HouseTrip review thread. Non-testers: Share your top tips on how to make the most of holidaying in an entire house, apartment or villa and you could win a £200 Boots voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the five lucky MN families who are going on a HouseTrip holiday this month.

HouseTrip say "HouseTrip is an online platform that allows visitors to choose from over 300,000 full homes from around the world to holiday in. From ivy-dappled country cottages to beach retreats and city-centre lofts, the service offers simplicity, value, flexibility and security for families looking for a hassle free and enjoyable holiday experience from start to finish."

Testers are visiting London, Edinburgh and Brussels – check back to this thread to find out how they are getting on.

We have asked testers to add feedback at least three times - before they go, when they are there and when they get back home.

Non testers: HouseTrip would love to know your top tips on how to make the most of holidaying in an entire house, apartment or villa. Everyone who adds a tip will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £200 Boots voucher, so that they can get stocked up for the holiday season.

Please note tips and comments may well be used by HouseTrip on their pages on Mumsnet, social media and elsewhere. Your MN name will not be used.

Testers – please share on this thread your overall opinion and experience plus your responses to the following questions.

Before you go

• Have you or anyone you know ever been on a HouseTrip holiday before, and if so where did they go?
• What are you looking forward to most? What are your DC looking forward to?
• How was the booking process?

On holiday

• How is it so far? What's the weather like?
• Describe your accommodation e.g. the amount of space, outdoor area, particular parts of the house etc.
• What else are you doing outside of the HouseTrip stay, in the local area?
• How does this compare to previous hotel holidays or previous home rental holidays you've experienced?
• What have you got up to at your HouseTrip property?
• Have you used the kitchen to cook at home? Where did you get cooking ingredients? If you haven’t been cooking much, how often did you choose to eat out?
• What have your DC enjoyed most about the HouseTrip experience? And what have you/your DH/DP enjoyed most?

When you are back

Overall opinions from you and others in the family:

How would you rate/ describe...

• Accommodation as a whole
• Kitchen facilities
• Bedrooms/Sleeping arrangements
• Local area
• How were the checking in and out experiences?
• Would you return/ try out another HouseTrip holiday?
• Would you recommend HouseTripping to a friend?
• What did you think about the value for money – especially compared to other family holidays? What did you think about the amount of space you get for the cost?
• Any other comments?

Please also do add a review on Mumsnet to the Self Catering pages.

Thanks
MNHQ

PS We've 'highlighted' the testers posts on this thread so we can see them!

I always take my wok.... Currys, spag bol, stirfry.... Can cook so much it in!

Non tester - take enough food with you in case you can't find a supermarket. We've been through that already!

Tester here. Off to Brussels later today. Neighbours feeding the cats, dog off on her holidays to my parents where she will be spoiled rotten. We are very excited!!

We just bought a Time Out guide book to Brussels which looks good and has a two day walking tour which includes lots of the things we wanted to do anyway, so we will follow that and see how we get on. It includes lots of museums so whilst DP and I will be happy, my youngest child, 12, may get a bit tired of it so we may have to deviate from the plan and eat lots of chocolate and frites with mayonnaise!

The forecast looks very wet, though warm, so we have packed shower-proof jackets. I cleaned the house thoroughly yesterday (always nice to come home to a clean and tidy house!) and we are taking a picnic tea to eat at the airport as flights are around 5 and it will be late by the time we get to the apartment.

I am planning on taking the iPad and will use it to do a video diary and take photos as I haven't heard anything different from the Mumsnet team. Hope this is okay.

Thank you Mumsnet and Housetrip. What a brilliant treat.

Cooking basics are essential. I agree that researching the local area is extremely important too, not just for activities but for hospitals, pharmacies etc in case of emergencies.

Non tester - take enough food with you in case you can't find a supermarket. We've been through that already!

Thanks for replies re video diary.
We have arrived at our London apartment. It's very clean and tidy. Had a nice walk around Hyde park and a look at the princess Diana memorial fountain. Shame the weather is miserable. Luckily mostly dry until now. Tomorrow we are going on a Thames river cruise sightseeing tour.

Tester

We are from London and it was a really good break!

Overall opinions from you and others in the family:

How would you rate/describe..

• accommodation as a whole

Very good, ds who is 6 just said 'awesome'! He liked everything about it, and so did we. It was a 2bed apt with one twin, and one double. The twin was located in the master which had an ensuite shower. The main bathroom had a bath as well. All mod cons, with plenty of dishwashing tabs, and sufficient cutlery, plates, mugs, cups, etc. big fridge, freezer. Spacious enough.

• kitchen facilities

Whoops - see above (am on iPad, can't really re type!)

