What makes the perfect self-catering holiday?

[NeedATan]

We are looking to start a self-catering holiday business, starting with one dog-friendly two-bedroom cottage in a rural part of the West Country (UK). We have a pretty comprehensive list of what we need to buy and provide (it will be quite high end, mostly aimed at couples, friends or families with older children) but we'd love to hear from you what you like to find when you go and stay in a self-catering property. Anything and everything considered! Thank you.

We booked a self catering cottage in Norfolk for a week in the Summer. It has its own beach hut which is what appealed.

Comfortable furniture would appeal to me too.

Parking, good WiFi, good quality linens. Well equipped kitchen as we cook evening meals due to having small children..

If its dog friendly specifically, then I want it to be properly dog friendly - not somewhere the dog is just tolerated and not allowed on the furniture (happy to be required to use provided throws), without an enclosed garden etc.
As always mentioned on threads like this, properly sharp knives, enough plates/ cups/cutlery so that you don't have to put the dishwasher on after every meal, decent sized cups and mugs, king sized bed, really nice bed linen and towels (I don't want to sleep in a bed on holiday which is worse than my own), and a feeling of being cared for - not a random selection of stuff which is tatty. And no long lists of rules - if you charge for cleaning, I only expect to be asked to have washed up before leaving, not to have done a full clean myself

Nespresso machine
Very nice towels, pillows etc
Decent shower
Wood burner / log fire with plenty of logs
Wine on arrival

Also, I'm not a dog owner so I'd want to feel reassured the place wouldn't smell of dogs and was suitable for non-dog owners too!

Quality bedding, particularly pillows. Wi-Fi that works. A fully comprehensive house ‘book’ with instructions for the dishwasher/washing machine/ boiler/heating/takeaway menus/menus for local pubs and restaurants/flyers and money off codes or vouchers for museums, galleries, soft play, swimming pool, country park, tennis court, cinema, bowling/location (with postcode) of nearest petrol station and supermarket/...hangers in wardrobes, something to dry clothes over, option for a welcome basket of local produce (kind of like a pick and mix),

Basics: towels (lots), cotton sheets, spare bedding, lots of decent (solid, not feeble) pillows, wooden blankets. Goes without saying duvets and pillows should be clean - use protectors and swap after each stay.
Dishwasher, washing machine, enough pegs/hanging rail. We do sports and pack lightly. We’ll be washing kit every day.
Enough place settings for three meals and fresh glasses/mugs for the day (not just four plates if for four people)
Enough kitchen space to store food (don’t fill every cupboard with all your old Pyrex/eternal beau tableware), enough bathroom space to put a decent amount of skincare stuff out and not have to keep it all in the wash again.
Lights either side of the bed, decent blackout blinds or curtains for the bedroom.
Reading lamp by sofa and a blanket there if possible too, few intact board games, a bookshelf of decent books if you have good charity shops for sourcing some (as inevitably some will go walkabout). Sofa can be very ugly as long as it is super comfy and doesn’t smell at all.
Nice to have: baking stuff for making cakes/biscuits, picnic blanket, board games, a few kids’ old toys. We stayed at one place with great cookbooks too, that was v nice.
I prefer places with no knick knacks, art or twigs and pebbly shit. I love having a simple but luxurious space that is ours for the holiday. Having twee aphorisms spelt out in sand makes me sneer a bit (I make an exception for really nice photography- we stayed somewhere a couple of summers ago where the owner’s son had all his final exhibition stuff up with sweet explanations and that was lovely). Similarly fake smells make me dash around bagging them all up and shoving under sink/in garden for the week and spending the afternoon with the windows wide open.
But I think most important to avoid pass-agg notes about looking after the place. Assume most people are decent. Over worry about carpets or precious china can make bad hosts out of the best of us.
Good luck!

A decent TV. It's a treat to sit and watch a film together in the evening for me on holiday.

Well stocked kitchen- not just one glass per person and decent sized glasses and cups!

Really comfortable mattress. Extra pillows of differing softness. Cafetière. Good knives. Big mugs and big wine glasses. Fast WiFi. Washing machine. Decent sized fridge and freezer. Plenty of hooks for coats and a space by the door to store muddy boots on a mat or hard floor so I don’t have to worry about your carpets.

When can we come?

Good wifi, a sofa you can both lounge on, good curtains or blinds so you don't wake at the crack of dawn unless you want to. A really handy house guide, detailing local area, places for food (eat in and take away) Welcome pack - first cuppa etc until you can get to the shops. We stayed somewhere rural Scotland and we didn't get there until nearly 10pm (driving from Sussex) and had a welcome pack so we could at least have a morning coffee before finding the supermarket

Agree with wifi and dogs either totally accepted (downstairs) or not at all. If I go on holiday with my dog I would like to be able to cuddle her on the comfy but ugly sofa. If not I don’t want to have to smell someone else’s stinky animal.

