With the arrival of March, we could all use a vacation. Although Spring Break season is around the corner, the pandemic at hand has made traveling and vacations challenging.
If you're looking for a mini staycation this month, look no further than at some of Austin's most beautifully decorated and acclaimed Airbnb Plus locations that will have you wondering if you're still in town.
Airbnb announced the hotel-like service of "Airbnb Plus" in 2018, offering guests with a one-of-a kind experience in extraordinary locations. According to the service, you can still feel safe at these locations knowing they are 100% well-maintained and hosts are taking extra precautions at cleaning and providing a COVID-19 safe space. Airbnb Plus hosts are known for great reviews, attention to detail and thoughtfully designed homes.
House in Travis Heights
Listed at a rental rate of $153 per night, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom house is a perfect getaway for a relaxing weekend and ravishing aesthetics. With a beautiful heated saltwater pool and a carefully decorated bedroom, you can have your own private resort outside of the city. This property does not have a kitchen, so plan to order takeout from some local places around town for a true staycation experience.
Cottage in East Austin
Listed at a rental rate of $151 per night, this signature East Austin cottage should be your next staycation location for a cozy weekend. Originally built in 1930 by the Calcasieu Lumber Company, the cottage has custom woodwork, hardwood floors, vaulted pine ceilings and carefully detailed decor. Alleviate all your stress by visiting this two-bedroom, one-bathroom beautifully designed cottage.
Tiny house in East Austin
Listed at $119 per night, The Tiny Shiny is a tiny house with a lot of personality and a perfect secluded location for relaxation. If you've ever been curious about tiny house living, visiting The Tiny Shiny is a must to understand the coziness of the small, studio-like establishment. Although near Central East Austin, this unique tiny house will give you the privacy you need and a perfectly cozy experience while walking distance from Austin life.
Guest suite in Barton Hills
This private getaway will trick you into thinking you actually left the city. Listed at a rental rate of $108 per night, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom modern guest suite has great features such as a walk-in rain shower, a queen-size Murphy bed, a gas stove and a perfect location walking distance to South Lamar.
Remodeled trailer in Ford Oaks
Listed in Architectural Digests as one of the best Airbnb's in Austin, this remodeled vintage Spartan trailer is the perfect Austin getaway as sunny and warm weather returns to town. One hundred percent custom build and with new amenities, you will forget you're even in Austin by staying in this secluded, cozy trailer. The property is listed at a rental rate of $131 per night and is the coziest location you'll find for your staycation.
Guesthouse in Bee Cave
Although we wish we could vacation in Spain this year, this beautiful Spanish-style guesthouse is as close as we can get with COVID-19 safe precautions. The four-bedroom, one-bathroom house is a perfect spot to enjoy a relaxing weekend with friends. With a private pool and spa, high ceilings and astonishing decor, you will feel like you're spending the weekend in Spain without having to leave Austin. Listed at a rental rate of $282 per night, the guesthouse can accommodate five people.
Bungalow near Dripping Springs
Looking to get out of the city—but not too far—for your staycation? The Airbnb Plus listing is only a few miles out of the city and right in the Hill Country. Listed at a rental rate of $157 per night, this two-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow is the perfect country tranquility getaway. Located on a ranch minutes from Dripping Springs and the Austin area, the bungalow features a shaded porch and natural beauty you can only find in this part of Texas. Did we mention the bungalow is in a perfect location if you're looking to visit some wineries and breweries around the Dripping Springs area while cozying it up country style?
Guesthouse in Mueller
Enjoy a relaxing staycation without having to pay a fortune with this Airbnb Plus listing. Listed at a rental rate of $88 per night, this cozy modern guesthouse has all the amenities you need to decompress for a staycation. With one-of-a-kind detail, a private nook to spend your time and a location close to all things Austin, this relaxing guesthouse has everything you need to relax.
Guesthouse in Brentwood
Listed at a rental rate of $130 per night, the two-bedroom, one-bathroom upscale guesthouse can accommodate four guests and is listed as an enhanced clean location, proving to be a COVID-19 safe environment. With a private balcony, beautifully decorated interior and great location in Central Austin, this guesthouse is a must-visit if you're looking for a relaxing and fun time.
Townhouse at Zilker
Nothing says Keep Austin Weird better than this quirky Zilker townhouse. With so many colorful touches and carefully decorated rooms, this one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom townhouse is packed with vibrant colors, patterns and thoughtful decor for a true Austin experience. Only a short walking distance from Zilker Park, this listing has a rental rate of $138 per night and can accommodate four guests.
Guesthouse in East Austin
Listed at a rental rate of $125 per night, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse is a true charm in East Austin. With a perfect location for anything you might need, this small "Casita" will provide you with tranquility and relaxation for an ideal staycation without being far from home. The property is secluded and surrounded by trees to ensure you have a quiet, peaceful time, and the wonderfully bright and carefully decorated interior will have you wishing you booked to stay more nights.
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(Community First! Village/Facebook)
The two-phase expansion will add 1,400 micro homes and 127 acres between two pieces of land—one across the street from Community First! Village on Hog Eye Road in far East Austin and the other on Burleson Road in Southeast Austin—with development starting in summer 2022. The land purchases were made possible thanks to a donation commitment from Love, Tito's, the philanthropic arm of Tito's Handmade Vodka. (Disclosure: Tito's is an Austonia sponsor.)
