to ask how much you would pay for luxury accommodation, if children weren't welcome?

[LadyOfTheManor]

Beautiful countryside, self catering cottage (16th century old bakery) but done up to a 5 star standard. Two beautiful bedrooms with ensuites, one with a hot tub, sitting room, reading room, kitchen and decking/BBQ facilities. No under 12s allowed, dogs welcome. £650 for the week.

I think that is reasonable, considering two couples would have the opportunity to stay and split it. Would you pay that for just you and dh or you and 2 children (over 12)?

Dogs allowed would be a definite plus for me. No children would be fine,admittedly I'm not yet a parent,it wouldn't put me off at all,no reason to presume you're an 'ogre' imho,but then I enjoy child free restaurants and hotels now and again.
There's certainly a considerable market out there for that. There are groups out there who also need to be catered for besides families.

And I'd love to go away with a few friends,or another couple to somewhere like that,and we're certainly not swingers. It sounds ideal,and we're not a rowdy lot.

I do think your price is a little too low however.

Sounds like a lovely cottage. Personally I wouldn't entertain staying in a dog friendly property as I am not a dog lover and the smell will linger however clean. However, if you are aiming for the 'dog friendly' market I'm sure there is a market for it. A welcome pack is always appreciated, but I get really put off by bottles of oil which have been half used, jugs of milk instead of a sealed carton etc. I prefer to know things are fresh 'for me' . Lots of local info is useful and I love reading visitor book comments .

Best of luck!

Yes, I see your point. Can't say I'll be advertising it as a "romantic weekend away for four".

Again, older couples (60+) do tend to holiday with other couples, and because the price is for the property and not per head, it's neither here nor there whether or not you bring another couple/older children...it's really whether or not you think £650 for one week in a beautiful old cottage surrounded by private grounds is worth it...regardless of the child policy (which isn't set in stone just yet).

Dh and I have a one year old and I am 22 weeks pregnant, we were looking to holiday in the UK for the first time this year, but was put off by the prices of £800 for a static caravan on a site with "entertainment". I'd rather rent a cottage, but they went up to £1100 for a week, which I wasn't willing to pay for a UK holiday...I'm grasping at straws and hoping that somewhere someone is willing to pay £650 for a week, regardless of how many people are there.

The downstairs which is (potentially) the dog only zone, will be real wood flooring, so I'll have to take the gamble about the floors being scratched-as I would with a pram or other wheeled toys...however the wood can be cleaned without a "dog" smell lingering (I hate the smell of dog FWIW). The sofas, in order to be hypo-allergenic would be a high standard of leather and if people bring their dogs and the suites are damaged then the bond will be lost/card will be deducted.

LetLove- I also hate half opened anything. Will be buying proper decanters for things (hand soap etc) and refreshing them on change over days. Milk will be sealed and everything else will be baked fresh.

We keep pigs so was considering some sausages in case of late arrivals who hadn't considered breakfast.

PS: I'm not an old ogre, I'm 25 in August, and I'm not green and covered in warts either!

I would pay £650 for a week. But only if I could bring my kids, 6 and 9. They do NOT draw on walls. Nor do they rip any wall paper. They are children, not animals.

We were considering paying £1000 for a 2 bed luxury house in a leafy neighbourhood in London. No towels provided though. So we might not go ahead with that booking! Choosy beggars that we are.

Sausages,from your own pigs?

If you keep pigs in the area, it is worth mentioning on the listing. I looked through a lot of cottages and discounted those on a "working dairy farm" as I didn't want to holiday with the smell. Your pigs might not smell (if there are a few of them) but it is easier to list them than have someone complain afterwards. I'm not sure if you keep them there or not.

TBH we're about a 1.5 mile walk to the nearest village pub, which seats about 12 people (max), it wouldn't be of any interest to parties of people due to location.

The pigs are kept no where near the cottage (I don't live in the cottage!) and neither are the chickens. The cottage has it's own garden etc.

Have just been discussing the whole "no children" with my mother and she said why not come to a compromise and say no under 5s? (I wouldn't blame a 2 year old for drawing on wallpaper tbh, but a 5 year old ought to know better imho). That way I can open up the 3rd bedroom, and charge more money?

