Holiday homes - tell me about your loves & hates

[gizmo]

Hello all!

So I'm in the middle of refurbishing my parent's old house for holiday lettings and I've just come across a slightly old thread (2009?) with mumsnetter's thoughts on the perfect holiday cottage. Which is incredibly helpful but I wondered if times might have moved on since then.

We're looking at an old (1760) house which should sleep 10 (6 beds, 3 baths). If you were looking for a family holiday in North Yorkshire, what would sell a house to you?

So far I've got on my list:

• good equipment for babies/toddlers (proper cot, highchair, stairgates, some toys)
• good beds! Nice linens. And enough sofas/dining room furniture for all
• a well equipped kitchen (not just the appliances but all the right glassware, cookware etc)
• Fireplaces/log burners with fuel and guards
• Wifi - as fast as we can make it given it's rural North Yorkshire
• MUST BE CLEAN. Properly clean.

Things I'm not so sure about:

• the house in the middle of a Capability Brown park. I could let visitors in there but there is a stream (about 100 meters from the house). How do people feel about open water and children?
• dogs. There is a secure garden and it would be a good place for a doggy holiday. But would it put you off if you're not a dog lover and you know there have been dogs there?
• spares. Yes, to foil, bulbs, firelighters, washing machine detergent, dishwasher etc. Anything else?
• bathrooms. Two upstairs and one (shower room) downstairs. I have the option to put an extra WC in downstairs? What do people think?

So what's your best and worst experiences in self catering? And how can I do better? I'd be so grateful for any ideas....

Re: dogs, you can say that dogs aren't allowed on furniture etc., but you can't police what people do once they arrive.

I think all you could do would be to ask for a larger deposit in case of damage or charge more to take into account higher cleaning costs. I would ask fellow holiday let owners what they do.

In my experience all cottages that allow dogs have sensible rules like dogs not being allowed upstairs or on furniture and I think the vast majority of dog owners are responsible enough to stick to them. There are always going to be a minority who abuse the privilege but I daresay there are some humans with equally bad habits (oh, and dogs don't usually have fleas either). You could always provide stair gates to help keep the dogs in the areas you want.

Scores on the doors for our region re dogs/non dogs...28 cottages on the English Country Cottage website sleep 10+. 15 take 1 dog or more, only 2 take 3. I have to say that makes no sense to me, if you're going to run the risk of a dog making a mess of the house I don't think there's much difference between 1 and 3!

And sure, I understand that people may break the rules. So it's up to me to explain why they are there and what happens if (when) they are broken. So for example, if someone does allow a dog on the sofa and it is covered in muddy pawprints my cleaning team will have to change the cover, launder it, and probably spend an additional hour washing carpets, hoovering etc.

If I do have clear rules then that cost comes out of the deposit and hopefully everyone understands that that is what is needed to make the place nice for the next family, even if they are not happy. If I don't have clear rules I'm stuffed and I certainly won't be accepting dogs for long .

Meanwhile the spreadsheet is getting longer! Which is a very good thing and I'm very grateful. Extra sized fridge, definitely. Ziplink beds (for flexibility) definitely.

Oh yes and a welcome pack is definitely on the spreadsheet: enough to get you through breakfast the first day!

I think you really need doors to confine dogs, unless you are going to place restrictions on size. My Spaniel would assume a stair gate was for agility practice.

You know what, lots of what has annoyed me in the past isn't even about additional cost to the owners, it's just little things which show they have actually thought about what it would be like to stay there. So while a Smeg fridge might be nice (for example), I'd much much rather all the light bulbs work! The fact that you are actually giving this some thought suggests you will definitely create a lovely rental!

I think you really need doors to confine dogs, unless you are going to place restrictions on size. My Spaniel would assume a stair gate was for agility practice.

Whereas others get separation anxiety and would be ok if they can see you. Doors and stairgates? May also be good for keeping toddlers at bay if the Aga gets very hot.

