Why don't holiday cottage companies do these things? AIBU?

[TheStroppyFeminist]

I have been searching for a holiday cottage for next year and so far haven't found the right one but FGS, why don't cottage companies:

1. Show you a floor plan? I want to see where each bedroom is in relation to other bedrooms because of snoring etc
2. Show you the bathrooms properly? I want a huge walk in shower and I want a separate attachment as well but you can hardly ever see whether there is one
3. Insist on a 10am checkout and a 4pm or later check in? It's annoying and we sometimes leave the day before to avoid getting up early

I also won't empty bins or strip beds, I'm on holiday! AIBU? What are your self catering hates?

YABU, understandable, they CBA
YANBU, they really should provide this info

I nearly posted this, you are staycationing ie staying at home so they are your beds.

I suspect they are using staycation to mean staying in the same country but that is not the correct use of the word so I am ignoring it!

Agree with your points, OP - every year we have to really struggle to fathom the layout. So many properties have multiple rooms with double beds rather than being twin rooms / bunk beds - and with four children of varying ages, it’s pretty crucial to our selection process!
Another bugbear is when simple things are missing / not thought about. A couple of years ago, I dared ask our host where the salt and pepper set was kept - she VERY haughtily told me that they thought we should have provided our own - not exactly something you think to pack for a week away!

@Nadeed
It's literally just taking the kitchen binbag round the corner to the outside bin, a quick wipe down of one worksurface, and a quick flick round the combined kitchen and living area with a brush - the sort of thing you'd do after washing up, or ask the kids to do, rather than actual cleaning.
The cleaner still has to do a thorough clean, including the floor and worksurface - it has to be sparkling clean for the next guest. She may have one apartment to clean that day, she may have five - some guests leave the floor covered in sand, curry sauce on the worksurface, dog slobber up the walls etc. If consequently she decides to charge us more that charge is then passed on to future guests.
Most of our guests are lovely though and we're happy to have them back.

I've glanced through the thread so not sure if this has been mentioned but are beds king/queen or just double?

My DH is tall and his legs hang off the end of normal doubles. So many times a bedroom doesn't specify the size of the bed!

I agree with all of your points OP!

We booked somewhere this year where the en-suites had an upgrade since we booked. This meant they no longer had any baths as had all been converted to walk in showers. This was a nightmare for my 2 and 4 year old!

Can I add this hated phrase: The cottage has a double or king sized bed.....which one?!?!?! My husband's over 6ft we need to know!

Floor plans are nice but not a need for me.
ive only ever had to strip beds twice, once in a villa in Florida and the other during Covid. The Covid one wanted the laundry to be in the big bags that they take the washing in to the laundrette.
never been asked to clean but I have seen listing saying that and swiftly avoided them.
10am checkout doesn’t bother me, as I wouldn’t say it was early. 11am check out would be great. But I would rather be able to arrive at 3pm, than check out at 11am, if it was an either or. 9am checkout on the other hand, apart from Covid, I would definitely avoid.
dishwasher, if I can stick it in and leave it running then that’s best. But if I’m in the middle of nowhere, then I stick it on and then as I’m leaving I switch it off and leave a note. Because some places very rural often have notes about responses to fires can be really slow due to the distance the closest one is away.

one thing I absolutely fucking hate, is stupid artsy pictures. I don’t need to see a close up of the taps at a jaunty angle. Or one of the towels and stuff that they’ve put in a fancy design at the end of the bed. Or all the place mats and cutlery and dishes set out on the table, with flowers and candles.

Jinx! lol

@3beesinmybonnet I wipe surfaces down anyway. I would interpret emptying bins as emptying all bins. So kitchen bin, bedroom and bathroom bins. And sweeping the floor as properly sweeping it. I have a back problem, so this would take me about 20 minutes. Its not a quick flick. I do not leave sand or similar on the floor.

place we stayed at a few weeks back had a long list of chores to do before leaving but also charged a £99 cleaning fee at time of booking. Surely it’s either/or???

Show you a floor plan? I want to see where each bedroom is in relation to other bedrooms because of snoring etc

I agree. It also helps if one wishes to conduct an affair, planning where everyone is sleeping. An old farmhouse with a corridor will help, so long as there are no creaky floorboards. But don't get caught out with a 'Jack & Jill' style shared bathroom. Ones grunting can be heard from both rooms and you will have the prospect of no food or washing for the whole of September while ones partner is opening a new thread on Relationships if one is not careful. .Ducks will be lined up, just not yours which will be shot.

