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!

Someone may have already said this, but rather than a coffee pod machine (terrible eco credentials) a small bean to cup machine with some laminated instructions on how to use?

As someone who has recently been trawling through holiday booking sites looking to book a UK self-catering holiday, a key question for me is whether the property has (enough) parking. It looks like you're planning to let to large groups, so that will mean people arriving in multiple cars. Be clear in your marketing material as to how many cars you have parking space for on the premises (and if you can only fit that number by some cars blocking each other in, you need to be clear about that). If there isn't space for multiple cars on the premises, but there's plentiful free on street parking, be clear about that in your marketing material. If there isn't enough car parking space for the number of cars you are likely to attract, you need to think how to manage that.

Friends have holiday rentals and the main problem is that if you kit it out with decent stuff, it gets nicked

I think this must depend on the place and the target market. We have never had anything nicked (or not that I've noticed, anyway).

The bed should not have a footboard. So very tall guests can sleep comfortably.

Comfortable beds
Good quality pure cotton bedlinen and towels
Sharp knives
Pots, pans and casserole dishes appropriate to the capacity of the property
Nice toiletries
Welcome pack of tea, coffee, milk, dishwasher tablets and cake!
Board games
Lists of local attractions, pubs, restaurants

Free WiFi
Zip n link beds for flexibility
Towels
Plenty of loo rolls and dish soap
A vacuum, dustpan and brush (we usually do a quick vac round part way through the week)
Some board games, deck of cards, dvds if there is a dvd player

Seems good, yes to mixture of bed types, we holiday with adult kids with dp's of their own and those who are single and bring a friend. I would personally prefer a cafetière and ground coffee on environmental grounds.

Oh and a wine/drinks fridge is good for groups

I would say if it's that big you'd need possibly 2 high chairs and cots / travel cots.

That past few times we've been away there have been at least 2 under 2. The IKEA high chairs I think are stackable....

Stair gates are a must. It's too stressful without especially if the parents of the toddler don't give a toss but that's another story....

I hate travel cots with flimsy mattresses so cots would be great if you have space, if not mattresses for the travel cots and bedding for them.

Plastic crockery for the toddlers.

A really well equipped kitchen with everything you might need. Last place I stayed had no measuring jug but had lots of baking equipment & a slow cooker...

Make sure all the cots, stairgates, highchairs, etc are only put in for those that need them, they are annoying clutter once the children are older.

You can design house ideally so there is 1-2 lockable cupboards or space for changeover items like bedding, toiletries, the travel cots etc, but also your own stuff if you will use. Might even be worth sacrificing a smaller box room for this.

Yes good point - definetly need a lockable Owners Only cupboard.

@Polyethyl

The bed should not have a footboard. So very tall guests can sleep comfortably.

This is an excellent point.

a washing machine :-)

I've just come from staying in a huge cottage with pool house. There were 14 of us in total. Big hits were

• LOADS of cups and glasses. We went through lots
• two dishwashers. We only spotted the second dishwasher too late which was a huge shame
• clearly labelled recycling bins
• L'occitane shampoo, conditioners, shower gels (or other half decent brand)
• good quality towels
• hot tub
• swimming pool
• games room, with lots of board games, ping pong table : pool table
• good stock of food staples, seasoning and confinements

Those toilet seats that have both full sized and child sizes seats on. Perfect if traveling with potty training children