Doing Tel Aviv like the locals: A new concept in holidaying

Sand in my toes, an iced coffee in my hand, I kick back on my private balcony and feel pretty in love with the world.

I'm not usually a fan of self-catering holidays - isn't the point of getting away to be waited on hand on foot by smartly-dressed hoteliers just a stumble from your room?

But for my visit to Israel's bustling metropolis Tel Aviv this summer, I've decided to find a place of my own - and how it paid off.

With a coastline packed with overpriced and overly-large, impersonal hotels, the city is the perfect destination to rent an apartment.

Tel Aviv is just a five-hour flight away (hello weekend in the sun!) but with even budget airlines charging as much as £500 return, having your own pad makes staying there for a long weekend much more affordable.

Online holiday rental company Airbnb make things easy for you - providing a web-based marketplace where you can 'trade' properties in 192 different countries.

The concept - which was founded in San Francisco in 2008 - seems to have the environment as well as travellers at the core. Instead of building more hotel space, why not use empty properties instead?

A kind of house swap scenario, if you like.

I'm slightly disappointed when I discover that the owner of my chosen two-bedroom flat has a string of apartments on the website that he lets out (the residence doesn't have to be your primary property) because I liked the authenticity of the idea of living in someone's place for the weekend.

But my deflation ebbs when I meet Mati - we're instantly on first name terms and he's already suggesting the best places for us to go for breakfast.

The flat is in a prime beach-side location and gives us bags more space than even the most spacious hotel room would.

You obviously forgo the service of a hotel reception but the owner couldn't have made things easier for us - meeting us to drop the keys to suit our schedule.

And well as a week's supply of fresh towels, bedding and all the mod-cons (microwave, plasma TV screens and a swanky coffee machine), he even stocked the fridge up with water in preparation for our arrival.

I find we settle in more quickly being nestled within the urban district of the city - and we can even host friends in our spacious living area and balcony.

The extra money we've saved can go on embracing the city - from the idyllic white sands, to the vibrant nightlife and the super cool cafe culture.

By the time we leave five days later I shed a tear - not just for the beautiful city and our holiday memories, but for our own pad we had there. And our temporary Tel Aviv life.

As we contemplate moving cities permanently on the plane home I wonder if perhaps this rental thing could be disruptively dangerous.

Airbnb has properties in more than 35,000 cities and 192 countries. For more information visit https://www.airbnb.co.uk/