What 'out of the ordinary' things would really delight you in a holiday rental?

[Malin52]

Just bought a holiday rental property (yes, I'm in another country with no COVID restrictions except the border remains closed) and I'm super keen to make sure my guests have a really lovely experience.

I've had many experiences of my own of staying in holiday homes with crap or limited amenities that ruins a holiday so between that and the various threads on here I've got a pretty decent list of 'non negotiables' ie full length mirrors, table lamps, 2x the crockery/glassware for max capacity, range of sharp knives, potato peelers, sieves, enough lounge/dining space for everyone, good towels, various saucepans and oven dishes, food serving dishes and tools, games and books you can actually read rather than a job lot of shite picked up at a knockdown price (the beginners guide to Visual Basic in one place I am reminded of) etc.

But I'm Keen to know what would really make you think your hosts had really thought about your needs? Some of those things that you wouldn't normally find but you wish were there or things you have to remember and pack, or go out and buy

Rental is a two bed , beachfront location

Some thoughts I've had:

• basic cooking bits on top of oil, salt/pepper such as mixed herbs, chilli?
• kitchen consumables such as paper towels, cling film, tin foil?
• couple of Tupperware boxes for picnics, cool bag and ice packs,
• ice made up in the freezer
• chilled tap water in a glass bottle the fridge
• beach bits: sunshades, blankets, body boards
• reuseable bags for the supermarket
• sugar, teabags, coffee.

Anything else?

How would you feel about using food items someone else had used previous such as the herbs, oil, sugar etc? What if there was a decanted sealed jar of ketchup in the fridge (bbq on the deck and I always find buying yet another ketchup just for a couple of burgers v annoying). Would the ice and water delight you or make you go eurggh?!

Thoughts welcome? Too much effort for the potential for someone to think it's all a big grim?

Nice wine/champagne/beer glasses, especially if you have a BBQ. Don’t need to be expensive, but I would definitely appreciate that rather than drinking out of a tumbler

Jason Momoa in the bedroom with massage oil.

A comfortable sofa for any at-home evenings. Decent kitchen equipment eg garlic press, suitable size pans and enough glasses of different types.

Definitely a Nespresso machine. The machines themselves aren't that expensive, and they have to buy the capsules themselves.

Decent mattress and pillows.

Decent, sturdy cutlery, not with separate plastic handles.

WELLIES???!
Provide a selection of wellies in every size for kids, women and men, on the off chance that someone won’t have bothered bringing their own, and will want to use a communal pair. Great idea 🤣 maybe they could de-odourize them by sprinkling in some dubious, communal herbs.

I want the absolute minimum! And nothing that can’t easily be thoroughly cleaned. No open foodstuffs at all.

Some friends and I are regulars (well, not since January 2020 😭) at a fabulous holiday cottage. We all agree that it’s the best any of us have ever used, by a long way. The reasons we keep going back?

• No sense of corner being cut anywhere.
• built in bean to cup coffee machine (soooo good)
• washing machine and dryer with a couple of pods left in a pot saying

help yourself if needed

• at Christmas/Easter they have the house beautifully and

professionally decorated (it makes all the difference to know it will all be there)

• lots of kitchen equipment to cover whatever we may want to cook. The

house sleeps us to 12 so there are very large roasting pans, a large range cooker, lots of chopping boards, pans, bowls, etc.

• wine and treats on arrival are always a lovely sight
• nest thermostats on every floor to make temperature easy to control.
• Sonos Bluetooth speaker for the kitchen and sound bar for the living

room

• enough sofa space for 12 people (surprising amount of places have

lots of bedrooms but still only room for 5-6 in the living room!)

• big and well stocked herb garden outside
• hairdryers and straighteners
• box of spare usb phone/device charger leads
• plenty of sockets, most with USB ports on too

@Moreginneeded

Some friends and I are regulars (well, not since January 2020 😭) at a fabulous holiday cottage. We all agree that it’s the best any of us have ever used, by a long way. The reasons we keep going back?

• No sense of corner being cut anywhere.
• built in bean to cup coffee machine (soooo good)
• washing machine and dryer with a couple of pods left in a pot saying

help yourself if needed

• at Christmas/Easter they have the house beautifully and

professionally decorated (it makes all the difference to know it will all be there)

• lots of kitchen equipment to cover whatever we may want to cook. The

house sleeps us to 12 so there are very large roasting pans, a large range cooker, lots of chopping boards, pans, bowls, etc.

