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This post is a continuation of our Raleigh road trip report.
In my previous post, I talked about how Mr. FAF, our son, and I traveled frugally from DC to Raleigh on a $387 budget with no travel hacking.
This time, I will talk in more detail about my first experience staying at an AirBnB and whether I’d be willing to do that again.
Stay tuned for some praise, complaints, and surprises!
Price
Mr. FAF was in charge of planning the trip and booking lodging.
He had stayed at an AirBnB in Dallas before and had a positive impression of both the place and the host.
The host even offered to drive him to the airport.
I had gone on AirBnB trying to look for a nice and reasonably priced room before.
But I couldn’t decide if I wanted to rent a room in a big house for a lower price or an apartment for more privacy.
Mr. FAF spent less than 5 minutes searching for a place and chose an in-law suite for $53/night.
I asked him what criteria he used for the search. He said it was the cheapest place in Raleigh, period.
Curious, I looked through the photos and was really happy to see that the suite was spacious and had a queen-sized bed with a smaller bed.
Most, if not all, of the places I had looked at provided only one bed. I was thrilled! The three of us wouldn’t have to try to squeeze in a bed at night. Sweet!
Related: My Frustrating Experience 1st Time Booking On AirBnB
1st impression
We got to the AirBnB at around 6 PM on Friday night. Our first impression was that it was in a blue-collar neighborhood with some run-down stores and houses. I didn’t get a really good vibe looking at the area, especially at night.
We had to text the host to open the door for us since the entrance was tucked away in the back. It was a big house with a huge backyard and a two-car garage separate from the house.
I’m not sure if it was the hot weather that day, but we were also greeted by a lot of mosquitoes. All of us got a few mosquito bites on our arms and legs before making our ways into the suite.
The AirBnB was a studio with a bedroom, a full bath, and a kitchenette that came with a fridge, a convection oven, a microwave, and a coffee maker.
We double-checked how much we had paid for two nights. To be honest, both of us were a bit disappointed to see the neighborhood and the AirBnB.
Although the advertised night rate was $53, the two nights actually cost us $157.46, including cleaning/service fees and taxes. For a moment, I was hit with a pang of regret and thought that we could have rented a proper motel/hotel room instead.
At least, we would have a proper hot breakfast and wouldn’t have to worry too much about keeping the place extra tidy and clean for the host (i.e. taking out the trash, making our beds, putting the dirty towels/bedding in a certain place).
I felt a bit disappointed but assured Mr. FAF, who I could tell was not too happy either, that the place wasn’t too bad, and that we should just try to enjoy the trip. It was too late to change our minds anyway.
The next day, I went online to look up some nearby motels/hotels and found some places where we could stay two nights for a total of $140-$160. And they also came with continental breakfast and all the typical service of a hotel.
I tried to think of all the positives of the AirBnB we stayed at (i.e. living with the locals, more privacy) and ended the search. We would just need to do more research next time.
AirBnB wasn’t as cheap as I thought.
The arrangement
Mr. FAF and I decided to sleep together on the queen-sized bed. We made a makeshift crib for Baby FAF by putting the two sofas next to his twin bed to prevent him from falling.
Queen-sized bed for us
Twin bed for Baby FAF
I didn’t sleep well the first night due to Mr. FAF’s snoring, tossing, and turning. But I was too tired the second night and slept much better.
I checked all the windows and locked them. I was paranoid about break-ins. Safety was one of my concerns staying at a stranger’s house. Who knows what might happen when we are asleep.
I heard some noise a couple of times at night and became alert, which interrupted my sleep a little bit. But no one broke into the suite when we were sleeping. I breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the stay.
I was happy that the place came with kitchen appliances, something we might not have at a motel/hotel. I brought dish soap and a sponge and washed the containers we used to pack dinner leftovers for lunch in the bathroom sink.
Bathroom
Shower
We brought some Kirkland water bottles. But I didn’t want to use those bottles mainly to save money and prevent plastic waste.
I used the coffee maker to boil water for us and filled my mason jar with the water for our tour in Raleigh. I was conscious not to use water bottles and filled up my mason jar at every water faucet I could find.