Mobile Loaves & Fishes has operated Community First! Village, which Austin Mayor Steve Adler has coined as "Austin's most talked about neighborhood," for more than five years. During that time, the social outreach ministry has paid out more than $3 million to residents, who make and sell art and maintain the village.
The expansion consists of Community First! Villages third and fourth phases and will more than triple its size and sextuple its current number of homes, from 240 to 1,900 total. In addition to the coming micro-homes, the village also includes RVs and canvas-sided cottages.
Amber Fogarty, president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, said the expansion announcement is proof that there is hope despite the city's ongoing homelessness crisis. "We realize there's an intensifying conversation happening in our city right now as it relates to homelessness, and for some it may seem like a dismal situation," she said in a statement. "It brings us great joy to think that today's expansion news means we will bring home many more of our friends who are currently suffering on the streets of Austin."
As residents prepare to vote on a controversial proposition that would reinstate a ban on camping and other activities in parts of the city, Adler said Community First! Village is "a vital and important piece of the puzzle" when it comes to addressing homelessness in Austin and praised Mobile Loaves & Fishes founder and CEO Alan Graham for his vision.
To be eligible to live at Community First! Village, applicants must be chronically homeless, meaning they have lived in a place unsuitable for habitation for at least one year and have at least one qualifying disability; have lived in Travis County for at least one year; and have the ability to pay rent, through social security income, disability benefits or on- and off-site work.
Tim Shea has lived at Community First! Village for five years, after three decades of intermittent homelessness, heroin addiction and incarceration. After living in an RV, he became the first person in the country to move into a 3D-printed home, furnished by the Austin-based construction technology company ICON. "I am loving it," he said, citing its high ceilings, big windows and solidity as his favorite features.
The expansion plans are welcome news to Shea. "I'm not surprised," he said. "I just know that more people need to know about it."
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Homeless residents gather an at a camp under an overpass in South Austin. (Jordan Vonderhaar)
Editor's note: These submissions are the unedited views of their authors. Claims made have not been fact-checked to give the proponent and opponent a chance to speak their minds freely.
Pro: Voting yes on Prop B sends a message to council that voters' voices and real solutions are paramount
In June 2019, the Austin City Council rescinded regulations on camping in public spaces. They did so without any serious public discussion and in fact appeared to actively avoid serious scrutiny. The resulting chaos is clear for all to see. Parks and playgrounds impacted by illicit behavior, lewd activities in public, trash strewn in waterways and public spaces, and most critically, assaults on the public and on other homeless individuals.
It is obvious that the homeless are not helped by this misadventure. Vulnerable women and youth in these camps are abused, mentally ill individuals are not served and there is no incentive for substance abusers to seek help.
Proponents of this mess have put forward no credible plan for any short term housing that restores safety—instead they talk about abstract housing concepts that even they acknowledge will take years to develop. This is the mark of narrowly focused activism, not what citizens should expect from elected leaders who promise to serve their communities. At every turn, the proponents of this chaos have demonstrated that they are not capable of fully considering the needs of diverse communities and proposing workable solutions. Instead they simply double down on trying to tell Austin that anything other than their chaos is heartless and inhumane. This is intellectually lazy, and Austin should demand better.
The chaos created by the City Council has resulted in a public outcry culminating in the citizens demanding to be heard by direct ballot. This demand is across the political and economic spectrum. As a co-founder of the Save Austin Now PAC and a lifelong Democrat, I have seen the diversity of people raising their voices in concern for our city.
It's time we turn this situation around and vote yes on Prop B. It sends a clear message to the council that the citizens of Austin must be heard as we work toward real solutions. There are successful models to learn from and some in our own state. But it all starts with voting yes on Prop B starting April 19.
Con: Prop B blames homeless individuals rather than providing solutions to societal problems
Austin's homeless population needs help, but Prop B doesn't do anything to solve our city's problems. It simply tells people who are experiencing homelessness that they cannot exist, visibly, in public space. I, too, am worried about the encampments. They are evidence that our strategies to help people return to housing aren't sufficient. But telling people "You can't stay here" without giving them alternatives isn't a solution.
The reason so many people are experiencing homelessness is that it takes a long time to get into housing, even when you do everything right. Shelters are at capacity, we lack deeply affordable housing, landlords can refuse housing vouchers, and housing programs are full.
As a case study, I want to tell you about "Bill," whom I met two years ago. Bill was a veteran, father, former truck driver and person of faith. He was also homeless and unsheltered. Bill had recently suffered a series of strokes and was desperate for both disability income and housing.
Bill and I worked together every single week for 17 months. He eventually was awarded disability and moved into his own apartment.
Bill's situation is typical of hundreds of people who are stymied by our complicated processes and lack of housing. Prop B would not add resources for people like Bill. Read the ballot language. Because Prop B bans "camping," people would have to move around constantly to avoid being cited. All that moving around takes time and energy. People like Bill would have a harder time keeping their appointments with case managers. Unpaid fines from citations build a criminal record—and landlords can choose not to rent to someone with a record. So punishing people for not having housing makes it even harder to get housing. Prop B hurts, not helps.
In this election, Austinites have a choice to criminalize people like Bill or to work toward solutions. Prop B places the blame on individuals rather than recognizing homelessness as a failure of society.
Prop B is an inhumane and wrong response. Oppose Prop B, and let's focus on solutions. Learn more here.- Austin Mayor Steve Adler says camping ban 'is not working' - austonia ›
- Calls, counts and camps: Homelessness in Austin by the numbers ... ›
- Austonia's guide to the May 1 local election - austonia ›
