Tell HouseTrip about your best holiday home experiences and you could be in with the chance of winning a £200 Boots voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

HouseTrip have asked us to find out about Mumsnetters' best holiday home experiences, either from childhood or more recently.

Here's what HouseTrip have to say:

"We're on a mission to make it easy for people to holiday wherever they want in the world but in beautiful whole homes rather than cramped hotels. Holidaying in a home allows families to spend crucial quality time together that they don’t always get in normal life in order to make memories that will last a lifetime”

So, what has been your best holiday home experience? Maybe it was staying in a cottage as a child? Perhaps you have fond memories of visiting a city apartment? Or maybe your best experiences have been in a villa you go to each year with your kids? What made your experience so special?

Whatever your best holiday home experience has been, HouseTrip would love to hear about it.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £200 Boots voucher.

Please note your comments may be included on HouseTrip's social media channels, and possibly elsewhere, so please only post if you're comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

My husband, myself and our son who was 2 at the time spent 6 weeks in a static caravan on the Isle of Shepey. My husband was working on the island at the time so myself and my son spent the days roaming the quiet campsite and admiring the views from the cliff tops and the evenings were spent sat out watching the sunset while we ate our tea. It was like a slice of paradise and it was glorious weather.

One Easter we rented a villa in Andalusia. It was beautiful. It was on a hillside and had terraces on three levels and a private infinity pool looking out towards the sea. Inside it was functional and had washing machine, dishwasher and everything needed in the kitchen but it was the outside space which made it so special.
We had been having a stressful time and we came back feeling very refreshed. We loved it so much that we booked a return visit in August.

We stayed at Forest Holidays in North Yorkshire a few years ago. It was pretty expensive as we visited in August so was definitely a one off for us but was worth every penny. The cabin was like a luxury bungalow, high ceilings, big windows, large living area, nice kitchen, cosy bedroom, posh bathroom, outdoor hot tub. The sofas were comfortable, the cabin was warm even at night, there was a nice sized entrance hall with space to dump muddy wellies and scrub the dogs clean. The addition of a dishwasher meant I felt truly spoilt (at home, I am the dishwasher!). It was in the middle of nowhere, surrounding by forest and fields, and yet felt like a home away from home, albeit a very posh one! :) x

Well, that's easy. It would be the week in Devon I won through Mumsnet. The only time we could go was February Half Term, but it turned out to be a brilliant time for a break. Windy walks along the coast, visiting local towns, farmparks and attractions, which were not remotely busy because of the time of year, then coming back to a cosy cottage that we didn't have to pay for. We spent the evenings playing board games around the kitchen table and watching the lights twinkle in the town below us. Lovely.

We have rented a couple of cottages in the UK, mainly because we have a dog and want to take her (late dog) and him (current dog) with us to enjoy our holidays.

Key features for us are flexible arrival times. Welcoming landlords who are available to help without being overbearing (our last ones, in a very rural cottage, were fantastic when our car developed a fault). A clean and homely environment with a well equipped kitchen (sharp knives, decent pans, selection of utensils, some dishwasher tabs and space to put our food ...) Welcome packs of good quality local produce are lovely, as are little things like supplying old towels for drying dogs. A sensible amount of up to date info on local attractions, pubs and eateries is handy too.

Internet access is a bonus, but we understand that the rural places we like to stay don't always have good connection, fine as long as we know beforehand, in which case a well stocked library, some board games and a DVD player are nice additions.

We don't like too many signs and warnings stuck around the place. Unreasonable extra charges for fuel make things a bit stressful too.

What usually makes me choose one place over another when searching online is clear and detailed descriptions of what is offered (or not) and lots of pictures.

I have fond memories of going on holiday to cornwall with another family. The holiday cottage was pink, which obviously went down well with the three girls not so much with the one boy! However, the one thing we agreed we loved was the bunk beds and sharing one room. Think we probably played our parents up every night !

my best holiday was when a was a child and I went to Florida with my family. It was amazing because the food was great, the weather was great and there is so much to do for parents and children alike

I have very fond memories of my first ever holiday as a little girl. We stayed in a beautiful cottage in wales which was a stones throw from the beach. Me and my brother spent the our days playing on the sand, it was wonderful!