Related: 10 Simple Things We Do To Save Money
Likes & dislikes
I’m fully aware that this AirBnB was the cheapest on we could find, and the quality probably reflected that. It would be so unreasonable (crazy?) of us to book a room at Motel 6 and expect it to look like Sheraton.
However, given that this was my first AirBnB experience, I do have some personal likes and dislikes I want to share with you.
Likes
1. A great variety of breakfast options
One thing I was super excited about was all the breakfast choices that we had: blueberry bagels with butter, English muffins oatmeal, grits, bananas, yogurt, and frozen pastry.
Mr. FAF particularly liked the bagels and asked if we could buy them in DC.
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I just couldn’t wait to start preparing breakfast for our family.
Our kitchenette
The mini-fridge
Breakfast nook.
Unrelated: My red purse I got from Amazon for $54.99, and I’ve been using it almost every day for the past 1.5 years. It’s still in good condition.
You see, we eat very simple and cheap breakfast at home (i.e. boiled eggs, black bean porridge, croissant, whole milk), so anything different and delicious was totally welcomed.
Related: Why We Don’t Order from Blue Apron
2. The extra bed for Baby FAF
I really loved that there was an extra roll-out bed in the room. Without it, the three of us would have to squeeze into the queen-sized bed.
Baby FAF likes to roll around in bed and puts his butt, legs, and arms on our faces at night, so it wouldn’t be too comfortable.
3. Privacy
The AirBnB was an in-law suite attached to the main house.
We saw the landlord and her family a couple of times in the backyard, but we didn’t have to share any common space or deal with the noise from other guests.
We also got a taste of what it was like to live in the vicinity of Raleigh.
4. Not far from downtown Raleigh
It took us 12 minutes to drive from the AirBnB to Raleigh, so the distance was pretty good. For a moment, I thought about how nice it’d be for us to live right in downtown, but it would probably come with a heavy price tag.
Related: The Pros & Cons Of Living In An Expensive City
Dislikes
1. Sketchy area
The AirBnB was located in a somewhat sketchy area of town. I took a walk around the neighborhood in the morning and saw a couple of run-down and probably abandoned houses near our AirBnB.
It’s definitely not a place Mr. FAF and I would like to move to one day.
2. Expired food
The yogurt provided to us by the host had expired two days before we got to the AirBnB. I didn’t really mind it as much since I had eaten yogurt that was one week past the expiration date.
However, I wouldn’t serve expired food to guests in our own home.
The English muffins were a bit mushy and gave off a sour smell. I couldn’t find the expiration date and just tossed them in the oven. There were no stomach cramps reported afterwards.
3. Mosquitoes
Every time we walked out of or to the AirBnB, we had to tell each other to walk fast to avoid the mosquitoes.
One time we forgot to roll up our car windows all the way and were greeted with a bunch of hungry mosquitoes in the car.
The huge number of mosquitoes was probably due to all the bushes around the house, the humid weather, and a huge toy pool with dirty water/debris in the backyard.
Final judgement
As you can see, the likes far outweigh the dislikes. At the end of the stay, I even told Mr. FAF that I wouldn’t mind our whole family renting and living in that studio to save money (if only it were in a better neighborhood and came with a kitchen).
He brushed off that idea, saying we are financially better-off now. It’s amazing how we can adjust to a new environment only after a few days.
Conclusion
Overall, I’d give the AirBnB 4 stars. I didn’t actually leave a review since the host has a series of 5-star reviews, and I didn’t want to be that mean person who downgrades their rating.
At the end of the day, the host and her husband have a young daughter and are probably busy with other things going on in their lives. They are almost the same age as Mr. FAF and me and are just trying to make ends meet and take care of their family.
Next time, however, we will need to look at motels and hotels as well to do a price comparison with AirBnB. I would definitely recommend AirBnB to friends and family but will also remind them to do their due diligence before booking a place.
This trip also made me think a lot about how Lily at The Frugal Gene has successfully run her AirBnB business and pulled in a great monthly income.
