The one thing I love to hear from our Airbnb guests in Manchester is that they feel at home and happy to be staying with us. Being in a cool gaff, a posh gaff, a stylish gaff…. all those things are just hunky diddly but unless you’re trying to impress someone, in actual fact all you want to be is comfortable and happy sleeping in a bed which isn’t your own. As happy as you’d feel in a hammock like this one for example…
Being a solo female traveller working away used to mean either paying top whack or going purple prem, the Maccy D’s of hotels. You know exactly what I mean if you’re a woman who has travelled for work: bland rooms, greasy breakfasts, impersonal decor and bars full of happy (read:pissed) men.
For me, Airbnb totally bridges this gap and the best ones mean fabulous decor, friendly hosts and perfect locations at prices which sit somewhere between middling motels and high end hotels. Much more than that, they can also mean staying in quite the most astonishing locations and homes, seen only by the owners and those who book to stay. Like this hammock bedecked beauty I discovered when working on a collaboration in Warwickshire with Triton recently! I needed an overnight stay for the photoshoot where the studio was in a gorgeous location but not exactly town central.
Chances of an affordable nearby hotel? My guess was zero.
Chances of finding a luxury log cabin surrounded by green fields, ponies, rabbits & trees?
Would you Adam and Eve it, I found the Garden of Eden. 
Not only was the garden a big WOW but also the interior too. A huge oak bed, crisp linen sheets and timber feature wall…
Comfy leather sofa, slate heated floor and candles…
Gorgeous little kitchen, oak tops and pendant lighting…
AND huge shower, well though out detailing and a crisply designed bathroom 🙂
I honestly couldn’t have hoped to find anywhere closer to where I needed or more picturesque. Welcome to Lavender Lodge, an annex cottage at a stunning home 4 miles from Warwick. I arrived quiet late, getting on for 7pm and was welcomed by Nicola and Colin, who could not have been friendlier and more welcoming. It was a delight to stay here, so peaceful and tranquil, I felt cocooned away from a busy world. I kicked back, had a picnic, some Cava and a wonderful night’s sleep.
It’s £110 for the night, plus Airbnb fees which compares brilliantly with hotels at the same rate where you get a poky room and a motorway view. It’s not that far from the NEC either, I’d be so tempted to stay here if I were eventing there for work.
Here’s the link if you find yourself visiting the Warwickshire area and needing a lovely place to stay : Lavender Lodge
Say hello to Boris the dog for me too will you. You will so not be able to resist letting him into the cabin for a quick cuddle 😉
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