Cleaning. Two weeks costs twice as much as one week. Between guests the cottage gets cleaned. I'd like clean bedding and towels at the end of week one and the option of somebody doing a quick hoover and mop. Often in the UK this isn't offered. Depends how high end you plan to go.

We self cater 4 or 5 times a year with and without our dog. Things that are important to us which are sometimes forgotten:

On the website: lots of clear pictures of the interior and preferably a floorplan like the Landmark Trust do. No arty photos of pebbles or door knockers

A bright outside light so you can find a strange keyhole easily!

A bread bin (just come back from somewhere without one) and board

Lots of crockery and cutlery - enough to fill the dishwasher and still have plenty to use (and big mugs not just teeny ones)

Glasses which are nice but not too delicate otherwise people like DH will smash them!

Simple instructions for everything rather than the manuals

No notices up - my pet hate is staying somewhere with notices everywhere you look. Just have the 'rules' in the property's manual

Milk, teabags, coffee, a loaf, jam and butter is perfect. If there's a cake and a bottle of something, even better

A keysafe. I prefer not to be shown round by the owner, that puts us under pressure to be there for a certain time, and its much more exciting discovering the home on your own

Lots of coasters

Absolutely no crinkly plasticky/rubber mattress covers. That puts me right off . The cover needs to be something that doesnt make you feel sweaty

Same for pillows

No fabric or leather headboard

A hoover somewhere handy so we can whizz it round as needed

Nightlights for the landings, plus a torch to take out in the evenings

Some of those shoe/boot trays at the door so you can put your muddy boots straight in them

Re dogs, I'd say that if they are allowed, the norm we've found is that they arent allowed to be left unattended, not on furniture and not upstairs. Where we have just come back from had lots of dog towels, dog treats and even a spare lead. They had tiled floors so really easy to clean too. Coquet Cottages do the dog thing really well here

PS more than happy to do a test run for you

I look for:

Child friendly: decent high chair (ikea antilop is great), travel cot plus space in various rooms to put up, fire guards, stair guards would be a bonus but unexpected, enclosed garden (no water features or lots of levels!), doors that shut properly (we recently stayed in a hotel where the bathroom door didn't shut or lock, our toddler spent half his time with his hands in the loo...), not too many nik-naks or child-height delicates!

Bathrooms: lots! Don't need to be ensuite but the more the merrier! Decent water pressure.

Rooms: no feathers anywhere. Coat hangers.

Kitchen; good knives, good sharpener or steel. Enough crockery and cutlery to cover everyone plus a few extra. Decent wine glasses (plain but good!). Washer and dryer. Somewhere to hang wet coats and boots.

No pets, would discount straight away if dogs were allowed.

Wifi and decent music system or instruments are always great.

Good info on local area and details of real person to contact if urgent/emergency.

I'm not ever too fussed how fancy things are, just good quality and simple works best for us. Cleanliness is pretty high on the list too.

Just thought of another pet peeve: an actual photo of the outdoor space. With young children, having at least a bit of lawn / outdoor space which is bigger than a gravelly patio is essential. Have come across lots of places which you can filter by the category 'outdoor space' but then in the listing it doesn't give you any details of what that actual comprises, and there are no photos of outdoors. So it could be anything from a decent lawn, to a tiny patio. I'm not even that bothered by a beautifully manicured garden, or a massive space, just somewhere my DDs can run around for a bit. And clear description / photo! I've ruled out lots of places in the past on the basis of not being able to tell what the outdoor space is like.

My favourite holiday property the owner makes chilli in the slow cooker and leaves a bottle of red wine, tortilla chips and sour cream to go with it so even if we've got there late, dark and raining (as last month) there's proper dinner and booze to unwind with before we face the nightmare of bedtime for little ones stuck in car seats all day (Damn you, M25, M40, M42 etc)

DH's dealbreaker is a rubbish shower. Its got to be powerful not dribbly otherwise he's miserable.

Mine is a comfy bed big enough for venturesome children to sneak into. I really hate beds soft enough to roll you into the middle. I need some support.

I don't have a dog but I don't mind them being allowed.

