AirBnB

Yes! I've used it quite a few times and my niece and her boyfriend have used it EXTENSIVELY worldwide.
What you need to know...
- You are dealing with private property holders not a commercial venture.
- Read the fine print carefully regarding cleaning fees, charges for extra guests, whether you're getting a real bed, etc.
- Only use listings that have plenty of reviews.
- Communicate with the owner as much as possible via phone...this gives you a better sense of who they are than email.
- Ask for the address so that you can go to Google street view and "walk" the neighborhood to make sure it's what you want.
We have had nothing but great experiences from renting apartments to staying in rooms in people's homes. Everyone we have met through Airbnb had been lovely and accommodating. It's nice to have a personal contact in a strange city and airbnb makes this possible.

On our most recent trip to Europe, my wife and I used airbnb or VRBO in Nice, Lacoste, and Nimes while in France and Cadaques and Barcelona in Spain. Our experience was positive and we'll do it again in the future. As a breakfast person, I liked being able to makee my own breakfast in France where it's typically difficult to find more than a croissant, coffee, and a breath of fresh air. As Anita noted, read the fine print carefully. Our rental in Nice had a 120 euro cleaning fee that substantially increased our daily rate. Also, read the reviews thoroughly.

Thank you both so much. I appreciate the input.

We've used airbnb.com several times in Italy, always with success, but we always do some due diligence. I would never rent a place that didn't have any reviews and I would be wary of renting a place without a good number of recent reviews. Most people with listings on airbnb.com also are listed on other sites, so do some searching to find more reviews, if you want. (Look for an unusual string of words in the narrative description of the place, and then search for that in quotes. Those sites use the same description regardless of where listed.)

Play close attention to the cancellation policy for the specific unit you're considering. They vary from lenient to super strict. The entire amount will be charged against your credit card when you make the reservation but the money won't be released to the owner until 24 or 48 hours after you arrive. That's their insurance policy against fraud. So if the unit is unacceptable, contact airbnb right away.

And remember to use Google Maps Streetview to check out the surrounding neighborhood. That saved us once from renting a room above a McDonalds. (^_^)

We've used AirBnB a few times with good success. They're a worldwide source of great accommodations for a fair price.

Be aware that AirBnB will be asking you to rate the properties as soon as you leave. They also will be asking your hosts to rate you as a tenant--telling the next AirBnB all about you and your living habits.