Holiday rental must have/have nots

[TitaniasAss]

What do you look for in a holiday rental property. What are you 'must' haves, your 'would like' and your 'absolutely puts me off's please?

Don't have a heating system which is really complicated. We have stayed in a house recently with storage heaters, we couldn't work out how to turn them off or even down and it was roasting the whole week.

Do have a well stocked kitchen, with half decent stuff if you can afford to (not Joseph Joseph, but not Asda smartprice!). Things like knives that actually cut, cheese grater, potato peeler, masher, colander etc sound obvious but are often overlooked.

Must have heated towel rail.
Proper wine glasses
No cracked plates/ dishes
Big fridge with ice dispenser

Must have off road parking, dishwasher, toilet on ground floor, comfortable mattresses. Would like washing machine and tumble dryer.

Must have a washing machine, good wifi, plenty of comfortable seating and a well-equiped kitchen. Good knife, range of glass sizes, plenty of crockery.

I'm not as bothered about a dishwasher, but I will use it if there is one.

Lack of parking really puts me off.

Nothing personal at all.

Matching crockery, glasses, cutlery, sheets, towels etc. plenty of them too. Not just 1 mug per person.

none of those plug in smelly things

things that are easy to work - heating, oven, hob, microwave etc.

sharp knives.

don’t bother with loads of extra cushions on the beds - they just go straight on the floor!

Coat hooks and somewhere to leave shoes.

Make it clear if things like oil, salt, pepper, dishwasher tablets etc are provided.

Washer, dryer and dishwasher

Stayed somewhere once without an oven glove. That was annoying.
Also a hairdryer is always nice to have. Nice soap by the sinks.
Yes to a heated towel rail.

Not a dyson. A good vacuum cleaner especially if you’re expecting people to leave it pretty shiny, but not a fucking dyson, I can’t ever work them out.

reasonably stocked kitchen.

aheating system that’s not totally eccentric in its workings.

decemt cotton sheets, but not designer type. With 2 small kids, I steer away from places advertising white stuff sheets. I don’t want to feel things are irreplaceable.

Spotlessly clean.
comfortable beds.
No smelly things.
Reasonably decent pots and pans.
Good shower.

We look for 2 comfortable sofas. And I mean comfortable. Even when looking in a specific area for a dog friendly place we first look for comfy sofas.

Then double beds. Then dog friendly gardens.

Few niknaks, few cushions, decent kitchen and a fridge freezer, we need freezer space for the dog food.

We can put up with a lot, buy if we can't be comfortable for the last hour or so of every day then we don't book.

For me/us

1. If you say you are dog friendly, be dog friendly. Don't tell me that and then have a million rules when I get there


2. Decent knives


3. Enough plates/cups/glasses so that we don't have to wash up immediately after every meal


4. I don't care if you live in the most complicated recycling system in the country. I'm paying to stay in the cottage, I don't want passive aggressive notes about it


5. In fact, no chuffing notes at all please. They make me feel unwelcome, nagged at, and like you'd much rather not have people in your property


6. Don't have a heating system that requires a PhD to work out, or worse that the residents can't adjust. We stayed in a (very beautiful) place at Christmas that even though each room had a thermostat you couldn't adjust (pass agg note about it) and nor could you open a window without getting told off about it because it 'upset the system'

If you're dog friendly.. please have a real enclosed garden!

I like zip and link beds rather than just doubles, and enough sofa space for everyone staying.

I dislike dog friendly places (allergies mainly) but I suspect it's good business sense to allow them these days.

Must have a king size bed at least. At home we have a super king - and I'm not paying money to be crammed into a small double with DH. That's a deal breaker for me.

Enough big plates/side plates/bowls/cutlery/glasses for the occupancy. Depressing I need to say that.

Building on that, decent kitchen equipment. As above, knives that cut. Corkscrew. Cheese grater/colander/decent sized pans. A range of glasses is good. If you’re aiming for the family market, a set of basic plastic plates and cups.

Instructions for appliances if they are anything but utterly foolproof. Also tips on any locks that might be a pain, including windows.

Cotton sheets, not nylon ones that have gone bobbly. Pillows that aren’t lumpy.

Lamps next to the bed. Bath plugs that work. Shower heads that aren’t dribbling and leaky.

A starter loo roll in the loo! An amazing place would have washing up liquid, a few dishwasher tablets (if applicable) and hand soap.

Always grateful for basic local information - not just tourist attractions but standard amenities.

Properly clean. Not rugs and carpets that made me shudder if I’m sitting on them playing a game!

Sparkling clean. I hate doing a full clean before I let my kids loose and paying a cleaning fee for that privilege. Enclosed garden, decent heating, modern bedding, clean kitchen utensils/plates and a dishwasher.

A decently equipped kitchen with enough good sized pots and pans to cook a proper meal for the number of people that the place sleeps. A tin opener, bottle opener etc. Make it clear if there's an oven or not. Provide a microwave.

Oh god yes, enough mugs please! It's so annoying and stingey to have Only One Of Anything Per Person.

A dishwasher and washing machine is a must.

And please for the love of god among the utensils include a knife sharpener. I don't expect you to sharpen the knives between every guest, but please give me the tools to do so! Blunt knives are SO annoying (and dangerous.)

And stuff like one dishwasher tablet, one washing tablet, one bin bag - I will generally bring my own but there's something so miserly about just providing one.

A range of different-sized glasses (tumbler / wine / pint); at least one good knife; a full-sized fridge and freezer or fridge freezer (not a little fridge with a stupid small freezer section at the top); comfortable beds (and not an occasional double in the master!); a chopping board; a good range of pans, with lids, and preferably a pan steamer; various baking trays / ovenware.

I've stayed in way too many places where they've clearly just thrown a load of old stuff out of their house, into the SC accommodation. It's shoddy practice.

Bedside lamps.

Proper size mugs, not doll size.

Easy instructions for all appliances. Even if its obvious

Decent directions... postcode, grid reference, What3Words, from motorways.

Decent sized beds. We are both tall and will get no sleep in a small bed. King size at least or I don’t look any further at the listing

And if its family friendly, especially toddler friendly... plastic plates and cups in addition to proper ones!

Absolutely spotless
Dishwasher/washing machine /freezer
Fully stocked kitchen, coffee press, proper dinner service , good knives etc
Cotton sheets , good pillows, choose of synthetic of there's feather duvets
Loads of towels
Nothing personal
Comfy seating, if it's marketed for 4 people then have 4 proper, comfy seats not one tiny two seater sofa and 2 hard chairs, have 2 sofas or 2 extra arm chairs.
Proper thick curtains or black out blinds
An up to date folder of things to do locally and info on nearest hospital etc.
Proper WiFi, not just a booster.

Me too, has to be at the very least kingsize

King sized comfortable bed in main bedroom, fluffy towels, good kitchen equipment , parking, easy to operate heating, washer and dryer , good sofas , don't ask for full clean up and then there's no sweeping brush, dustpan , hoover etc