To think that people on holiday don't want to go for a walk?

[Notwiththeseknees]

I'm looking at buying a house as a holiday let. The house is amazing - really fab. The gardens are beautiful and we would put in a big pool. It is between 40 & 80 minutes drive of the sea, UNESCO sites, big architecturally gorgeous market towns and fantastic scenery. Village is 5 minutes away by car, bigger village 10 minutes away with restaurants & supermarket. BUT the immediate surroundings are a bit 'okay'. There doesn't seem to be anywhere to have a really nice walk, an okay walk, but not an "ooooooh, that was a lovely walk" walk.
How much does a lovely walk in the immediate vicinity add to your holiday enjoyment? Especially if you have amazing gardens to potter in and a lovely
pool....

I personally hate being somewhere I can't walk to village/ town etc - but that's personal. I just can't bear being reliant on driving everywhere.

That also sounds way too far from the beach if that is part of the attraction - 40 to 80 minutes is like London to the coast! That's a lot of driving on holiday.

It's not necessarily that I like to go for a nice walk, just that I don't want to drive every day.

^ This

I wouldn't book a holiday house that needed a car to go everywhere. Happy to have a car for some day trips etc. but I want to be able to walk to a bar/restaurant in the evenings - I do enough driving the rest of the year.

I am quite happy to drive to a holiday property and then not get in the car again until it’s time to go home. We are a family that walks/cycles on holiday. We are on our way home today, having walked 32 miles this week. Dd(7) and DH maybe 5 miles less.

Safe walk to local shops, restaurant etc is important for me in holiday accommodation.

A beautiful hike from the accommodation is not important. I am happy to drive to the start point of a proper nice hike.

If I’m on holiday the actual house is not the most important part, it has to be lovely but I would never drive abroad so being within walking distance of shops, places to eat, transport links to see more sites is far more important as otherwise you could be anywhere in the sun!

It does sound lovely, but for me I like to be close enough to walk to the local village or town. When I'm on holiday I like to be able to have a drink or 2 in a local pub and this wouldn't happen if I had to drive as I don't like drinking even 1 glass and driving..

I want to be able to walk without using the car and to be able to get to good pub with food without driving too. Pool would not be an attraction so wouldn't pay extra for it, hot tub perhaps though. We have a dog so walking and a secure fence are must haves

@Talkingfrog @PurpleCrazyHorse

Feeling more optimistic now . I lived in rural Norfolk for years & years so maybe I was used to enjoying the surroundings and then drive to wherever took my fancy if I was a bit bored. Now I live in a really lively area and I quite like that too. And I used to have a rural property in France and just read, swam, visited, drank wine. Maybe I'm just trying to turn back the clock and I'm talking myself into something that won't be viable. Or are there enough lovers of La France Profound to make it work?

I think most people are really put off accommodation where they can’t walk to restaurants in the evening.

When we were younger and poorer we would go to more remote villas and it was such a PITA. Now we always book somewhere with amenities in walking distance.

Was the property a holiday let previously? Are they selling as it wasn't making money? That might tell you something.

We live a 15 minute drive away from several beaches in different directions. I do not consider us to live anywhere near the sea. We have a holiday home near the sea. We walk to the sea in a few minutes from it. I would be wary of buying the house you describe as a holiday home if all the attractions are a drive away. I like to be able to walk to things especially when I am on holiday. People don't mind driving for things like theme parks but not for restaurants, coffee shops, the beach etc. I also like walking for the enjoyment of it on holiday but have plenty of friends who have no interest in walking for pleasure so I don't think the lack of a nice walk would be a problem in itself.

If you are going to use an agent to let or look after it for you, get their advice before you buy. They will know the market, what type of customer you will attract etc.

Just seen it's overseas - distance to bakery (especially if France) and bars/restaurants is everything, cannot drink and drive. We've rented in the middle of nowhere and regretted it in the past.

I want a good choice of beautiful walks from the door of anywhere I rent in the UK or Ireland — not a dog owner, though — but I’m probably not your target audience.

When I’m on holiday, having a local shop and a restaurant within reasonable walking distance is a must for me.

Wld depend on the holiday. DH and I used to go to the lakes in November every year for a proper walking holiday (fewer people at that time of year) - so obviously we chose a place with access to a good walk(s).
Now with a toddler we're more likely to choose a house with good facilities but would also want to be near a town. We also try to find a place that has easy access to beach/lake/other amusement.
However your house sounds like the sort of place we'd consider for a bigger group holiday. Then the house is more important. We'd want a pool and decent outdoor area, as well as the house itself having a decent kitchen and dining space.

I have stayed in a big holiday home with my extended family the last few summers. Our budget (say up to 3K ish for 6 adults plus several kids) allows us to choose an amazing house/gardens/hot tub/cinema room/aga - where we have to get in the car and drive to attractions or a much more modest property/yard a short walk from a beach. An amazing property with grounds near a beach would cost much more.

You get what you pay for and priced correctly your property will let to people who couldn't afford it if it was a stones throw from the coast or a national park etc
Good luck with the new venture

For a holiday cottage I’d want views of the coast or surrounding countryside - a nice garden would not really cut it. An outdoor pool would not be much use. A hot tub would be more of an attraction. Walking distance to pub nice but not essential. Good walks a definite plus.

Can you research similar lets in the area and see how well booked they are.

Hi,
I also have just seen the villa is in France. You should go onto a holiday booking website and look at availability of similar (more rural) properties in July/August. If they are all fully booked then great - if they are all available then that would be a big worry.

Oh, sorry, rural France? That changes things a bit. We tend to rent gîtes with friends, all with children, so alternate between stays at the house (which we choose for beauty, pool, surroundings) and exploring further afield. We stayed in a gorgeous old maison de maître in the Gers last year, near Auch, and while I loved the entire area, and did do some local walking and brocante-ing , as well as exploring Tarbes, Toulouse, bits of the Pyrenees, we also did a lot of pottering in the garden and cooking giant meals etc.

40-80 minutes to get to the beach is A LOT. I live in London and can pretty much do that here down to the Kent Coast. I would never book a holiday let that wasn't walking distance to amenities, the house needs to be nice but location location location for me every time.

We walk quite a bit on holiday but a 'nice walk' is fine, doesn't have to be amazing

I honestly would never rent anywhere where you had to drive to everywhere though. I have to have a bar, restaurant, small shop within walking distance

On trip advisor I refine my search by,

Distance to Airport
Walking distance to village
Outside space, terrace or garden
Nice communal space
A sea view

80 minutes to the beach is not an attraction at all. I wouldn't spend near on 3 hours in the car for a day at the beach while on holiday.

Bakery, at least a couple of restaurants and basic shop within walking distance would be essential for me if I wasn't after a beach holiday