Air B&B review from a cynical skeptic

Ok... lets get it on out there right up front: I tend to be just a tad cynical when it comes to dealing with people. This may well have to do with my history of interacting with deviants or dealing with misfits in my work but it has left it's mark on me. I am just not the optimist when dealing with people in general.

Having said that, I am also not judgemental until I've been given something which to give me pause or cause me to judge (like lying or presenting pseudoscience or false information as factual). You can be the Chief Unicorn duster of the Faerie People of La-La land and high priestess of the Holy Sauce of the Spaghetti Monster for all I care... your beliefs are just not important to me.

What you believe is how you deal with your life; How you act towards others is when I take note .

This was my typical mindset when getting ready for my wife's trip to Canada. I have been there before a few times so this was not a big deal for me. I had experience. I reviewed the places she had sent me where we would stay and, having the critical mindset that I do, I reviewed them with neutral clinical non-judgement and refused to let myself get my hopes up (or down).

I've seen a lot of places advertised in the past where the wording is technically correct but vastly different than what would typically be stated. (See comic in the link below)

http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/store/add.php?iid=126013

So I entered into the whole Air B&B a whole lot skeptical... especially when I found out that I would be in whole houses and apartments.

I would like to state that I have not only been surprised by the Air B&B houses and apartments, but  they have exceeded expectation and were, by far, the best choices we could have possibly made for our travels.

THE FIRST PLACE

Our first destination was Qeubec and Old Quebec city and we rented a whole house in Levis across the river. Not only did the pictures match exactly what they advertised and what we got, but they actually didn't do justice to the quiet little home in the subdivision we stayed in.

We were only a block off of the main road we used multiple times daily for our excursions around the area but it was about 3 miles from the main highway used to get around. There was plenty of local food and large chains around to eat from and grocery stores to purchase food. There was a park a block away perfect for walking pets (we really should have brought our Princess with us) and a yard out the side as well as the back. There was a covered swinging couch where I got to smell the house owners bar-b-que grill some meat (I didn't ask, being a polite person, but it smelled absolutely wonderful). There was parking enough for two vehicles at least, and the whole house consisted of the main floor kitchen, dining and living area plus (I think) den, downstairs basement with washer and dryer, upstairs two rooms with a large bathroom on the main and upper floors. Downstairs on the main floor was a shower in a full bathroom and a huge tub was upstairs on the second floor full bathroom.

There were lots of windows and huge beds (queen or king... large enough to dodge the violent kicking of the wife - LOL). The neighborhood was family oriented and well kept, and it was rather quiet. Be advised: by quiet I am judging this by typical US subdivision and rural standards... this is an important note because, as a mountain man who has lived where you don't see cars let alone people for weeks on end, then quiet means something entirely different to me usually. This was not my type of quiet where you don't hear humans for weeks or months at a time but it was a seriously quiet neighborhood by most all other standards. I didn't hear honking, fighting, broken tailpipe cars or loud Harley pipes, no racing teens in cars, loud music heard for tens of blocks, and I seldom heard sirens (IMPORTANT NOTE: I heard them more than most people would hear them, but I am also attuned to it, being a former firefighter).

The Host was friendly and her son was cute as a button. We played a little and I got to be a little silly for a while as the Host showed the wife all around the building and gave her information about the area. We played a cross between hide and seek, peek-a-boo and laugh at the fat man in socks (me). The host was a wonderful Chinese woman with the typical "no shoes inside" culture and though she never said not to wear them, I chose to follow her cultural standard and didn't wear them (until the last day when my feet gave out - sorry to her for that one).

What I did see about the area was also awesome. Not only were the houses extremely well maintained but I saw the whole gamut of ages on bikes riding all around the city (not just Levis, but also Quebec. I am used to seeing Europeans on bikes all over the place, but it has not been something I saw a lot in the US. It was very European in the area, so it was a lot homier for me and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I even liked being there, which says a lot.

Important caveat
Personally, I never liked big cities, and especially not big cities in France. I will state that I loved being in Old Quebec up the hill in the walls and down along the river. I loved the people and the language (French). Some French Emergent schools in other places in Canada send their kids to Quebec to teach them French, and we saw hundreds of them, speaking English to each other while playing around, but only speaking in French when publicly addressing people or doing business. It did my heart good to see most of them seamlessly interacting with both English tourists and French locals with excellent accents as well (especilly from what I could tell). If you are afraid of places with different language, then stay home... because this area speaks almost exclusively French. Yes, you will find the occasional English speaking person, but it is rare and not common (at least not before or after tourist season).

