Looking back on 2017 and what a year it’s been! We travelled to ten different countries around Europe on 14 different trips (we may have been to Italy a few times…) Our work allowed us to take time off in the summer for working extra hours in winter meaning we travelled every chance we got. Over the year we’ve found some epic places to stay and so we’ve put together a list of our favourite Airbnb stays of the year! Read on and let us know if you get to any of them, we would love to hear about your experience!

1. Golden Circle, Iceland
One of our favourite trips of the year was a week in Iceland. This included a few nights in the cosiest cabin located along the Golden Circle with a loft style bed, BBQ and don’t forget a hot tub on the balcony. Iceland has so many incredible sights to see and what we loved about it the most is they are all the work of nature! Waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, beaches….so many photogenic spots that are absolutely free to see! We based ourselves in this wee cabin and took mini road trips each day to different sights. We also came back to a BBQ each night for dinner finished by a spa. Iceland doesn’t have to be an expensive place to travel, just make sure you stay away from overpriced restaurants. We did a supermarket shop when we arrived and was good to go for the week. The cabin is also in a perfect spot to watch the Northern Lights! We visited at the end of April which meant they were just ending (we saw them on our first night in Iceland but unfortunately they didn’t appear for us after that night).

Our cosy cabin for the week

2. Belgrade, Serbia
We found this loft style apartment in the centre of Belgrade and it made for the perfect long weekend. It’s located in the cafe and restaurant district in Old Belgrade and we were within walking distance of everything. But the best thing about this place was the host! He picked us up from the airport, drove us around town pointing out the main sights and gave us some great recommendations for places to eat. If you’re a foodie like us then it’s a must visit! There are so many great restaurants serving Serbian BBQ meat, some awesome bars that have opened up on the riverside not to mention the amazing coffee culture.

3. Gravedona, Lake Como
There’s a reason we keep coming back to Lake Como (Brendon’s been five times already) and now we’ve found the ultimate place to relax. The town of Como doesn’t have much to offer aside for a half day trip which is why we recommend to friends to stay in smaller villages around the lake. We actually stayed at this house on two separate trips with our parents and we were so lucky to get both bookings; by April this house was booked out every night of the entire summer. There are two apartments here based on how many rooms you need. We booked the apartment with the top two floors which has three bedrooms and a fantastic balcony which offers the most beautiful views of Lake Como. Make sure you rent a car from wherever you are arriving from, it’s quite hard to get to otherwise.

Enjoying this sunrise view from bed

4. Mallorca, Spain
We’ve been to Mallorca twice and our number one tip would be to rent a car and get out of Palma. There are a lot of beaches and spots to explore around the island but the roads often don’t make sense (a lot of the time you need to head back towards Palma to get from A to B). We found an epic guesthouse in the countryside just outside of Palma with an incredible pool and sunset views. It’s a great base to get to spots each day like Playa de Formentor and Sa Foradada as well as being close to Palma for those nights you want to make it in for dinner and drinks.

5. Nerja, Spain 
The next stop on our summer travels was the South of Spain. This is one of our favourite areas of Europe and we found this house in the mountains with a BBQ, a pool and an incredible sunset view (in fact on super clear days you can see Morocco!) Newly renovated with three bedrooms, a great kitchen/dining area, and a pool up top makes the perfect spot to relax at for a few days with friends!

Poolside in the Spanish mountains

6. Exo Gonia, Santorini
The first stop of our Greece trip was in the cutest houses called the Afoura houses located in Exo Gonia, a small, quiet village up on the hill near Pyrgos. Ex Gonia is actually one of the only villages in Santorini that’s not swarming with tourists and there are some great restaurants here. There are five houses which actually used to be a winery in 1897 (our host explained that it’s one of only a few structures that remained in the area after the earthquake). We had actually booked the blue house, this one is separated by the other four and has its own private rooftop terrace (the other four are shared). There ended up being a mix up with our booking and so they upgraded us to the Olive house for two nights and then to one of their villas in Oia for a night (see below). We would highly recommend this spot if you want a couple of days away from crowds in a small, local village with great views.

7. Oia, Santorini
As mentioned this one was an upgrade for our last night with our previous host, and you actually can’t get a better view of that famous Oia sunset. It’s a three-bedroom house with separate kitchen, lounge and bathroom (way too big for the two of us!) but the best part is the terrace. Upstairs is a huge terrace with bench seats, loungers and chairs all overlooking the beautiful town of Oia. If you’ve ever been to Oia just to watch a sunset before then you’ll know the famous sunset spot where everyone sits on the edge of the old torrent. Well, this terrace is just in front of the torrent! We actually had people hanging fully over our gate to take photos (don’t worry, they were behind us and from the height of the terrace there is actually nothing that can obstruct your view!) Takeaway gyros and beers (romantic right?) made for the most memorable sunset we’ve ever had. Again, the perfect spot if you could fill the rooms with friends and enjoy the sunset together instead of having to sit at a crowded restaurant.

Enjoying the famous Oia sunset on our rooftop terrace

8. Oia, Santorini
The next couple of nights was spent just a few minutes walk away, in the cutest villa with a private pool, breakfast delivered fresh daily and a quieter sunset not surrounded by crowds. We actually didn’t leave this place at all during the day (the streets of Oia in August get way too crowded). We went from the loungers to the pool, to the bed for a nap, back to the loungers and the pool. It’s a bit of a trek down narrow stairs to get there but it’s the perfect place to get up at 7 am and stroll the cute Oia streets for some gorgeous shots with no one in them! This was definitely one of our highlights of the year, we booked this one in February and it did not disappoint!

Breakfast with a view

9. Marathonas, Greece
This has to be the most epic house we’ve ever stayed at! You would never find it if you were looking for something around Athens…it’s really in the middle of nowhere. We rented a car from the airport and drove to Marathonas where we stayed for five days with friends of ours. Designed by an artist and her husband, the house has incredible artwork, floor to ceiling windows with the most amazing views of the Mediterranean Sea. There are three levels, three bedrooms, a rooftop pool and an internal lift that takes you poolside…yes you can hop in the lift from the bedroom and head straight up to the pool. The master bedroom has a spa bath behind the bed with views out to sea, the master bed even reclines meaning you don’t need to leave your bed for sunrise! We won’t say much more here except to check out the epic photos! There was really no need to leave this place for five whole days…homemade cocktails by the pool speak for themselves.

The perfect getaway with friends!