The time we used it for the bowl game in Miami was nice I suppose. It was very cheap compared to a hotel room, and for 3 of us it was nice to have 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and laundry facilities. It wasn't really as nice as the pictures led us to believe, but we'd do it again. I think you have to go into it with the understanding that it is much less expensive than a hotel room and appreciate the positives of what you're getting and don't focus on the things that may be a bit disappointing.
I won't do a shared place, I search only for whole apartments or whole homes. Sharing seems really sketchy to me and not at all relaxing.
We've also used VRBO with great success.