Selecting the accommodations for our travel is one of my favorite and most important parts of trip planning. While I love a good hotel, there are many pluses to staying in AirBNBs. They’re great for groups, they afford more privacy and space, and they allow you to experience places more as a local might. We’ve stayed in AirBNBs all over the world, and at this point I’ve become an expert at vetting them. We’ve definitely stayed at some good, bad, ugly, and otherwise, but to highlight the best of the best, I’ve comprised a list of our Top 5 Favorite AirBNBs:
1. Palm Springs, California: No 444 Immaculate Mid Century Home + Heated Pool
Palm Springs is a southern California town in the Sonoran Desert located about 1 hour 45 minutes east of LA. It's known for golfing, hotels, hot springs, and my favorite: mid-century modern architecture.
For our 5 year wedding anniversary, Richard and I stayed in this immaculate Alexander Home in the Racquet Club Estates. While all that sounds fancy, and believe me it was truly five stars, the interesting thing about developer Alexander was that many of his homes actually aimed to make purchasing a vacation home affordable, not just for Hollywood’s rich and famous, but also for your average everyday people. Part of how Alexander kept things affordable was that he utilized the same floor plans and construction materials to control costs. With that, most impressive was how he managed to keep individual homes feeling unique, by offering the slightest variations on the exterior finishings on the homes, including various rooflines and brick types. Here’s an original Alexander Home floor plan, and yes, even the most humble homes all had pools in the backyards:
I’ll have to dedicate an entire post to the mid-century modern architecture of Palm Springs. We did a self-guided driving tour, which only began to scratch the surface. I’ve always admired the Eichler homes of the Bay Area, and am now a huge Alexander fan as well. In my wildest fantasies, just as the owners of this particular home did, I would love to acquire an Alexander that needs some love, and renovate it to modernize while bringing in period appropriate finishes.
2. Prague, Czech Republic: Luxury Loft 4BR (Prague Old Town)
Our visit to Prague with friends in November 2016 remains one of my favorite trips of all time. You can read all about Prague and that trip here. While I loved the city, and being there with some of my best friends, most certainly our fantastic accommodations made a lasting impact on my impression of Prague. I’ll let the owners of the property tell you about it:
“luxurious brand new four-bedroom, four-bathroom, two-living room, two-terrace Loft Apartment located in the heart of bustling Nove Mesto ... features an interesting layout that is comprised of a spacious kitchen and dining area with stylish features, a quiet living area furnished with a leather sofa and double glass doors that open to a large terrace where you can sit and gaze at the rooftops of the city, two airy bedrooms with custom-made wardrobes, one full marble bathroom complete with bathtub, bidet and rain shower head, plus one half bath with a rain shower head as well. The apartment showcases original exposed wooden ceiling beams throughout as well as hardwood flooring.”
Without hesitation I highly recommend both a visit to Prague and a stay at this luxury loft.
3. Hamburg, Germany: Luxurious & elegant apartment in Central Hamburg
In 2016, Richard and I were lucky enough to live abroad in Hamburg, Germany. Until that point, while my husband had visited Europe many times both as a student and as an adult for work, I had never been to the continent, so I lovingly call this time in my life my “adult study abroad”. A full tour of our Our Home in Hamburg is here, and you can also read about our Life as Expats in Hamburg, Germany here.
The apartment was located in Harvestehude, one of Hamburg’s most desirable, beautiful and centrally located neighborhoods. The interior was stunningly adorned, featuring modern art, a marble fireplace, and two Le Corbusier armchairs.
We felt so lucky to live in such a beautiful place for an extended period. To cap off our time in Hamburg, we got even luckier with the timing of the annual famous Christmas Markets, the most magical Christmas experience of life— you can read about that experience , the most magical Christmas experience of life— you can read about that experience here. Should you be considering a trip to Germany, I highly recommend you consider winter/Christmastime.
4. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Gorgeous on Garcia Authentic Adobe with a Hot Tub
We had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico for the first time this past February. Being a mid-pandemic trip, we weren't able to experience the dining, shopping and galleries the area is famous for, so we’ll most definitely have to go back. I’ve heard their Santa Fe Wine & Chili Fiesta is one of the nation’s best food and wine festivals! Anyhow, I’ll let our lovely host tell you more about her home:
“Experience this authentic adobe home on spectacular Garcia Street in the Historic Eastside Santa Fe neighborhood. The home is a sophisticated blend of contemporary and traditional Santa Fe. Relish the beautiful hardwood floors, original thick adobe walls, and viga ceilings. Enjoy the exquisite New Mexico art (both Spanish and Pueblo style) as well as traditional and contemporary furnishings. Enjoy both the Kiva fireplace and always ready hot tub too!”
We enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub, grilling in the backyard, and lounging by the fire. We took numerous walks around the neighborhood, and enjoyed a gorgeous hike in the mountains only 20 minutes outside of town.
If you’ve never been to Santa Fe, I highly suggest you add it to your list. And if you do, you can’t stay anywhere other than an authentic Adobe.
5. Atlanta, Georgia: Beltline Bungalow
This past December we spent a month in Atlanta at this adorable Beltline Bungalow. I’m sure I’m biased to loving the home due to the fact that it was Christmas while we were in town, and within days of arrival, a sweet girlfriend loaned me a tree which I quickly adorned with bound found and homemade decorations.
Besides the holiday charm, what I loved most about this bungalow was how well some simple renovations turned this previously traditional 1000 square feet bungalow into a totally contemporary urban oasis.
From traditional rail and spindles, lighting and color palette to a modernized porch, terraced steps and an updated color palette, these few changes made a big impact.
The columns contributed to the home’s traditional feel. The new homeowners transformed the space by removing the columns and creating a built-in spice rack with simple drywall on the back, a savvy yet simple solution for modernizing the space.
Beyond the great interior, the home had a lovely backyard where we enjoyed grilling and hanging out by the fire pit.
Despite the home’s great interior and exterior, its greatest feature was actually its location. In North Ormewood Park/Glenwood Park adjacent, it was within walking distance to coffee, ice cream, and a wine store to name a few, and best of all: Atlanta’s famed Beltline trail.
Especially in years like the one we had this year past, vacation homes need to be much more than just a landing place, but instead are the central hub for your trip. As such, when traveling, where you land your head at the end of the night needs to be considered thoughtfully and intentionally.
—Shea
Photo Credits:
Home Photos: AirBNBs, as linked above in individual listings
Beltline Bungalow before pics: GrowAtlantaHomes.com