How many bedrooms is reasonable for a UK holiday rental for 4 families?

[IWannaGoToTheSpa]

…including 6 children across 3 of the families and 2 dogs (I hate dogs but that’s another thread) - children’s ages range from 18 months to 9 years and they are 3 girls and 3 boys. The adults are 4 couples.

Agree, just book somewhere nearby so you can still hang out but have your own space

@Usernamqwerty

Where would you find somewhere with 6 / 7 bedrooms in the UK?

There's absolutely loads. My main job is going to them and cooking a nice dinner party for the guests. I worked almost every night in the summer holiday season last year in Devon and Cornwall. It's very popular to book a chef as it means all the families can eat together, no babysitter needed, or pet sitter.. no taxi needed or designated driver and you supply your own drinks.

I visited some amazing properties last summer, plenty with a dozen or more bedrooms too.

Sounds fine to me. What's wrong with a blow up bed for a child? You can get some great camping mattresses for cheap these days.

Did you post about this recently?

The holiday house was booked by one couple without one single discussion with the rest.

So they have the room with the 2 single beds.

@Atla

Agree, just book somewhere nearby so you can still hang out but have your own space

This ^^ Quite frankly I wouldn't care about offending the people who booked the accommodation. They didn't consult you beforehand.

I once went on a weekend away with exh friends, all couples, all pre kids. Someone had booked a 4 room house. When we got there one of the rooms was a twin. The other couples announced we would pick out if a hat. We of course got the twin. My ex was 6ft 4 so his legs were off the end if the bed. Turns out the place wasn't walkable to anything and then like a mug spent the whole weekend driving us round in my 7 seater. If the person booking it can't book appropriate accommodation (they should be checking with each couple) then I would stay nearby separately.

The DGPs will either have to share with some GCs or a couple of dogs, it's the only way everyone will fit in.

If the double rooms are big enough to take a blow up mattress and a travel cot, I'd keep all of you in one room as the least bad option.

Could you stay for the weekend, then decamp to an actual decent holiday cottage for Mon- Fri ? Are you being expected to pay to stay in this too small place as well ?

It does sound like you're a bedroom short (at least). Staying in your own place nearby is a great idea, I bet the other two couples who didn't get a say would be very grateful if you did!

This is my idea of an absolute nightmare. The couple booking it are total dickheads for not thinking this through properly. This did happen to me once where family booked a house but didn't book a room for me. I was expected to sleep in the living room on the sofa. I booked my own accommodation nearby.

So I'd book somewhere nearby and then you have best of both worlds.

Is there a sofa bed?
Could you take a travel coat?

cot

18 month in travel cot in your room so that doesn't really count.
But it's the extra couple- they don't mind single beds and in with a child? Assuming your 5yo so the 3 boys have the other room? Is that how they've thought it would work?

It really depends on outside space/ weather/ location/ how much you will all be out.

I would have said 6 is the minimum so that no kids have to be in with parents but given the setup you have, I would arrange as:

1st 3singlebed - 2x9yo boys and 1x5yo boy

2nd 3singlebed - family3 with 5yo girl in 3rd bed and 18mo in cot

Largest double - parents of family2 with7yo girl on matress on floor

Other 2 doubles have parents of family1 and the other couple (grandparents?)

However I agree that the property is too small for the group and if the person who blithely booked it without consultation is one of the least-inconvenienced couples then that's really off.

If it were my family I would be trying to get a nearby Airbnb for the grandparents/childless couple so that all parents can have a double to themselves and there can be a girls and boys dormitory in the 2 triple rooms (though might be best for toddler to be with parents rather than kids)

If your husband insists on going to keep the peace, claim you couldn't get the time off work and send him on his own with your DC. He can share one of the 3 bed rooms with your two. You can have a relaxing week at home.

@Hippychicken1

Unless it’s Buckingham palace there would never be a house big enough to convince me to share with that many relatives kids and dogs 😂

I am with you on that.

Three doubles and two triples? Fuck that!

We do an annual holiday (uk) and there's always at least 14 of us, usually 18. Having a room per couple is a basic!

It's not just the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, it's the amount of downstairs space too. You already know you are taking 12 to a house that actually fits 9. Apart from the legal issues of over occupation , you also wont have enough chairs in any living room/kitchen areas or a table big enough to sit around. Do you really want to spend a week with children wandering about eating their breakfast, adults standing at a worktop to eat a take away because they can't sit down. It will be bad enough coping with other families attitudes to table manners, sitting til you have finished, going to bed at a reasonable hour , that's later because its a holiday, but still gives adults a bit of peace and quiet .All these things are small if you meet up for a family get together for an afternoon. A week is a long time to live with other people and their routines and habits , even if you rent the biggest house in England.. If the house is too small it will be even worse.Do you really want to use annual leave to sit on a cushion on the floor fending off the licking of a dog you already hate before you even get there.
Someone up thread asked if there was a sofa bed. Don't accept this as an option. It just means somebody doesn't have a private space for an entire week and can't go to bed until everyone else has gone to bed. If that's the telly room they may well be woken up again at 6 when the small people burst in to watch cbeebies

You need to consider bathrooms and living spaces as well.
We have just booked to go away at Easter - 4 adults and 5 teens +1 dog.
There are 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 1 downstairs toilet and 2 lounges.
Bedroom 1 couple 1
Bedroom 2 couple 2
Bedroom 3 teen girl
Bedroom 4 2 teen boys (sibs)
Bedroom 5 2 teen boys (not related)
Bedrooms 4 and 5 have twin beds not doubles, which is something else to consider.

@IWannaGoToTheSpa

So a family member has booked 5 bedroom house without consulting anyone and has a very relaxed attitude to life, whatever, it’ll be fine blah blah blah. I’m not high maintenance but I’d j so to be dreading everyone bunking in. We’re not obliged to go. But have rejected the last couple of family holiday offers for various reasons and feel bad rejecting again. Plus they’ll say well our kids can sleep on blow up beds. Which will make us feel really uncomfortable. Just feel it puts us (my husband really, his family) in an awkward position - everyone else will be fine with it as they are the sort of family where you can’t make a fuss or say anything is a problem - but I know I’ll Ave a miserable week.

Mil used to do this She had a “just stick the kids all in together on blow up mattresses” attitude We don’t go on holiday with them any more

Good point @AngelinaFibres .

We shared a 6 bedroom property between 10 of us ( two additional people dropped out) so we were fine bedroom wise, but there was not quite enough space for us all to fit in the living room.

Thankfully the weather was warm and we had a hot tub, so people tended to be divided up, but it was a real squish when together. I was so glad I hadn't brought rookiedog ( also they had a very large pig called chorizo at the farm bit opposite so that may not have worked well ).

@Quackpot

6 minimum. But don't go if you don't like dogs, stay nearby seperatley. I know I'd hate a holiday with someone's dogs. You'll end up sick of the hair and the yapping and they smell when they get wet, beg your food and they always want to lick you 🤢 I'd not inflict my kids on a child free couple and I wouldn't want pets inflicted on me 🤣

I know not everyone likes dog and that’s fair enough but my dog doesn’t yap, beg food, lick anyone or go upstairs or on furniture at home so he won’t be doing it on holiday either. Have to admit he does smell a bit if wet though

This is a disaster waiting to happen
I would book a local hotel for the first weekend and join in that way, and be comfortably at home for arguments that will start by Mon/Tues
No A/L is a good excuse

@Hoppinggreen most people smell a bit when wet too .

I'd say 4 minimum if kids can share with their parents and the rooms are big enough to allow that. Ideally more but that would be my minimum and we have done exactly this in the past.