Savvy Budget Hotel Alternatives: Homestays!

Wednesday, 25 May 2011 15:00 Written by Savvy Girl

Call me spoiled, but hotels just aren't good enough for me anymore. No, sir. I could be staying at the Ritz in Paris, but as I get (ahem) older, traveling requires a certain amount of creature comforts and unless I can have my own mini-kitchen where I can prepare my own mini-espresso, mini yogurts, and mini-mid-day sandwiches, hotels just don't cut the mustard.

In all seriousness, an upshot of the recession seems to be that homeowners are getting collectively organized to clear, clean and market available space to would-be vacationers who prefer the intimate touches of a home away from home to impersonal hotels and bedding of dubious cleanliness. Check out "Europe Without Hotels" from the New York Times yesterday for the hows, whys and wherefores homeowners are making small piles of cash renting out spare space and get inspired to save megabucks staying in someone's tricked out spare room.

(Photo: Victorian Splendor, San Francisco via Airbnb.com)

All of this is to say, if you're making plans for the summer, home stays are an incredibly savvy option, offering more comfort, more style and more value than even the best hotels. Here's a list of resources, many of which we have tried, enjoyed and tried again, with utter delight.

VRBO.com: Vacation Rentals By Owner
AirBnB.com: Stylish Bed and Breakfasts, on the fly
iStopOver.com: Easy, short term rentals
Crashpadder.com: Easy short term rentals with pep
Couchsurfing.com: Free to low-cost couch crashing, all around the world

Savvy Update: AirBnB.com recently had an incident in which one renter's San Francisco home was significantly damaged by guests. We’ve used the service several times around the world and have never encountered issues, but it’s always good to be aware of the risks if you decide to list your own home and make sure you are appropriately insured. Read Airbnb's blog response for details.