My first experience with AirBnB and why it went so well in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

I’m a big fan of how travelling has shifted towards a global sharing culture.

We all have something interesting to share with the world so why not open up what we have to the world?

We have Couchsurfing, Uber, Bla Bla Car, With Locals, all of which haven’t been around for that long, but as the internet has become globally adopted, more and more of these awesome concepts have started to appear.

This new sharing culture that’s starting to emerge not only helps backpackers to travel smarter, it also helps locals to get some sort of income/experience out of it as well. It’s a win/win

What is AirBnB?

AirBnB is a hospitality website in which you pay for a home owner to host you during your stay on your travels.

Anyone with a spare student room or an empty holiday home can register on AirBnB and in a matter of hours be live for all the world to come and visit.

I’m already used to this concept on Couchsurfing, but I’ve never paid for this concept before.

In some ways, that’s why I view AirBnB like locals becoming hotel owners or tourist boards for visitors to their countries.

My first experience with AirBnB

This is my story about how I got on with using AirBnB for the first time.

I had 2 nights planned in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and looked around for a Couchsurfing host, it was next to impossible to find.

My friend who I met up with later for a drink in the city was lucky enough to locate a host, but she told me about how much of a nightmare it was to arrange. The host had replied that she gets 20 requests a day and she had to go through a 5 stage interview process of questions before the host agreed. It was very tight and they arrived in KL not knowing if the host had approved the stay or not.

What a nightmare!

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this was the last sort of arrangement I wanted.

All I needed was a nice, clean, safe room to rest my head for a couple of nights to get over my jet lag and explore the city a little.

Couchsurfing used to be an awesome community, but it seemed to have shifted in recent years as the site has exploded with exposure and it’s become too popular in South East Asia for hosts to accommodate the demand of backpackers flowing in.

Or maybe because I’m at the age of 25 now that I’ve had enough of large 12 person dorm rooms and fancy connecting with locals directly through the internet to find an authentic travelling experience I can enjoy.

After not being lucky with locating a Couchsurfing host in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I opted to try out AirBnB for the first time.

I was blown away by choice compared to hostels.

After a quick search around I had already discovered the pure value that you can get out of AirBnB.

You won’t find a bog basic boring replicated room that you would normally find in hotels around the world!

All the rooms looked unique, quirky and different, perfect for fitting in with the local surroundings, they all just looked fun and I think when you visit a new country you want to stay in a place that looks like where you’re visiting, gives a more authentic vibe.

But then I noticed one room which offered a unique feature that blew me away.

An Infinity pool! You have got to be freaking kidding me!

(Check out this infinity pool in KL I got access too, thanks to my AirBnB booking)

When I spotted one condo room for a lower rate than a local hotel, but a little more than a hostel that included an infinity pool with a view of KL skyline I had to book it!

Already I was too excited about staying at my new condo in KL for a few days.

It was like I had discovered a travellers hidden secret, it was too good to be true, but it was a real place!

What was the room like?

(Big open space, lots of room for two people)

(Open Plan kitchen)

(nice modern bathroom)

(Great view, can look out to the Batu caves)

(Big double bed perfect for getting over jet lag)

As you can see, apart from the incredible Infinity pool the room was very spacious and modern as well, had everything I could possibly need, I just felt at home when I arrived.

When you’re constantly travelling, staying in hostel/hotel rooms can be a drag and at times you do seek to find something where you can feel at ease, AirBnB offers this completely.

Top service, with a local feel

First of all I was blown away by the service I received, After making my booking, the owner of the room messaged me with a full email explaining how to get to the apartment from the airport and how to contact him if I needed anything.

He was a local and It was a shame that my stay was too short or We could have arranged to hang out for a little, but not to worry When I arrived everything was clear in the apartment with a list of instructions on how to turn on things in the apartment to local tips as well as a stack of tourist guides and leaflets.

The service was more personal than any hotel I had ever stayed at, it was more genuine and extremely helpful.

Overall impressions?

I can’t wait to use AirBnB again, it is now my first choice when searching for a place to stay on my travels.

I highly recommend that you go and try it out on your next travelling trip for yourself.

You might be surprised like I was with what you can find!

If you would like to get started and try AirBnB out for yourself, feel free to check it out here and enjoy your first stay, give it a try, you have nothing to lose!

I wish you the best of luck with your first AirBnB adventure, I’m happy I discovered this fantastic website and I hope you enjoy using it as much as I have.

Feel free to post below in the comment section if you’ve used AirBnB and how well you got on with the service, thank you for sharing!