I've stayed in places with a young family and I always look for a washing machine and preferably a tumble dryer too as the weather is not alway good enough to dry stuff otherwise. It is rare that I don't do at least one wash. A good clothes dryer or two is a must and access to a washing line is helpful too. If you are advertising cot/high chair etc. make sure it is decent stuff - a portable booster does not count as a high chair and makes life difficult if a baby is too small for the booster.

Also need sharp knives, good pans, casserole dish, microwaveable bowls, washing up bowl. Somewhere to hang towels in the bathrooms/bedrooms. Mirrors. Somewhere for muddy boots, wet coats/swimming costume/wetsuits. Access to heating when it is only 14 C in France in July...

Do not say 'this is our home that we are happy to let you use' or some variation of this complete with family knickknacks. It is not your home, I have paid handsomely for it to be my home for the week.

Actually gillyweed makes a good point about the travel cot. If it's a travel cot, you can choose which room to put it in, which you can't with a regular cot. Some parents especially for smaller babies may want the baby in their room, others may actively want to avoid that!

Definite yes to the downstairs toilet. And yes, yes to whoever mentioned bedside lights - AND power points on both sides of each bed to charge phones.

Bedside table or shelf - I wear glasses and don't like having to put them on the floor or across the room.

Dim bedside lights too, as DH finds it really disruptive if I want to read in bed and the bedside lighting has all the subtlety of a searchlight. He was so desperate on one break, he bought me a small, gloomy table lamp in Asda. Bright lighting is also a no-no if you are doing night/'dream' feeds with a young baby. A bedside lamp with a dimmer switch or different settings like these would be ideal.

I've got a John Lewis touch bedside lamp (not that one) and yes it's nice to have several settings, but you have to toggle through from dimmest to brightest before it goes off again, which is annoying.

Another idea which might be useful is that one place we stayed in last year had a notebook for breakages by the guest book so guests could leave a note about any minor breakages, blown lightbulbs etc that the cleaners might not spot otherwise (and a note saying you won't be charged for them to encourage people to use it).

but you have to toggle through from dimmest to brightest before it goes off again, which is annoying.

That is true and it is annoying.

Toppers for beds and cocktail shaker - just a cheap one - because it sends out a message that it's a house/has owners that want you to have a good time. Recipe books (and cocktail ones). Cheap bluetooth speakers. Grab rails in the walk-in showers really help people with limited mobility.

The main thing I would look for in a holiday house would be 3 decent double rooms.
It is so hard to find big houses that more than 1 families can share. You often get a master bedroom with ensuite, then the other rooms are all single beds, bunk beds.
3 families going on holiday together need 3 double rooms and at least 3 bathrooms plus another 2-3 kids bedrooms.

Other things I would look for:
Big - need loads of space for that many people
Washing machine
Dishwasher
Table big enough to seat at least 10-12
Wifi
Safe garden (lockable gate between water or road)
No pets
BBQ

Ideally I'd also want
Parking for at least 3 cars off road
2 living rooms
Large garden with kids toys
Kids games, toys, plates, cutlery etc

Oh Auntpodder, a cocktail shaker!

That is going straight to the top of the list - we do often have cocktails in here (although obviously we need to remove the terrifying vases):

Oh and thanks so much RomComPhooey, I've been scratching my head on where to find some nice touch lamps and those are the best I've seen by far!

Do you want to come and be my buyer?

We stay in the lakes regularly with small children and dogs, things I find useful are;
Washing machine and dryer
Dishwasher
Cot, high chair and stair gate
Black out curtains or blinds in the bedrooms
Hoover
Plenty of coat pegs.
The cottage we keep returning too in the lakes also has a utility (with outside door) that is fab if you have muddy boots/children/dogs then I don't have to worry about mess being transferred into the house and the dogs have a drying room!

Washing machine/tumble dryer getting lots of votes. And blackouts obviously vital bit of baby kit.

A hoover, Cathpip?

We'll obviously have one on site, but do you use it much on holiday?