What would be in your dream holiday house?

[Pynapple]

DH and I have been lucky enough to inherit a beautiful old house by the sea in Devon that we are about to completely renovate.

We're going to let it as a holiday house before moving there in a few years.

So; what would be in your ideal holiday house? I want to make it as bright, airy and easy to stay in as possible.

We have 3 small children and a dog so it'll be decorated with that in mind. It has 6 bedrooms, and a basement that will have a little snug that we will do as a TV/cinema room, and a little games room with a pool table.

What would you like to see?

I'm thinking Nespresso machine with pods, washer and dryer available, decent high chair etc.

Ideas very welcome!

For me, the absolute priority is that it is thoroughly cleaned between each set of guests. Nothing more vile or off putting than paying a small fortune and arriving to be greeted with other people's grot.

Thank you! Such helpful comments.

@Caspianberg really good things to think about. Thank you!

Definitely going to promote local independents, I'm going to put together a folder of local restaurants etc with menus and opening times.

Eco-flush loos are already planned in! E have them at home too.

Big casserole dish now going in too! Thank you.

@MrsBertBibby I will do a whole house floor plan with beds clearly marked. I know exactly what you mean about the vase pictures!

Enough baking trays including ones that are big enough to fit a pizza.

At least one clock.

Hooks on doors especially bathroom doors

A drier or a washing line. I don't want to be forced to use the very slow and not very environmentally friendly dryer part of the washer drier simply because I have nowhere else to dry clothes.

A selection of condiments such as salt, pepper, basic spices, vinegar etc - and let people know that you provide them so as they know not to bring their own (which is a pain)
Ditto for foil and cling film.

Decent oven gloves

A decent washing machine and somewhere to dry laundry. If you’re near the sea and marketing to families washing will be done. A tumble dryer would be nice but obviously inessential.

Decent blackout curtains/blinds. The last place we stayed was gorgeous, but all white walls and white curtains. I want to sleep when I’m on holiday and I don’t want my kids up until sunset in June!

Plenty of plates and cutlery, decent set of pans, things can be basic,e.g. Ikea but as long as they are functional all is good.

Like the idea of local produce in the welcome hamper.

Woodburner is nice for winter getaways.

Good WiFi, smart tv. A desk maybe if there is space. Increasingly I’m considering going away for two weeks and juggling some work in that time.

Good pillows and mattresses a must, DH has sciatica and it's his pet hate when we go anywhere.

Yes to it being impeccably clean too.

Good curtains already on the list. We have a 3 year old so know the value of blackouts in summer!

Garden isn't huge (it's a townhouse) but it's walled and enclosed and big enough for nice seating and a washing line.

We've stayed in a few 6 bedroom properties over the last few years as a group of three families.
I suggest one of your proposed double/king-sized beds is one that can be separated into twins to allow options. We have rejected lovely looking houses because children won't want to share double beds. Also the option of extra folding beds to extend capacity to 14 if there is space in any of the rooms.
Agree with others regarding large enough cooking pots and pans to cook for 12 people. Also a teapot and a clothes airer for stuff that can't be tumble dried.
It's nice if hand-wash or soap, washing up liquid and loo cleaner is provided and this is stated in the description.

Excellent. I made a suggestion after our stay through the agent and the owner was very dismissive as nobody else had raised it. It’s a shame because otherwise it was an excellent cottage (spacious, well appointed, great location and excellent garden), and I’d love to go back but can’t face another week of too little sleep.

Good idea @Gnome134 thank you.

Zip-links and a mattress topper then maybe?

I'm going to dedicate a cleaning cupboard with hoover mop etc and ecover liquid refillables for soap, detergent etc.

If you have the space for two dishwashers and fridges, that's the dream for a large group.
Also it might not be applicable for your property but if there is any scope to make it wheelchair accessible with a downstairs bedroom, wetroom and grab rails, you would be opening up to a whole corner of the market not often catered for. My brother is a wheelchair user, we really struggle to find suitable holiday properties for a large family group that will accommodate our needs.

Oh yes, and absolutely agree to check you have enough plates and crockery etc for the number of people that can stay in the house.

I've been amazed at the number of places we've been to that (say) sleep 8 but only provide 2 small pans or exactly 8 plates (no good if you want to put things on plates and eat of plates).

I'd also suggest "test driving" it yourself as you'll pick up a lot of the annoying things. We stayed in one place where you couldn't open the fridge without closing the kitchen door and as you had to go through the kitchen to get to the lounge having the kitchen door shut was really unhelpful. There was enough room in the kitchen to have put the fridge somewhere else and I have no idea why the owners didn't.

Plenty of mirrors and sockets
Surfaces /storage in bathrooms for toiletries - I hate not having anywhere to put stuff
Beds that are long enough for tall people, without annoying bedsteads or frames to knock their feet on. Husband and son are both 6'3+, and I aoutomatically dismiss anywhere with fancy bedsteads because I know they won't be comfortable.

@Policyschmolicy that's a shame. It's just a miserable week for everyone if you're all knackered from early wakings!

@NadjaofAntipaxos sadly we can't do this - it's a listed building and we aren't allowed to touch the layout or staircase (banister is 230 years old) to make changes.

I have a pet hate of having to wash cutlery between courses - there will definitely be enough plates etc to make catering larger numbers easier!

