Holiday cottage owners - things I would like pls!

[EinsteinaGogo]

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?!

A list of things like nearest supermarket, Dr, hospital, takeaway etc.

Agree about leather sofas, but I now take a blanket to throw over if I know there will be one.

If it’s somewhere rural or with a great view then a pair of binoculars is handy.

Absolutely love it when there is a mini hamper (wine, biscuits etc) even if that is factored into the cost of stay, it still feels more luxurious.

Also don't live nearby! I would reject places because it's beside the owners. I want privacy.

Although we did stay beside an owner in Cornwall and it was fine so I disprove my own point!!

Oh lordy, I've booked a weekend now at Suffolk, mumsnet costs me so much money

I'm in an AirBNB right now so this is topical.

My complaints are that although it has every kitchen implement you could imagine, there is no cupboard space for food. We're here for a week and there are 6 of us, so we need food space.

Things I have appreciated - first aid kit, address of nearest hospital.

Responsive hosts are important. The wifi went down, and the hosts dealt with it asap.

The smart TVs are handy. We're having a very active holiday kayaking, swimming, hiking, etc, but everyone needs some down time periodically, especially as it's been incredibly hot.

My favourite thing in a holiday let is reading the guest book to see what all the other guests enjoyed doing.

Yes to a guest book for local recommendations !
Also binoculars and book about birds in one which was lovely.
A book shelf with novels and dvds for the kids.
One had a bingo game which was fun, and a swing ball set in the garden. Also nets & buckets for going rock pooling at the beach - things we would never have taken with us but we used a lot!

We've not stayed in one but I never understand those cottages people advertise for holiday lets where's it's clear it was parent or grandparent's house previously and the decor, furniture etc is still exactly as they left it.
No effort has been made to update the interior at all and it was last decorated in the 70s. Some still have all the quaint ornaments in place.
Puts me right off when I look at the first picture.

I'm surprised so many of you want a king sized bed. Double is fine for us.

Don't mind owners next door either, especially if they are nice like the ones we had on Lewis, who gave us some bread and milk and saved us a 10 mile trip to the nearest shop.

King size bed
Lots of towels
Basic kitchen ingredients such as oil / salt / pepper
Biiiiig cooking utensils. I've stayed in 14 person cottages with tiny saucepans and we've had to buy one to cook enough pasta etc.
Baths as well as showers
Washing machine / airers
Lamps and throws for cosy evenings
If it's a very large family cottage optional stair gates and a box of slightly old but usable toys were a huuuuge bonus
Board games / puzzles / books
WiFi

A basic welcome pack is nice. Wasn't impressed to arrive at 10pm in Greece, after a long trip, to find absolutely nothing in the kitchen, not even instant coffee.

And what do these owners do with the salt, pepper, herbs, half a pack of pasta that people buy and don't take away with them? Bin it? Do the cleaners take it?

I want a well stocked kitchen which for me means:-

• at least one sharp knife
• at least one casserole type pot
• a selection of saucepans
• a decent frying pan
• big mugs
• both big wine glasses and tumblers for gin
• a grater
• a bottle opener
• a roasting tray/cast iron lasagne type dish

I cook on holiday, it’s when I get time to do long slow meals (we usually book cottages in winter so time spent in front of the fire, cooking, drinking and reading books). I hate kitchens that are advertised as being well stocked when it’s obvious no one has cooked a meal there for many years.

Lots of these things are pretty stupid ideas though.
WiFi, but no WiFi
Huge beds, but many beds
Cutlery to be stolen by guests
Fabric sofas, to be washed every week?
Every possible kitchen tool under the sun. But also cupboard space.
Neutral decor, but also not boring.
Loads of crap to entertain my kid. But no tat.
Several side tables (?!) and countless lamps.

Christ. Just stay at home. Why even bother.

Must have dish washer, washing machine and tumble dryer. A good range of saucepans including non stick. Wifi and TV. I like thick curtains as I don't want light keeping me awake or waking me up.

Outside space such as patio to sit out in sunshine with a bottle of wine.

Near to places of interest NT properties would be nice. A beach close by. Nice walks around a lake or by a river good. Cafes and restaurants close.

@DuesToTheDirt

A basic welcome pack is nice. Wasn't impressed to arrive at 10pm in Greece, after a long trip, to find absolutely nothing in the kitchen, not even instant coffee.

And what do these owners do with the salt, pepper, herbs, half a pack of pasta that people buy and don't take away with them? Bin it? Do the cleaners take it?

I used to work with someone years ago who was dating a guy who had a few holiday flats.

He looked after the flats himself (cleaning etc), and my colleague used to say that she always went to his house on a Saturday night, as they had a "picnic". Yup, using any leftovers that he found when he was cleaning the fridge etc. She couldn't understand why I looked so horrified, she said there was no point in letting food go to waste. Boak!

Most seem to agree here!

I always want a dishwasher and good Wi-fi, sharp knife, frying pans that aren't scratched (although that'll be careless holidaymakers).

I also want a teapot and cosy - call me old fashioned! Lots of crockery/cutlery!

Funnily enough I like leather sofas and chairs as they seem cleaner than fabric to me?