I have been looking into how to run an AirBnB and hopefully will become a host when the timing is right!
Sign up for AirBnB today and get $40 off your booking!
Related:
7 Crazy Expensive Things We’ve Bought
Dilemma: How Much Would You Pay For Your Spouse’s Good Sleep?
What A Luxurious Lifestyle Looks Like To Us
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Thanks for the shout out 😀 you caught me at a purse mood – now I’m on Amazon browsing your bag lol!! The reviews look so good for just $50.
My Airbnb is about the same as nearby motels but we’re tucked away from the big main road. I think some people prefer people’s homes or…I have no idea. I got a hotel for Fincon xD the irony 😆
I love that bag. It’s starting to show some wear and tear. But overall, it still looks great and can hold a lot of stuff 😀
Your AirBnB is WAY better than a motel. It’s very cozy and beautiful! I didn’t know you booked a hotel for FinCon. If breakfast is included in the hotel fee, I think it might be better than some AirBnBs in the areas during that busy time 😀
Glad that your first Airbnb experience was positive overall. I still haven’t tried it yet myself. But hearing all the feedback is getting me itching to go for it.
BTW, in true frugal fashion, we totally bring food containers when traveling and rinse them out in the bathroom sink too (when there’s no kitchen sink of course)!
Oh haha I’m glad we’re not the only one with all the containers on a trip. They come in handy when we want to heat up leftovers from the restaurant. I guess some of our frugal habits will just stay with us until we don’t know when :p
Very interesting and fun read. But I think you should have left (or leave, if you still have time) a review. I get that you don’t want to bring down their ratings but it’s not just about that. Many people rely on reviews to give them an accurate view of things. For someone like me who is allergic to mosquito bites, these issues can be much more than mere annoyances so your review would be a huge help. You can leave an objective review stating the pros and cons, and people can make up their own mind. In any case, 4 stars is not a bad rating and the host can fix the issues you mentioned.
Thanks for your feedback, Pooja! I will def consider it. Other guests might find it helpful 🙂
That’s what I find in the US too. Most Airbnbs are not any cheaper than a hotel/motel once you factor in the service and cleaning charges. I prefer a motel because it’s more convenient.
IMO, Airbnb works better if you stay longer or have a bigger group.
I totally agree with you about AirBnB and a big group. We can split the costs, and it might be cheaper per person although the ones I saw limit the number of people and did increase the fee for an extra person. For a motel, we can just book a room with 2 queen beds and have 2 couples stay there. I will do more research next time. It’s nice to know what it’s like to stay at an AirBnB though hehe 😀
Travel is one aspect of life that my wife and I are not so frugal with. Safety, comfort, cleanliness, and proximity to cool things is a priority for us and so we almost never stay at the cheapest option. However, we do try to maximize our value and never try to waste money either!
That said, we haven’t stayed at too many AirBnB’s. Factoring in the cleaning charges and additional fees, sometimes it doesn’t feel worth it in many cases.
One way when we have more savings, we will definitely need to splurge a little and go to a resort or something at least to know what it’s like to travel without having to worry about money. We’ve been talking about going to Europe, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, etc. But for now, we will stick with a frugal road trip so that we won’t feel too bad about our bank account when we come back. One day!
Interesting first time review, even as a “savvy millennial” I’ve never tried AirB&B.
Call me old fashioned (😂) but I much prefer the usual “structured hotel procedure”. Probably easier to charge as business expenses anyway. 😅
None the less, it’s good that the first time was a positive one.
Good point about the business expense. I know my colleagues have stayed at an AirBnB and charged it to the organization. But some places might be more difficult about it. At least now I can tell other people I’ve stayed at an AirBnB 😀
My husband and I use AirBnB quite a bit. Choosing the place definitely requires more research than booking a typical hotel. As in, google the neighbourhood, not just the city. Try to imagine what the place looks like in real life. Even the shittiest places can look ok in photos. We’ve had 99% good experience with AirBnB. The one not so good experience was when we stayed in a ‘charming’ house. Charming turns out to be euphemism for old…super old. I like modern instead. 😅😅