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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Holiday let with inadequate curtains, AIBU?

316 replies

MyMarmite · 08/05/2023 08:00

We’ve paid £1,000 for 7 nights in a holiday let. The master bedroom has no curtains or blinds in about 4ft of window and so I am awake early as it’s bright. diagram attached.

it’s an awkward window but I still think it’s unreasonable not to cover it if you’re letting it. This is a professional holiday let.

There are 2 other double bedrooms but dh is in one of them and they are 2 floors down, deliberately, as I snore. So I can’t use the other one as then he won’t sleep because of my snoring.

I’d rather go home than not sleep all week. It’s 2.5 hours away. AIBU?

Holiday let with inadequate curtains, AIBU?
OP posts:
LizzieSiddal · 08/05/2023 10:50

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow · Today 10:08
I can’t wear eye masks. They scratch my corneas.

You’re supposed to close your eyes!!

This tread is bonkers 😂

Purplebunnie · 08/05/2023 10:52

Used a towel over a window at a holiday let and secured it with drawing pins. Lamppost right outside the window.

The amount of holes in the wall showed we weren't the first to do this.😂

soberfabulous · 08/05/2023 10:53

tinfoil is your friend! wet the window and 'stick' the foil on. peels off easily afterwards.

i feel your pain - i am a bad/light sleeper. i have blackout curtains AND wear an eye mask. your situation would not work for me at all!

BraceletOfDiscretion · 08/05/2023 10:55

At the last holiday let we stayed in every bedroom was bathed in bright blue light all night. There were plug-in devices in every room with a small but brilliant blue LED 'on' light. It wasn't obvious what they were for so I googled the brand name on them. They were supposedly to deter mice and spiders by emitting some sort of signal. Yeah, right.
We decided to take our chances being disturbed in the night by invading rodents and noisy spiders and unplugged them all.

ittakes2 · 08/05/2023 10:58

You shouldn't have to but buy some aluminum foil the type you cover roast chickens with and tape to window as a cheap black out fix.

Bluebells1970 · 08/05/2023 10:59

We once stayed at an amazing site of lodges near St Ives but the windows all had tall apexes and only the lower parts were covered by horrifically cheap looking vertical blinds that were opaque. We were awake every morning at 5am and by the 3rd morning I was losing my rag with it. We went up to reception and the receptionist more or less rolled her eyes at us and say "everyone says this". The site was amazing, pool and restaurant were great and so close to the sea but we've never gone back purely because it wasn't a holiday being up at that time every morning. We left a day early as I'd had enough. We left this in the feedback and it was the only part that wasn't shown online!

Himawarigirl · 08/05/2023 10:59

Thanks to the info I have learnt on this thread I have now taken down all my curtains and donated them to an elderly neighbour. I checked and she is over 76. Now I will patiently wait until I am allowed to buy some new curtains for myself in just over three decades. It will be a lot of early mornings woken by the light but clearly it’s what I need to do.

TreesandFish · 08/05/2023 11:00

SayOrPay · 08/05/2023 09:50

And yes @SBHon i get undressed in the dark!

I live in a block of flats and I would say everyone has curtains in the bedroom. Not necessarily in the living room, but definitely in the bedroom. It would be very weird if my neighbours could see me while I'm lying in bed

Aaarrgg · 08/05/2023 11:00

Eye mask.

What a weird thread. People do like to be dramatic, don't they?

Batalax · 08/05/2023 11:01

Presumably she gets some sort of privacy because of the sides of the balcony and the windows are set back.

Anyway sopay probably doesn’t need window coverings because she must walk round all the time with her eyes shut, not to notice most other people do.

brownbeauty80 · 08/05/2023 11:03

Eyemask

BraceletOfDiscretion · 08/05/2023 11:08

Same UK holiday let where you couldn't control the heating yourself but had to message the owner every time who would turn it up or down on an app. Probably not much of an issue in July. Not so great in -2° over Christmas when the owner was on a long haul flight to New Zealand.

Batalax · 08/05/2023 11:13

Is it a gradual thing, like the old age pension age going up, where the age you qualify keeps getting pushed back? So us younger people might never get to use curtains till, say 86?

slightlysnippy · 08/05/2023 11:20

SayOrPay · 08/05/2023 08:03

You can't expect the rooms to be furnished to your taste. You should have looked at the photos.
Personally, I don't know anyone who has curtains who isn't over the age of 76. It's not considered the thing to have in your house.
Buy an eye mask like they used to give out on aeroplanes.

