Kingston, Jamaica: AIRBNB or Hotel

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An arm and a leg

Lodging can be the most expensive part of any trip! It’s the fastest reminder that you’re traveling solo.

I haven’t ventured over to hostels so without a doubt, it’s one of the costs I constantly look for deals on. Other travel tips are shared in this blog.

I originally booked a hotel for my first trip to Kingston. It was done a year in advance on Booking.com and I would pay on arrival.

The lowest nightly rate including breakfast was $159 (USD) per night.

I love my security and comfortability. The amount seemed reasonable.

If I hadn’t found a cheaper alternative, I would’ve readily accepted the price.

AIRBNB me please

I was scrolling through AIRBNB (air bed and breakfast) and pricing another trip. The idea occurred to me to check Kingston.

So far I’ve had a very positive experience with the website. I trust the service and was comfortable using it even in a new city.

My entire stay of four nights would equal to less than two nights of staying at the hotel.

TIP: Always book AIRBNBS with at least two reviews and the good must outweigh the bad.

If you’re unfamiliar with AIRBNB, it’s an online service that connects you to hosts renting out their properties. The dwelling types range from apartments, condos, and homes of various sizes.

Some hosts also offer room rentals where you share the bathroom with other guests/family members. Another option is to have a separate dwelling like an efficiency on the same property as the owner.

Home Sweet Home

My first AIRBNB was in Washington D.C. It was an elegantly remodeled basement with a private entrance. That area had a lot of basements.

The properties can be used solely as a business or in some cases, the host lives there but temporarily vacates as the place is booked. You can filter the website by location, dates, price, pool, room type, amount of people, and cost, etc.

The site shows you pictures and describes details like the number of rooms, bed sizes/amounts, appliances, air conditioning options, wifi availability cable, washer dryer, elevator, fire extinguisher, alarm/security, and estimated location. You don’t receive the full address until booking is complete.

In certain cases, there’s a quantity of people listed that could book the space. There may also be minimum/maximum rental days.

Some hosts have a lockbox with keypad entry or a standard key. In Tips, I also speak about hosts offering airport transfers.

The full description of the property also helps you in packing by stating what if any toiletries, towels, etc. are available.

Home Away From Home

I have seen where hosts offer restaurants and ‘things to do’ tips in the area.

TIP: I purchased a carbon monoxide detector since I notice most AIRBNBS don’t have one. They are required to provide this information.  

I prefer to book entire homes and/or apartments.

Single room rentals can be compared to the nightly price of staying at a hostel. It’s very affordable if you’re on a tight budget.

The first time you sign up on the website, you have to upload a government ID and a picture for the host.

TIP: Always communicate with the host via the site’s email. In case of a dispute, AIRBNB can screen all communications there.

AIRBNB’S Flexibility

Depending on the cost of your stay, you may not need to pay the full amount upfront.

Each host establishes what their extra fees for cleaning will be. Once you book, there will be a breakdown of total costs.

There may also be a list of rules to follow. The website explains it’s own cancellation policies/terms and conditions.

At the end of the stay, you each rate one another.

Since I would be saving such a huge amount on the hotel, it would have been foolish not to choose the AIRBNB. It’s also a great way to support local small businesses.

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All-Inclusive

Another great feature of AIBNBS is you can also book experiences in the area. Residents or other hosts book reasonable and unique tours in each city. I’ve taken a few international ones.

Even with having to cook or purchase my meals, the AIRBNB was still the better option.

I wanted to stay somewhere preferably close to the center of the city. One of my tours would be at Bob Marley’s museum so the suburb called Liguanea was a good choice.

New Kingston would have been a second choice. Its name describes a developing area where most of the cities hotels were located.

Beverly Hills was my third choice. As its name describes, it’s a fancy area on a hill with large mansions. I looked elsewhere in case the walking ended up being too much on my recovering ankle.

Accommodating

There are many other areas in Kingston available on the website.

The AIRBNB host met me at the property to provide the keys. They also have a picture online that you can refer to.

I stay away from homes where previous guests reviewed that the interior’s picture did not match reality. This place was clean and you could see the effort made to impress.

The apartment was across the street from a large shopping mall and I felt safe the entire time. There was a private electronic gate around the property and a nightly security guard.

Room to Improvise

It was my birthday weekend so I did have a restaurant booking at a hotel.

So even though I didn’t stay in a hotel, I could walk eat, walk around and enjoy the scenery.

Unless you really love hotel food, I see no reason why you should choose a hotel the next time you stay in Kingston!

Any questions? Ask them below.

~Poof…Bee Gone Blog

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