• wine and treats on arrival are always a lovely sight
• nest thermostats on every floor to make temperature easy to control.
• Sonos Bluetooth speaker for the kitchen and sound bar for the living

room

• enough sofa space for 12 people (surprising amount of places have

lots of bedrooms but still only room for 5-6 in the living room!)

• big and well stocked herb garden outside
• hairdryers and straighteners
• box of spare usb phone/device charger leads
• plenty of sockets, most with USB ports on too

I Sounds AMAZING If you are feeling generous please can you PM me the link?

One thing that would make a difference to me is knowing that food items were there in advance. So bread, butter milk etc so we didn't have to worry about whether we'd need to be finding a shop

@RampantIvy

I second kitchen scales, not for baking, but for weighing out pasta.

If I cook on holiday it is quick and simple foods like pasta and sauce. I don't bake on holiday. That isn't a holiday for me. I would far rather be out sightseeing and exploring.

I am genuinely surprised that anyone weighs out pasta! Or indeed (from the poster above you) that anyone weighs out the ingredients for pancakes!

Some really good knives. I despair at some of the knives I have had to use. If theft is an issue, you could make the good knives a special request so you know who has them. I love to cook and enjoy it on holiday. Even a good chef's knife and a decent paring knife would be nice.

Also decent frying pans, not completely destroyed cheap non stick. And a casserole dish/cake pan.

Kitchen scissors.

Small touches really but very appreciated.

We've been doing this for a while now and get excellent reviews. We've learnt through trial and error that guests appreciate the following:

• super kingsize beds (zip and link for twins or doubles)
• hairdryer in each bedroom with socket near a table and mirror
• plastic bowls, plates and cutlery for children
• games, books for adults and children
• lots of local info re places of interest, walks, restaurants, cafes etc.
• cot (already made up with bedding) and highchair if needed
• welcome pack of local produce (beer, cake, popcorn), wine, milk, tea, coffee
• dog toy
• empty drawer in kitchen for guests to store their food
• lots of mugs, plates, glasses etc.
• quality cookware (le creuset)
• smart TV with netflix
• washer/dryer, laundry basket, clothes horse
• umbrellas
• shoe rack for muddy boots, coat hooks
• cleaning equipment and cordless vacuum cleaner
• spotlessly clean with hand sanitiser in each room
• cafetiere rather than pod machine (not great for the environment)
• iron & ironing board (some people seem to iron on holiday!)
• emergency contact details for gas, electricity and internet password
• very quick response to guest queries
• leather sofas (easy to clean)

We accept dogs and children so had stairgates fitted (top and bottom of stairs) which just stay open when not needed - lots of positive comments.

Also we have local artwork on the walls which guests can purchase.

It's hard work running a holiday let but very rewarding when guests acknowledge your efforts with good reviews (and want to stay again)!

Good luck!

List what you provide on your website to save wondering what you may or may not need when you arrive! Essentials for me is quality, hate having to tiptoe about in case a flimsy fitting breaks it really ruins your stay. Good toilet roll, mugs you can get a few fingers through the handle, lots of hangers, hooks on doors, mats at entrance, Airers and places to dry wet kit and towels. Hand wash, storage in shower for toiletries- no scrabbling in the shower tray for things wobbling off tiny shelves, decent chopping board, thin and thick pillows. For those on meds a Thermometer in fridge & instruction for cooler or warmer on the fridge control - it’s amazing how often it’s not obvious with different makes if say 3 is cooler or warmer than 6 even with the manual and very stressful to wait and find out whether you guessed correctly. Space in kitchen cupboards to put your food away, washing up liquid, loo cleaner, DW tablets & few capsules for washing machine

@Dimpley

It’s a really small thing, but I stayed in a place that had a little magnetic square tile that you could place over the light on the heater at night, if you were a person that needed a complete black out to sleep

Omg - I stayed in a hotel (over a year ago now!) and the light from that thing was so bright! Every time I rolled over towards it I woke up. It was so annoying. I ended up having to hang a t-shirt over it. I mentioned it to reception when I checked out, I wonder if they did anything about it...

