For almost 15 years, I have religiously used TripAdvisor reviews to locate hotels, restaurants and attractions around the world. I avoid those with only a few reviews and reviewers who have only posted a few reviews. The review comments and reviewer pictures have always steered me straight. I have never ended up with a property like the picture of your Athens hotel.
Hilarious - both that someone as experienced as you would not know that "eclectic" is code for super bad and the discussion of the value of "banter" on podcasts. This is the first of your podcasts I have listened to, and I thought it was a fine mix of info and banter. :) We actually just got back from Italy, and we used AirBnB for the first time internationally (I know, I know, a little late to the game, but we got burned years ago on a VRBO and have avoided private rentals since), and had a great experience. However, your experience is exactly the reason we avoided AirBnB for so long. What is your advice for avoiding such a situation in the future, since we loved our AirBnB experience and plan to use them again? I also thought your advice on not sticking to Google/TripAdvisor/recommended restaurants was excellent. Some of our best meals were those where we just happened upon (including excellent pizza by the Roman Forum), and some of our worst were places I had researched extensively (and had eaten at in the past.) Safe travels to you, and enjoy the rest of your time in Athens and Greece - I adore that place! Make sure you visit Delphi while you are there, and go early in the morning before the crowds, or late when they have departed. It will change your life.
I am surprised that you didn't do more research about the neighborhood. There are literally thousands of airbnbs in Athens. If you consulted with someone who lives there they could have guided you. Finally, you couldn't have gone wrong with any airbnb with good ratings within a mile or so from the Acropolis.
"If you decide to stay..." Hilarious. As someone who has had her own trials and tribulations with vacation rental companies as of late, this story made me laugh. I'm sorry, but misery loves company! :)
Interesting but difficult to understand podcast when you are all talking at the same time. Listened 3x and still not clear on the hand gestures. You need to decide if this podcast is going to be informative or a stand up routine.
For almost 15 years, I have religiously used TripAdvisor reviews to locate hotels, restaurants and attractions around the world. I avoid those with only a few reviews and reviewers who have only posted a few reviews. The review comments and reviewer pictures have always steered me straight. I have never ended up with a property like the picture of your Athens hotel.
Hilarious - both that someone as experienced as you would not know that "eclectic" is code for super bad and the discussion of the value of "banter" on podcasts. This is the first of your podcasts I have listened to, and I thought it was a fine mix of info and banter. :) We actually just got back from Italy, and we used AirBnB for the first time internationally (I know, I know, a little late to the game, but we got burned years ago on a VRBO and have avoided private rentals since), and had a great experience. However, your experience is exactly the reason we avoided AirBnB for so long. What is your advice for avoiding such a situation in the future, since we loved our AirBnB experience and plan to use them again? I also thought your advice on not sticking to Google/TripAdvisor/recommended restaurants was excellent. Some of our best meals were those where we just happened upon (including excellent pizza by the Roman Forum), and some of our worst were places I had researched extensively (and had eaten at in the past.) Safe travels to you, and enjoy the rest of your time in Athens and Greece - I adore that place! Make sure you visit Delphi while you are there, and go early in the morning before the crowds, or late when they have departed. It will change your life.
The podcast sounds just fine, considering the crazy circumstances. I hope the rest of your trip goes a little more smoothly!
I am surprised that you didn't do more research about the neighborhood. There are literally thousands of airbnbs in Athens. If you consulted with someone who lives there they could have guided you. Finally, you couldn't have gone wrong with any airbnb with good ratings within a mile or so from the Acropolis.
"If you decide to stay..." Hilarious. As someone who has had her own trials and tribulations with vacation rental companies as of late, this story made me laugh. I'm sorry, but misery loves company! :)
Interesting but difficult to understand podcast when you are all talking at the same time. Listened 3x and still not clear on the hand gestures. You need to decide if this podcast is going to be informative or a stand up routine.
Please improve the audio quality of the podcast. A possible good step might be having the participants use headsets rather than conference speakers.