Would you like this in a holiday let?

[RocketSurgery]

Dh and I are currently in the process of turning a stable block and barn into accommodation that we’re planning to let out for holidays. We’ve read hundreds of thread about layouts and welcome packs etc. but there are three sticking points that as yet we can’t decide on. So please help if you can!

Firstly the cottage will be in the grounds of our house but will have separate drive, garden and look like an entirely separate property. If you were staying there would you like to know that the owner lives at the bottom of the garden or not? Pro’s are that we can be there immediately if there’s a problem and we’re both as knowledgeable about the building as we can be so should be able to sort anything there and then. Cons being that people may feel we’re keeping an eye on them and not be able to relax properly.

Secondly a hot tub? All the agencies I’ve spoken to have said to definitely get one if we can afford to as it immediately pushes the house up a grade in terms of charges. I hate hot tubs —filthy sex ponds— and can’t see their appeal at all. The house will sleep up to ten so groups will generally consist of two or more families if that changes anything at all. The cost of buying and running a hot tub would easily be covered by the bump up in charges but I think the category it puts the house in means I’d need to buy a lot of other things to justify it too.

Thirdly a secret den. The the back of one of the built in wardrobes there’s a door about 80cm high with a room about 2mx2m behind it. My dc’s have turned it into a little den with fairy lights, bean bags, nice photos on the walls and they often go in there for a bit of peace. I think it would be great to keep it and do a series of clues for families telling them how to find it. Dh is not keen at all and thinks it overcomplicates things. He thinks kids could get ill due to it being too stuffy and get co poisoning or something.

I’d love to hear others thoughts. Thank you.

Other thing to consider about the hot tub may be running costs. How expensive are they to run? If it was your own family one I imagine you might use it for a few hours a couple of times a week.
In a holiday let where it is a novelty and particularly with 10 people it might be used every day for several hours as people go in and out and change groupings. It could easily end up being run all afternoon and evening every day. I'm guessing they are quite expensive?

As you are coastal remember (I’m sure you will have) all the things about wet sandy stuff - for your renters but also to reduce wear and tear - where possible -
Washing line and pegs - for towels wetsuits swimsuits etc - those retractable ones work well.
Hooks everywhere. Especially by door.
Plenty of water proof tubs for wet washing.
Box or obvious area outside door for boots/wet beach stuff.
Outdoor tap if poss
Some kind of lazy Mary drying rack or clothes airer.

Big mat at door.

We stayed in a lovely place once with a simple outside shower , it was fantastically useful for desanding the DC ( and I could imagine any muddy dogs) .

I think hot tubs are a good selling point. Lots of people go away to celebrate big birthdays, and like the idea of a glass of champagne in the tub (would need to supply some flutes that aren't breakable and enforce this)

For the den, could you stock it with some board games, some books, a couple of children's games if there's space in the garden to play? You could market it as a toybox/family entertainment provided. Also agree about the Netflix subscription.

Regular cottagers here

1. Owners nearby/next door is really common and doesn’t put me off, but I’d phrase it as ‘we are local, phone if you need anything’ rather than popping in randomly with cakes and jam which might feel a little intrusive.

1. I love a hot tub, but we generally rent small places just for me & DP, don’t use it for sex, rather I love feeling like I have my own private spa for the weekend. I just don’t think about what other people do with them and trust that water quality etc is monitored properly.

1. Den wouldn’t interest or bother me but then we are child free. Would maybe see it as a nice touch when renting for bigger extended family.

Things I look for

• dog friendly but not unnecessarily restrictive (no point being ‘dog friendly’ if it comes with unrealistic rules like not letting them upstairs at all etc).
• good WiFi. We bring our own amazon fire stick so can use our own Netflix etc
• good ‘modern’ standard of finish - I won’t rent somewhere that is all orange pine furniture and floral duvets or a living room with uncomfortable nursing-home style chairs in it. I want simple/minimal with character touches and comfortable.

Things I appreciate

• proper hanging/drying space for boots/coats/outerwear etc
• if you’ve a wood burner then supply some bloody wood ( major bugbear from the last place! There wasn’t even any instructions as to where the closest place was to buy wood, how the burner worked etc).
• a comprehensive welcome guide - rules, how things work, contact details (including doctor, vet etc, instructions for emergencies - where is the fuse box/stopcock etc) and then things to do, places to eat/recommendations for local shops etc.
• nice comfort touches such as cosy blankets/throws, a barbecue (need to know where to buy charcoal though!), dishwasher, parking etc.

how many double beds?
you are envisaging two families?
so two double beds? and 6 singles?
any bunks?

