On New Year´s Eve 2014, over half a million people stayed on lodges through Airbnb, the collaborative platform for travelers to find accommodation in private apartments and residences across the world. From fisherman caves to historical buildings turned co-working spaces, BarakaBits selects 5 Airbnb experiences in the Middle East to travel differently for under $60.
1. A Fisherman’s Cave magic experience in Morocco: Bordering the Atlantic Ocean, these caves were originally two fishermen’s houses now renovated to host guests. Located 40 minutes away from Agadir international airport and close to the Berber villages of Southern Morocco, the caves offer a haven of peace and quiet only interrupted by the waves of the Atlantic. Surrounded by nature and leading directly to the sea, the caves don’t have WIFI or electricity and phone signal is weak, offering a genuine escape from the stressful modern life.
2. A 1920s historical apartment turned creative space in Beirut: This attic room, located 5 minutes away from downtown Beirut, is set in a historical 1920’s magnificent refurnished flat. Its residents, a group of young cinematographers, turned their house into a creative space used for co-working and film production. A dynamic, creative place for active travelers, this lodge offers the chance to use the office space, cook delicious meals for new friends, or watch a movie on the projector. With the room price set at $39, they also offer the house bicycle to explore the city on two wheels.
3. Morocco’s blue city from above at Dar el Moualim: A traditional Moroccan style house that balconies over Morocco’s enchanting blue Chefchaouen, the house promotes the protection of the medina, catering to the sensitive traveler. Its best feature is perhaps the fact that Dar el Moualim is not a business or a private dwelling, but a local development project. “We firmly ask to those tourists not very sensitive to the culture and the heritage, and also those who depend of high level of consumerism and comfort not to book with us,” the owners say, who charge $58 per day.
4. A Tunisian traditional ouch: at the heart of the paradisiac island of Djerba, and 5 minutes from the city of Midoun, this traditional Tunisian ouch is 15 minutes close to the beach. The house is set against of backdrop of swaying palm trees and the scent of olive trees, boasting a swimming pool and Jacuzzi for 31 euros a night.
5. A houseboat on Cairo’s Nile: There can hardly be a better way to enjoy the victorious city than from the view of one of the iconic boathouses lined along the Nile, where a double room costs $57. With a rustic and bohemian feeling, wooden floors and cozy ambiance, the furnishings boat a mixture of Scandinavian- Egyptian style.
For more information: Check out other lodges at Airbnb.