Decent Tin opener! At the cottage we stayed at furnour wedding there was bloody everything apart from a tin opener.

Spare bags for the bins of the holiday letcand bin bags

Thanks everyone! Wow! Lots of things to consider. And I thought my years of 'cottaging' had armed me with enough insight to know what guests wanted!

Totally on the ball with the sharp knives, chopping boards, decent pans, cookware and decent glasses for assorted beverages (I'm well aware dinner can consist of g&t, water, champagne and wine so need a full set of all). Decent mugs. I hadn't quite expected the pillow menus but we had planned for every person a fluffy feather pillow, a plump polyester filled pillow and a 'European' (square) pillow. Also agree on decent towels and bed linen but these will be hired so they are clean and crisp.

I think I'll leave oil, dried chilli and salt and pepper. Guests can use our beautiful herb garden and collect their own eggs if required! Ketchups off the list!

So we are in NZ. Location famed for vineyards, restaurants, mountain hiking and beaches so we could get weekending couples/friends, tourists on their big NZ adventure, wedding guests or families but TBH is not really a 'kiddy' location and the spa pool hopefully directs a more couples based experience. Location means most visitors are adults on a break. I'll be honest I don't like a couples weekend in a house with kids stuff around so I might keep that to a minimum but there's a baby gate and a poets cot available. If we get families though I've taken on board the suggestions here. We have a great local toy library we can raid!

I'm actually not keen on the sound systems. It's a very very peaceful location, mainly where you'd come to listen to the birds, watch the waves and the wind in the trees but still residential and we also live close by so I'd be worried about noise. Maybe I'm being a little too anxious about that? Most people are reasonable right?

How would it work if we left an Apple TV? Just get people to log into their iTunes and or log into their own Netflix? Feels a bit risky?

Cottage comes fully stocked with all furniture when we bought it so that's a bonus but not quite to my taste. Some of it is a bit '90's' and haphazard and we'll change it over time but keep prices reasonable on that basis. First thing I noticed was cottage for 4 but seating for two on a crap sofa and for one on a pointless 'occasional' chair

There's some things I can't change yet. Both beds are doubles. There's enough space for kings so that will be one of our first purchases. Also there's a washer and a dryer but no dishwasher. It will need a full new kitchen for that so that won't be for a good while yet! That worries me actually. I HATE washing up. Having said that my friends who own similar properties say most people go out for most meals given the quality of the restaurants being part of the experience so hopefully that helps.

We know loads about the area and I've already started my ' places only known to locals' list and my '50 things to do' list and restaurant recommendations to leave for guests to plan their holiday.

It's very exciting but very daunting. I'll be back with stories I'm sure but appreciate all the comments! Even the pillow menu ones!

@BashfulClam I'm with you! We've been left bereft of sieves, stirry things, chopping boards, graters, garlic presses, tin openers and WORST was no corkscrew! We've also had myriad melon ballers and a job lot of decorative fish knives instead. WTF?!

First thing we are going to do is live in the cottage for a weekend and make notes from there! I'm pretty sure most places we've stayed in the hosts haven't done that and don't know that the place just doesn't work

Would an Apple TV work if you have an Android phone? Not everyone owns an iPhone.

@Malin52 An Apple TV wouldn't be a plus for us, we gave up iPhones a couple of years ago and wouldn't go back to them, so that would only be a bonus to some of your guests but certainly not all. The location of your cottage sounds wonderful.

apple tv or fire stick or smart tv or whatever is just a digital device to receive tv.
both need stable and fast internet to work.
you just sign in to your usual app.
no need to connect to your phone/tablet.

Good Wi-fi connection.

OP I wouldn't go mad with the extras unless the place itself is top of the market, and the mismatched 90s furniture is ringing warning bells to me- are you putting in new beds at least.
If you can't afford to properly refurbish the place now, then focus on making sure the kitchen is well-equipped with all new matching stuff, bed linen and towels are new and good quality. Make sure curtains and light fittings are clean and in good condition, and that the place is totally spotless. Really important that there are enough comfortable sofa spaces for the number of people staying.

Nowone will expect food op. Especially not if its added to the cost of the rental. It just needs to be clean and basically equipped.

Expectations will vary depending on the market and the price. You don’t have to be all things to all people. I think the only universal expectation is clean.