Why I stopped booking Airbnb and went back to hostels for city trips

I had a choice to make for my 4 day trip to Lisbon last month. I could either spend about $120 a night on a private Airbnb room or pay $35 a night for a spot in a well rated hostel dorm. I went with the hostel because I wanted to save money for food and museum tickets. Honestly it was a great call. The hostel had free walking tours every morning and a communal kitchen where I made my own breakfast. I met a couple from Canada who told me about a hidden viewpoint that wasn't in any guidebook. The only downside was noisy roommates one night but earplugs fixed that. Has anyone else made the switch back to hostels after getting tired of expensive Airbnbs?

2 comments

2 Comments

pat9548d ago

But didn't the hidden viewpoint end up being better than any overpriced Airbnb view though? I swear hostels just have this way of connecting you with the city that a private rental never can. The free walking tours alone probably saved you what, $40 or $50 over four days? Plus making your own breakfast in a shared kitchen beats paying 12 euros for toast and an egg at some tourist cafe. I'm just wondering if the noisy roommates thing is worth the trade off, or if you'd rather pay triple the price for guaranteed silence.

drew_grant528d ago

Earplugs and a sleep mask are non negotiable. I've done the hostel thing in ten different countries and the trick is finding ones with pod style beds or at least curtains so you can block out the snoring. That viewpoint thing is real though, I stumbled into a rooftop in Barcelona that some local showed me and it beat any paid mirador by a mile. Just gotta decide if trading sleep for those moments is worth it, but you can always grab a cheap private room for one night if you're crashing hard.