THE SECOND PLACE

Toronto. One of the top largest cities in North America with well over 2 million people... and one chunky Stumpy sociopathic former firefighter who doesn't like people... now that is a Stephen King novel waiting to happen.

Well, this place billed itself as a suburb of Toronto and in a Quiet neighborhood within viewing distance of the lake (Ontario). Lets talk about it.

It was a basement apartment (2 bedrooms) with a humongous King-sized master bed in a large bedroom, full bathroom, dine in kitchen, living, and separate locking entrance. Parking is right outside the entrance we used and there was plenty of yard. The lake is about a block and a half away and you can see it through the trees. The lake is literally within walking distance for even me (with my gimpy cane waddle). There are not only parks along the lake but also riding paths and walk trails... and plenty of play area for kids or adults (non x-rated playing... although there are also some nudist areas around here too, as we saw signs for them off of the freeway between Toronto and Montreal).

This apartment in this house is in a quiet family neighborhood. I didn't see a lot of anything "shifty" in the area at all, and there was always someone about walking or gardening. The neighbors grilled out and played and there was a beautiful large Maple tree in the yard with a rope swing on it. This was a setting that could be like in the movies of a peaceful family dream home. I saw such a great diversity of culture and language there as well, from Hindu and Asiatic to French.

One thing I would say is to check your directions and even ask the owners before attempting to find the place on your own (for the first time). Although we had directions, apparently there were about three streets left out of the copied Google directions that left us searching the area for the road. Eventually we found it (after accosting some locals and their use of smartphone GPS, something we didn't have with us). The friendly and helpful women found where we needed to be and we drove straight to it with minimal fuss.

This apartment was also different in a way I really have to expound upon: the HOST. This is not to say the first host was in any way bad... I loved the first host and her lovely home. People are all different depending on so many factors, and cultures are all different too. I have always been enamored of Asiatic cultures, so I loved the first host. The second host was just a lot different.

The second host was from Belarus and there was such a wide assortment of comfortable items in the house just to make a wide range of people feel like they were home from books, Matryoshka dolls, and outside yard with chairs to information. This was a wonderful touch, right along with the thoughtful gifts on the table and fridge for the wayward traveler who gets in very late or is tired, like the fresh fruit, Coffee maker and various kinds of coffee, Hot water kettle and almost every type of tea a person could love, from Chinese to British to US (in various states from tea bags to fresh assorted ground tea and strainer).

The place was stocked with soups and fresh bread as well as much much more, from chocolate mini-bars  and roses to Netflicks, Ice cream and sugar, honey and more... and it was so homey and comfortable that I was sorely tempted to stay another couple years or so (except that I just don't do very well in cities... LOL).

I also tried to be a good guest (something that a lot of people seem to be having problems with lately). I am usually quiet (ok Mom... stop laughing. I usually am nowadays) and I am not the kind of person who likes to have his space invaded, so I usually don't like to invade others space or place. I was treated very well so I did my best, considering my limitations, to reciprocate.

With the parking, separate entrance and all the gifts that made it seem so much like home, it was more like visiting long lost friends than being in a B&B or staying at a motel. It was truly awesome.

THE CONCLUSIONS

Well, like I said above, I tend to be cynical when dealing with people largely due to my experiences and jobs. This trip to Canada staying at Air B&B was not only pleasant but shockingly so in many ways. I loved the Host families that I met (and played with to some degree... The first host had a little boy and we goofed off a bit). I loved the home feeling that I got when I stayed in the B&B and I especially loved the locations that allowed me to get along just fine with being there, being outside or being left alone. That is important because I truly believe one of the most important things a person can have is some comfortable alone time.

Both places had certain touches that I will cherish and I can't say one was better than the other. I loved them both for the awesome stay and space accorded to me, especially considering it was cheaper than staying in a motel with just a bed and tiny bathroom. The only drawback I personally saw to either place was the populations around them, but that is also because I am antisocial and don't like people. I would stay at either place willingly again, and hope to do so in the future.

I was surprised and now I can consider myself a convert as well. I know the wife has some planned trips in the future and I will be pushing for some more Air B&B stays... and I fully intend on comparing the US Air B&B to the first Canadian experience. They have a lot to live up to but, of course, I am always the skeptic, so I will be going into it with the same attitude as I went into this last stay. This insures that I will not skew the results as some overly optimistic commercial for any particular anything... because I can assure you, the results of my stay in Canada Air B&B's were awesome mostly because of the wonderful families hosting my trip and interacting with me... oh, and the Poutine.

But that is another blog entry.

Stay tuned for the next entry where I continue from the last blog of "Spotting false information" and show you some harder examples.

Until next time...