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?

A washing machine. I like not having to hand wash stuff while I'm away.

Plenty of glasses/mugs, plates and cutlery.

Big towels! Not silly tiny towels that only cover one bum cheek. Separate beach/pool towels.

A folder with numbers of local amenities- and a list of restaurants.

Bedside lamps, or ones that are attached to the wall.

A decent mirror and hairdryer with a plug socket nearby.

Blackout blinds in bedroom.

Outdoor shower if close to the beach.

In the U.K., esp. any seaside rental, a large heated airer e.g. Lakeland, for drying clothes.

I would say a tumble dryer but I gather that the reason a lot of owners won’t install them is because too many idiots put sandy towels in, which buggers them up.

A big must for me is a king size bed - I won’t book anywhere with a standard double.

I wouldn’t put an extension lead in without checking insurance.

I like a few paperbacks.
Coffee machine.
Decent pillows.

And enough toilet rolls for at least a few days.

If you're going to have a Nespresso have one without the built-in milk frother as they can be hard to keep clean.

A pint of milk and some teabags / coffee is appreciated, but I don't want food and drink other than that, quite happy to buy my own. We stayed in one place that did a huge welcome pack, cake, jam, porridge oats, coffee, bread, butter, wine. Didn't use most of it. and then felt bad about it. No to flowers, reed diffusers etc too, just freshly aired.

Enough toilet roll, washing up liquid, DW tabs to last the stay plus general cleaning stuff.

Also lots of empty cupboard space in the kitchen is important. I've stayed at places with cupboards full of glasses for white wine, red wine, pints, large and small tumblers, you name it but nowhere for food. Just one set of generic wine glasses and tumblers is plenty.

Plenty of space for shoes, coats, outdoor stuff too, so it doesn't have to clutter up the entrance.

Decent sized glasses and mugs, so you get more than two mouthfuls out of them!

I haven't RTFT but the following spring to mind:

• non-fiction books on the local area
• fiction on the local area
• the equivalent of an OS map of the area
• a list of local places of interest
• a list of local shops / takaways / chemist etc..
• boxes of tissues
• set of napkins
• wood & firelighters for BBQ if there is one
• proper fluffy towels - 1 bath & 1 hand p/person
• air con

NO to the jars & packets of kitchen supplies and the water/ice, as you cant trust people's level of hygiene sadly.

Bottled water (Evian etc.) and cellophane sealed goods welcome though.

@bigredkangaroo

A coffee machine and coffee to go in it.

This. I am so dependent on good coffee at home that I hate going to stay anywhere that doesn’t have one. Of course it would need to be an easy one and that probably means a pod machine but I would take that over instant in a holiday home!

A good clothes horse or washing line, pegs, key hooks near the door and hooks on the back of doors for dressing gowns. These are frequently not there and it's maddening.

Big mugs and glasses - I love a big long drink and hate it when there's only thimble sized cups! Also a small welcome hamper of local stuff - biscuits, cake etc.

@harknesswitch

We stayed in a holiday cottage in Scotland and the owners put us some local produce in the fridge for us, think local smoked salmon, cream cheese, eggs, bread and enough tea, coffee and milk to see us through a few days. It was a lovely touch and meant we didn't have to rush off food shopping as soon as we arrived, we could leave it until the following day

This x10

plus a decent bed! I hate cheap rental beds it is a key factor in making stay in hotels more these days

OP, I only want to suggest that you provided a teapot. I’d rather not drink tea at all than dink a teabag in a mug.

Oh. And proper saucepans etc and enough of them to be able to cook family sized meals.

Good luck with your new venture.

For me, big mugs (I want to sit and relax with my drink, not be up and down refilling), enough crockery to not have to keep washing up. A decent number of tea towels. A drying rack. If near sea/lake, then somewhere wetsuits can be rinsed and dried.
I'm gluten free and we don't really drink, so rather than a standard welcome pack I'd much rather be given the option to preorder a local food pack that suited us than have food going to waste

I think some of those things would disappear on accident. I like it when cleaning products are left like dishwashing liquid. But I love it when listings are explicitly clear about what is and isn't provided.

Little kids cutlery
More than one teatowel! Three at least with at least some absorbency
More than one dishwasher tablet - in fact including a box would be brilliant

YY to king-size bed (or bigger). DH and I both need the space; a double bed would irritate us both and we’d sleep badly all week. When I book a place I always specifically check it has a king-size.

Good WiFi. DH often has to do the occasional bit of work on holiday, reliable internet is crucial for this. We still remember the time we had to hare it over to Sainsbury’s so he could do a video call in their cafe...

I don’t think you can ever please all of the people all of the time with the coffee, really. For every person who loves Nespresso there’ll be another who’ll write something snippy in your guest book about the environmental impact of coffee pods. And as a pp said you don’t want people chucking cafetière grounds down the sink. Maybe a nicer instant like Azera or something? And if anyone’s more particular than that they just buy their own.

No laminated signs with naggy helpful instructions.

I think you might be over-worrying the ketchup

Toilet rolls (even if just one or two in each toilet) and soap (liquid soap in a dispenser).

There is nothing worse than travelling for hours and being desperate for the toilet as soon as you arrive at the holiday rental, but you have to unpack the toilet rolls/soap you've bought with you before you can go.

Decent solid coat hooks so we can hang 3x coats per person.
Blackout curtains in bedrooms.

^^Neither of these should be extras, but so few places actually provide them.

Really important is listing in advance what you will provide - I like kitchen roll, dishwasher tablets, Tupperware and cleaning supplies being provided so don’t have to take up space in car but really annoying to bring my own only to find they aren’t needed. Same with eg milk, bread, eggs as I’ll have put in a supermarket order to arrive on day one. I want bedroom reading lights that don’t light up whole room so I can read while DH sleeps. But top of my list is choice of duvets (and stating that on particulars). I have spent too many holidays baking under a 9 (or even 13) tog duvet in middle of summer that we usually now take our own unless I manage to get owner to tell me what tog theirs are.

proper toilet paper
working wifi

List the brand and mattress of the bed. Buy high thread count sheets and list this too

Sounds a lovely place OP, you sound very thoughtful. We tend to stay at the budget end of self catering but these lists are a bit overwhelming, I would keep it simple. With my kids I would worry about losing, breaking or using up things if there's too many supplies and accessories, plus I don't want to spend long tidying up each day, we take minimal things with us for a reason. What does make a difference is an airer indoors and washing line outdoors for swimsuits and beach towels, spare beach towels would be a nice touch but I'd only use them if they looked very worn, otherwise I'd worry about damaging them on the beach, the same for beach toys, I'd not use anything I thought we might lose or break. Basic cleaning supplies like a spray, tea towel, sponge, washing up liquid, but not too much (I don't want feel like I should be deep cleaning) a loo brush (controversial on mumsnet I know), and a hoover-I hate not being able to hoover up mud, sand and crisps from the kids. Oh and door mats, bath mat and a mop in case of spills.

A soft toy and a craft pack on each child’s back. A decent welcome pack that included sweets and treats for the kids.

*bed not back

Spotlessly clean
Local welcome pack
Local guide books, and maybe novels set in area
Welcome book
Proper folder full of takeaway, local attractions etc
A discreet host (I prefer not to see them, my partner likes to make new friends, you can’t please all the people)!
Good lighting
Big comfy bed
Hand soap
Good deck chairs / outdoor seating area.
Something quirky....a local board game, pack of card with photos, garden game, local postcards.
(This because of a french property we booked that had a traditional french marble game with a card from owner on how to play and history of game. we all really recall it because of this, we even bought one the same from the local market before coming home)
Good luck with it!