Hi all

I am in the final stages of planning my trip to India. For the last 3 nights in India, I wanted to save some money on accomodations. Through out the the trip we are staying at nice hotels. During the few days in Kolkata we are staying at the Taj. Unfortunately its too much to add another 3 nights there. I was thinking using Airbnb to find a bed and breakfast. Would any one have any insight on this? Or should i shell out the extra 300 bucks and get a room at a nice hotel. I really dont need anything fancy. Just safe, clean, running bathroom etc.

Thank you!

If you do decide to stay in a B&B, I suggest you do it before the Taj. I believe it's more satisfying as a rule, especially in India, to move up rather than down.

Continuing the thought, I don't want to give you the wrong impression, that a B&B or similar more modest accommodation is not a good idea. Some of my most memorable times have been spent in India in very modest lodgings. But some have been much better, even when no more posh, than others. And it's hard to tell which those will be for you until you get there.

My point above is, after a modest place, no matter how satisfying, a luxury experience will seem all the more shiny, while the opposite may also be true.

the sheraton is quite nice---do you have any FF pts??

Airbnb is not a listing of Bed and Breakfast places, but of private rentals. The quality varies widely (or wildly) and you need to be aware of the various scams using Airbnb.

Kathie, not to be contrary, but there are some B&Bs that book through the site, more outside the US. I've encountered a number, most recently looking for a place to stay in Mexico but I've seen them elsewhere as well. You can often tell by a one owner having several listings showing the same pictures and describing various rooms at 1 location.

I just wanted to clarify that airbnb is not a bed and breakfast booking site, which some people might assume from the name. There are sites specifically for searching for and booking B&Bs. I do believe you when you say that there are some B&Bs listen there outside the US. But if I was specifically looking for a B&B, airbnb is not where I would look first.

I think, especially overseas, some B&B operators find it's easier to book through the site than to try to maintain a site of their own. I've also seen some that actually have a site but book through Airbnb, some at slightly higher prices, I imagine to recoup the small fee for the 3rd party booking. Then there's Airbnb's fee for guests to book. So if you see a B&B, if the name of the business is mentioned in the listing, do a search for a site of their own and compare prices. Probably not a great deal of difference but it doesn't hurt to look. The advantage of booking through Airbnb is the convenience of paying in dollars on a US website.