• bedrooms/sleeping

See above

-local area
We were in the North Greenwich area, so v near the O2 and the Thames river. Pleasant walk to the station via the river walkway. Kids enjoyed the walk even in the rain. Near the station there was a tesco express, and lots of restaurants like wagamamas and chiquito. Didn't quite go into the O2 but I would imagine it's pretty self sufficient. It's also zone2 on jubilee line. So it's 15 min to Westminster.

-checkin and check out
Checking out was easy, just put the keys and garage fob into the letter box at the bottom of the apt. The concierge was there too so we could have left it there. Checking in, it was easy enough, ring them an hour before and they would meet us at the apt. Except that there was abit of a mess up in terms of where the keys were (on their end, not mine) but things were resolved easy enough and they were apologetic so not a problem. We were waiting around for an hour. Kids amused themselves in the playground area, so that was ok.

The host talked us through the keys, house stuff, garage, bin store. All very nice and pleasant.

• would you return/try out another housetrip holiday

Dh said 'for free??" I think it was slightly expensive for 3 days (£345) for a family but then maybe for 4 grown ups, in London 3 days, that's very decent I think, especially with all the mod cons.

Yes I think we definitely would try this out again.

• would you recommend house tripping to a friend?

Yes we would. Our experience was very pleasant, and everything went smoothly. It looks like the other person who has checked in/out so far on this thread has also had a great experience. Looking at the website, there are many happy experiences so yes I would. But of course, I'd read the feedback carefully, just like you would say on trip advisor.

-value for money and compared to other family holidays? What did you think about the amount of space you get for the cost?
In hindsight, I think it was value for money. In that I'm assuming a travel lodge would still be £100/day for a family room. I was in a single room in a travel lodge type place in London and it was £115. So for London it was very worth it I think.

For the amount of space, it was fantastic. No one was climbing over anyone, there were two bathrooms! Plus wifi, and we could have cooked all meals if we wished.

Thank you mumsnet for choosing us!!!

Whoops, it should say, we were in London... Not we are from London. Doh.

This is the living room, it's very cosy. And we have discovered a pigeon nest on the balcony with 2 baby birds in! This was very exciting for DD1 and DD2.
We just had papa John's pizzas delivered! yum!

Well we are here in Edinburgh. Arrived just after lunch, but felt much later as we had such an early flight. Kids loved the flight/airport experience.

The apartment is lovely, so homely and comfortable. I am seriously coveting some of the Deco furniture (its an art deco building). Our hosts were here waiting for us, we got a lovely welcome and we shown around and pointed in the right direction of the things 2 and 5 year olds enjoy (I.e. playgrounds)

So far today we've been to the playground, been out for Pizza Express (thank you Clubcard) and got a feel for the area (really nice).

More exploring tomorrow.

Thank you so much HouseTrip and Mumsnet

Non tester : I like to take a little welcome pack for when I arrive at a villa / holiday home. I would include things like tea bags, coffee, long life milk, biscuits, matches, tea towel, washing up liquid, wine.....so that we can have an emergency cuppa on arrival whilst we sort out luggage etc.
I glance through mumsnet to look at tips and recommendations of my chosen holiday place.
I like to buy my travel goodies from boots well in advance of going in holiday as it builds the excitement of going away up!
Really looking forward to some sunshine and chilled holiday time.

Our first day in our quirky and unusual apartment in Brussels. The apartment is also a museum and is dedicated to the Belgian frite and contains lots of chip related art works . The apartment is open to the public one weekend a month and contains lots of exhibits from local artists. We were met by our very welcoming host, Hugues, who lives with his family in the apartment upstairs. He gave us lots of information about places to eat, public transport and places to visit.

The apartment has two good sized double bedrooms, a large bathroom with a bath and shower, a well equipped kitchen and a sitting room. We also have a pretty garden with a BBQ and hope the weather will be good enough to use it on our last day.

Some of the local architecture is beautiful and we are well placed for public transport, though this is a little more expensive than we anticipated. It costs approximately €20 for four to travel, return, to the centre of Brussels.

Eating out is also rather pricey though fortunately, we are a five minute walk from a Lidl. I've posted a few photos of the apartment and will add more later of our first day in Brussels

Have a look at the location of the property on google street map firstly so you can check the location of the nearest supermarket and also if there are child friendly restaurants and attractions nearby. Secondly look at the street view of the property so that you can easily recognise it when you arrive!

