When our recent holiday to Skiathos was approaching, I began looking at accommodation near Manchester Airport were I didn't have the pay the earth. I'd been scrawling through the Airbnb app on my phone for a few months previous, creating albums full of pretty places all over the country for places I'd love to stay. Accommodation for Manchester was coming up pretty pricey, especially for mid-week, prices that I definitely didn't want to pay when we were leaving at 1.30am to head to the airport!
I then came across 'The Pad' in Didsbury, Manchester. It was a 15 minute drive from the airport, it looked beautiful from the photos, it had the diamond icon next to it, which meant it was a 'rare find', and with discount I found, it only came to £63 for the night, and had a dozen more facilities than any hotel could offer me... perfect!
I went on to book this hotel through the app. It prompted me to write a message to the owner of the property, to 'tell her a bit about myself and my stay'. I initially found this idea a little invasive and strange, and I couldn't bypass this message (I tried!). So in a few words, I told the owner it was my first time using Airbnb, and that it was my birthday on the day of arrival, and we were also using it as a base to travel to the airport the next morning. The message was sent and I immediately got a prompt from the app telling me my booking was waiting approval. This left me feeling a little uncertain, with only days to go until we left, and I was still unsure if I was able to have the room. I needn't have worried - within half an hour my booking was approved and I received a lovely message from the owner welcoming me. She gave me a few snippets of information on the area etc and said she'd look forward to meeting us.
Fast forward a few days, a few hours before we were due to arrive, I sent a quick message as requested, stating our estimated time of arrival. Within a matter of minutes I received a message back stating that she wouldn't be greeting us, however explained everything we needed to know, from parking, to gaining access to the property.
We arrived and it was such a cute set-up. A room that consisted of a comfy bed, desk area and the most beautiful kitchen, complete with everything you would possibly need for an overnight stay (plus more!). The accessories were of fantastic quality, even down to the tea-towels which were branded!
There was a huge binder full of local restaurant menus, timetables on the nearby metro/bus routes etc. Every bit of information you need to make your stay enjoyable. There was also a large complimentary chocolate key (which I struggled to share with Mike... it was my birthday after all!)
The bathroom was a little on the small side, but it was definitely manageable due to the little amount of time we stayed there. Again, just like a hotel, all products and towels were included, it really was like a home from home.
I love the fact that instead of entering a universal hotel room, knowing that every room is the same, you are being welcomed into somewhere unique, with character and charm. Somewhere that includes more facilities than you would ever receive in a bog-standard hotel. Not to mention the price, you can 'house' more people for less, and if you filter your search correctly, you can get parking thrown in there for free, when usually you would pay £10-£15 for city parking.
I had such a pleasant first experience and I'm already hunting down my next!
