This strange, rustic California cabin is the most popular property on Airbnb
Airbnb has more than 2 million rental properties listed on its website, which range from $10,000 per night Malibu beach houses to the trunk of some guy's Tesla. But according to Airbnb itself, the most popular, most frequently booked property is a rustic cabin known as the "Mushroom Dome." The tiny Aptos, California cabin has two futons, uses a curtain as a bathroom door and the hosts warn that there might not be any cell phone service on the property — but it still has an overall rating of five stars from almost 800 guests who have stayed there.
The $110-per-night rental is constantly booked. According to NBC News, there were only three nights last year when the Mushroom Dome Cabin could've turned on its virtual Vacancy sign. Kitty Mrache, who owns the property with her husband Michael, told NBC News:
But the cabin seems so cozy, you could probably hear your traveling companion whispering anyway, without any architectural help ("The cabin is not as big as it looks in this photo," the Mraches captioned one picture on their listing). The unusual accommodation has become so popular, there is even a scale model of the Mushroom Dome in the Airbnb corporate headquarters, complete with an exact replica of the cabin's distinctive front door.
If you really want to get away, the cabin seems like it would be hard to beat. It's nestled into a redwood forest, is frequently visited by hundreds of hummingbirds and the Mraches have their own self-described "farmette" with goats and chickens. Plus, the idea of staying in a treehouse — or something close to a treehouse — seems to have captured a lot of imaginations. According to Airbnb, treehouses are the property type that has been added to the most user Wish Lists, followed by igloos, vans, lighthouses and caves. The most wish-listed property is the Secluded Intown Treehouse in Atlanta, and the Mushroom Dome Cabin is number six on that list.
So parents, if you have your own backyard treehouse that your kids have outgrown, this is basically your invitation to buy a Wi-Fi extender, an IKEA futon and start calculating that average nightly rate.