I know a lot of people ask the question whether living in airbnbs in China is safe. Frankly so many things could go wrong, especially in such a huge country where If something does actually go wrong, the likelihood of you being able to first convince the police that you are right, and second winning your case in court often involves money and connections. I have a lot of friends who live in hotels in China, never in airbnbs because it’s just safer and offers more protection. I tend to have a strict checklist of adhering to when I choose airbnbs in China, to choose a 1. Safe 2. Reputable 3. Booked on a reputable platform. These are all very important. China is known for scams and they happen by the thousands a day. I’m recommending two safe airbnbs to stay in Shenzhen. I have stayed at both places personally and would recommend them to my friends.
Xio-05复古色系
This Vintage airbnb is designed with a vintage feel, deploying the use of red for some of the walls in the room. The house uses red and white mostly, with some occasional table pieces such as a vintage speaker/radio, a wooden chair and a white lacey ceiling to floor decoration I couldn’t make out of. The house comes with a projector in the living room, offering some entertainment at night when you arrive home. However, unlike the other airbnb I stayed in, to watch popular movie requires a login or payment, and the list of free movies was not good enough except Crazy Rich Asians (which I’ve watched almost three times).
The Living Room
The living room is an open space, much bigger than I expected. The room directly connects to the dining room and kitchen (which I didn’t use much at all). There is one comfortable couch in the living room which we sat on to watch movies from the projector located above us. There is no projector screen, the movie is projected directly onto a wall. The decor in the room is very minimal, with just basic vintage designs. Nonetheless, it was clean.
The Room
The room was very small and I could only get one photo of the room. There wasn’t much else to take anyway. You could only get onto the bed for 2 sides and there is not much view from the window. We didn’t even open the blind. The room is small, but comfortable and the aircon worked its magic on a July night.
Dining Room & Others
A very simple dining room for two with basic kitchenware to cook something at home. I can’t imagine anyone cooking in Shenzhen when the food outside is so cheap. But, if you’re living here for over a month, I guess the kitchen will come in handy. I recall there is an extra fee for cleaning the kitchen by the way.
I didn’t take a photo of the washroom because that would just be unpleasant, but the space in the washroom was quite sufficient. There is a separate shower stall, toilette, and a sink. This washroom is bigger than the other washroom in the other airbnb I’m about to recommend.
- Design: 3.5/5
- Cleanliness 4.7/5
- Spacious: 4.5/5
Another Shenzhen airbnb I stayed in earlier this year is called Kaws Inn. It was well designed (better than the one above) but the space is smaller. If you are into black & white themes as well as a minimalist feel, then this is the place to go to.
Kaws Inn
As the name suggests, Kaws is also one of the house themes. I was not a fan of Kaws, so I avoided shots of Kaws in my photos; but occasionally, they do turn up. I really appreciated how the owner spent some time designing his house and his usage of black and white furniture.
I wrote a more in-depth review for Kaws Inn which you could read here.
If you are interested in booking the airbnb you can use my link here and search Kaws Inn in the search bar. With my link you will be entitled $35 USD or up to $1488 TWD off your first airbnb booking! Book Now!