The few experiences we have had sharing a hotel room with our boys since becoming parents have not been very positive. For our week in Malta we had decided – let’s try an Airbnb!
Here is what we learnt:
Home away from home
We found being able to stick to the boys routine as much as possible was the best thing about the experience. They could nap and sleep in their own rooms leaving us to have dinner by ourselves as well as some chill out time in front of the TV – the World Cup was on at the time unfortunately for me though! We also did a sweep of anything breakable at child height and put it up high!
Research more than just the reviews
We chose our Airbnb because it had such great reviews, however, we should have researched the surrounding area a bit more ourselves. The apartment was on a very busy main road and opposite a karaoke bar – quite a shock when arriving at 2am in the morning! The ‘beach’ was not actually a beach but a small cove where the boys could paddle but not that safely.
Double check the address
On the site, the address was written in English and we wrote down all the directions in English. Unfortunately we had not considered that all the street signs were not in English! Sounds like a silly mistake but one you don’t want to realise you have made when you are driving around in the middle of the night in a strange country!
Where will your host be during your stay?
We found that having our host around was vital especially with kids. Simple things like knowing where to buy nappies and are certain tourist areas suitable for a buggy are tips that make everything a bit easier. Our host was just brilliant and so understanding – hence why he has his ‘Superhost’ status!
Ask your host the questions that will make life easier
Our Airbnb did not have curtains in the boys room so as soon as that sun was up – so was my 2 year old! If your kids need their rooms dark to sleep, can you fit the black out blind in your case? Do they have bed guards? Do they have kids plastic plates and cutlery?
Additional costs
We didn’t know that we had to pay a government tax to the host per adult per day. It didn’t really matter – we just didn’t know. Guess that links back to needing to do more research!
I would love to hear your experiences of using Airbnb with kids!
My Family Travel Diary 