Family are clamouring to test drive for us so I don't think we'll have a shortage of volunteers to provide feedback,

If you’re allowing dogs, think about soft furnishings. Pale sofas and chairs cause problems for renters, as do pale rugs.
If you’re putting a wood burner or open fire a child friendly fire guard would be a good idea.
We don’t rent out our second home, but family and friends stay, so we slept in all the beds to see how comfortable they were.

Sounds amazing. Not owing a dog this would be enough to immediately move me along to the next let as unfortunately I’ve stayed in a couple of places and the smell of wet dog and dog hair on sofas and blankets isn’t relaxing for me. So unless you’ve got incredible cleaners that’s wouldn’t work for me.

That being said - drying racks and a washing line in the garden for wetsuits and swim wear is something we always struggle without and making do is a pita after a long day at the beach. Decent mattresses. Warm duvets. Simple but beachy vibe - not too many things that can be broke as I move them all out of the way so I can relax that nothing will get damaged! A few DVDs and games is always nice and milk and some biscuits are nice on arrival.

One place we stayed at had a cold water tap at the front of the house (with the tap head inside the cottage). That was excellent for getting rid of sand and not taking it into the house.

Sounds like you’re going to be a fab rental owner if you’re thinking about this, and my only sadness is that you’re not in West Cornwall as that’s where we always need to go for family reasons.

Lucky you!
My irks in cottages have been:
Unfenced outside space, or silly things like fences but no gate. A properly enclosed garden is essential for dogs and toddlers.
A low maintenance garden, empty outside bins, so you aren't trying to cram recycling on top of someone else's, clear instructions on which bin to put what into, as each district council has different rules. Instructions on what to do with dog poo, and a little poo shovel.
Good storage for clothes in the bedrooms, a wardrobe and chest of drawers with plenty of coat hangers.
A decent cleaner and outside maintenance person / caretaker to come between guests.
A cleaning cupboard that your guests have access to.

@MintyGreenDream

Dh and Brad Pitt circa 1990 on rotation

Big teapot AND little teapot.
Big jugs and little jugs

Dishwasher, washing machine & heated dryer, plenty of suitable pots/pans/crockery, lovely big soft fluffy towels, good quality wine glasses, bottle opener, local recommendations for activities/restaurants/cafes etc. Spare toilet roll.

I always think it's nice when you get there after a long drive and there some local produce like milk, butter, eggs, bread, biscuits and some tea bags by the kettle.

I went to a holiday home once and there was biscuit crumbs in the bed. Avoid that.

My main thing is no near neighbours making a noise!

Otherwise just that it’s been done with children safety in mind so all windows are secure & lock, no dodgy furniture not fixed to the wall etc

@Eycaluptus oh that's so grim!

Child safety is paramount. You just can't relax when you think the kids are going to injure themselves. There will be no fancy expensive looking vases on wobbly dressers, as we have experienced in places we've rented!

A decent music system and really good speakers. It's amazing how many holiday cottage owners don't consider sound quality. We get loads of glowing compliments about our music system.

Live in it for a week or two when you think you've finished, because it's only when you actually live in it that you realise what's awkward, what doesn't work, and what's missing.

Also, if you're not going to be doing the changeovers yourself, find a housekeeper/housekeepers as early on in the process as you can, and discuss exactly what they are and are not prepared to do. We bought 100% cotton sets for our cottage, but then had to change it all for polycotton, because we couldn't find housekeepers who were prepared to launder pure cotton.

If the outdoor space is big enough I'd like a a BBQ and garden furniture that can be folded down and put away when not needed and pretty little lights twinkling around. If possible pay a local cat to wander into the garden from time to time and trained to sit on laps.

Things like coffee pods are expensive, if you have four adults staying for seven days, you need at least 14 pods.

We’ve got a little holiday that we rent out, we also stay it in ourselves. At the start we rented to people we know as we know they would be very honest with feedback, staying in it ourselves is also a good way of seeing what works and doesn’t.

We go for extended stays, so it essentially has to have anything we have in our home, washing machine, tumbler, plenty of cutlery, spare towels etc.

Ours has
Kitchen
Oven with suitable trays/pyrex dishes and saucepans.
Knives that are sharp and sharpened regularly.
Enough cutlery for everyone to eat and not have to wash up until the end of the day, same for cups, plates etc.
Dishwasher with tabs.
Chopping boards, tongs, spatulas, jug, corkscrew etc so you can cook properly.
Condiments, sachets not bottles for hygiene reasons.
Tea and coffee is provided, we do have a bean ti cup machine, so we do supply a bag of beans which is a lot cheaper than pods.
Clothes airer and some pegs as not everything can be tumbled.
We also have smaller cutlery etc for younger children to use.

Dining area has enough chairs and placemats for everyone to eat. Living room has enough seating for everyone.

Bed have a duvet on but there is a spare and blankets, each person has a bath sheet, towel, and flannel with spares in a cupboard. Bedrooms have sockets near the mirror to dry hair etc.

Bathroom is a shower over a bath, there isn’t room for a cubicle, the curtain is changed after each visitor (glass screens make us a bit nervous), toiletries are supplied, but small ones, enough toilet paper for the whole stay.

We have a pack of simple laminated info cards for using the appliances, what to do with rubbish, how to contact us, nearest vet, doctor, dentist etc and up to date info about visitor attractions.

We do have a stocked cleaning cupboard, so people don’t have to bring their own kitchen spray etc, it is locked and guests are given a key so that it isn’t accessible to children.