| Airbnb | Hotel | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $50 on up | $100 on up |
| Space | Room or entire house/apt | Room or suite |
| Location | Available everywhere | Tough to find near venue |
| Amenities | You decide what you want | Fixed |
Airbnb
At a glance
Overview
Price
The Estufa Real wedding coordinator gave us a few options of hotels close to the venue. We checked them out, saw that the quality we'd consider ran about $200/night and opened up a new tab for Airbnb.
Once we put in all of our filters (see below) we saw places we'd consider staying at around $50/night. We have our own loft in the city center with a kitchen and an amazing view for $70/night. Shared rooms are much cheaper, running $20-$25/night. If you don't care about air conditioning, the world is your oyster.
Concept of Airbnb
If you're unfamiliar with the concept, Airbnb provides a way to rent apartments, houses, and rooms. Zach started using it in 2014 and he's stayed in 25+ places all over the world. He's never felt unsafe, loves the feel of living in an apartment in each place, and usually opts for Airbnb's over hotels. They have some of the best designers in the world who make it easy for you to input your preferences.
Filters
One of the best aspects of Airbnb is the ability to put 50+ filters to narrow your search and find places that meet your criteria. Here are some we recommend.
Filters we recommend
| Filter | Reason |
|---|---|
| Dates | It seems obvious but if you don't book soon, then lodging may not be available for the dates you need. |
| Guests | The price of the apartment can increase with each additional guest. |
| Type of place | Pick the 'Entire place to yourself' checkbox unless you want to dorm with random people. |
| Price | It can be just as helpful to set a minimum and a maximum price. |
| Beds (Under the more filters button) | You might be sleeping on a couch if you don't select this! |
| Bedrooms | Select this if you want 2+ bedrooms. |
| Kitchen | One of the best things about Airbnb is that most come with a kitchen. |
| Air Conditioning | Last year the temperatures reached into the mid-90's in late May. You will eliminate many options by selecting this filter. |
| Washer and dryer (Consider) | We recommend selecting this if you're planning on staying for more than 5 days. |
| Wifi | Most have it but just in case! |
| Iron and hair dryer (Consider) | If you don't select this and need it buy them in Europe. Gisselle's converter started melting when she plugging in her American hair straightener. |
| Self-check in (Consider) | This is nice to have if you’re getting in late at night or you don't want to interact much with your host. |
| Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms | Just in case! |
| Neighborhoods | If you don't know where you want to stay see the Near venue or Near us guides. |
| Host Language (Consider) | It can make things easier. |
Areas to consider
Near venue
This might be the best option for people staying in Lisbon for a short period of time.
Near us
This might be the best option if you want to adventure with us through the city.