NoJustification, yes I understand we don't have a spa, but in all fairness we're not in Manchester either. People come to Pembrokeshire for the coastal views, walks and beautiful scenery and are willing to pay for that-throw in open fires, fresh produce, Egyptian cotton and large bath sheets (according to the demands) and people will be willing to pay £650.

AND we're most definitely not a hotel.

So new question; how much would you pay for one superking size master suite (sleeps 2) one king size suite (with sofa bed) sleeps 4 and one large attic conversion with twin beds (also sleeps 2) each with their own en suite? AND children being allowed over the age of 5.

For the sounds of the new spec you could have 2 families coming along together - although i wouldn't want people sleeping on a sofa bed in the same room as me as DP. About £800 ? maybe.

Spuddy, yes. Hmmm could get 2 sets of parents and then a room for kids. Unless I put the sofa bed in the room with the twin beds in the attic?

Yes Tenby is rather tacky. Not my market at all.

I meant...1 couple in the master suite, 1 couple in king size suite, then make the attic to sleep 4 (twin beds plus a double sofa bed) for all the children.

Thanks for the link will look at it now.

How spacious is the attic? Could it accommodate a hideaway single bed ?
It's worth converting the attic now , you won't have the option once holidaymakers are in.

I really think you should consider going for luxurious yet practical in terms of decor. Whether or not you allow children, there will always be some accidental damage / wear and tear - it's not a hotel room, it's a cottage where people will be living / cooking/ eating for several days; it's also in a field. There will be mud. You might find it less stressful to have decor that can be easily maintained, apart from perhaps the master bedrooms, and add designer touches with bedding and accessories.

I think you are making a lot of assumptions.

You say that older couples do tend to holiday with other couples (your emphasis). Where is your evidence for this? Have you done some market research?

You say you will not get hen groups because the local pub is small. I think it is far more likely that you will get hen groups that bring their own alcohol.

You don't want people staying who are coming to see your nearest town. I don't think you can specify the holiday plans of your customers. If they pay the money they can do what they like, and I can assure you that being able to afford a high price for a week at the seaside is not the preserve of the less-tacky of this world. You only have to see how well Haven and their ilk do to prove that assumption false.

Your price is cheap so will perhaps make the people you really want to attract think there must be something wrong. In fact your price-point makes me think you haven't really done any meaningful research into this market.

FWIW I think you could make a success of this if you step back a bit. You've got some good ideas and what sounds like a lovely property in a good location. Charge a higher price, be a bit more flexible, and remember it is a business. Give people what they want even if it isn't what you would choose.

Ok;

1. Hen parties will not come, because they will not be welcome and it really isn't a party place, it's a tiny ancient village.

2. Thankfully, Tenby is NOT my nearest town. Just happens to be popular with certain people as a holiday resort. Is about a 20-25 minute drive from here...and thankfully Tenby closes it's roads in the summer..so no parking.

3. Thankfully I am not close enough to the "seaside" for people to drag along 7 children with buckets and spades.

4. I'm asking about a price as this was originally going to be a boutique BnB and instead I have changed my mind. My research has been done with a BnB in mind-hence the original no children policy.

5. My parents run holiday cottages and it is on their experience that elderly couples are more likely to visit than those with children merely due to the fact of a remote location.

6. I'd only open up another room if I decided to allow children to stay.

7. You can set a price at whatever you want, but it's pointless if people aren't willing to pay for it-hence I'm digging around and asking what it is people would want from a place like this.

Thanks for your input though, it's al being duly noted.

My dc have never drawn on wallpaper
Or anything they shouldn't. My dog has peed over my bed however

Hence dogs will not be welcome upstairs unless the owner would like to receive the cleaning bill for curtains, bedding and carpets :)

Hmm should I provide wellies?!

LadyofTheM - re "no dogs upstairs" you can write it in your T&C but a bit like everything else it's a case of "what the eye can't see....."

You could provide walking sticks and bikes, maybe?

If my eye sees footprints, paw prints or dog hair, then I'll be charging a professional cleaning bill-not because I'm a tight bum but I am concerned of the next guests who may have an allergy to such things, and if I am to reassure them that it will be fine I'd hate to let anyone down.

Saying that, if they had dog allergies they probably wouldn't come.