@PunkRockHippy titalyy agree about the pine furniture! I scroll past those ones, ones with smelly looking carpets, throws over sofas and leather sofas!!

This may be too niche, and will depend on the location, but we always take bikes on holiday. I don’t expect a secure bike shed everywhere we go (although it’s fairly common), but would like to be allowed to bring bikes into the house (downstairs only).

heron I actually hadn’t considered that . There aren’t any sandy beaches in this town but I guess a lot of people on holiday would probably drive to get to the sandy ones so I’ll make sure to sand proof.

horace there are 5 bedroom - 4 of them are going to be singles that can be joined together with a thick mattress topper on top so (hopefully) won’t be able to tell it’s 2 singles. The other room will be 2 singles that can’t be joined.

punkrock it’s (I think) fairly modern. I’ve put lots of things in that I’m not quite brace enough to do in my home but which I think actually look really nice. I’ve used this wallpaper on one of the walls which you’ll probably all tell me now would stop you consider booking it 😁.

bikerunski there’s a lockable garage that bikes could be put in. It’s also a high gate and wall so fairly safe.

Thanks so much for everyone’s input. It’s amazing the things you don’t consider.

I like a hot tub. Agree you don’t want kids disappearing off to a den with the parents unable to find it or easily crawl in.

Best holiday let ever had hot tub and owners next door. They cooked us a fab meal as an extra.

Something I thought about this morning... we like to be able to adjust the heating easily when we are on holiday. Most places are far too hot for us so we like to be able to turn the thermostat down to around 17 - 18 degrees (we always put it back to how we found it when we leave). We often return to holiday lets several times (our record is one in Gloucestershire which we went to six times - AND it was in the owners large garden) but have never returned to any where we were too hot and couldn’t change the heating.

DH and I run a holiday let which we started last summer. It is self contained and detached but within our property boundary so shares the (large) drive. I made a point of saying to the holiday let company that they need to make it clear in the listing that we were next door plus one of the photos does show our house in the background. I didn’t want people to turn up and it be a surprise. We have been pretty near full since we started. We do try to greet guests if we are at home when they arrive, as it’s only courtesy really, and we make it known to them that we are on hand if they need anything, but we really try to stay out of their way. I’ve got vertical blinds installed in both properties so the slats can be angled away from each other for privacy. One of the guests mentioned in feedback that we were ‘helpful but not intrusive’, which is all we would hope to be!

Regarding hot tubs, we considered getting one initially but needed to earn some income to afford it, but now we are not bothered about getting one. We have not been short of bookings so it is not always a draw for people. From reading the replies on here, it’s really put me off anyway! We bought a Lay Z Spa last summer for our own family use and it really made the electric bills go up, as the pump has to be constantly on in order to prevent the water going stagnant. Plus we are on a water meter and there is no way you could empty, clean, refill and heat new water in a five hour changeover on a Saturday.

Regarding the den, I really wouldn’t bother. It is just somewhere else to clean and when you’ve got to get through the whole property on a Saturday, I would be looking for shortcuts. It took me three hours to clean yesterday on my own but I like it to be immaculate. We are, however, looking to get a cleaner to do the changeovers as currently it is a tie having to be at home every Saturday and we need to get someone in place for when we go on holiday in the summer.

OP, if you would like me to send you a link to our property to have a look, or have any questions, please PM me!

I’m booked somewhere and reading through the reviews have discovered the owners live next door. I might not have booked if I had known, however cottage last year and the owners lived across the way so we did have very separate drive, entrance etc. It didn’t bother me at all when we realised but again, had I know in advance I wouldn’t have booked it.

No to hot tub. Would never book a place with one.

No to secret den. Too much hassle.

I would only book somewhere with WiFi.

Wouldn’t book dog friendly-even when our dog was alive. I don’t want to stay somewhere and find dog hair and smell dogs (I have stayed a couple of places that I didn’t realise were dog friendly and this was the case)

Decent kitchen equipment. So many places have such poor knives you can’t even cut a slice of cheese for a sandwich.

If supplying hand soap, towels, fairy liquid, dishcloths & tea towels make it clear. So many places don’t bother but, the amount of times we’ve lugged our own stuff then found it all provided, but it wasn’t in the accommodation details.....

A welcome tray with a jug of milk in the fridge and a couple of sachets if coffee, teabags & pack of digestives is a lovely surprise after a 4 hour drive.