What would you expect to find/love to find in a holiday let?

[lifesabitchandthenyoudie]

We want to set up a small cottage quite near a beach, about mid-range. We want to make it friendly and homely, a nice space to 'get away from it all'. What are your essentials in a holiday let? What would you like to see more of? What small extra things would give you that 'special' feeling? Thanks!

Blackout blinds that actually black out light. We are currently staying in a holiday cottage that advertised them but they're eyelet curtains hanging a mile away from the wall and my kids aren't going to sleep till gone 9-9:30 (they're 4 and 1). I also like them for my own sleep and have been awake from 5:30 😩. Other things - handsoap, tea towels, hand towels. Like having an airer to hang washing on.

Wish we had a spare set of bedding as my daughter was sick in the night and we had to wash all the bedding. We were just lucky we had a spare bed for her to sleep in.

Leave enough space on surfaces! Many owners use the space to dump all Knick knacks.

definitely stay a night with your family and see what is missing when you try and cook, clean etc.

We were booking somewhere for 3 nights away last night. The thing that would make me book - and make me come back - is information. Which is great for you - as it is free to provide.

Parking is one of the most important things - for us. Is it on street or off street, guaranteed or not,how far away- don’t say 2 mins walk - I don’t know how quickly you walk - say 180m away. Can any car / van fit?

Do a plan of the place so I can see exactly what I am getting.

Explain the bed situation and don’t contradict yourself. (I have a teen and a tween - we need bedroom 2 to have 2 single beds).

Say exactly what the accommodation has and what it doesn’t have. Eg either “Washing machine” or “no washing machine”.

Take good, accurate photos and label them. Don’t take cool arty shots of a vase on a table - it’s a lovely vase but doesn’t help me work out if there is a dining table that will fit us.

Other than that - I just want loo roll and handwash.

The last cottage I stayed in near a beach was lovely.

They had a bottle of wine on arrival, but mentioned in their initial message to let them know if you'd prefer no alcohol.

They had spare toothbrushes in the bathroom, handy as I always forget mine 🙈

They also had a dispenser in the shower with shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. I prefer to use my own products, but it's a nice touch.

A coffee machine with a selection of pods (again, brought my own, but is nice!)

Decent Bluetooth speakers.

They also had a chromecast (ideal for a relaxing evening where we could cast movies from our apps). And while it didn't interest me, a PlayStation.

free WiFi & a coffee machine.

I don't mind mismatched hand me downs as long as they're spotlessly clean - I find holiday cottages where the entire contents have apparently been delivered in a single lorry from IKEA the day before a bit depressing.

The things that I would consider essential but which some cottages don't have:
Tea-making supplies, including a pint of semi-skimmed milk and full-sized mugs.
100% cotton sheets as per the ongoing thread.
Large bath towels that you can wrap round yourself and walk around in without fear of indecency.
Excess plates and bowls so you don't need to run the dishwasher so often.

The things which aren't essential but are nice to have:
Seven dishwasher tablets
Three laundry pods
A coffee machine of the Nespresso type
A little packet of local biscuits
A bottle of white wine in the fridge

I like to find a few board games and books.

I also like a comfy bed, decent sized bath towels, and a welcome basket with some nice biscuits. It's also handy to have things like tin foil in the drawer.

Oh yes and a dishwasher! They also provided tablets. Washer and detergent was also provided though they weren't used.

When I'm renting a place for a short stay, the last thing I want to be doing is washing dishes by hand. Or doing a full shop to buy tablets which I would have to leave behind as I don't have a dishwasher at home.

Another thing they provided was plastic glasses, in addition to normal dishes. Handy to take down to the beach with us with a bottle of bubbly!

I'm quite happy to have a vacuum cleaner as we have a dog. I wouldn't let a week's worth of dog hair build up at home so I don't like to on holiday either.

The option to opt out of alcohol as per PP is really thoughtful. I'd suggest the following wording.

"We normally leave a bottle of wine in the fridge for our guests. Please let us know if you'd prefer a bottle of local apple juice."

Some people might like a Nespresso type machine: specify what you have so that people like me don’t pack a cafetière, and others can bring the pods they like.

Yes! I now always ask. Listings usually just say 'coffee' or 'fully equipped kitchen', but my coffee is very important to me and I need to know if I have to being my own 😂

I even had a place that showed a bloody nespresso machine in the photos but it wasn't there when we arrived.

Also please be specific that you have a shower or a bath. It's not always clear in the photos as I have to ask. I don't take baths, I wouldn't stay in a place that didn't have a shower facility.

Made the mistake once and had to end up standing hunched over in a bath (fitted under a slope in the roof) and use the hose (which at least they had).

If you have a garden, then I would suggest some garden games, such as French boules or giant jenga or swingball.

These threads always start off with a pint of milk and sufficient dishwasher tablets then progress to two dozen sushi knives and a fully equipped skiing room.

A big selling point to me would be an EV charger - presume you’d want to charge extra for its use which would be fine.

Whatever you provide or don't, please provide a list that guests can check when packing. Taking the guesswork out is great. I wouldn't expect a toothbrush but if you had spares available on request that might be quite neat.

For a beach property: a beach mat, umbrella, and bag would be really handy.

