Since we started covering family travel, we’ve been big fans of booking stays on Airbnb. In fact, over the past 5 years, we’ve stayed at 58 Airbnbs all across the world! Here are our ten favorites (in no particular order), each of them with booking links so you can check out the listing yourself!
Multi-Family Home Fun in Byron Bay, Australia
We visited Byron Bay, Australia with friends from Colorado, and couldn’t have thought of a better home to stay at than this one! The home was spacious enough for two families and the backyard is simply amazing. While this home is not really in walking distance of the main tourist area in Byron Bay, it was in a quiet neighborhood which made it a great place to unwind after exploring the city.
At the Heart of the City in Brisbane, Australia
Our second Airbnb in Australia on this list, this one was much different than the one in Byron Bay. We heard Brisbane had an amazing downtown, so we chose to stay as close as possible to the heart of the city and weren’t disappointed. This apartment is simple, with 2 bedrooms, some nice decorations, a kitchen and patio overlooking the city. It made for a great home base to come back to after exploring Brisbane and it’s beautiful riverbank and local pools. Brisbane is a city that we’d love to return to, and wouldn’t hesitate to stay in this apartment again!
Affordable Luxury Vibes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur really surprised us as an amazing city to visit. A big part of that was because the accommodations we stayed at were amazing, including this Airbnb in the Bukit Bintang part of the city. We loved how spacious and well decorated this apartment was, but what we loved the most was that it was so affordable! The apartment had 2 ample bedrooms, a cozy living area, and a central kitchen in case we wanted to cook. While it wasn’t really walking distance to downtown and the shopping area, it was really easy to grab an Uber for cheap and get to the parts of the city that we wanted to get to. Ultimately, this stay felt luxurious at a very affordable rate!
Access to Everything in Budapest, Hungary
During our whirlwind train tour of Europe in the fall of 2019, we were visiting new countries basically every 3-4 days. This Airbnb in Budapest, Hungary made the best impression out of several that we visited that month. The apartment was super clean, well decorated, and situated in a quiet part of Budapest. However, it was still close to a lot of activities and restaurants, so we didn’t need a rental car. We also remember this place because it’s where we celebrated Santi’s birthday, so that always helps!
Comfort and Relaxation in Florence, Italy
At the end of the fast-paced European trip that we did, we decided to slow down in Florence, Italy for a few weeks. While planning this part of the trip, we were concerned that we weren’t going to find any affordable Airbnbs in Florence. We must have gotten lucky finding this Airbnb, which we booked for 3 weeks for under $100/night. Although it was about 5-10 minutes walking distance from the main tourist area in Florence, it worked for us because the apartment itself was amazing! It had two bedrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, and a living area so we wouldn’t feel cramped while resting and recovering. We ended up spending a lot more time indoors at this Airbnb than we anticipated, because we happened to stay there during record breaking rains in Italy that year! We got pretty used to brewing fresh espresso in the Moka pot every morning, making pasta for lunch, and exploring Florence in the afternoon if the rain had cleared up. So if you’re looking for a spacious, two bedroom accommodation in Florence, you can’t go wrong with this one!
Tent Glamping Near Vail, Colorado
This is actually the first Airbnb that we ever booked, back in 2017! And it really set a high bar for the types of unique experiences that you can have on the platform. This Airbnb was a glamping safari tent located at the Cedar Ridge Ranch near Vail, Colorado. Cedar Ridge is a horse ranch, and we were able to meet the owners, where they gave us a tour of the ranch. They have a beautifully decorated barn and serve coffee and breakfast in the morning, which was a great day to spend the day. The kids loved interacting with horses, cows, chickens, and pigs, and we spent a pretty laid back day fishing at the pond as well. The Airbnb was also a few minutes away from Carbondale, the nearest small town where we had lunch and dinner. This accommodation is probably the most unique on the list, and if you’d like something bigger than a tent, there’s also a yurt next door that you can book as well!
Cozy Christmas in Seoul, South Korea
Seoul will always have a special place in our hearts, because it is the first place where we ever celebrated Christmas abroad as a family. And staying at the Art House made everything extra special! Our hosts were gracious enough to decorate the Airbnb with Christmas decor, and they even had a Christmas tree waiting for us! The space itself was beautiful, with a master bedroom on the main floor, and a spiral staircase that led to an additional bedroom in a loft area above. We had nice views of a palace, and the Airbnb was right in the middle of the culturally rich Samcheong-dong region of Seoul. Although it was pretty cold, we were still able to walk around, taking in the sights, take a tour of Gyeongbukgung Palace, and celebrate the holidays together before moving on to our next destination.
Home Base in Melbourne, Australia
Our visit to Melbourne started under some shaky circumstances. It was February of 2020, and COVID had arrived to Bali, Vietnam, and Thailand, where we happened to be at that time. We made the decision to leave Thailand early, and booked this Airbnb for 10 nights to try to lay low as news of the pandemic started to become more clear. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay for what we needed those 10 days! Located in the Southbank area of Melbourne, we were within walking distance of a grocery store, several restaurants, and could even walk to downtown Melbourne to admire the fabulous street art in the area. We were also able to book last-minute without breaking the bank, which was a big blessing since we were paying less than $100/night. The 2 bedrooms were spacious, and blazing fast internet let us and the kids enjoy streaming content throughout the time that we stayed there.
Casa by the Sea in Ixtapa, Mexico
We can’t have a proper favorite Airbnb list without some of the properties that we’re hosts for! This apartment in Ixtapa, Mexico has been a family holiday destination for Jess ever since she was in her teens, and now we host people from all over the world on it through Airbnb. Out of all of the properties on this list, Ixtapa by far has the most incredible view. As you walk in and look to the right, there’s floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase striking cliffside views of the Pacific Ocean. This apartment has 3 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen for when you’re not out and about exploring Ixtapa and neighboring Zihuatanejo. Best of all, you also have the services of Ramona, who is an incredible cook and will make sure everything is tidy throughout your stay. We love visiting Ixtapa, but it definitely wouldn’t be the same if we weren’t staying at the Casa by the Sea!
Feeling the Magic of 30A, Florida
Santa Rosa Beach and the towns lined across Highway 30A are one of our go-to-places in Florida. And if we could use one word to describe the area, it would be: magic. 30A really does have a more casual, relaxing vibe as compared to the bigger hustle and bustle of Destin and Panama City Beach. The first Airbnb that we purchased, in the Gulf Place development, we love because it is cozy and provides magnificent access to the beach across the street. Gulf Place always has a special place in our hearts because over the past two years we’ve been able to improve the apartment with new flooring, furniture, and a desk for those looking to still work remotely. Aside from relaxing and admiring the pristine blue water at the beach, we love going for ice cream at Pecan Jack’s, grabbing a coffee at Sunrise Coffee Co, and enjoying a delicious dinner at Shunk Gulley. The Airbnb itself is a studio with a queen bed and two bunk beds, so it’s a great location for a family with young kids to get beach access close by, and plenty of amenities like bike and stand-up paddleboard rentals.
