I am so quick to travel overseas when I want a holiday – too quick I think. There are so many amazing places to visit much closer to home. For this reason, we were happy to head off to Bendigo, less than two hours up the road from our home base of Melbourne. We were even happier when we arrived at our home base in Bendigo.

Short term rentals

We have stayed in many different kinds of accommodation – budget motels, hotels, all inclusives, holiday parks, resorts and home rentals to just name the main ones. One we keep coming back to is Airbnb.

If you haven’t already heard of Airbnb, it is basically a service that allows you to book directly with owners that have a spare bed, room, apartment or home available to rent. There is a dazzling array of options from penthouse apartments in New York, a tree house in Hawaii to a suburban home in Bendigo – which is where we ended up this time.

We have also stayed in Airbnb apartments in Miami, Taipei and Santo Domingo in the past. The one thing they have all had in common? That straight away we felt at home with our own space, rather than yet another tourist in yet another hotel. We were excited for our stay in Bendigo.

Our home in Bendigo

After the drive up with the kids alone and a busy day sightseeing, we were all very happy when we arrived at our home for the long weekend. The key was waiting right where we were promised and we were soon inside exploring our temporary home.

The first thing I noticed was how well presented and absolutely spotless everything was. The house was a great size and renovated perfectly. The next thing was all the little touches. Being someone who travels with young kids, having items like bread and milk already waiting for us on arrival is priceless. I also appreciate all the other things that we wouldn’t find in a hotel room like the collection of books, magazines and dvds.

We stayed in a three bedroom house. It was fully self contained including many basic food items, crockery, cutlery and cooking appliances. There was also a BBQ and a garage for the car. My favourite item when travelling – a washing machine! – was also available. I also appreciated the great linen and towels.

After the kids worked out their bedroom and their beds, they were straight outside. Being apartment dwellers, they were very excited by the huge backyard complete with cubby house. I was excited for the chance to sit down with a glass of wine and the book of brochures of the local area that awaited us. The house is surrounded by bush on two sides which made it extra relaxing and peaceful.

Our host came by not long after. She was lovely, helpful and very welcoming of all of us. She was incredibly responsive in all my dealings with her, before, during and after our rental.

The house is in a great location. It is less than a 5 minute drive into the centre of town. We would have walked to the Central Deborah Mine and the Talking Tram (read more here) had we not had the kids with us. Our host was happy to answer any questions and there were lots of brochures available of all the attractions in the area.

The kids?

The kids just loved it. S asked if we could stay there forever and was calling the couch her “cozy corner”. Z loved sleeping in a big bed for the first time. They were always happy to come back from sightseeing to hang out in our “new house”.

Our verdict

We loved our stay here in Bendigo. Our three night stay went by without a hitch. The extra space and privacy of staying in a house was just awesome, especially when Mr 2 spent a couple of hours screaming in the middle of the night. It was nice to be in a situation where this was not made more stressful by worrying about how the neighbours were coping with the noise. We did not have to worry about disturbing anyone.

My only complaint was no internet. Unfortunately, this is a common problem in Australia. I wasn’t actually able to find any places with internet in our price range in the areas I looked in Victoria. Thankfully, mobile reception was great so I had no problems accessing the internet through my phone.

We felt very comfortable and at home. This style of accommodation is just perfect for families and we would have no hesitations in returning to this home next time we come to bendigo.

If you do not already have an account on Airbnb, join up using this link and we will both get around US$25 in credit.

Check out our pick of the fun things to do in Bendigo with kids.

We were invited by Airbnb to review our choice of properties. Our host did not know this and as usual, our view are our own.

Have you rented a home through Airbnb?

Tags:  Accommodation Australia Travel Blog