Holiday cottages

[Icimoi]

We booked a holiday cottage this year through an agency. The booking info said that sheets and towels would be extra - £17 for a double bed set, £15 for a single bed set, £10 for towels comprising one bath towel and one hand towel. I thought it was pretty expensive but booked the bedding (but not the towels) as we didn't want to have to carry it with us. I was however less than happy to arrive after a long journey to find none of the beds were made up despite the fact that they insisted on a 5 hour gap between when people have to vacate and when they will allow the next batch in.

I realise that we had a choice whether to go for this option, but I've never been in any other holiday cottage where the beds weren't made up, and it feels a bit like airline scams to make the basic price look better than it is - by the time you've decided which cottage you want, checked availability and ploughed through the booking procedure you're less likely to cancel everything because of the bedding issue. The agency operates in a popular destination so it's quite difficult to find somewhere, and in this case we were booking at quite short notice so had even less choice.

I know, first world problem, we could have junked the whole thing and gone elsewhere - but AIBU to feel it leaves a bit of a bad taste?

[Heels99]

Yanbu. £17 for a sheet? You can buy new for that in a supermarket. Yes I would expect to find beds made up.

[whois]

Defo expect the beds to have been made up.

[HouseofEliot]

We were away last week and took our own sheets/towels. We did see people at reception collecting sheets/towels packs so it was the same where we went. Holiday park in Somerset.

[KnackeredMuchly]

Yanbu, cheeky fuckers.

[Groovee]

YANBU!

[reup]

What a pain. You could buy a cheap set for that price! We had to do this once in a mobile home place in France and we took our own and again in Denmark. I think in Denmark we had to collect in from a central office too. I hate hidden extras. We had to pay for fuel once which we hadn't realised. The worst was in Denmark where they offered us an option to pay for a clean and we didn't take it. Then they claimed it wasn't clean enough and kept the deposit. (I hadn't actually realised it was a deposit I had thought it was the first installment). I was so offended as it wasn't pristine when we arrived (I should have complained about that) . it took several monthsand threatening emails but I got it back!

[Woodenheart]

Can you contact the owners directly?

The agency may well be telling the owner that the housekeepers make the beds up, when they aren't.

[Icimoi]

The £17 was for a double bed set, i.e. sheet, duvet cover, 4 pillowcases.

[firesidechat]

Most of our holidays are spent in rented cottages and such like. The beds are always made up, but I never go for the "pay extra for bedding" options. For some reason it seems money grabbing and lazy on the part of the home owner. Bedding and towels are essentials and I can't imagine many people wanting to bring their own. I would be complaining loudly about this. Is there somewhere that you can place an online review?

The only time I've arrived and not found the beds made up, was when we went to Florida. There was lots else wrong with the house too and it almost ruined the holiday. Later found out the the owner was prosecuted for fraud and some people arrived to find no holiday home at all. All in all we had a lucky escape.

[CarmineRose1978]

On the plus side, at least you know the bedding is clean and unused.

[Didiusfalco]

Get on trip advisor and leave them a review - unless the accommodation was a particular bargain I would not be happy.

[halfwildlingwoman]

I hate this. It is against the spirit of holidays to arrive and have to make beds. Include it in the price! And electricity. I arrived at a holiday cottage in a very cold April last year to find there was a meter! I marched round to the owners and demanded £10 in pound coins and a load of free firewood. In fairness they hadn't been doing it long and didn't realise. I would so much rather pay a bit more for the holiday than have lots of extras.

[Icimoi]

I've had that thing with meters, also one where the owners took a reading from the meters and expected us to pay for electricity at the end of the stay. I didn't rebook with either.

[poohbunny]

YANBU, you should have to pay that huge expense and then have to make the beds up yourself. Most people are tired after a long journey and the last thing they want to do is housework!

Like others I hate the 'mean' added extras - charging for linen, towels and the first bag of firewood is unreasonable and is being tight with heating. Especially as the cost of booking a holiday cottage in this country is so high.

I also avoid cottages that say you can get in until 5.00pm - considering most ask you to leave by 10.00am - 7 hours for them to clean seems unreasonable and mean you are really paying for 6 days use rather than 7.

[halfdrunkcoffee]

I've never stayed in a holiday cottage where you had to pay for bedding or make up your own beds! Was it in the UK?

[EvansOvalPiesYumYum]

I've never stayed in a holiday cottage where you had to pay for bedding or make up your own beds

Same here - and have stayed in many holiday lets both in the UK and abroad. I'd be quite cross.

[neverputasockinatoaster]

We stayed in a cottage in Scotland once that asked us to take our own bedding and towels. Much was made of the fact that it was in an isolated location blah blah not fair on caretaker to lug stuff back and forth......
When we arrived we discovered the caretaker lived next door! The cottage was in an isolated location its just that it was part of a pair.
The pillows were disgusting! I couldn't sleep on them even with my nice clean pillow case over them so the following day we bought new ones!
If you have to pay for bedding then the beds should be made up.

[redexpat]

This is where I feel that growing up and holidaying with my parents in the UK has spolied me. The service level in Denmark is appauling and htis is standard. Who wants to go on holiday and do housework ffs?!

[IAmAPaleontologist]

Very common in France to have to take your own bedding. Doesn't really seem odd to me.

[EvansOvalPiesYumYum]

We've stayed in ski chalets in France - bedding was provided, and not charged extra. Maybe different rules for different types of holiday in France. Have visited lots of other countries too though, and never come across this. Perhaps we've just been lucky, but it seems very strange to me.

[BackforGood]

YANBU - in this country, I don't think I've had the beds not 'made up' for over 20 yr (and that was a cheap, cheap caravan).
You just don't want to have to start making up beds before you go.

I also am irrationally annoyed by the electric meter thing - even though it never costs more than a fiver for the week, it's the principle of it somehow.

[Doyouthinktheysaurus]

That's not on. It's a hell of a lot to charge for bedding and then to have to make up your own beds, blimey I'd be cross!

Leave them a review outlining your displeasure clearly!

We had to take towels on holiday this year because the property charged extra and I wouldn't pay it. That irritated me a lot, it's the first time it's happened and it certainly wasn't a cheap property. In fact the property was gorgeous and it didn't spoil our stay but we won't return because of that and the lack of wifi.

We are actually going back to the same village next year but a different property. If it hadn't been for the towel thing and wifi we certainly would have returned.

[Leo35]

On a similar theme, I am confused about end of stay cleaning that is often cited in self-catering accommodation ads. If we sort out our own end of stay cleaning, is that THE clean for the next guests? I actually avoid gites/holiday cottages that mention this arrangements in their adverts as I don't want the hassle, nor to arrive and find the accommodation is not clean.

[haggisaggis]

We rent a holiday cottage in Cape Cod most years and bedding is generally not included - we have arranged for it to be supplied (and this year paid for it to be supplied) but it is just left on beds - not made up. I'm used to it now so doesn't bother me. Also expected to strip beds and wash bedding & towels before check out (that's fun - chuck everyone out of their beds at 7 am so I can get everything washed and dried before 10 am check out!) When we rent in UK beds always made up and generally no requirement even to strip beds on leaving.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

A sizeable minority of UK holiday cottages charge extra for bedding/towels, and I can sort of see the point - it's a significant amount of extra effort/cost if you're tumbledrying and some customers would rather have their own bedding/towels anyway. Having stayed in a couple where the linen or towels smelled of mildew, which wrecks a holiday for me, I'm sometimes quite tempted to do it myself.

But charging that much and then not making the beds up is definitely taking the piss.