Stories from the Best Homestay in Bangalore: Are Coliving spaces better than Luxury Hotels?

When I first opened my home to strangers by listing one of the rooms in my house on Airbnb in Dec 2014, I had little inkling that I would love meeting people so much from across the globe. I did it more out of necessity, as I had to find a source of income to pay my bills after I recovered from a prolonged period of depression.

I totally loved hosting each one of my guests and in the process discovered that genuine, heartfelt warmth is precious & no amount of artificial smiles & curated services can substitute it.

Earlier I ran a successful business for 15 years & then, inexplicably, I slipped into depression diagnosed as Dysthymia by a shrink. Just when I felt my world was crashing around me, with the help of counselling & medication, I picked myself up & it helped immeasurably that I had opened my home to guests, thanks to Airbnb.

A discerning solo traveler who loves her comforts, values her security & wants her privacy need not necessarily opt for an ostentatious, opulent, materially comfortable, yet lonely hotel room. Co-living spaces beckon her to become a part of an exciting, vibrant community of travelers who, in addition to their comforts & privacy, equally desire an exciting, enriching co-living experience. Add to this the delightful opportunities of serendipitous encounters with a community of like-minded people.

You could be a solo traveler or someone relocating for work. Or you could be someone who hates the winter in frigid Finland & other parts of the world with equally hostile winter. Thankfully, technology today allows people to work from anywhere. Whether you are an entrepreneur, freelancer or a digital nomad — High-end Co-living spaces offer you quality living at an affordable cost.

Mi Casa Su Casa, Bangalore is a beautiful, secure, serene & impeccably clean home right in the heart of Bangalore. Over a period of time it has evolved into a warm, luxurious, intimate, comfortable & an interesting melting pot that has hosted travelers from​ the​ world over. I endeavor to offer guest experiences that few luxury hotels or home stays can match. The place itself is simple, warm & beautiful without the usual trappings of luxury hotels such as ​ostentatiousness, opulence & artificiality.

While it is easy to find hotel rooms, service apartments & home stays, these, with the exception of luxury or boutique hotels, are mostly clean, functional & rarely fulfill travelers’ latent needs such as - intimacy, privacy, security, freedom of mobility, warmth & comforts of a home, bonhomie with other travelers.

We all know, a home is only as good as the people that inhabit it. Co-living spaces attract travelers with diverse interests, who like social spaces, who prefer their breakfast at the community table in the dining area, who prefer to dine in with friends or fellow travelers at a favorite restaurant as compared to dining alone at that fancy Michelin Star restaurant in the hotel. It is people who make a place special! And this is where Mi Casa offers experiences that can greatly enrich travelers’ lives on the move — taking away the dreariness, fatigue, loneliness & monotony out of a solo travelers’ experiences.

I for one would prefer walking out of my room into a beautiful, warm living space instead of the carpeted corridor of a luxury hotel.

Mi Casa Co-living offers fully equipped kitchen access where you could join community cooking experience & bring out the Chef in you :) or allow your host the pleasure of being your chef. With high speed Internet access, standing desks, study/home office, board games, movie nights, impromptu jam sessions - you could live, play, work, exercise & network in these spaces.

At $50.00 a night including breakfast, laundry, Wi-Fi, Cable TV & lots more, this coliving space is a lot more than a place to stay. It has a beautifully landscaped Patio on the terrace with a private open air shower. Guests can bask in the sun under a shade of a beautiful natural tree canopy, sink into a hammock & watch the eagles fly high up in the sky or gaze into the starlit night. Enjoy breakfast with chirping birds & squirrels for company or indulge in a candle lit dinner under the stars on a clear night.

Those of us who have gone to boarding ​school or ​lived in a hostel during our under graduation or post graduation often reminisce those days fondly. Why? Often, because we created memories for life during our stay at the hostel!

Nothing can replace home, family & close friends, but then nothing ever stopped us from developing new relationships in the most unlikely of places :)