If its dog friendly will that mean allergic people can't visit? Can you make it clear that it will be doggy so I can make a choice.

Not too much stuff, eg ornaments, fake flowers in vases, lamps, copious cushions. Often cottages aren’t cleaned properly in the quick turnover and the more stuff there is the worse it can be. A proper clothes horse for drying clothes.

Comfortable bed with nice bed linen.
Really nice bathroom and nice towels, robes even better.
Sharp knives, if there is a dishwasher makes sure there is enough crockery so you actually don't to run the dishwasher after every meal.
Comfortable sofa and footstool ( after a day dog walking I need to put my feet up).
Decent TV,

King size bed.
Shower cubicle not over the Bath shower
Tv not high up on the wall
Table in, or at least very close to kitchen
Off road parking.
Boot room, or large porch area for dirty boots, wet coats.

Dog bowls, towels would be great
A dog secure garden is a must
Somewhere to wash off dogs after muddy / Sandy walk.
If I have to keep my dogs downstairs, then please provide stair gates.
Oh, and even if you don’t provide poo bags, then at least let me know where I can put said poo.
We went to one place where the only bin provided was in the kitchen. When asked about the outside bin, the owner just said, it’s ok, I’ll sort the rubbish when you’ve gone. I had to remind her that we had two dogs with us, and unless she meant we didn’t have to clear up the tiny garden after them, then I would need to know what to do with the poo. A kitchen bin would NOT be suitable!

Clean, Clean, Clean.

Anything else will be ok.

Comfortable sofas, beds. Showers that work.

Dishwasher, enough crockery so you aren’t putting the dishwasher on constantly.

No nick nacs.

Clean, clean, clean.

I wouldn't be interested as prefer places that do not allow dogs. But FWIW very good wifi is a must!

I agree with the pp in terms of kitchen stuff, welcome pack and decent bedding. I would add enough soft seating in living area for the number of people it sleeps. I hate it when we go somewhere as a family of four with one tiny two-seater sofa and then two upright-type chairs that you can’t lounge on. I would also say enough empty kitchen cupboards for you to put your food in. Also just leave the basics like hand soap in the loos and washing up liquid etc. I’ve been to places where there isn’t that and it’s so unwelcoming. I also agree on blankets (for people not dogs) on the settee. I don’t have a problem staying somewhere that takes dogs as a non dog owner. When I did have a dog, I also found the really restrictive rules about having them there really off-putting. Things like can’t leave the dog alone, can only go in kitchen etc.

A king size bed in whatever room dh and I will be using.

Good duvets to suit the season, not just the same old flat as a pancake synthetic one whether it’s June or December.
Cotton bedding, not polyester or a mix.
Good WiFi.
Space for toiletries in bathrooms. Too many places have nowhere to put them.
Enough towel rails.
Plenty of crockery - I don’t care if it’s mismatched - glasses and cutlery.
Very comfortable sofas, preferably not leather, and blankets/throws. Enough comfortable seating, not ‘nearly enough’ plus one uncomfortable chair.
Some outside space is essential.

Privacy - no owner peering over the fence or popping round.

If anywhere near a beach, somewhere to dry beach towels overnight.,
If not a T/drier then at least a large heated rack like Lakeland’s. In the U.K. a washing line will not do.

A nice, reasonably priced cafe close by.😉

A comfortable bed, a bathroom with good water pressure and not so small you can't turn around, sofas that are a pleasure to sit on for extended periods. I do not like TVs in self catering properties and do not rent any that have them. Sufficient space to put luggage, wet items and damp towels. Good mugs.

Mugs definitely!
Also enough chairs that are comfy for however many people you are able to sleep

Clean , internet , decent TV package , TV in master bedroom , bath ( not just a shower) and a variety of localish restaurants with good gf options as aside from breakfast I don’t cater when I’m on holiday .

More than 2-3 hangers in the wardrobe

A comfy bed with good linen and a few pillows. Sockets near the bed and a bedside lamp on both sides.

Enough space to unpack suitcases and a few hangers in the wardrobe.

A well equipped kitchen with decent knives and enough cutlery crockery etc. For a couple of meals. Good wine glasses.

If there is a dishwasher / washing machine then a couple of pods / tablets so you don’t have to buy a whole box.

A couple of board games or puzzles, and a few books.

Enough hooks for coats and bags.

If it’s dog friendly the dog throws that must be used if animals are getting on the furniture. (Speaking as a former dog owner and now quite allergic!)

Lots of local info in a folder.

Option to have a bag of essentials waiting (milk / bread / wine / juice / breakfast items for day1)