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Holiday cottage owners - things I would like pls!

402 replies

EinsteinaGogo · 21/06/2020 12:22

Hi everyone,

There have been a few posts from holiday cottage owners recently (which makes sense, due to situation).

I'm browsing holiday cottages / lodges in Suffolk for between Christmas and New Year, and I'm pondering my 'must haves'.

Obviously, everyone has their own 'must haves'. In our case, we only go out for a few hours a day. the rest of the time we spend In the cottage.
so my must haves are:

Excellent wifi
Good sized Smart TV with Netflix at a minimum, ideally Amazon and ability to have other apps
King sized bed

There are so few places that have smart TVs -
I'm actually thinking about bringing one! And so many places only have a double bed. My DH is 6'4". Double beds mean rubbish sleep for us.

Renters: what are your must haves?
And owners - can you get me smart tv and massive bed pls?!

OP posts:
Apossibility84 · 21/06/2020 14:11

Kitchen roll (who wants to pack this?!)
And a decent amount of tea cloths and jiffy cloths under the sink
Sharp knives

And pay the cleaner extra to strip the beds rather than ask guests to do this.

Apossibility84 · 21/06/2020 14:12

@RoseLavenderBlue

pm with your cottage details as sounds lovely!

EinsteinaGogo · 21/06/2020 14:13

That does sound great, @RoseLavenderBlue 👏👏

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Apossibility84 · 21/06/2020 14:13

@ineedaholidaynow

* Why would you go on holiday to just watch the tv?*

Has anyone said or even alluded to going on TV “just” to watch to TV? Hmm

Couple with a baby and toddler, both in bed 6.30, we used to have dinner and then curl up in front of TV. Just like at home but somehow felt.... nicer!

Apossibility84 · 21/06/2020 14:15

Lovely to have something locally sources - coffee or chocs or similar

teacuptale · 21/06/2020 14:18

A hand held shower and tv in the bedroom.

Serena1977 · 21/06/2020 14:18

Super clean
Dishwasher
Kingsize bed
Black out blinds
small garden
Full kitchen utensils
instructions for appliances

tectonicplates · 21/06/2020 14:19

@RoseLavenderBlue I'm very sure you'll get some last minute bookings! We'll be making one as soon as a more definite announcement is made.

Continuing the thread: don't assume everyone's arriving by car. We don't drive and we appreciate information about public transport, including local bus fares which can be very difficult to find out about online. We'd like to make sure in advance that we have the right change. I know rurak transport isn't always great but we do look to at least know our options.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 21/06/2020 14:23

We use U.K. holiday rentals a lot. Several places get repeat visits from us. Those all have:

Decent sized TV
Good wi fi
Powerful shower
Washing machine and airer (i dont use tumble dryers)
Well equipped kitchen as we do cook quite often on holiday
Quality mattresses (king size is nice but not a deal breaker)
Off street guaranteed parking
Plenty of towels
Ability to adjust the heating (we actually hate being too warm and usually turn the heating down as soon as we arrive)
A small amount of milk, tea & coffee in the kitchen so we can make a cuppa before unloading car and heading off to the supermarket
CLEAN
I’ve only ever stayed in one place that we would NEVER rent again and that was because it was very poorly equipped.

Squidwitch · 21/06/2020 14:25

Absolutely need enough seats for every bed, how many have we rejected because it's clearly designed for four people ( four seat table, three seat sofa, awful tub chair) buy there's 6 or seven beds. Funnily enough my children actually sit at a table to eat and don't spend the evening on the porch. Oh, and instant reject of owner lives in adjoining property. No ta

Tropical2 · 21/06/2020 14:26

I have two children under five so if the owner can provide a travel cot, highchair and plastic cups, plates and bowls that means I don't have to take my own, leaving room in the car for other things. It annoys me when you book for two adults, one child and a baby and they only leave three sets of towels. Baby's need washing too you know!

Private parking just outside is a must due to all the stuff we take for the kids and the fact they can't help carry it all in.

