Holiday home - what are your top 5 must haves - in order?

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Lighthearted, inspired by thread about bed size.

So mine are:

1. Area. We have one specific area when holidaying in uk.
2. Number of bedrooms.
3. Number of parking spaces and must be off street.
4. Garden.
5. No pets.

Honestly don't think to check for king or double bed size!

What's your top 5 in order?

I went to a place which had the most amazing kitchen equipment - think ice-cream maker level. It transformed the holiday, everyone wanted to cook, saved us a fortune and much more relaxed.

The must-have minimum for any place: DISHWASHER INCLUDING BLOODY TABLETS

Dishwasher is just a basic requirement

I would want two bedrooms, king size beds, two bathrooms, a view and a hot tub

For the three of us it's pretty easy and the list would be location, nice relaxed space, well equipped kitchen, some outdoor space to BBQ, and parking.

For our bigger family group (usually 10) is the right configuration of bedrooms, enough bathrooms, but also the corresponding living space... we all want to eat together, and have space to sit on sofas at the same time. So many places say 'sleeps 10' but really they've crammed beds in and the lounge or dining table can't fit more than 6 for example.

1: min. 3 bedrooms - DD and DS are too old to share
2: location - DH and I absolutely refuse to drive on holiday, so has to be in walking distance of shops and restaurants
3: WiFi. I defy anyone to go on holiday with a teen and a tween and not need WiFi.
4: air con. We love the Med but it does get very hot.
5: swimming pool. Adore having our own pool to splash about in. Doesn’t need to be massive, there’s only 4 of us, but bigger than a plunge pool.

Enjoying all of these things right now - although the air con only being on between 10pm and 6am is problematic!

Inside toilet - a lot of holiday cottages don't have them in my country. Likewise for running water and electricity. I've done a rustic holiday to a cottage with none of those things (except there was a pump bringing lake water up to a hosepipe in the sauna for washing with) and while it was alright for a couple of days, I definitely prefer indoor plumbing.

Own beach (lakeside preferably) with a swimming jetty. A boat is a bonus but not a must have.

2 or 3 bedrooms, or a bedroom plus sleeping loft - doesn't matter if the kids share but I don't want to share as well!

Sauna is an absolute must, preferably wood-heated.

Grilling shelter of some sort.

1. Minimum king size bed (that doesn't have a saggy mattress)
2. Dishwasher
3. Easy allocated parking
4. wifi and tv reception that works
5. Ensuite plus main bathroom

Ideally at least two bedrooms but can make do with one if a high end couple retreat.
Location, ideally near sea, loch/lake or river
Washing machine

Desirable but not essential: hot tub and champagne flutes.

Clothes? I don’t wear the same underwear or t-shirts several times in a row. We go away for 2-3 weeks which means that each person either needs at least 14 separate outfits including socks and underwear or we run a washing machine once or twice and can pack half or less than half of the things we need.

This in turn translates into being more mobile, ability to travel by public transport whenever possible, splitting the time between several places or going on holiday in a full hiking mode (meaning we can carry everything on our backs and hike).

I wouldn’t mind having access to a laundromat/launderette but I have not seen one in probably 20 years.

Position and view
Comfortable bed
Well equipped kitchen
Usable outside space
Parking

Currently in a lovely holiday property in the UK. Little basket on arrival with lentil crisps, shortbread, bottle of prosecco, teabags and coffee sachets as well as some Nespresso pods. But no washing up liquid or dishwasher tablet. Either would have been fine. Even Haven caravans provide a bit of washing up liquid to start you off.

Agree with everyone about bedrooms. Can't be doing with this '2 bedrooms but sleeps 15' business. But then again, maybe if you had loads of kids it would work for some families.

Spotlessly clean.
Well thought out quality furnishings.
Quality bed linen towels crockery cutlery.
Honest description.
Lovely area.

But how do you find out about the mattresses and pillows? This is also a priority for me. I find it so stressful worrying about the beds. We’ve had so many holidays ruined by shit beds.

5 star cottage with top cleanliness score
Number of bedrooms
Outside space for ball games
Fridge and Freezer
Washer

Pets allowed
Walking distance to pub

That's it from me!!!

2 bathrooms
Dishwasher
Bath and shower (not just shower)
Garden
Close to shops n stuff

I would say coffee machine but we always take our tassimo anyway

Location - needs to be in the right place for our holiday and convenient obviously.
Adequate number of bedrooms/ beds - I hate listings that reckon they sleep 10 with 2 bedrooms and 3 beds and the rest is weird sofa arrangements.
Not somewhere noisy (e.g. above a pub)
"Nice" - I don't go on holiday to live in someone's mess or in hostil conditions. This means nicely decorated, clean, mod cons etc
Dishwasher/ properly stocked kitchen

No smoking is important too. I don't care about pets, but it needs to still be clean so no dog hairs everwhere

I know. Ditto the blasted curtains. I travel with my own pillow where possible.

A bath
The owners to be not in earshot
Firepit or woodburner

Assuming the basics like in the right place, bedrooms for the right number of people:

1. Comfortable beds with decent duvets and cotton bedding.
2. A big pot so we can make soup/a large casserole dish (hardly any holiday homes have this, yet they are obvious things to cook for >3 people)
3. Enough seating for everyone to lounge and watch tv
4. Combi boiler so constant hot water
5. No leather seating, you just slide around and it's ugly
6. (Nothing red. I can't stand red in decor anywhere. But that's a niche requirement!)

We only ever go away for a week, so a washing machine is a low priority for me. I can easily fit a week's worth of clothes in a case.

Likewise - too many holiday cottages don't follow the HSE rules and I don't want to risk a nasty infection from using previous guests' dirty water. If you ask to see the daily log, the booking is often declined!

When choosing:

• area & amenities
• number of bedrooms
• parking
• view

When deciding whether to return

• comfortable beds
• decent curtains that keep out the light
• sufficient storage / surface areas
• a kitchen & dining area that 'works'

I know this isn't exactly what you mean, but I only want to go somewhere that is at least as nice as my own house and preferably nicer (not hard!). I don't want to go somewhere that is decorated, furnished and has kitchen/bathrooms from 30 odd years ago. For me holiday lets should be a bit luxurious.

100%. Cannot abide having to have a shower in a bath tub for a start and the last airbnb didn't have a microwave.

I think an Airbnb/villa is very different from a home and should be designed accordingly. It gets so much more wear and tear than a house but also should feel luxurious and vacation like - yes, even at the lower budget end of the market.

The last place we stayed in was absolutely beautiful (lack of microwave aside) - a very nicely modernist refurb of old farm buildings. I noticed that while there were lots of art books and the decor was beautiful there was no art on the wall and that made it feel both a bit more lux and a bit less personal. You weren't confronted with the taste of the owner.

I'm very much enjoying reading this - fascinating how much variety there is in what folks most want.

Lots of obvious ones all have in common. Comfy chairs ect.

Lots of ones i guess you'd have to contact the host to find out.

One thing i will say is: there's nothing like learning by mistakes is there? Once you've got something wrong by not checking you never ever forget again !!

Re: laundry - i agree that having a washing machine and coming home with suitcases full of clean clothes is bliss!

Before we could afford holiday cottages i did years in caravan holidays with no washing machine in the van, and when the kids were all little i'd have to take an entire day out of the holiday using the site laundry to get everything clean and dry! Trecking back and forth across the site with black bin bags 🙄 and trying to find enough space to put stings up to hang the washing cos the driers were £££ 🙄