My favourite most ludicrous comment of the week and it's only Monday

soberfabulous · 08/05/2023 11:22

Himawarigirl · 08/05/2023 10:59

Thanks to the info I have learnt on this thread I have now taken down all my curtains and donated them to an elderly neighbour. I checked and she is over 76. Now I will patiently wait until I am allowed to buy some new curtains for myself in just over three decades. It will be a lot of early mornings woken by the light but clearly it’s what I need to do.

absolutely howled with laughter at this - brilliant!

Hercisback · 08/05/2023 11:31

This thread is bonkers. 76+ to have curtains!

I can't think of a house I've ever been in that doesn't have some sort of window covering. Where is this mystery block of flats where everyone sees each other naked and only sleep during dark hours.

Roselilly36 · 08/05/2023 11:31

Batalax · 08/05/2023 11:13

Is it a gradual thing, like the old age pension age going up, where the age you qualify keeps getting pushed back? So us younger people might never get to use curtains till, say 86?

😂 with inflation and all that!

But I don’t think that’s going far enough tbh. Perhaps manufacturers should add a warning on the curtain packets not to be purchased before a certain age and the need to produce photographic ID to prove your age before purchase!

The tin foil idea sounds a reasonable one, but how is OP going to get up there to stick it up? Most people leave the ladder at home when they go on holiday 😂

Ilovedthe70s · 08/05/2023 11:33

Curtains taken down, stored away for the next 15 years.

Slightly concerned that by mid June the opportunity to dress under cover of darkness will be quite small.

Reallybadidea · 08/05/2023 11:35

I'm really grateful for this thread actually, because I was going to spend the morning putting up a blind and curtains in our newly-decorated guest bedroom. However, none of our friends or family are over 76, so I'm not going to bother - just provide eye masks and tinfoil instead. Result!

(Sorry you've been hijacked OP, you should complain because it sounds really shit)

Starhead69 · 08/05/2023 11:36

SayOrPay · 08/05/2023 08:03

You can't expect the rooms to be furnished to your taste. You should have looked at the photos.
Personally, I don't know anyone who has curtains who isn't over the age of 76. It's not considered the thing to have in your house.
Buy an eye mask like they used to give out on aeroplanes.

@SayOrPay what on earth are you on about?! Crazy talk

SleepingStandingUp · 08/05/2023 11:37

SayOrPay · 08/05/2023 08:03

You can't expect the rooms to be furnished to your taste. You should have looked at the photos.
Personally, I don't know anyone who has curtains who isn't over the age of 76. It's not considered the thing to have in your house.
Buy an eye mask like they used to give out on aeroplanes.

So all of your windows are completely uncovered? Do you live quite rurally cos here that would mean flashing the neighbours and everyone being able to see into the house

DarrellRiversCriminalBehaviourOrder · 08/05/2023 11:37

SayOrPay · 08/05/2023 09:50

And yes @SBHon i get undressed in the dark!

That's because the bridge doesn't let in any light.

Roselilly36 · 08/05/2023 11:38

Reallybadidea · 08/05/2023 11:35

I'm really grateful for this thread actually, because I was going to spend the morning putting up a blind and curtains in our newly-decorated guest bedroom. However, none of our friends or family are over 76, so I'm not going to bother - just provide eye masks and tinfoil instead. Result!

(Sorry you've been hijacked OP, you should complain because it sounds really shit)

Someone ring the police! 😂

MuggleMe · 08/05/2023 11:38

Wet the window and tinfoil sticks to it.

LaMarschallin · 08/05/2023 12:03

Batalax · 08/05/2023 11:13

Is it a gradual thing, like the old age pension age going up, where the age you qualify keeps getting pushed back? So us younger people might never get to use curtains till, say 86?

Love this Grin

I can't wear an eye mask (not because it scratches my corneas - I don't really understand how it would do that), but I'm not a good sleeper and anything that feels a bit unusual stops me getting off to sleep. So, since I normally don't have a face covering/mask on, I'm very aware of it and become more wakeful.
I realise that's not usual but I can't be the only one.
I hope Shock