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?

Bedside Lamps
Enough crockery & glassware (especially if there is a dishwasher so more than 4 of everything!)
Decent knives (ie sharp) and kitchen kit
Nice wine glasses not blinking paris goblets from the pound shop
Pans that are big enough for the capacity of the house (stayed somewhere that slept 12 and there wasn't a pan big enough to make either bolognese sauce or the accompanying pasta. Grr).
Dishwasher & Washing Machine (and clothes airer).
Quality towels/ bedlinen
If using mattress protectors etc then get ones that don't rustle when you roll over
Zip Link beds so you can configure rooms as doubles/ singles is really helpful I often travel with friends and while we are happy to share rooms sharing beds isn't so great and finding places with enough twin rooms can be an issue.

Some stuff from Ikea is fine but you need to mix in some lux stuff too . I think TK Maxx comes into it's own here!

Fast reliable internet.

We’ve started looking for ones that have stair gates and kids plates and cutlery to make life easier.
also a washing machine and a tv that accesses Netflix (you’d think that would be most tvs but not always)

@SamphirethePogoingStickerist totally agree about the sofas being one of the first things I look for. Comfortable sofas are a must. I have discounted places where the seating looks uncomfortable or you have to sit in separate chairs.

If I wanted to sit in bed I'd stay at a Premier Inn.

Then I look at other facilities.

No nick nacks of any sort. No expensive anything my kids might accidentally damage that doesn’t need to be there.

Must have

Good quality beds.
A room with twin beds not just doubles.
Free off road Parking.
Quality furnishings, nothing shabby.
Desirable location not in the middle of a housing estate.

Nice to have

A bit of garden
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Cleaning stuff
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Downstairs wc

Not bothered

Welcome pack like jam / milk /butter / biscuits. We bring our own.

None of this crap about no dogs upstairs if you're dog friendly

If it says there's a washing machine, I expect there to be a washing machine. Twice I've taken limited baby clothes as a washing machine was advertised, only to be frustrated that washing machine hadn't actually be installed yet or couldn't be used as it would trip the system. If I'd have known, I'd have packed plenty of clothes/bedding for refluxy baby.

My wants are minimal & easy to solve- COAT HANGERS!!
If 3 of us are staying somewhere for a week or 2 7 coat hangers between the 3 of us is not enough!
Also, 1 pillow each is not enough & I need big bath sheets, not those silly little towels that just about cover my bum!

Normal mug sized mugs, not tiny little ones - these only seem to exist in holiday homes but about 60% of holiday homes have them. More than one size of glass, including pint glasses, wine glasses and normal glasses that someone might drink a decent sized glass of water out of. A knife sharpener and two knives that are capable of being sharpened; this is infinitely better than the two dozen completely blunt knives that usually fill a drawer somewhere in the kitchen. A decent oven glove. Enough space in the kitchen to put food away. This is much more important than having every pot, pan, bowl, baking tray, casserole and utensil that anyone in your extended family has ever owned and discarded. Pans that are large enough to cook for the number of people you are accommodating. At least 1.25 comfortable seats per person in one living room. Wi-Fi that works. A dishwasher. Washing up liquid, a sponge and a scourer. Cotton sheets. More than one key.
.

Don’t bother with a welcome basket of “goodies”. They are pointless and the contents are rarely welcome.

last time, we got a cheap looking loaf that we didn’t touch, some cheap butter, a gift cylinder/tin of fancy biscuits (would rather have had a packet of hobnobs), some fake nespresso capsules (would rather have been told it was an induction hob, I brought my stove top espresso machine and couldn’t use it. I don’t use nespresso), and some sticky toffee pudding but no cream or custard to have with it.
I would have preferred sufficient toilet rolls and dishwasher tablets.

The wheelie bin was half full with the previous guests rubbish. The bin men came on Thursday - if I’d known that, I would have put the bin out for collection. Instead I had to cram our rubbish in on the Saturday morning when we left.

Enough tea towels for the week, not just one or two!

Wifi obvs.

Bed linen and towels provided.

More than 2 tea towels per week.

Clean washing up sponge and dish cloth.

Washing machine.

Somewhere to park.

Garden.

Decent shower - we went to a lovely cottage on the Isle of Wight last year and everything was good, but the shower was a dribble.

Decent size glasses and mugs, there is nothing worse than some ancient crockery the size of a thimble

We just stayed in a villa in Greece and the things that stuck out as really nice touches were

• each bedside table electric socket had a usb socket.
• lots of serving dishes, people often thing about the eating crockery and the cooking stuff but often forget the nice bowls to Chuck it all in for the table
• if you are including a coffee machine provide at least a few of the pods, not least so people know which ones to get
• a folder of local attractions, takeaways, taxi numbers, etc
• washing machine and tumble drier
• netflix
• extra pillows and blankets in each room
• ice in the freezer

A cottage we stay in is fantastic, milk in the fridge , home made cake and scones, jam and cream. The second we arrive we can sit in the garden and have afternoon tea and get into holiday mode.

Lots of different types of glasses!! Was lovely choosing the correct glass for everyone’s drink.

I think somewhere that is dog friendly is probably like marmite - some people will love it and others hate it. I really dislike relaxing on a sofa and only being able to smell the dog owned by the last people who booked the accommodation. Perhaps if it is dog friendly it would be good to not have too many soft furnishings that the smell would cling to. Maybe leather or fake leather sofas?

We look for a kingsize bed and will not book anywhere that has a small double bed.

Oh and details of local taxis, shops etc

Windows that actually open.

Proper freezer compartment/freezer, not tiny shelf.

Advance notice of which supermarkets deliver, so I don't have to do a postcode search of all the possibles.

Helpful information re bin collections/recycling regime but not shouty notes.

Enough cupboard space to put shopping away. Almost can't think of a single holiday let I've been to that didn't have cupboard space for shopping whether UK or France
One with gushing reviews in Amble didn't even have a bloody oven.

And ideally zip link beds without footboards - accommodate tall people and allow for different sleeping arrangements

No kiddie size bunk beds, unless advertised as such - we went somewhere that supposedly slept 12 but 4 beds were unusable for adults (didn't help that they weren't secured to anything so as soon as anyone over 12 started climbing a ladder they started tipping over!). It should have been advertised as 8 adults

Mirrors! We just said in a place that only had bathroom mirrors which was very annoying when getting ready to go out also plug sockets next to said mirrors.
Like pp said easy heating system and enough towels and tea towels for guests
If you have a fancy coffee machine then need to have coffee pods to match it or at least say in the details what sort of coffee option there is!
If there is a recycling system then have the containers for them in the house don't make us use random plastic bags filled with various bits of recycling!

Yes, the place we stayed in last year in Scotland stank of dog in the living room. To the extent my eyes would itch / water if I spent too long in there.

Bottle and tin opener.
Basic condiments like salt and cooking oil
Dishwasher. Refuse to spend my holiday washing dishes twice a day