Airbnbs give tourists the freedom to stay in the centre of the city, cook their own meals and get more of a local feel.
However, on a recent trip to Corfu in Greece, I neglected to check a key detail on my booking, which almost ruined my stay.
Airbnb gives holidaymakers a lot of information on each listing. Tourists can check whether the property has a pool or look at the house rules.
I booked a room in a shared apartment right in the centre of Corfu Old Town. There were four bedrooms in the apartment and guests shared a bathroom and kitchen.
When we arrived, the room seemed fine, it was clean and the apartment looked like the photos on the listing.
As the listing did allow smoking in its house rules, there was nothing we could do, other than ask the owner to tell the guest to open the window.
This didn’t happen and we ended up having to spend nearly all our time outside the apartment as the smell was so pervasive.
I’ve stayed at Airbnbs which allow guests to smoke on the balcony but I naively thought that owners wouldn’t allow people to smoke indoors, especially in a shared apartment.
As the listing did allow smoking in its house rules, there was nothing we could do, other than ask the owner to tell the guest to open the window.
This didn’t happen and we ended up having to spend nearly all our time outside the apartment as the smell was so pervasive.
I’ve stayed at Airbnbs which allow guests to smoke on the balcony but I naively thought that owners wouldn’t allow people to smoke indoors, especially in a shared apartment.
I’d recommend checking listings to see the rules on smoking as this could affect your stay, particularly if you’re travelling as a family with children.
If you are looking for a listing that allows smoking indoors, it’s important to check whether the property has a smoke alarm.
Airbnb’s ground rules state: “Guests should not smoke inside a listing unless they are allowed to do so by the Host. This includes the use of tobacco, cannabis, e-cigarettes, etc.”
Airbnb has been contacted for comment.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
