HOLIDAY TIME! What would make the perfect MN seaside cottage?

[runawayquickly]

Attention all weekenders/Brit seaside holidaymakers!
I'm about to start renting out a place in Suffolk and would like to implement the genius little touches you have failed to find in holiday cottages so far. What would make you book a place? A couple of my ideas so far:

1. Dansette record player to wow the kids with and play stacks of 45s when you come back from pub of an evening
2. Loft room with bean bags, a DVD player and Disney's back catalogue. Lockable. Or maybe not
3. Optional waterproof undersheets in the airing cupboard for the nervy mother with potty-training dcs
4. Deaf old biddy neighbour. THis last one was just pure luck.

My target market will be families, probably with grandparents or other friends in tow. Suggestions please!

P.S. I understand a special gin and tonic tap and soundproof rooms/padded cell might be useful, but I've probably thought of all that kind of stuff already

A dishwasher and washing machine are always top of my list.

Ditto the washing machine & somewhere to dry it all.

TBH and speaking from experience here (we have a self-catering apartment that we rent out) I would put breathable waterproof mattress protectors on all the beds as a matter of course.

Yes to all of those, though having problems with my eBay bought tumble drier and have just tried to email the seller who turns out'is no longer a registered user'. Shame, as I'd like to arrange a convenient time to ram it down his throat.

Good thinking, MrsSppon. Will look for the ones that don't rustle too much

Does it have a garden? If so some outdoor play stuff would be great. Doesn't have to be anything massive even a swingball and sandpit or something.

also maybe a highchair/booster and travel cot available on request?

Compendium of games inc 'Pick up sticks' Mine loved them at the cottage we went to this year.

Something that proved a real wow was access to a hot tub (realise this might not be possible)

The great places I've stayed in have always been fantastically well equipped, so plenty of crockery (so you dno't have to load the dishwasher every 5 minutes, one place had 2 dishwashers, v useful) and things like a grater, fish slices, egg cups, diff sized saucepans, dishes for putting things on the table, water jugs, glasses, a corkscrew, bowls, a collander, that kind of thing.

Things I especially liked in recent places:

Lots of fab childrens toys and dvds and family games like Cluedo
rugs on the sofa, esp appreciated when we stayed right next to the sea and wantd the window open to hear the waves
2 loos, essential, I wouldn't go anywhere without this
great bed linen and towels
a service to put food shopping away before we arrive, it was bliss to get there to find everything in the fridge/cupboard already.
The Big Cottage Co do an amazing welcome pack, will link to my review of it in a minute.

Just back from a great seaside cottage in US (so slightly different!) but one thing we found good was it had sand toys kids could use (and a trolley to transport them - but that's a US thing!) so saving me buying yet more buckets & spades.
Agree with the waterproof mattress protectors as a matter of course - dd's pajama pants leaked one night. Don't suppose an outdoor shower would work in the UK would it? It was great as I could chuck the kids in it when we came back from teh beach so they didn't spread sand through the house.

proper bbq outside if there is space.

Where we go we do bbqs rather than going out (cos easier with ds) and they have a lovely big one, next to a gazebo with a big wooden set of tables and chairs.

Stairgates?

I've just tried to link to The Big Cottage co and can't it looks like their site is down and so is the one for Niche Retreats, anyway, here's what I thought of the big cottage co lots of detail about what they have.

What prices are you charging?

Thanks, Wickedwaterwitch - all good stuff. My mum has made a list of everything I should get for the kitchen since she is a proper woman who even DECANTS tomato ketchup into a little dish on the table. I think it's safe to say the kitchen will be well equipped.
Not loads of outdoor space, schneebly, but we are 2 mins from beach and I'll have windbreak/swingball/cricket stuff/kits in a cupboard for everyone to use.

Yes to a Hot Tub and a BBQ, that would be fab.

Been told we can go to 1200/1300 per week in high season as there as it sleeps 10. Haven't been assesed by agencies yet as still renovating. Nearly finished though - can't wait.

It sounds lovely RAQ. where will you be advertising? I'm looking for a seaside break in August.

Look at Niche Retreats.co.uk too, their places are fab.

For sleeps 10 I'm prepared to pay extra for one bathroom per bedroom. I cannot stand sharing a bathroom!

The Welcome pack at boh Niche and the Big Cottage co is fab too altohugh the Big Cottage co was slightly better, iirc it had

wine x sparkling
wine x red
strawberry jam
a cake with no hydrogenated oil
2 loaves of bread, white and brown
butter
satsumas
coffee

all really lovely to arrive to.

Haven't decided which agency is right for us. Can't have those number crunching talks until they see the standard of the renovation. I am considering doing it myself, because as far as I can see they just hand over the keys and not much else!
We've got a lovely japanese bath in the main bathroom though (there are three for those non toilet sharers out there!). You can get the water over your shoulders and just laze. As a matter of fact I might move in there myself, better than our place at home!

Great welcome pack -will defo include that. Thanbks for the link to your cottage review, WWW. Sounds wonderful...

and a BIG table
and good cooking space, I quite like cooking
an ipod docking station and speakers
curtains that don't let any light in
thick thick thick doors, esp if it sleeps 10
either decent/inoffensive art or NONE at all
books, esp lovely coffee table types that I wouldn't buy but will read if they're there
somewhere to take wet wellies off and hang coats

And are you going to give mumsnetters a discount? Hmm? And let me go free so I can review it?

went to a fab place called Champenhays near Lyme Regis. It was a very well decoreted cottage. It had all the usual ammnities, had a DVD (with library of discs to borrow) and games. Also a book library. We also had a sre in a lap pool and hot tub, which was excellent when it rained.

Welcome pack was wine, butter, milk, coffee, tea, jam, washing up liquid, excellent bread and localy produced organic biscuits,. There were dove toletaries in the bath rooms.

What they had done, which was excellent and helpedus to get the most out of our visit, was to collent masses of leaflets/maps etc on local sites of ineterst. and put them all in a folder. Every night we would thumb through it, and agree on a dry weather/wet weather plan.

The kids loved it

Maps with waterproof pockets is a nice touch in some of the Niche properties.

Look at this site too, they do it themselves, I don't see why you wouldn't except that when I'm booking, no issue with doing it online as long as I can SEE what I'm getting on the website. So I like floor plans, being able to roll over themt o see each room and knowing what is there and what isn't, i.e. do I need to bring loo rolls? (usually don't have to but worth checking as v annoying thing to run out of)