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AIBU?

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

200 replies

Notwiththeseknees · 26/04/2019 10:02

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....

OP posts:
GreenTulips · 26/04/2019 17:11

Not my idea of a holiday either

It’s nice to go out andnpotter round the shops, defiantly a no to driving in holiday! I need a break from kids in the car fighting.

I’d also need somewhere for the teens to escape to for entertainment or some description

Mintychoc1 · 26/04/2019 17:11

We don’t mind driving every day, and I don’t eat out on holiday so not fussed about restaurants.
We like aircon though!

CammieKennaway · 26/04/2019 17:13

Our holidays are always centered around good walks - a good walk and a nice pub somewhere that's dog-friendly

caringcarer · 26/04/2019 17:15

I have to have a walk for the dogs. It does not have to be breathtakingly beautiful, but that would be a bonus, but I prefer off the road and along a cycle or green route.

caringcarer · 26/04/2019 17:18

The sea seems a bit far away for me. I prefer 20-30 mins away from sea and 1-2km from town.

flowery · 26/04/2019 17:21

Presumably it’s just like selling a house- if the price is right people will book it.

MariaNovella · 26/04/2019 17:24

One of the big issues in rural France is distance to (decent) food shopping. Markets are wonderful if you speak French and like cooking from scratch but they aren’t set up for novices and they don’t cater to spontaneity unless you are in a busy area with an everyday market.

SlappingJoffrey · 26/04/2019 17:27

Sounds a bit remote tbh. It isn't near enough to anywhere for location to be a draw. So you would only be pitching it at people who want somewhere they can stay for a week and just chill by the pool and in the garden, but who also aren't bothered for shops and restaurants nearby, and who don't mind it not having amazingly gorgeous surroundings. I can see that there are people who just want heat and a pool for a week, but I would think most of them would prefer at least one of walkable amenities and stunning area. You would have to be very competitive on price.

But by all means link it. Maybe it is beautiful enough that people will overlook the lack of walks etc.

youarenotkiddingme · 26/04/2019 17:31

When I go on holiday I don't drive unless I'm heading off for day somewhere specific.

So for me walks to beach, local shops, chippy or pub is a necessity.

I will go camping, caravanning and abroad to hotels.

It is possible people booking a met with pool may have differing requirements?

motheroftwoboys · 26/04/2019 17:32

Location of a holiday house is very important to us. Last year we had a fabulous house in pool but local village was dead; previous rental was in a lovely village with shops and restaurants but the house didn't have enough outside space and it was too far (40 minutes) drive to the coast. We want a lovely house with a pool within walking distance of shops and restaurants.We don't want to have to drive every night to eat and I DON'T want to cook much at all - if at all. But that is just us. Everyone is different.

BogglesGoggles · 26/04/2019 17:34

That would be really important to me.

Loopytiles · 26/04/2019 17:35

It sounds too far from main attractions and driving for everything a drawback.

Covmum83 · 26/04/2019 17:38

Personally it doesn't bother me, if the facilities at the property are good then I like to stay put. Can you sneak a hot tub in? Makes it awesome for those chilly nights, we go on 3/4 hot tub breaks a year it's on of our fave things to do!

Loopytiles · 26/04/2019 17:40

Most people won’t want to cycle for bread.

Tinkobell · 26/04/2019 17:44

Everybody's talking about hot tubs. We've always shied away from putting one in our holiday let as I'm paranoid about a toddler or even a pet drowning in one. Does this not worry people? It would give me sleepless nights.

candycane222 · 26/04/2019 17:46

The only way this would appeal to me is if it had nice ("local" feeling, pretty, nature-ey, not necc spectacular) surroundings, and there were at least 1 shop & 1 restaurant within an easy level bike ride and numerous bikes plus working lights and choice of helmets were provided.

If you also arranged a generous welcome hamper of local wines, cheese, sausage etc too that would be nice. I think it could work for the less adventurous, if there are nice places to potter to on the bike (quiet roads). But I personally might feel a bit sad I couldn't get to the unesco sites easily - though if you have young kids that might not matter ( though the fence round the pool would of course!!)