We stayed at the Thomas centre near Louth. It it a specialist holiday home place for people with autism. What was really nice was the way it was enclosed so that we could allow him to run and play which was nice as in a hotel you have to watch him like a hawk. General spaciousness was nice as well compared to being in a hotel.

I got engaged in a caravan!

A few weeks ago we stayed in a cottage near Wells with my step daughter and her husband. There were a number of things that really made this a good break; there was a spa attached to the development which was great for pampering and a swim. There were great cycle routes and walks so those that wanted to could take off. Also there were a number of good local interests to make a day or afternoon trip. I think variety is essential when there are a number of you.

The best holiday I remember was in a self-catering bungalow in Italy - lovely beach within walking distance and a beautiful countryside around you. It was very private and you could just relax, feel at home and create your days the way you wanted rather than be bound by strict meal times and hotel routines.

Things I love are lovely bed linen and good quality towels being provided.
A well equipped kitchen, nothing worse than struggling with an ancient blunt knife and not enough plates.
Ideally a washing machine and dishwasher in the property
Open fire or log burner.
Private outside space.

A cottage with a large lawned garden for the kids to run around on, wh9ich had views over the countryside

A holiday I always remember as a child was going away in a cottage with my family. I always remember playing outside on the patio with my little cousin. I remember it like it was yesterday, it was such a special time x

Clacton beech complex & oddly enough it was when I was six . And the reason . We were late to get back so me and my brother were running across a field and went under a fence and I went straight into barbed wire. Hospital check up was OK but they discovered I badly needed glasses and I could see at last. Happy days

I've never stayed in a holiday home.. so looking forward to reading some tips on here!

Staying in a holiday home (caravan) in Langdale, Cumbria. Great fun as a child and still enjoy going back now. A lovely family run site up in the mountains. Lovely walk, waterfalls, a couple of pubs nearby. Getting milk from the local farms. Back to nature and so enjoyable. Relaxing.

it was a long time ago , il never forget it though , we were on a family holiday in wales, it was pouring down , we were all looking out the windows when the guy next door came out with flippers goggles snorkle and his water tub , it was so funny , im sure he did it for our benifit lol

A recent rental in Tenby was fab. It had lots of space inside and out. It was really well equipped including lots of kids plates and cutlery. Even with three families sharing we still didn't want for anything. Comfy beds were a welcome bonus too! Our kids loved the holiday so in turn we had a terrific time!

My great grandma always use to rent a cottage by the sea side for 6 weeks in the summer and I use to go stay with her for 3-4 days when I was a child... A 5 minute walk to the seaside makes for great holiday memories

We have just returned from an amazing holiday to Spain with my parents, in a fabulous holiday house. It had 3 bedrooms, but one of the bedrooms was only accessed from outside. This was great for us as it gave my parents some peace and a bit of a break from the children when they needed it! It had a lovely outdoor terrace where we spent most of our time, but also 2 balconies so you had plenty of choice for where to sit. Another bonus was that it was fitted with safety gates. This gave us real peace of mind that the children coudln't just go wandering up and down stairs when they felt like it, especially at night time.

My son & I were lucky enough to be taken on holiday last year with friends and we stayed in a lodge type holiday home.

It was lovely, the little touches were definitely the added 'bonus' such as LOTS of towels provided.
A grocery hamper
Shampoo & Conditioner
DVD player (for wet weather & exhausted evenings!)
Toilet roll

It was SO clean too! The last thing you want to be doing is picking other peoples hair out of the plug hole!

Great signage on park would have been better!

I love cottage stays - great to get away from home and clutter and have a wonderful family time together without any of the home worries that seem to arrive if you "staycation". You don't really need a pool or anything too fancy - a garden is great, but equally an apartment is fab (an amazing stay in down town New York had us feeling like locals). We're off to a gite in Belgium this August - really excited to explore a new country, shop locally, explore markets and swim in lakes!

We love family holidays but a recent week end away in a Paris holiday flat was amazing. The flat was compact & bijou (i.e. tiny!) but it had everything we needed & more. It was almost next door to Notre Dame and bang in the centre of Paris. It was all about the location and we had a fantastic stay experiencing all the delights of Paris in Autumn.