Also essential is a bath for the kids (a non slip rubber bath mat would be good) decent shower (good water pressure and plenty of hot water), toilet roll and hand wash. It really annoys me when they leave one dishwasher tablet "to start you off" then expect you to go to the shops and buy a whole box for your one week holiday! Just leave me one for each day and what I don't use I'll leave.

More than four plates and bowls would be nice, we often eat breakfast then go straight out. If there's only four plates and we've all had toast that means I have to wash up before and after dinner.

There must be an iron and ironing board. I'm fed up of getting the iron out and finding the water chamber full of gunk or someone else's clothing stuck to the bottom - or a value range iron that is useless even on the hottest setting.

randolph78 · 21/06/2020 14:26

I'm thinking we are quite easy to please reading all this! We just want enough beds for us all and no animals allowed in the place (I'm allergic so if an animal has been in the place before I get sick quickly as you can't clean out all their fur from soft furnishings). The rest we are good at making do with - just as well seeing as we need to do it on a budget!

Squidwitch · 21/06/2020 14:28

And preferably accessories that have been chosen, not the crap you couldn't sell at a car boot sale. And I'm in no way a clean freak, but I have no desire to spend an hour cleaning a mouldy bread bin. It's called a holiday.

Neighbourfriendneighbour · 21/06/2020 14:29

My wish list is boring but practical - if you have a clothes line, please can we have pegs?
And full length mirrors! (I'm a shortie and often cant see in bathroom mirrors at allegedly head height!)

iklboo · 21/06/2020 14:29

One of the best holiday cottages we stayed at had rocking chairs on the porch. Bliss at night with a drink and some quiet music. It also had chickens that came to visit in the morning and you could buy feed and their eggs from the main cottage. Not that chickens are a must 😄

Springcatkin · 21/06/2020 14:31

This is a great thread. I am thinking of doing holiday lets, question - we have 2 bedrooms, we will put a king size in one following comments on this thread but what would people like to see in the other - twin singles or a double plus a single (which would fit but restrict space a bit), or maybe bunks - triple or two bunk beds?
Lounge is huge, should we add a sofa bed or a single in the corner as a 'day bed' or neither?
What furniture do people like in the lounge - currently has a small desk area in the corner which could be used with a laptop or should we just leave sofas and side tables?
Thanks for any comments

EinsteinaGogo · 21/06/2020 14:38

Ooh, @Springcatkin - we can furnish your cottage for you!!!!

I would have two twins in the second bedroom -'perhaps zip-links, with the option of having them made up as a king?

In the lounge - I want really comfortable sofas, not ones that sort of look good in the pictures but are hard as nails. I also like footstools and at least a couple of side tables.

I also like a variable lighting, so dimmer switches, standard lamps and table lamps are a big hit with me.

And a massive smart TV of course!

OP posts:
TerrorWig · 21/06/2020 14:38

Large comfy bed and plenty of pillows.
Tv with a selection of channels.
Less worried about washing machine now my kids are older, but basic kitchen stuff like oven gloves. Last place we went had no oven gloves and no dish towels, also no towels which I had assumed came with the ‘full linens provided’ (my bad on that but please be clear for numpties like me!)

Squidwitch · 21/06/2020 14:41

@springcatkin. It really depends who your target is, if it's a very family ISH seaside I'd probably go for a bunk and a single, but if it's older people quaint town type, I'd go two highish singles. Bottom bunks are very hard to get in and out of for the less able. A good toy and games cupboard is a lovely treat, but do check after every let. No one feels jolly setting up a game then finding half of cluedo is missing. I also think that you should feel special, a gift basket costs probably £5 to make, but the impact is huge, if you know there are children, £2 worth of colouring books and crayons. We spend so much on cottages, over a months income, and we are not well off, and when you get there and find dirt and chipped plates and a manky cot, it really is heartbreaking

Flyingarcher · 21/06/2020 14:42

King or superking sized bed. I don't understand places that have a huge bedroom and a 4ft 6 double bed. This happened to us when we stayed at the Chateaux place nr Limoges that featrued on chanel 4. Huge, huge room and a tidgy antique bed. Why???? Modern beds - I don't want quaint.

