Spending the 4th in Wilmington

I've just come back from my second Airbnb experience. Being in someones's home is a very different experience from the typical hotel room. Decor and home personality are part of what I enjoy about the experience.

Jordan and I went to Wilmington to spend the 4th of July weekend with our daughter. She's been living in Wilmington for just over a year and has really found her niche there.

Because it was a holiday weekend our hotel standbys were pretty much booked. The rooms that were available were too much moola. Hence our decision to stay in an Airbnb.

We figured we really weren't going to be spending much time in our room...so we didn't want to pay for things like a view or proximity to the beach. We just wanted a place to rest when our day was done.

This particular Airbnb is called "Must Love Dogs!". The description explained that a Golden Retriever and a Silkie Terrier would be our "greeters", hence the need to "love dogs". Of course, Jordan and I do love dogs. We boarded our Jacob so it was nice to have some furry friends to say "Hi". Roxy, the Golden, was sooooo mellow and loved being petted, which we were happy to do. Ellie, the Silkie, was sweet but much more shy.  

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of Roxy. Her puppy photo is on a shelf in the living room and was just too cute for words.

We really were busy during this trip. Two days of walking and sightseeing. When we got back to the airbnb were we spent and sleep came so easily. It was nice waking up knowing that Roxy was right outside our door, waiting to say good morning. 

There are times when a hotel stay is a big part of the entire experience. There is a certain freedom that comes with anonymity at a hotel. It's nice to "come and go" without feeling that you may disturb someone. On the other hand, sometimes the sounds of other guests can disrupt the illusion of sanctuary. --Especially little kids running for the elevator. 

I have experienced some anxiety around the being a guest in someone's home. I want to respect their time as well as their home. 

Airbnb will never replace the hotel experience for me. Room service (especially breakfast) is one of my favorite hotel treats. On a couple of my vacations...I carved out some alone time so that I could sip coffee and look out the window. I was in my happy place. 

On this vacay my happy place was with D! I had so much fun with her being our tour guide. More pictures are coming soon.

Stay cool!

~Kimberly