Clothes horse/pegs and line always appreciated.

Wine cooler!

I filter to include free parking (must mean at or very near the place. I don't want that to mean there's a free car park 200 metres away. If that is what you mean, make it very clear).

I want a washing machine and I expect there to then be a way to dry clothes. Stayed at one last year with no folding airer.

If your only coffee option is a pod thing, say so. We do a shop en route and buy coffee but it wouldn't occur to me to buy pods as don't use them at home.

Cotton bedding. No bloody cushions all over the beds that get thrown on the floor and get in the way. Just decent pillows.

A shower that drains properly.

Sockets near well-lit mirrors so you can dry your hair comfortably.

More than one towel each because you need one for your hair as well. So supply some hand towels as well.

A generous amount of dishwasher, and washing machine tabs/powder and enough loo rolls for a week. Some cooking oil, salt and pepper.

Enough comfortable chairs for each person. Amazing how often you have to check that.

And just be spotlessly clean. And no mugs that look like you've just got rid of your old novelty ones.

Yes - conversely, though we can use a shower we much prefer a bath after an active day out.

All I want is a pyrex jug, a potato peeler and a potato masher.

Comfy seating seems a no brainer but I've stayed in many rental apartments where the seating is deliberately minimal. This is to stop extra guests sleeping on sofas. Bit depressing but you can't blame them as presumably their insurance only covers the number of declared guests.

Dishwasher with tablets/pods

Enough crockery/ cutlery for the number of guests .

children's cutlery and crockery if catering to young families.

coffee pod machine and pods

A basic welcome pack tea, coffee pods, milk, jam, chocolate spread, butter, loaf of bread and a few mini boxes of cereal.

A bottle of fizz/ wine and chocolates

A colouring / activity pack for younger children with colouring pencils or felt tips that work.

Family board games and children's jigsaws

Fairy Washing up liquid, sponge, tea towels

washing machine with laundry detergent

strong black bin bags

Tumble Dryer or Airer with Pegs

100% Cotton Sheets

Soft, Fluffy large bath sheet towels

anti slip mat in shower or bath

a decent hoover

parking - how far is it ?

Local information , current bus/ train table , go to places, places to avoid and why.

unlimited free Wi-Fi

outdoor area

some outdoor toys for children - hoops, balls, skipping ropes, sand pit, buckets spades etc.

if catering for babies and toddlers fully safety compliant to modern standards - not the stair gate you had for your baby thirty years ago!

Games console for tweens/teens

I'd want at least one saucepan that's big enough to cook pasta for four people (if that's the capacity of the cottage). Maybe two. I've been to loads of places where there are plenty of pans but they're all tiny.

I would rather have access to basic Netflix than dvds that I have probably already seen.. A radio is always good. As is wi fi. Books and games are great especially if you are targeting families.

I like to see

Decent reading lamps in the bedrooms
sharp knives
enough dishwasher tablets and washing machine detergents for a couple of weeks even if I don’t use them all
ditto toilet paper, washing up liquid, j cloths and tea towels, basic condiments like salt pepper, oil,sugar.vinegar ( for bought in fish and chips)

If there is a garden then easy herbs like rosemary, thyme, mint are lovely to have.

Comfortable sofas and chairs, they are so often NOT!

No poncy cushions on the beds, just good clean non smelly pillows.

I find these threads fascinating as people always request stuff as essential which I don’t even have at home

I think the main thing for me is an honest listing. Decent photos, loads of info so I know what to pack (or even to book it in the first place)

but totally agree it needs to have its own stuff, not some 20 year old manky bed from your great aunts house and a load of mis matched wine glasses in varying sizes

I'd love:

• A dishwasher. No point going on holiday and having more work than at home. Even a slimline one to do the plates and coffee cups helps.
• A washer-dryer. Makes such a difference if you are there when the weather is grim.
• comfortable beds with good pillows.
• Beach towels.
• Proper kitchen equipment. A breadboard and chopping boards. It's amazing how many places have just one. More than one chopping knife. A vegetable peeler.
• A cafetiere. I think I've bought a cafetiere for about 50% of the holiday homes we visited and left it behind as a present to the next guests. They are £5-10! A place always goes up in my estimation if it already has one.
• Enough dishwasher tablets, loo roll and washing up liquid etc for the entire holiday not just for one day. I feel a bit fleeced by the owner when I have to go out and buy a huge pack of something just for a few days.
• A welcome pack. I always feel a bit pissed off if we have driven 8 hours to a remote holiday home and there isn't even a pint of milk in the fridge. A basic welcome pack with milk, bread, tea, coffee, butter, jam, and biscuits is the minimum. Sometimes we've arrived and found home made granola or a locally baked cake, a bottle of wine and a fruit basket. I can't tell you how good an impression that leaves.
• a big easy to find sign on how to get wifi. Not hidden on p39 of a visitors' file, behind out of date leaflets for attractions 80 miles away.

I'm not that bothered about info for local attractions as they are easy to find online and other people's restaurant recommendations are so subjective. But tips on where to buy food and petrol, (late night shops and garages, local delis, nearest supermarket etc, local cafe that bakes its own bread etc - that stuff is good to know)