Show you the bathrooms properly? I want a huge walk in shower and I want a separate attachment as well but you can hardly ever see whether there is one.

A detachable shower head is necessary to blast sand out from the cracks. And other stuff (see above). We also use detachable shower heads to wash down our bodyboards, surfboards, kites, kayaks, paddleboards and gut sea trout. Occasionally, we use them to waterboard each other when Countdown has finished.

A plan key would help. Not only with regard to showerheads, but whether loos are separate from bathrooms and how close each 'thunderbox' is to Wi-fi points. Sometimes, the urger to google on the loo without having to fight a six-foot thick Devon longhouse wall is overpowering. Even more so when little nephew has wasted all the toilet roll and one needs to WhatsApp one's partner to bring a fresh roll from the kitchen.

Insist on a 10am checkout and a 4pm or later check in? It's annoying and we sometimes leave the day before to avoid getting up early.

I disagree on this point. Some holiday homes need more than six hours to air every week. The scents of our fellow holiday-makers need some very serious attention. For example, Nanna's weed, doggies and dead crabs left wrapped in plastic under the single beds by young grandsons need some time to evaporate rather than infuse into the brickwork, or in more modern conversions, the really sloppy plasterwork.

I think that on arrival day, it is par for the course you find something to enhance that day. For us it is shopping for the first provisions in the local supermarkets (we do self-catering), perhaps dipping the toes in the fresh seawater while tucking one's partner's new clothes label under their collar, or chartering an offshore tuna fishing trip at 10:00 to and returning by 17:00. There are also plenty of National Trust places to go and see to inspire one for the holiday ahead. Maybe not though, on reflection.

We’ve stayed in the same cottages for the past three years and the best thing is 3pm check in, and 1pm checkout. This year we held a big party with about 25 guests and she let us stay until 2 pm which was perfect.

I agree with the rest too.

Places that say ‘sleep 10’ but when you delve further that is two double beds, a sofa bed and four sleeping bags for the floor. Oh and then the dining table only has six chairs.

I have several en-suites in my actual house so definitely want them when away!

Cottages are not cheap. If people pinch stuff then deal with this. Don't give me hardly any equipment to make a meal with.

Agree about the floor plan, and making up all the beds. Leave basic provisions (pint of milk, tea/coffee) especially if miles from a shop.
Basic instructions (where to find stuff) and equipment (TV, cooker) that is easy to operate. Some TV’s have been so complicated we’ve never managed to get them to work! Local leaflets and a visitor book are also good as these have great tips about where to go.

Twice I’ve stayed in properties where they only made up one bed in a twin room, expecting you to spend your holiday looking at an unmade bed in the same room! When I asked for the other bed to be made up the owner handed me the bedding and left so I had to do it.
One place we didn’t find all the cooking equipment until halfway through the holiday as it was in a hidden cupboard! Read the visitor book to find many people posted missed having a TV, but we found that in another cupboard!!
Loved the last place we stayed which left us flowers, provisions, made up beds, great TV and clear instructions.

I'm surprised so many people are complaining about the check out time.
I'm sure it's generally been 10am for the last 30 years or more!

I don’t do beds at home, my cleaner does

Your place sounds lush where in the country are you?

I stayed somewhere were there weren't any bin bags but was expected to change the bins

I never know how clean is clean. Absolutely spotless or clean and tidy

I take it you wouldn't mind the property not being cleaned? Arriving late afternoon and leaving by 10am is perfectly acceptable for most folk anyway.
Most people also don't mind taking 5 mins to strip beds, it's not exacly taxing (unless you are disabled in sime way).

No it used to be 11am. And that was early enough with packing.

Pack the night before?

No sharp knives does my head in ! I stayed somewhere with friends a few weeks ago where no knife in the entire house would cut anything firmer than soft butter.

Also exact number of cups / plates / spoons for the number of people so you're constantly washing things.

Things like no toilet roll or a cloth in the kitchen annoys me. A holiday let with cleaning products will always go down well with me, I have no intention of doing the cleaner's job but I'd like to be able to wipe round the kitchen after cooking !

Also as in hotels - location of plug sockets !

It is a bit of a rush had a bit of lie in you are on holiday after all. Had showers, packed, had and washed up breakfast, wiped surfaces stripped bed. Thats almost a days worth of household chores before 10am

I want to enjoy my holiday.