Decent bread knife, veg knife, paring knife and carving knives with somewhere to sharpen them. Fed up of sharpening knives on a back step.
Table lamps in the living room. Amazes me people think the central light is ok. We have bought our own cheap lamp before now. Likewise bedside lamps. Coasters for furniture and table mats.
Decent bedding and no more pointless bed cushions and dressing that never get washed. A set of saucepans from small to large and a decent frying pan. Chopping boards - not glass and a bread board.

Tv which isn't on a wall so when you sit down you crane your head back. Really uncomfy. Sensible settee and chair arrangements and enough of them. Fires that work and don't smell.

nibdedibble · 21/06/2020 14:42

Oh yes a king-sized bed, and a headboard - stayed at a place last year where we couldn't sit in bed with a cup of tea, despite the gorgeous view over the beach!

Comfortable seating and enough for everyone to lounge. So if you have beds for four people, then lounging space for four people. No leather or obviously second-hand/inherited furniture. A grotty sofa covered with a throw is still a grotty sofa.

Loads more towels than are usually provided. Quite often you get one hand towel and one small bath towel per person. You can't do much with a hand towel. I can't wrap my hair in one. If I could have my way it would be three bath sheets per person, at least one of them a large one - tiny towels remind me of the sixties.

Bedside tables and lamps and plugs for phones/laptops by the bed. Not behind the bed.

If there's a woodturning stove and it's winter, then provide fuel. By all means charge for it but provide a decent amount and can it be dry wood, like you'd have in your home? Not damp logs that aren't going to burn.

A tv that comes with one remote control for everything and also instructions. I can never make head nor tail of holiday home tvs. No big deal, I don't watch a lot, but I do always feel like asking for a bit of money back if nothing works easily.

Here's what I personally would like: yes to super fast wifi but if the renter asks for it to be switched off, a set-up that means it can be toggled. Or just absolutely no wifi. I like to not bring devices with me and have a proper holiday reading books. Mind you last time, that backfired because DH brought his own hotspot, the bastard.

And last but not least: if people are paying upwards of £600 a week, often much more, don't make them clean. "Leave this house as you found it" - actually, I am paying for this house, you're not lending it to me out of the goodness of your heart, it is a financial transaction!

Chicchicchicchiclana · 21/06/2020 14:44

More than 1 or 2 tea towels to last the week.

Also a decent supply of loo roll, dishwasher tablets and washing up liquid please.

AbacabMR · 21/06/2020 14:49

[quote BlessYourCottonSocks]@AbacabMR

Hmm. To be honest the only time we've booked cottages has been with friends and it never occurred to me to say we'll need an extra bedroom because DH and I want one each.

I can't see that happened really. I'd be seen as a CF and it would presumably push the price up. I was really thinking how much I loathe going to stay with friends and relations for any more than a night. Unfortunately MIL lives roughly 10 hours drive away from us and so we usually go for a week. I hate it because she has a tiny guest room with a tiny bed. I've suggested we stay in a B&B but she was upset. Sad[/quote]
Oh that’s a shame. I think if you were my friend I’d be understanding but obviously your share of the cost would need to adjusted. If you would be happy with that I can’t see the problem. I’m with you all the way with the MIL visit. I hate staying with relatives and would much rather have a hotel/b&b nearby, for some respite if nothing else. Such a pity that you come back from holiday completely unrefreshed though. Misses the point of a holiday doesn’t it? ☹️

Squidwitch · 21/06/2020 14:51

Last post I promise! But wtf are they thinking with Friday to Friday let's! Yes, we really want to take an extra days leave so you can spend the weekend at John Lewis spending

Rebelwithallthecause · 21/06/2020 14:52

Please at least have salt pepper and oil in the store cupboard

I really don’t want to be packing up the kitchen condiments to take away with me or having to buy them once I’ve got there and unpacked

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