To be p'd off about our holiday rental?

[VayKayShun]

Arrived at our holiday cottage today to discover one of the bedrooms is only accessible through another bedroom. No mention of this in the details when I booked. For various reasons this now means DH and I are in bunk beds having to share a room with DN!

AIBU to think that we should have been made aware of this before booking (especially when this layout really isn’t suitable for our group) and that a bedroom you can only get to through another bedroom is a bit weird?

I'll work on a room layout plan. If I can find a pen and paper!

Our DD is 1 yo and was always going to share with us. I don't think that's the same as sharing with an 10 yo.

With a creative jiggling of mattresses & you can put DD to bed earlier then move her when you go to bed if necessary, its manageable, its not rocket science.
But, a bedroom with no window is Not a bedroom, so still ask for compensation

This sounds absolutely dire!
I would definitely complain and possibly leave the damn house and go to a hotel , l would not have been able to sleep in the same room as my DN either wtf! Ask the others to help fund it if that is a possibility. I would hate it and it would ruin my hols. Good luck OP l hope you enjoy the rest of your hols.

Where was your 1yo going to sleep, if there is only 2 beds in the other room?

Did this property have any reviews? You always get the real situation from reading reviews.

However, not mentioning that bedrooms can only be accessed via other bedrooms is not on and I suggest you complain to the owners and to the company who you booked through.

But you're there now so try and make the best of it and still enjoy your holiday.

Building regs mean that any room used as a bedroom has to have a window for fire escape. You're at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning too. I don't think I'd stay, tbh.

Moving from here is not a possibility.

Surely building regs means there must just be a fire escape? There is. It's just not a window.

So no pen/paper so I knocked this up on the laptop (yes I'm sad and was going to try to do work on holiday).

Hopefully it makes sense. DD is in a cot (orange) which will fit in any room, but mattresses on the floor won't and bunk bed layout cannot be moved.

Did that pic work?
Doesn't seem like it - I'll try again

who did you book it through, and werent there any pictures of the rooms or room layouts?

I have always looked at pictures and at whether rooms had singles, twins, doubles or bunks

I booked it through a holiday cottage rental company. There were pictures of the rooms but it didn't show that one room was only accessible through another and although you couldn't see storage in all rooms it's been like that with almost every place I've ever booked yet there is always somewhere to store stuff - but often you just can't see it due to camera angles. I stupidly thought there must be a wardrobe or chest somewhere even if it wasn't visible in pictures. I'll specifically check in future though

Shumpa
I know. . I’ve posted on here about her a lot!

Can't see the pic

Can't you put dn's mattress in her parents room or the other kids room off it?

We rented a property in France where, unbelievably, the toilet was in the kitchen with only a curtain pulled round it. The kitchen sink was near the loo. Ugh! Needless to say, we never used the kitchen!!!

If mattresses can't be put on the floor of ask to charge halfway as planned. Your brother, wife and 2 little ones into the room you're in now, you and your dad into the room your brother is in and DN into the bunk room you'll have to go through to get out. Because that won't disturb DN anymore than in the set up you're currently in

Thanks for all the typos autocorrect

You and dd NOT dad into the room your brother is in (with your shopping too)

DH not shopping... I give up!

I asked earlier but I think you missed it OP....why don't you just make up the bottles in your room? I used to do that with a thermos flask and little pots of formula.

I can't get my head round why you need to share with DN (In terms of the layout of the cottage) not having a pop OP, I think it's me and a serious lack of coffee!

I would definitely complain. I would also ensure you complain while you're still there, as complaints after are often met with 'well, you didn't mention anything during your stay' etc if the owners are going to be difficult!

Make sure you screen grab or save any of the original adverts to prove the property wasn't described correctly too.

So I think from your description, your Dbro has 3 DC, you have 1 DD and currently:

1 x 4 bunk beds - you, dh, dd (in cot) and your DN
2 x double bed- Dbro and his DP, your parents
1 x 2 bunk beds - your Dbro's 2 other kids. This room can only be accessed through dbro's room.

If that's correct, definitely just put DN or a younger kid on mattress on floor in the room with her siblings (next to your Dbro). They are then all together. Your DParents have the other double. You have the other bunk room with your DD. Then basically everything is as anticipated because one couple had to sleep in bunk beds.

Tbh I have done many multiple family holidays and the room set up is never ideal. There are always compromises (like, x has the master en suite but also the room with 4 kids next door, whilst y has a much smaller room but not near the kids). We nearly always end up dragging mattresses and even beds around.

I do however agree they should have made this clear- e.g. we have a rental house and always make it clear that one of the bedrooms in on the ground floor. Lack of storage is rubbish.

Were there no photos on the listing?

I've had this happen to me. The photos clearly don't show it and it isn't mentioned, presumably because they know damn well that it makes the property less appealing. I think it's false advertising and really crappy practice. I'd complain and mention it on the review.

Building regs mean that any room used as a bedroom has to have a window for fire escape.

Not necessarily, as OP isn't in the UK.

You're at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning too.

Only if there is a source of carbon monoxide in the building - which again doesn't necessarily apply.

Johnnycomelately1 has it spot on. No space to move mattresses at all though and no scope to move bunk beds. The cot would just about squeeze into any of the rooms but a mattress wouldn't.

CharlotteUnaNatalieThompson
Thank you!!! That makes more sense than the current situation actually and no one had thought of this! I've suggested this and we've agreed we will stick this out a couple more nights then swap for the rest of the time.

AjasLipstick
DD is on cows milk now so it needs to be in the fridge then we need to microwave it.

There were plenty of photos and it looked lovely. And it is really, apart from these couple of things. Two rooms clearly showed a wardrobe so I stupidly assumed the other two bedroom photos were just taken from an angle that didn't show the storage. If we were two couples and respective kids it would be almost perfect (apart from lack of storage) and it seems like all previous reviews must have been this scenario.