Room and private home rentals have always been a tight spot, riddled with everything from outright scams (people listing properties they don’t own, then raising money for rentals) to not living up to the description. While turning to a reputable broker like White Key Villas solves some of those problems, the properties represented are generally high-end and add a hefty fee that befits the broker. But there are some newer systems that have much cheaper but examined properties.
How cheap? It starts for free and works from there.
Couch Surfing
Is that how it works
More: CouchSurfing.org
AirBnB
How safe is it? A quick look at the current deals in Athens showed dozens of properties with dozens of reviews on each. Your risk appetite may be different, but if you see that 35 different registrants have successfully stayed at a property, it is reasonable to assume that your experience will be similar. And only registered AirBnB users who actually paid and stayed at a property can post comments, greatly reducing the chance of comment abuse.
Most of the owners are not professionals in the accommodation industry, which can be a good thing. You will deal directly with a typical resident of the country you are traveling in, in this case Greece. If you have a problem, there is not much you can do to force an immediate resolution, but this is not much different from dealing with most hotels and other travel service providers, where disputes can drag on for weeks or months after have come home. Currently, most of AirBnB’s properties are located in the Athens area, with some on Mykonos, Crete, Corfu and other islands, but that will change as time goes on.
Despite the name “AirBnB”, not all properties offer breakfast. More: AirBnB
Wimdu in Greece
Wimdu
Greece Hostels
Greece Hostels
