"We Used Airbnb For Our European Honeymoon And It Was Fabulous (& Pocket-Friendly)"

March 2015, the month I went from Miss to Mrs, but since half the world was still in winter, we decided to hold-off our honeymoon plans till June when it’s too hot in Delhi but fantastic in most places in Europe. I had my heart stuck on Greece, but I wanted an authentic, non-touristy Greek experience. That’s how we decided on finding interesting places on Airbnb to maximize our cultural experience in minimum number of days.

We picked Corfu and Athens in Greece. Corfu because it’s a sleepy, beautiful, 100 percent authentic Grecian island far removed from the haggling and hordes of tourists. Athens was added because of its culture and the ruins. Soon enough, Rome and Paris were added to the list. I’d stayed in Airbnb properties couple times before this trip. My husband hadn’t and honestly he was a little skeptical too. But that quickly changed once he saw these pretty apartments in prime locations, at the price we wanted, that no hotel could match. 

First Stop: Corfu

We stayed at: Ulisse Studios

In Corfu, our Airbnb was in the middle of  an olive farm, walking distance from a secluded, almost-private beach in Corfu which no other hotel could have offered us. With stunning venues, we relaxed, ate and had a leisurely stroll around this gorgeous town and just enjoyed the secluded beach we had access to.

Next stop : Athens

We stayed at : Airbnb Overlooking the Acropolis

In Athens, we stayed in a beautifully decorated heritage apartment (there was even a piano in our room) with the view of Acropolis right from our window. Infact our Athens leg, we actually took a room in a place where the host stayed too (unusual for a honeymoon, I know) and he always gave us the best recommendations.  Instead of roaming around the touristy areas, he suggested the best cafes for greek food with authentic flavours instead of the touristy reccomendations that everyone goes to.

Next Stop : Paris

For the last leg of our trip,  our Airbnb was just quaint, and complete Paris chic with blackboards, motifs and adorable knick knacks. Paris is full of quaint charming details – brightly coloured blue doors, the small cafes and more. We hung out with our friends, went to a secret pop-up shopping festival, partied with locals, had a picnic at the canal, and walked around the city at midnight in search of Woody Allen’s Paris.

Last Stop: Rome

Our final leg of our Airbnb journey was  Rome which was a different experience altogether. We did all the lovely sightseeing but also caught a Mumford and Sons concert! With gorgeous mini scooties, the most insanely delicious Gelato and the beautiful central square, Rome was a delight.

Here are some things to keep in mind when using Airbnb for your honeymoon:

• It was easy to do a quick background check on our hosts - We only selected hosts that came with glorious reviews and had the most beautiful apartments. We chatted with them via Airbnb before booking and it was all so seamless on arrival.
• Reviews are your best friend on the portal
• Communicate with your hosts before booking. There are no silly questions.
• Airbnb gives you options of renting entire apartments or booking a room in someone’s house. Since it’s your ‘moon, you’ll probably want the entire place to yourself. Though, from my Athens experience where we stayed with a host, it was like having a personal guide with us on holiday.
• My advice to honeymooners: Keep it relaxed. After the madness of your wedding, you need some time off to just chill.