money and lost time. And it’s gonna fucking snow again on Saturday. Departing airport is ITH (Ithaca NY).
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