To hotel or Airbnb – that is the question.
Hotels come with the convenience of room service and clean bed linen every morning and they usually boast a buzzy bar and restaurant in which to mingle. But Airbnb offers surprisingly lavish accommodation for significantly less, as one blogger found out.
US-based travel expert Gilbert Ott, the man behind God Save The Points, put the homestay service to the test by sizing up five of its £120 ($90) options in five cities around the world against four and five-star hotel options. Read on and discover how much luxury he got for his money.
Santorini, Greece
This private house on the popular Greek island of Santorini sleeps up to four and boasts a hot tub with sea views
Airbnb Price: £113 ($146).
The apartment: A private house that sleeps up to four with a heated cave-style Jacuzzi and sea views.
It has an average rating of five stars from 22 reviewers.
One alternative to the Airbnb option is the Makarios, pictured, which has rooms with private balconies for around £110 a night
Standard hotel room rate: £190 ($250).
However, for around £110 you could book a double room with a private balcony at the Makarios.
Tokyo, Japan
This two-bedroom flat with a private – if slightly cramped – balcony, overlooks Tokyo’s towers. It costs £103 a night. Four or five star hotels in this Japanese city, on the other hand, start from around £250
Price: £103 ($134).
The apartment: A two-bedroom flat with a private balcony overlooking Tokyo’s towers.
It’s located a five-minute walk away from Roppongi station.
For just over £100 you could book a ‘semi-double’ room at Hotel East 21 with views of the Tokyo skyline
Standard hotel room rate: £250 ($325).
Though for just over £100 you could book a ‘semi-double’ room at Hotel East 21 with views of the skyline.
Cape Town, South Africa
It’s hard to argue with the views at this one-bedroom abode that looks over Cape Town’s Table Mountain
Price: £106 ($111).
The apartment: A one-bedroom abode with a private balcony and views over Table Mountain.
It’s so close to the mountain that the owner claims you could start the ascent from the front door.
Airbnb has stiff competition in Cape Town because for under £100 you could stay at the plush Fernwood Manor hotel and bag a deluxe room, pictured
Standard hotel room rate: £160 ($210).
But Airbnb has stiff competition here because for under £100 you could stay at the plush Fernwood Manor hotel and bag a deluxe room.
Bali, Indonesia
Modern and expansive, this two-bedroom, two-bathroom house has a pool and comes with chef services
Price: £120 ($155).
The apartment: A two-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a pool and chef services.
Standard hotel room rate: £186 ($240).
Want everything to go swimmingly? For £120 you could stay at the Puri Sebatu Resort
However, there are some amazing hotel options for around £120, including the Puri Sebatu Resort.
Here you are well and truly immersed within the rainforest, with plenty of luxuriousness to wallow in.
Paris, France
A bright one-bedroom flat with a private courtyard, and just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower
Price: £103 ($134).
The apartment: A bright one-bedroom flat with a private courtyard and just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower.
Standard hotel room rate: £205 ($265).
For around £120 a night you could spend the night at the stylish Hotel Emile, pictured
It’s possible, however, to snag a room for around £120 a night at the rather stylish and handily located Hotel Emile.
It’s in the city’s oh-so-trendy Marais district and has a black-and-white colour scheme.
The Picasso museum is just around the corner.
- Mr Ott’s original article, which MailOnline Travel has adapted, can be seen here.