Holiday rental thoughts

[RaininSummer]

I have stayed in two places in the past week for a wedding and a festival and both have things which are either a bit annoying or very annoying indeed but not mentioned on the ads pre booking. First one no sleep for two nights as all you can hear all night are loud humming electrical noises from the pub next door, maybe beer coolers. No lock on bathroom door at all which is a minor irritation. No mirror or bedside lamp in second bedroom. This was a pricy cottage which was lovely otherwise.

Second place is under an airport flight path and v noisy but again not mentioned. No bathroom lock and also no mirror on bathroom and only one front door key which is causing issues as we are a party with three adults who may go out independently.

Am I unreasonable in thinking the ads should mention the noise. Lack of sleep totally ruins a stay anywhere. Also don't rental owners think about mirrors, lamps, keys etc?

I wouldn’t expect any of those things to be mentioned in a listing. I wouldn’t be bothered about the bathroom not having a lock and I wouldn’t expect multiple sets of keys either. I don’t think I’ve ever been handed more than one set of keys for a holiday cottage. Mirrors in bedrooms and so on, I just wouldn’t care at all. I wouldn’t even register the planes from the airport.

Do the properties have any reviews? I'd have thought the noise would be mentioned for both!

Is it close to the airport? Is that not a clue?

Noise like that keeps me awake all night. The mirrors and stuff are just annoying if cleaning teeth or doing make up but it does seem to me that the owners don't think about these things. One key could make things a bit tricky as the others are out now and door is locked which means I can't get out other than through back door in an emergency.

But they're trying to make money. If they advertised that it was under a flight path and really noisy no one would book it.

I think it’s tricky because noise like that would annoy some but others wouldn’t even notice it - if it’s a repetitive humming noise some people may even like it, like a type of white noise or ASMR.

My DP can sleep through any noise but I can’t. I can’t sleep in rooms with a loud ticking clock - but he barely notices. So depends on the individual I think.

I'm surprised the reviews don't mention the noise?

The only one that would get me is no mirror in the bathroom.
Surely a quick check of an address will show the proximity to a pub, airport, or other noisy venue.

No mirror in bedrooms, no lamps, single key, no bedside table, bathroom locks are not deal breakers for me.

People have different expectations and, I say this as someone very similar OP, I think you are quite sensitive to things. Noise, smells, textures e.g. sheets are very important to me. That's why I camp as I know I'm ultra picky so I can take all my own stuff with me and, if I'm not happy with noise levels etc, I just move to a different pitch.

Ear plugs are a boon.

My review does. I didn't book the second one so didn't look at reviews but the first one didn't mention the noise. Maybe they are all people who can sleep though a racket. I definitely can't. The humming noise was torture as I could practically feel it through my whole body. At 3.23am it stopped and I started to drift off to sleep and then ten mins later it bloody started again. The planes just make me jump out of my skin. I must be a delicate flower.

Why are bathroom locks not an issue? I stayed a week in a holiday let with my in laws and no bathroom locks and it was horrible. Basic stuff!

I think sometimes it's just that they haven't thought. Our recent holiday suffered from two of those. Only one door key, and as the door didn't actually stay shut without being locked from the inside, we couldn't leave one person in unless they were up and able to let the other(s) back in. There was also no mirror in the bedrooms, one of which was a floor away from the bathroom. No toilet roll holder - at least it wasn't the year I had an injury which meant I could not have retrieved the roll from the top of the cistern.

On the plus side, they had good bedside lights - we have started taking our own (clamp spotlights) on holiday, as so often bedside lights light the whole room.

On the very negative side - a holiday let sleeping three but with only two chairs for the kitchen table? It seems to me that "sleeps 3" and self-catering should imply space for three to eat. We ended up bringing a patio chair in from outside. (Two-seater sofa, too, but less of a problem.)

I'm very cynical about holiday lets and toilet roll. I reckon they deliberately only leave one or two rolls, knowing full well you'll have to go and buy a four-pack before you go, leaving them with more than enough to do the same to the next people.

It's v horrible as my two granddaughters are liable to fling the door open at any moment.

I am wondering if the lack of mirrors is to make cleaning the place easier between lets. Ridiculous though. No bedside light was a pita too as when I got up in the night I couldn't even find the door easily.

It’s not your home so will sound, smell, seem different. The owner is just trying to cater for the many. They will not mention what is the norm to them ie waves on stone beach, clinking of boat rigging. If you have particular needs, and that includes locks on bathrooms, bring your own. I live in an area where a curtain separates the loo from rest of house is common. Bring ear plugs for everything else

Inadequate reading lights in bedroom would annoy me. So would there not being a power point close to a mirror that I could plug hairdryer and straighteners into.

If you’re sensitive to noise then staying in a property next to a pub was a bit of a gamble! I always check the location of holiday rentals on google maps before booking anything for that reason. Earplugs are your friend!

That vibration would bother me too. I was in a hotel in Lisbon last year (a nice one) and I could feel the vibrations from the lift and it kept me up. Then earlier this year I stayed in a barn conversion and our bedroom was next to the pool so could feel the vibration of the pump or whatever it was. I scour reviews and listen to white noise.

Why do you need a mirror to brush your teeth? Genuine question. I walk around doing jobs every morning and evening whilst I brush my teeth (put dirty washing in the laundry bin, plump pillows, hang towels up etc) and never look in the mirror.

Next door to a pub should be mentioned.

I find hard to floss and use those between tooth things without a mirror. The pub itself wouldn't have bothered me as it was shit by 11pm. Earplugs would have been good but as I never usually need them I didn't have any and we were not near shops. They should provide them if their place is known to be noisy I think. I usually read in bed so the absence of a light was super annoying. Sitting in bed now with planes zooming overhead roughly every 20 mins. Arg.

Oh dear... Should say shut by 11pm. The pub was actually very nice and I knew it was next door. Just didn't expect the noisy hum thing all night.

It’s not your home so will sound, smell, seem different. The owner is just trying to cater for the many. They will not mention what is the norm to them ie waves on stone beach, clinking of boat rigging.

This.
If your hearing is that sensitive that you can't sleep through a calm, gentle electricity hum, then surely you were aware of this long before you had grandchildren ? Anywhere you stay will sound different from your own home.

To some extent, if you are getting up in the night regularly, then wouldn't you make sure you had a torch (or the torch on your phone) to hand ?

I think the no bathroom lock would be a bit annoying.

But if you are bothered by things (rather than just being able to lay your head and go to sleep) then surely you would do research / read reviews / look on Google maps etc first, and even e-mail the owner ?
I tend to just accept that I am not at home, things will be different, and it's just a week, then get on with life.

Didn't take a torch as no idea I would need one (not a thing you pack generally). Wouldn't have been up in the night if asleep. Phone was other side of room charging as no plug sockets nearer. Wouldn't describe it as a gentle hum either it was annoying loud rhythmic noise which totally wound me up. I. Have no idea how people sleep through such a racket but my partner was also awake most of the night because of the noise.