"No leather sofas" because everything slips off them, they're just not comfortable. Also cold. Also, with a very few exceptions, they are fucking ugly. (Memories of rental property booked by friends with RED leather sofas, dear god.)

I agree with the bit about the owners staying nearby. I have rented places where the owners say 'We're just next door if you need anything!' as if it's an advantage! No, I want to have a holiday, not be under your beady eye thanks. But then I'm an introvert and I can see that this would be no problem whatsoever to an extrovert.

I am not very fussy at all as if we go away we tend to be out and about most of the day. My only stipulation is it has to be warm. We stayed in an airbnb in February this year that only had open fires and no central heating and I was freezing the whole time.

He looked after the flats himself (cleaning etc), and my colleague used to say that she always went to his house on a Saturday night, as they had a "picnic". Yup, using any leftovers that he found when he was cleaning the fridge etc. She couldn't understand why I looked so horrified, she said there was no point in letting food go to waste. Boak!

Don't see the problem with that really if there are sell by dates on stuff or it is unopened or fruit or veg ?

I agree with a lot of what others have said, although we are flexible on our expectations depending on price and location. As an absolute minimum we expect it to be immaculately clean, have enough seating/equipment for the number of guests and for the seating/beds to be comfortable. My general wish list would include:

King-sized bed (where space allows).
Decent pillows, and plenty of them!
Good quality bath towels, but certainly decent sized ones - I echo the PP who mentioned bathsheets rather than those postage stamp sized ones!
Properly equipped kitchen - decent amount of pans and oven trays/dishes, usable knives
Household basics - personally I all household products should be provided and the price should include the cost of these. Like a PP said, it's one thing grocery shopping but I'm not forking out for dishwasher tablets and washing powder which I then either have to leave or cart home.

Oh and another thing, whilst I agree that it's useful for owners to think about what they would want in a holiday let, they should also remember that all their guests will be different - we once stayed somewhere in a town in Italy with an unusually large kitchen but it was so poorly equipped as to be almost useless, the owner was stunned to discover people would want to cook in it given all the lovely restaurants nearby! She's provided one frying pan, one pot for cooking pasta (it was enourmous), one spatula but no wooden spoons etc, no chopping boards (but, rather randomly, a salad spinner!) and it was a nightmare cooking in there! The owner genuinely thought that because she always ate out then her guests all would too!

I agree with the bit about the owners staying nearby.

I think close at hand but unobtrusive is probably the best.
We once stayed in a AirBnB in the UK where the gas leak detector kept going off. It turned out the owner lived in New Zealand, so we had to spend lots of time sorting out a gas engineer coming round whilst being unable to make any decisions as it wasn't our property! Having an owner close at hand would have been much better (and we now check where the owner lives before renting anywhere!)

A king size bed, definitely! Amazing how so many properties with plenty of room don’t have them. I won’t rent anywhere that doesn’t.

Ditto good WiFi.

If a family U.K. seaside property, please something for drying towels! Not to mention other laundry. A big heated rack would be better than nothing. A fairly expensive 3 bed seaside place we stayed at with Gdcs had nothing but a washing line - a fat lot of use for beach towels used daily unless you’re blessed with very good weather.

Duvets appropriate for the season - with a choice available if it’s unseasonally warm/chilly - and please not those flat-as-a-pancake, worn out synthetic ones that are too hot in summer.

Readily available instructions for any appliances where it’s not completely obvious how to use them.

Plenty of crockery/cutlery/glasses.

I think I must be really easy to please, compared to some of the lists! I'm fine with a double bed, and not bothered about netflix, or a hot tub.
I love leather sofas -weve got them at home. Much easier to clear up spillages/crumbs etc. (Dd was a sicky baby and I was very relieved I could wipe the sofa and spray with dettol on more than one occasion!) We always have fabric cushions on them though.
I agree with pp about more than 1 set of cutlery per person and sharp knives. We seem to buy a new sharp knife (and vegetable peeler) each time we go on holiday...or pack our own.
Also I would expect toilet roll , washing up liquid and (if there was a dishwasher) dishwasher tablets to be supplied.Not so much laundry liquid or powder, as everyone has different requirements , I always take enough for a couple of washes.
We went to a place in France and it was the most basic facility imaginable (it wasnt from their basic range when booking - I dread to think what that was like!!) There was not even a toilet roll supplied, and no cleaning products of any sort. We are used to camping and also it was a long journey so we had our own (as well as detol, washing up liquid and bleach) but then when we left the place, the rep asked if we could "give it a really good clean" which I begrudged since they had left no cleaning products or cloths, only a dust pan and brush!

OP i often do which includes the area and king size bed in the title then check the reviews.

What I would require is KS bed, same Tv specifications (if in winter), excellent cleaning standards throughout (now more so than ever), wood burner/log fire (in winter), downstairs floors which can be thoroughly mopped/cleaned, pet friendly, well equipped kitchen, not overly cluttered/old fashion space especially the bedroom, enclosed garden if in summer, dishwasher, power shower, excellent unsnooty communication from the owner. Wifi in the winter but much less bothered in summer.

Leather sofa

At the moment, adequate parking. In laws are talking about a large group break in the future if we get to a point where that can happen. Looking at big houses for large groups of 12 people.... and parking spaces for 2 cars.