Plan plan and plan! decide what nights you are likely to eat in and make sure you have the ingredients to take and find out whether there will be the necessary pots, pans and plates etc

On holiday
- How is it so far? What's the weather like?
So, this is the last full day of our HouseTrip holiday - we fly home tomorrow evening, so we can squeeze a bit more fun out of our trip yet. So far is been a great trip, though pretty exhausting (the DCs have woken up for the day at 4.30 and 5am so far!). The weather has been a mixed bag - overcast yesterday with some rain this afternoon. Not to bad at all. We absolutely love Edinburgh - such a beautiful, interesting and friendly city. I'm impressed and would love to come back.

- Describe your accommodation e.g. the amount of space, outdoor area, particular parts of the house etc.
The apartment is on the ground floor of a large Art Deco block in the Morningside area of the city , on a quiet street just minutes from the main road with loads of lovely shops. The apartment is warm, comfortable and very homely, with more than enough space for the 4 of us. It's been beautifully furnished with deco furniture in the bedrooms and has all the mod cons we could wish for (dishwasher, washing machine, ipod dock, bluray player) and extremely comfortable beds (which the dcs keep falling out of!). We have a small patio out the front and access to a huge communal space at the back. Our hosts provided loads of toys and books for the kids - we couldn't be more pleased! Pics coming shortly.

- What else are you doing outside of the HouseTrip stay, in the local area?
We're on a bit of a shoestring budget, but thankfully Edinburgh has loads of free stuff to n enjoy. The first day everyone was very tired so we went to a playground just a couple of minutes walk away and then out for a Tesco Clubcard dinner . Yesterday was mostly spent on the National Museum which is amazing and thoroughly recommended. The T Rex skeleton was a bit hit and there's loads of interactive stuff for the kids. Today we visited the Museum of Childhood, the Storytelling Centre, mooched about the Royal Mile and walked up Calton Hill for the view. Tomorrow I'm really hoping I can squeeze in an art gallery or two before we go home. We've barely scratched the surface!

- How does this compare to previous hotel holidays or previous home rental holidays you've experienced?
Well, this is really our first family holiday, but we've had the odd night in a hotel and a Centre Parcs stay before DD came along. It makes so much difference having the whole place to ourselves. Staying in a family room in a hotel is a bit of a nightmare with small DCs as you can't do anything once they're in bed. Compared to the Centre Parcs trip, I'm appreciating all the little touches that you don't get in a corporate environment. Being self catering also keeps the cost down.

- What have you got up to at your HouseTrip property?
We've spent a fair bit of time here. We've chilled out with some telly when needed, had our breakfast here and cooked a couple of evening meals. DH and I have got some serious box set watching done in the evenings!

- Have you used the kitchen to cook at home? Where did you get cooking ingredients? If you haven’t been cooking much, how often did you choose to eat out?
We have used the kitchen a great deal. It's well equipped, so have had breakfast here, made packed lunches and cooked a couple of evening meals. There's a Waitrose 2 mins walk from here and a Simply Food about 5 mins away. Plus there was a reasonable stock of tea and coffee plus a few other bits to get us started. We ate out the day we arrived and intend to have lunch out tomorrow as we'll be flying home around teatime.

- What have your DC enjoyed most about the HouseTrip experience? And what have you/your DH/DP enjoyed most?
They've enjoyed sharing a room and exploring the toys and bills that are here. And as I said above, they loved the museum and the novelty of going on a plane. We've enjoyed exploring and having a change of scene. We've appreciated the space and convenience of having a whole apartment rather than a hotel. Edinburgh is a wonderful city that I'd love to come back to.

Thank you so much to HouseTrip, Mumsnet and our lively, thoughtful hosts. It has been such a treat!

Lovely hosts, not lively!

Non tester (who wishes she could have been a tester!)

I think it's important to bring a little bit of home with you, especially for the kids so they feel comfortable. We bring favourite toys, comforters, books, and games. A nightlight is a godsend as well.

Other than that it's about being organised and knowing what's available where you are going but also exploring the area and finding things that are slightly off the beaten track.

On holiday

• How is it so far? What's the weather like?

Tomorrow is our last day, check out tomorrow morning. We've had a really good time despite pretty rubbish weather. luckily most things dc wanted were indoors.

• Describe your accommodation e.g. the amount of space, outdoor area, particular parts of the house etc.

We are in a 2 bedroom 3rd floor apartment. It's very nice and cost. There are 2 double beds ( 2 singles in one room would have been better) and a soft bed in lounge. With 2 teen boys there was no way they would share a double so DS1 had one double, DS2 had sofa bed and I shared the other double with DD1 and DD2! Not ideal but ok. Small park 2 mins away but been too wet for that. Lots of shops 5 mins walk away Inc small Tesco and Sainsburys. Close to train stations. We used buses and trains which did get expensive. We are in islington so not really close to main places like museums.

• What else are you doing outside of the HouseTrip stay, in the local area?

