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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not like pictures of the owners in a self catering cottage?

84 replies

MissPattie · 14/08/2016 12:08

We are in a lovely self catering cottage at the moment, and there are a couple of photos of the owners up. I think this is fine, but I'm not massively keen on it.

It reminds me of a place we went a few years ago where you could not move for pictures of the owners' family. It was a bit of a posh rental in Cornwall, and you couldn't move for pictures of their three blonde beautiful children messing about in boats, looking like something straight out of the Boden catalogue, or the family having cocktails on a tropical beach.

Am I being a grinch? When I go on holiday, I hate having the feeling that we are trespassing in someone else's home.

OP posts:
PoisonWitch · 14/08/2016 12:51

The place in Cornwall I used to go to always had a homemade Victoria sandwich left in the fridge for our arrival. Now that I didn't mind.

calli335 · 14/08/2016 12:53

Well maybe they do that misspattie. Doesn't seem to have put them off keep coming back though thankfully Smile

Iggi999 · 14/08/2016 12:53

Instant coffee oh the outrage!! Not what anyone might be grateful for after a five hour drive oh no.

Dozer · 14/08/2016 12:53

Yes, the poster with the disney photo to encourage paying guests to look after the house is BU!

Dozer · 14/08/2016 12:54

My pet peeve is when there's no loo roll at all.

calli335 · 14/08/2016 13:00

Oh come on! Ours is one small photo not a bloody collage! Forget the half empty coffee jar - ours are met with a nice bottle of wine Wine Wink

rookiemere · 14/08/2016 13:03

I don't mind a couple of photos - it suggests that the owners have actually stayed there and means that the kitchen is usually equipped with what you actually need to cook - sharp knives, decent colander, serving spoons etc - rather than 4 plates from Ikea.

I hate too many nick-nacks though, particularly if they are badly thought out. We stayed in a cottage in Wales at Easter that badly needed redecorating, but could have been improved instantly by removing the withered bunches of dried straw in the kitchen and living room (why for the love of god - just why) and the horribly old fashioned vases and figurines, just waiting to be broken by any renters.

hazeimcgee · 14/08/2016 13:04

Surely no one would be so outrageous as to leave instant coffee in case you wanted to come in and grab a quick drink before you unpack! The horror, the outrage! They may as well as have a dead rat in the fridge

hazeimcgee · 14/08/2016 13:06

The photos wouldn't bother me too much but them i'm nosey and like the more twee accomodation that all homely and snug. Knick nacks etc again are fine.

We do tend to leave t bags etc although once accidentally left ice cream in the freezer. Unhappy days!

I like holiday rentals that provide cake

BengalCatMum · 14/08/2016 13:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 14/08/2016 13:11

Well yes we also leave out wine, sweets and biscuits as welcome pack for guests. We could leave tea/coffee/milk as well but a lot of people have personal preferences for those, and maybe would prefer instant coffee eh, iggi?
I also don't like waste, but that doesn't mean paying guests should have to open cupboards to find other peoples' leftovers. Take them home if you can't bear to throw them away.

practy · 14/08/2016 13:13

It kind of is our house for the week. Otherwise it just feels like staying in someone elses house, which is not relaxing.

MeAndMy3LovelyBoys · 14/08/2016 13:17

YANBU, I wouldn't like it. Whilst you're on holiday wherever you stay is supposed to be your little domain where it's not personal to anyone else, and not like you're house sitting for someone.

I get that if you go and stay in a friend's holiday home that they don't usually rent out is a bit different though.

spiderlight · 14/08/2016 13:19

We've just come back form one where the owner had left us a whole beautiful home-made cake - it was lovely!

Meeep · 14/08/2016 13:19

It's nice to have olive oil and sugar etc. I don't drink coffee but if I saw some I'd think it was thoughtful.

I wouldn't really like any photos, not even a nice single one on the wall!

practy · 14/08/2016 13:28

We stayed in a holiday home full of locked cabinets with dusty ornaments. It was horrible. Just felt I was intruding. We were there with friends and someone else in the group had booked it.

Renting out a holiday home is a business, and you have to look at it in that way.

SvalbardianPenguin · 14/08/2016 13:29

We have a holiday home and don't have any family pictures on display. There are some paintings and photos that we did/took of local landscapes on the wall but none of the family. That way it's personal to us but without being irritating to the people renting it hopefully.

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2016 13:56

I always try and avoid holiday homes where you have to have anything to do with the owners. I skip over the ones 'adjoining' the owners house or 'use of swimming pool by arrangement' etc.

SvalbardianPenguin · 14/08/2016 13:59

Yes, me too. We stayed at one like that once, never again. The owners would come and walk past the windows at random times and look in - they had no need to. Plus they came in at least once because they complained that we had put some cushions over the edges solid stone hearth because DN and DD were toddlers and it was lethal with sharp edges.

AlfrescoBalconyWanker · 14/08/2016 14:02

We've just come back from somewhere that had a huge chest of drawers full of the owner's clothes. I checked - nowhere was this mentioned in the bumpf. It was also very nicknacktastic including a fully working cuckoo clock that went off every hour and was audible from every room in the county house Shock They also had two kitchen cupboards locked with their stuff in, and a locked box in the bathroom. I would have been grateful for just a photo.

Sparklingbrook · 14/08/2016 14:03

Oh no penguin that's awful. We stayed in one where we had to call the owner before we left so they could inspect the property. His wife said he was on the loo but would be down when he had finished. Hmm

MeAndMy3LovelyBoys · 14/08/2016 14:04

I would even go as far as to say it's a little bit cheeky to make money out of people going on holiday/on a break and they don't feel comfortable because of the family photos all over the wall and locked cupboards full of the owner's possessions.
Like someone said, if someone wants to rent out their holiday home, it should be seen as a business and not your second home.

MeAndMy3LovelyBoys · 14/08/2016 14:08

Sparkling Are you serious?! Shock
That doesn't feel very holiday-like. Waiting for someone to have a shit before you're allowed to leave. And all this "inspecting" business... I don't think I would be able to relax throughout my stay if I knew I would be checked up on and not trusted like that.

CaptainCrunch · 14/08/2016 14:11

We went to one that was a 1970s throwback, an absolutely beautiful house but it honestly felt like something out of Life on Mars. In a drawer we found loads of home made "chart rundown" tapes with Tony Blackburn on from all through the 1970s. There were news bulletins on them and everything. It was simultaneously creepy and wonderful.

BodsAuntieFlo · 14/08/2016 14:14

I don't have any photos of us in our cottage nor lots of ornaments. Our cottage is near our house but it's screened by huge conifers and very private. I don't mention in the advert use of the pool now after one family were in it with wine/beer/cola and had a pool party on the last night. We were fully booked for every date when they tried to rebook The weather was awful here last week and I offered the family staying use of it as the children were really bored. I always leave tea/coffee/sugar/milk/bread/farm eggs/bacon/butter/home made jam and wine. There's also condiments and oils in the cupboard to use if they wish. I only leave scones/cakes if I've been baking and not all the time.