A lot of people have asked me which is better: Airbnb or a hotel. And honestly, my answer is: it just depends. In our travels we do a good mix of both.
With kids, we do like to have a bit more space, which sometimes means a hotel room with an extra room like a small suite, or other times, an entire home. Whenever I look for a place to stay, I look for a place that both parents and kids will enjoy. We want a place that is comfortable for everyone, and has some kind of wow factor for the kids. This can be anything from a mention of a bin of toys I read on an Airbnb review (who cares what it is, kids love other toys!) or a playhouse or a pool. We want something that will entertain the kids a bit, so we get a break.
Recently we went to Western Australia and booked an Airbnb in Margaret River. This is wine country, and after years in southeast asia I wanted a place where I could drink a glass of red wine in peace while my kids ran around. A kitchen was also a must, as we knew restaurants were few and far between and again, we didn’t want to be driving after aforementioned red wine. We found this house, which had a kids playhouse, playset, trampoline, resident bunny and a bin of toys. As a bonus, we had a kangaroo jumping through the yard each night! The kitchen was well stocked, and we even got an amazing tip from our host to stop at a specific grocery store that blew our socks off – we ate (and drank) well on this trip.
Other times Airbnb isn’t possible, so hotels are the best option. We stayed in some amazing lodges like this hotel in Borneo, and this one on the river. We all had to share a room, but that didn’t matter as we were out and about looking for wildlife most of the time. We also got a screaming deal at the Shangri La in Kota Kinabalu. The kids loved the kids club, water slide, ice cream cart and bunkbeds. We enjoyed everything being on site.
The other factor is often price. Airbnb for an entire house is often far less than two hotel rooms.
And, as always, we try to think about sustainability and stay at places that are locally owned and managed, as well as contribute to their community.
Let me know in the comments what your preference is. Do you often stay at one or the other?