Bluntness100 · 26/04/2019 17:49

It is, I think the overwhelming majority of people want to be able to go out to dinner, or even lunch without having to drive when on holiday. It doesn't mean they would do it every day, but they like the option.

I notice all your thoughts are based on what you do on holiday, you make no mention of going out in the evenings, and plenty of people don't want to cycle to the bakers etc, they prefer to walk.

I think instead of picking a holiday home you can rent out, you're picking where you want to live,even though you understand the requirements for both can be very different,

I think if you really want this house, then think of how to make it work practically for you, accepting it will not be rented out for the vast majority of the time,

My father in law did the same. Bought a farm house in France, said he'd rent it out and live there for a few weeks a year. Except he bought in th middle of no where. In what was not a picturesque place and you had to drive everywhere.

In the several years he owned it, no one ever agreed to rent it. It was even a ballache for us, as you felt trapped once there, as lovely as it was. He kept saying but you can be in Spain in an hour, and all other manner of random shit about why it was desirable, it simply wasn't. The idea of it was, the reality was far from it,

GreenTulips · 26/04/2019 21:20

Tinkobell. They come with lids and locks or even sheds!

applesarerroundandshiny · 26/04/2019 21:49

If it's a large house and would be big enough for two or more families holidaying together it may be OK as they are more likely to make their own entertainment/ stay in to eat and relax around pool.

Generally we like to holiday somewhere we can access local shops, bars, restaurants and preferably a beach within 10 min walk. (Beach not necessity for U.K. hol)

A few years back we stayed in a villa in Portugal with beautiful large grounds with a pool, tennis court, woods and a river backing on. DS absolutely loved it and had the time of his life but DH and I got very fed up of having to drive for miles if we wanted to go out for a meal. DS kept begging to go back but we never did.

Oliversmumsarmy · 27/04/2019 01:09

I think if you are saying a place is 40 minutes to the beach or an hour to an attraction then look to buy near the beach or attraction.
Why would you want to travel that far in a car just to get to the beach when there will be plenty of holiday lets that are within walking distance of the beach and shops and restaurants. Even more if you go a few minutes drive away.

amandacarnet · 27/04/2019 01:48

It depends who your market is. For me being able to go for nice walks close by is essential. For my parents a villa and pool is all that matters. Decide who your market is and view the property in that lens. Look at nearby properties to let if you are unsure and see who they are marketing themselves to.

amandacarnet · 27/04/2019 01:51

And if you are aiming at the older market who really just want to stay in the villa all week, then consider if the property is suitable. So my parents could not manage spiral staircases, would appreciate if they could get food delivered to the villa, etc. Would not want it decorated to appeal to millennials e.g. all white and minimalist.
I agree families who want the beach will look closer to home.

dragonflyflew · 27/04/2019 02:05

Why a holiday let?
What happens to the house on the other days of the year?
Why add to the already huge amount of empty properties?
Why not make a decent home with a reasonable rent for a family instead?

mathanxiety · 27/04/2019 03:07

DeftandGlory Fri 26-Apr-19 17:07:02

Depends on the size.A massive house and pool means people are likely to come over in groups and therefore wouldn’t mind eating and drinking “ at home” with their friends.

I agree with this.

I think you would have to outfit the house with a really big fridge and washing machine, and lay on a lot of necessities so people wouldn't find themselves wasting a day looking for detergent in the surrounding area.

The danger is that your house would be a party venue and might be trashed. A friend of a friend rented out a large and lovely old house in a picturesque part of SE Ireland to a group of a dozen who were celebrating a 40th birthday. She was heartbroken at what they did and it cost her a considerable amount to repair the damage.

I would worry about maintenance of the proposed pool, and also liability.

amandacarnet · 27/04/2019 03:13

Maintaining pools can be expensive. And if you are very rural, it may be more expensive. I would look into that cost first.

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