Airbnb Lets You Thank Your Hosts From This Year
In a year when we are so thankful for the experiences we enjoyed at various Airbnb’s; the ability to send our Airbnb hosts and. hostesses a holiday card was so rewarding! If you haven’t yet; go to https://www.airbnb.com/holidays where you can select which hosts to whom you would like to send a card. Airbnb Hosts/hostesses also can send cards to guests! You can choose an individual, or all of them. I chose all! Right now, I am SO grateful for the hospitality from our hosts, and the travel they made possible in the past year.
From there, you can choose the type of greeting, the background, and add a personal note.
Here were our other favorites from this year:
Our All-Time Favorite Airbnb: Portside – Riviera Beach Singer Island – Airbnb Review
Charming Jacksonville Beach 1BR Apt w/ Parking // Jacksonville Beach Florida // Airbnb Review
WACKY WATERFRONT AIRBNB // JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA // Deep Water Happy
Unusual Jacksonville Waterfront Airbnb // St. Johns River Florida // Airbnb Review
Charming Jacksonville Beach 1BR Apt w/ Parking // Jacksonville Beach Florida // Airbnb Review
Venice Villas Studio #57 // Venice Florida // Airbnb Review – This is on our short list for an upcoming shark tooth diving adventure! Full review below, because there are permanent, friendly residents in these small condominiums!
Waterfront on Roberts Bay // Venice Florida // Airbnb Review
You might also like: My Method for Booking a Great Airbnb Property
One of Our Favorite Airbnb’s
Under five minute’s walk to a private beach, we loved Villa #57 at Venice Villas. We wanted an Airbnb with a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, and this was available at a reasonable nightly rate.
A weekend of shark tooth diving in Venice, Florida led us to search for something with either a pool or a waterfront view, and this fit the bill perfectly. The beach is a very short walk, about a half a block, and the pool is an even shorter one.
Larger Than a Cruise Ship Cabin
The Villa #57 – and probably all the villas – are about 240 square feet, slightly larger than a cruise ship cabin. We met someone who has lived in one unit for 22 years with his lady, and he absolutely loves it.
The entry door leads straight into the unit, with a table for two to the left, and a double bed to the right. On each side of the bed there are generously-proportioned side tables with lamps.
There is one upholstered chair to the left of the bed. Above that is a shelf with room on a rod for several hanging items.
Full Bath
The bathroom is a full bath, with cabinet under the vanity, and hanging storage behind the door.
Just inside the door is a strip of hangars perfect for hanging whatever needs to be quickly accessible and easy to find.
Kitchen
For such a small kitchen, the fridge is very generous in size. I think it’s about a 19 cubic foot size. To the right of the fridge is a bit of long hanging space and a water heater. There’s a beach umbrella! Above is shelving storage for spare linens.
On the right side of the kitchen is a small sink and double burner, just perfect for morning coffee and simple meals. Above are cabinets with everything you need for meals. The counter is hand crafted wood laminated strips, a very nice touch.
The other side has a small cart with a wood cutting board top. Above and below are cooking supplies like bowls and measuring cups, and a few small appliances below like a toaster. In a top drawer are flatware and serving utensils.
I’ve seen other units on the property, and the kitchen workstation to the left is a very smart addition that the others do not have.
Dive Locker
Since we’ve used cruise ship cabins as a dive locker, storing, rinsing and drying gear in a confined space was easy. We use rolling bags for travel, then move damp gear to mesh bags for daily transport. This unit is on the first floor, so it was easy to bring all our gear inside and not carry it upstairs. The building does have a second story with rentals there as well.
After our first day of diving, we rinsed all our gear under the shower at the pool, then took a swim while it drip-dried in the sun. We moved everything to the condo once it quit dripping.
In the Airbnb listing, the dressers below are not present – apparently there was small bookcase formerly. This is a perfect solution for that space and provides a lot of storage area.