We've been in Hyde park and DCs paddled feet in the Diana memorial fountain. Tuesday we did the circular Thames boat tour which despite a fair bit of rain we spent most of it above deck seeing the sights. Then we got the underground to science museum. 1st time ever on the tube which was really scary and a bit confusing! Had a few hours there then got train and bus back. Today we've spent all day at the science museum. Met up with my auntie and he dp and they live in London. Not seen her for around 2 yrs. DC not seen them for around 8 years! So that was nice.

• How does this compare to previous hotel holidays or previous home rental holidays you've experienced?

Never braved hotels with DC or tried home rentals. We always do holiday parks so dc have evening entertainment.

• What have you got up to at your HouseTrip property?

We haven't been here much besides sleeping and evenings. Mainly relaxed watching tv and we played monopoly which was provided in the property. It took 2 evenings to finish with DD2 age 9 thrashing us all!

• Have you used the kitchen to cook at home? Where did you get cooking ingredients? If you haven’t been cooking much, how often did you choose to eat out?

We only cooked one night and that was only pies and micro chips (not tried before!) because we were all tired out from days activities. We had pizza delivered the first night (never had delivery before because none local at home) which was nice. Then burger king today so just sandwiches or soup for tea.

• What have your DC enjoyed most about the HouseTrip experience? And what have you/your DH/DP enjoyed most?

DC enjoyed experiencing London for the first time and going to the museums. They didn't enjoy so much walking, well teenagers mainly! They aren't used to exercise lol. I've enjoyed London as an adult (not been since secondary school ) and I really liked the Diana memorial fountain in Hyde park.

Couple of pics from natural history museum.

• How is it so far? What's the weather like?

Weather drizzly and overcast for the first two days but today, our last day, it looks a little brighter

• Describe your accommodation e.g. the amount of space, outdoor area, particular parts of the house etc.

Two large bedrooms, an open plan lounge/kitchen diner. There is a pretty garden downstairs accessed by a spiral staircase from the kitchen or one of the bedrooms. The house is a topsy turvy design with the bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs. The bathroom is large with a great shower.

• What else are you doing outside of the HouseTrip stay, in the local area?

Visiting museums, pottering around the local area, window shopping, went to the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate yesterday and planning a visit to an Art Deco house this afternoon.

• How does this compare to previous hotel holidays or previous home rental holidays you've experienced?

We think the accommodation is very well equipped and close to the tram and supermarket. At a more rural location, a car is usually essential but here, everything can be accessed easily by public transport. We have found the trams a little expensive and were slightly disappointed to discover that unlike in Britain where most museums and galleries are free, almost everything here (except the churches!) incurs a fee of approximately €10 per person. This could make the holiday a little expensive.

• What have you got up to at your HouseTrip property?

As above. We spent the evenings at home, cooking, playing cards, watching some tv.

• Have you used the kitchen to cook at home? Where did you get cooking ingredients? If you haven’t been cooking much, how often did you choose to eat out?

We ate out a couple of times at lunchtime but have cooked every evening. We shopped at the local supermarket, Lidl, and some ingredients were kindly provided by the owner eg olive oil, salt, pepper, some herbs. There was also a welcome pack of a lovely Belgian beer in the fridge.

• What have your DC enjoyed most about the HouseTrip experience? And what have you/your DH/DP enjoyed the most.

The kids liked the house, especially the WiFi (teenagers!), the chocolate museum and the waffles. We enjoyed the architecture in the centre, the Musee des Beaux Arts, the main square and we are looking forward to the van Burrell museum. The beer is good!! Just being somewhere different for a few days is a special treat.

About to take a quick video of the house and garden before we go for a walk and take advantage of the dry weather.

Non-tester: We book a cottage in Cornwall for a week every summer in the past few years. It is well equipped, and there are some essentials like salt, sugar, basic tea bags and instant coffee. I do a grocery order in advance to be delivered a couple of days after we arrive, we also bring enough food with us to last the first two days, as the cottage is in a tiny village without shops.
We also leave a treat like ice lollies in the freezer for the next holiday-makers.
We take some books and favourite toys with us, two ipads with games for the rainy weather.
Looking forward to our week in the cottage this summer.

non-tester, Always make sure i have a box of essentials easily accessible for when you first arrive, so that you've got food to have something to eat/drink etc without having to unpack straight away. the chance for a quick relax as soon as you arrive is priceless.

Non-tester - we tend to make great use of the books and magazines or dvdd left for us on holiday. It gives the kids another distraction and it's interesting to see what's in other accommodation in comparison to our own.

I love having the opportunity to be in new surroundings and enjoy the 'less is more' feeling of having less to clean and being able to keep the place tidy very quickly.

A few pics of our apartment