Holiday cottages

[Icimoi]

We booked a holiday cottage this year through an agency. The booking info said that sheets and towels would be extra - £17 for a double bed set, £15 for a single bed set, £10 for towels comprising one bath towel and one hand towel. I thought it was pretty expensive but booked the bedding (but not the towels) as we didn't want to have to carry it with us. I was however less than happy to arrive after a long journey to find none of the beds were made up despite the fact that they insisted on a 5 hour gap between when people have to vacate and when they will allow the next batch in.

I realise that we had a choice whether to go for this option, but I've never been in any other holiday cottage where the beds weren't made up, and it feels a bit like airline scams to make the basic price look better than it is - by the time you've decided which cottage you want, checked availability and ploughed through the booking procedure you're less likely to cancel everything because of the bedding issue. The agency operates in a popular destination so it's quite difficult to find somewhere, and in this case we were booking at quite short notice so had even less choice.

I know, first world problem, we could have junked the whole thing and gone elsewhere - but AIBU to feel it leaves a bit of a bad taste?

We had the metre reading for elec and being charged for heating (oil) as well. Really pissed me off. They said they had been stung before with high bills, but they should have adjusted their rental (which was pretty reasonable) to compensate.

This is why we go on cruises for holidays, much better service and value for money.

I've never stayed in a holiday cottage where you had to pay for bedding or make up your own beds! Was it in the UK?

Yes, Cornwall.

I've had a quick look on Trip Advisor and haven't found the agents concerned, but I'll explore further. I've stayed in a cottage in the same area with a different agent where everything was provided and the beds made up, so if we go back we'll be reverting to the previous agents.

We stayed at a feather down farm where having paid £450+ you have to make your own beds. Pretty much in the dark since you can't arrive until after 5

I have always taken my own bedding if it is not provided, if I were paying extra to hire sheets I would only expect the beds to be made up if it was stated in the listing.

That is a lot to pay to hire linen, but you did have a choice, everyone is different - I prefer a cheaper rate and take my own bedding but some prefer beds made up.

YANBU - this seems like a very French thing to me. Really annoyed with myself when we went skiing in Feb - priced up an apartment against a hotel s/c suite thing and it was cheaper, then they slapped charges for bedding and cleaning on top.

Always ask about bedding now. We have paid for bedding in a beautiful mansion we rented in Ludlow, but the overall price of the property was very reasonable and they did make the beds up.

We always have to take our own bedding in France, Spain or pay but still make the beds yourself. I think that Canvas holiday, Eurocamp etc charge more than that for "linen packs" and they don't make the beds either.

Well I have stayed in quite a few holiday cottages where we pay extra for bedding and I don't think it is unusual to then have to make up the beds yourself.

However, I have never been charged as much as that!

We stayed at a cottage in France in July and we took the option to have bedlinen and towels provide and that cost 10 euros per person. Hmm - OK so that was 30 euros for bedding for a double bed, bedding for a single bed and towels. Actually didn't strike me as too odd. It would have been a massive PITA to take our own because we were flying.

I cleaned a 4 bed, 2 bathroom (3 loos) holiday cottage for 3 years. it was requested that you leave it as you found it...not necessarily clean it though...even if it was left like no one had been there (and when I opened the door to the house like this I was so glad!!) I still cleaned it from top to bottom...I took pride in the line dried linen, freshly made beds....people paid a lot though, over £1200 in the height of the season...I got £50 (about 4 hours work) and still washed ALL the linen....3 superking duvets sets, 2 single beds, 18 towels and 5 teatowels.....and I cut the grass....it was hard work.....

As a cottage owner, I would say you'd be surprised at how long it takes to do a changeover. I have a regular cleaner and the house takes 3-4 hours to clean, also windows need doing (lots of swallows and spiders round here) most weeks and the garden. Also guests are often a bit late checking out so I arrange for everyone to come at 11.

rainbowinmyroom, I was thinking exactly the same thing .

By paying perhaps a little bit more I get my ensuite bathroom cleaned/new towels and toiletries replaced twice a day, room cleaned twice a day, all sorts of fabulous entertainment available 24/7 all the food I want served to me 24/7, free room service, stopping at a different port most days, the list is endless. On some cruises kids go free too, it can be insanely good value and a real chance for the parents to relax because the kids can go to the ship clubs every day and evening (some ships have free nursery/babysitting).

Sorry to say but the comments I have read so far have totally put me off self-catering holidays in the UK.

We stayed in Centre Parcs in Holland for the first time this year and hired bed linen. I was shocked and had a right face on me when we arrived and I realised we had to make up 7 beds

Tabby and Rainbow and you get towel animals and chocolates on your pillow every night.

Try it, Tabby, you'll never go on another rip-off s/c holiday again!

This is common practice in Cornwall OP. But I don't like it either.

I like self catering for the freedom it gives you - you don't have to stick to hotel mealtimes, you don't feel you have to get back in the evenings because you've booked supper at the hotel, you can slob around in your pjs over breakfast, etc etc. My rule is that I do the absolute minimum in cooking terms, so it's a proper holiday for me. I'm not really keen on cruises because I feel a bit hemmed in on a ship, and when you stop in port you never really get enough time to explore. And cruise entertainment does absolutely nothing for me.

I think hell would freeze over before I willingly confined myself to a ship with hundreds of other people and no control over where we went and how long we stayed there!

Like the OP we prefer SC for the freedom to do as we like

Can't think of anything worse than a cruise! Or a hotel unless it was somewhere naice for a couple of night without dcs. We love self catering and the freedom it gives us. We drive to France so we just shove sheets in the car. I leave neat and tidy. Wipe surfaces/sink in kitchen. Wipe loo seat and leave no skidmarks and sweep or hoover main areas but that is just stuff that gets done as we go along anyway. Loo gets wiped frequently due to being used by small boy, floor in last place got swept daily after we came back from the beach to avoid sand spreadage.I don't go in for a manic clean.

I've holidayed with dh's family though and they go for the big clean so the last morning consists of scrubbing and mopping. The upstairs is cleared and cleaned then downstairs with people getting chucked out of the house as they go because once it is done then nobody is allowed back into that room. It was my first experience of self catering because all my childhood holidays were camping or visiting French family and it did make me wonder if it was worth it! I have since seen sense!

cruises have never appealed to me in the slightest.

yanbu op. Some sc holidays are crappy rip offs, some are amazingly good value and relaxing. You need to be very careful where you book I think.

I have only had to make beds up at Haven when I have booked linen packs. I only book UK cottages which have linen included, although where we stayed this summer, the owner asked if we would strip the beds before we leave! Yeah, cos we paid you £2k to stay a fortnight so we could do your housework, you cheeky fucker!

We stayed at a feather down farm where having paid £450+ you have to make your own beds. Pretty much in the dark since you can't arrive until after 5

Why? Don't they have electricity

I felt the same about cruises . . . Then we tried one. We were practically in tears that we had to get off. We had to dragged down the gangplank and our fingers prised off the railings.

Ooh do name the companies LaQueen.

However having said that I can't think of any drastic disappointments we have had with s/c in the UK, apart from our first weekend away which had a squirrel or rat burrowing in the wall and rather "quaint and quirky " decor. But we were young and in love and didn't care.

Our French skiing apartment has put me off hiring from French companies. No sink in the toilet so you had to wash your hands in the kitchen sink or not at all and in fact only one toilet between three bedrooms, plus of course the extra costs for sheets, cleaning, towels and the general inflexibility around checking out. I prefer British owners/companies abroad as they know what British people want and expect in a holiday let ( sound very parochial there but never mind).