Into the bathroom shower went bathing suits. Long wetsuits were hung next to the water heater. BCD’s, wetsuit hoods and towels, we hung next to the bathroom. On the hooks by the door we put all our small items; masks, flashlights, and GoPros. Booties and gloves went into the kitchen sink.
For our second day of diving, we rinsed all our gear at the showers at the park and let them drip dry there on a park bench. We followed our previous night’s system for hanging everything in the condo again.
Outdoor Seating
Just outside the door are two chairs for enjoying the outdoors. They flank the air conditioner which blows warm air between them.
This turned out to be the perfect spot to turn the chairs around and lay things that needed to dry a bit more. To sit there, you would want to turn off the AC first.
Location, Location, Location!
Wonderful aspects of Venice Villas are their proximity to the older section of town so access to shops and restaurants is easy and takes you through scenic streets, past lovely parks and beautiful homes.
Also, the location is in a private community with a private drive, so there is very, very little traffic, and no road noise. The private drive takes you all the way to the beach where residents have stored their beach chairs in a corral just before the beach. There’s a shower and two pavilions for picnicking.
There are upper and lower levels facing East and facing West, and eight units on each level. Ours faced East, so we were spared the hot setting sun.
We could not hear any road noise, and we could not hear noise from the upstairs. It looked like very few of the units were in use – that might be why it was so quiet.
The pool is quite large! Surrounding the pool are several table and chair sets, as well as rows of lounge chairs.
A shower is available, and the entire area is nicely maintained.
Another great feature is the fast Internet. I was able to get some work done at the table, and wow! Photos uploaded almost instantly and downloaded quickly as well. It was about five times as fast as at home!
Now For the Not As Great
The bed is really firm. If you like a firm bed; you’ll love it. I prefer soft beds.
The air conditioner is very noisy, and it blows right on the middle of the bed at the level of the bed. The solution would be to install a mini split system up high that would blow across the top of the space evenly and the cool air would settle down. It smelled a bit musty as it ran, but the hostess said the filter would be cleaned or changed immediately.
We carry a full set of sheets and pillows when we take a road trip, so we weren’t bothered by the lower quality sheets. It’s simple to put them aside and use your own, which we did at this location. All four pillows fit into the dresser, out of our way.
There was some noise of air conditioners from units to the left and right of us. Not horrible, but noticeable. Sort of like when you are in a hotel and can hear the air conditioner to the room next door to yours.
Reading Between the Lines
Before booking anything on Airbnb, I scour the reviews for any information I can’t determine from the listing. Considerations like road noise or neighbors with barking dogs catch my attention.
What I learned from this experience is similar to what I learned from booking in Cuba – look for the air conditioner. In Cuba, just having one does not guarantee that it works. In the US, it usually does. However, watch for window units; they are noisy. Just be aware.
Airbnb – Take Your Trips “Off The Chain!”
Just renovated, beachy condo waiting for you! is the listing we booked at Venice Villas. There are other condominiums available there. This condo is on Villas Drive in Venice, Florida. If you zoom in on the Airbnb map in the area of Villas Drive, you will find all the listings. Some of them say “Venice Villas *” I believe those are run by a central listing company. There are a couple others as well. The studios are what we stayed in. One bed.
Ok, so, here are two Airbnb discount codes. Try either one! The offerings from Airbnb change every couple months, so use whichever gives you the best deal. You can only use a code one time, so compare, choose whichever gives you the best deal since they change periodically, and make it count!
As of today, this one, Airbnb says, “Kimberly gave you up to $55 off your first trip.” Friends who sign up for Airbnb with my link will get $40 off their home booking. And they get $15 to use toward an experience worth $50 or more.
Also today, this one, Airbnb says, “Deep gave you up to $415 off your first adventure. I’m ready to book from this one right now! I’m thinking it’s a computer glitch – so jump on it fast!
What to Read Next:
My Method for Booking a Great Airbnb Property
Cuban Pesos // What We Learned About Exchanging Money in Cuba
Planning a Legal Trip to Cuba from the US // Travel Restrictions // Rules for Americans
