What do you like about a holiday cottage?

[Karwomannghia]

My mum has asked me to help her update her holiday cottage as she’s not letting it this season. The main thing is to get a bigger tv with freeview but does anyone have experience of what makes a good tv? Is it possible for people to login to their own Netflix accounts for example?
Also what else do you really like about a cottage? I’ve mentioned having good blinds/curtains to block out the light. It’s a house with a double in one room and bunk beds in another.
I’m staying in it and will point out things to improve but anything to look out for appreciated!

Oh, another one: somewhere to put hot things you've just got out of the oven - I may well be cooking on the hob at the same time, so can't put an oven tray there. We actually take a wooden chopping board (and nice knife) with us when we go self catering, as it solves several issues at once, but ideally we wouldn't have to.

I think it’s unfair to complain about children sharing a double - don’t book it. Book a place with 2 singles. You can’t expect the owner to accommodate your family permutations.

Where was my complaint? The OP asked what people look for in a cottage. That's what I look for.

I automatically rule anything out with any decor/furnishing that looks more than a couple of years old.

Which is ridiculous really because owners can’t really just constantly update them but anything even slightly aged puts me right off. I go away for luxury and that’s what I want.

@snappycamper

I think it’s unfair to complain about children sharing a double - don’t book it. Book a place with 2 singles. You can’t expect the owner to accommodate your family permutations.

Where was my complaint? The OP asked what people look for in a cottage. That's what I look for.

To be fair I have stayed in four different holiday cottages, all advertised a twin room only one actually had a twin room when we got there and when we contacted the owner none had the zip in the middle so they couldn’t then be turned into two singles. I’ve had this happen with hotel bookings as well.

These are the things that I look for in a cottage after the location, rooms, parking and budget -

Nice and clean with minimum clutter
Wifi and tv
Dining table
Dishwasher and washing machine
Outside space with a table

I hate blackout curtains with a passion, waking up in pitch darkness is horrible. Put up blackout blinds for those who like it dark, with normal curtains for those of us that don't. I want to be able to read when I wake up without putting lights on or having to get up and open curtains.

Other things to avoid are chintzy clutter, and anything fragranced including the detergent used to wash the bedlinen.

Musts are plenty of decent quality towels, enough loo roll for the week, basic cleaning items, bedside lamps, kitchen storage, hooks for coats, space for walking boots and outdoor gear, plenty of coathangers.

If advertising that a cot is available, please make sure it’s a decent one, not a filthy old travel cot that’s been stuffed in a shed or loft!

Bottle opener, tongs, nice wine glasses, easily cleaned, a box of toys that can't be broken.

Comfortable beds - no worn out mattresses.

Well-equipped kitchens. I find it so annoying when there are a million wine and beer glasses, but just 6 plates and 6 tiny bowls for a 6-bed house, and no large salad bowls nor a pan big enough to cook 6 portions of food at once.

Too many knick-knacks is also annoying, particularly if you have children. I want somewhere to put my stuff, and I don't want to worry about breakage.

It's lovely to find a pint of fresh semi-skimmed in the fridge and some tea bags/instant coffee on the counter when you arrive. Welcoming and de-stressing.

A cupboard of books (wide range of genres) and games is brilliant. One place we stayed in invited us to take any books we liked away with us, as long as we replaced them with

(Oops)
As long as we replaced each one with something of a similar genre.

Somewhere to hang wet coats.

Somewhere to hang laundry.

Staying in a lovely cottage at the moment but there are a few minor points that are niggling a bit:

• there are only bins in the kitchen and bathrooms, so if I blow my nose I then have to get up and find a bin or leave a snotty tissue lying around until later.
• not enough toilet rolls to last a week. We'll get halfway through the week, run out and then I'm going to have to buy some.
• not enough dishwasher tablets to do more than 1 load a day in a house for 11 people.
• towels have been removed 'because of covid'. I get that it might be down to guidelines or something, but it makes no sense whatsoever and it was really annoying having to schlep a shitload of towels in the car.
• TVs are miniscule in relation to the room sizes. Bigger TVs or binoculars provided would be good.

This isn't about fitting it out, but about the between-lettings housekeeping.

Please, please, please have the cleaner clean out the detergent drawer and door-seal of the washing machine at least once a month. Having a washing machine is very important to us when we travel with children or for longer than a week, and if it is rank with mould it is unuseable. And sometimes makes the whole kitchen smell foul.

not enough toilet rolls to last a week. We'll get halfway through the week, run out and then I'm going to have to buy some.

If it is a self-catering cottage, why on earth do you think that the owner should pay for your toilet rolls?

@doyounothavegoogle

not enough toilet rolls to last a week. We'll get halfway through the week, run out and then I'm going to have to buy some.

If it is a self-catering cottage, why on earth do you think that the owner should pay for your toilet rolls?

Because it says it's provided in the information

Because it says it's provided in the information

Ah, well that's a fair enough complaint then.

Hooks! For towels, coats robes etc. These places never have enough hooks.

And bedside lamps

And a nice big door mat for your shoes when you've been out for the day

Clear bin instructions

Oh and if it's at the beach some kind of outdoor hook/rail to hang a shorty/wetsuit/beach towels to dry so you don't have to hang it in the shower

Holiday cottages need to be equivalent or better standard than at home.

That's where all the seaside B&Bs/Guest houses went wrong. Guests had to put up with candlewick bedspreads, gaudy wallpaper & carpets, black & white TVs in rooms, shared bathrooms, no central heating, basic breakfasts, etc etc. Then the owners wondered why their occupancy kept falling and ultimately why they failed.

It's noteworthy that modern guest houses are making a massive come back with year on year growth. You know, the ones that have redecorated in neutral/pastel colours, installed central heating, give good breakfast options, new furniture, en-suite rooms, and fibre broadband.

Definitely a 5' bed

Dishwasher

Teapot, butter dish, proper cooking things like a garlic press

If washing machine pegs, airer & basket

space
privacy
clothes airer

salt and pepper
easy clean flooring.

And another from our recent stay - the bedroom had a laundry basket, I can’t remember seeing one in other cottages and it meant the bottom of the wardrobe didn’t fill up with dirty clothes, definitely a plus.

@Reallybadidea

Staying in a lovely cottage at the moment but there are a few minor points that are niggling a bit:

• there are only bins in the kitchen and bathrooms, so if I blow my nose I then have to get up and find a bin or leave a snotty tissue lying around until later.
• not enough toilet rolls to last a week. We'll get halfway through the week, run out and then I'm going to have to buy some.
• not enough dishwasher tablets to do more than 1 load a day in a house for 11 people.
• towels have been removed 'because of covid'. I get that it might be down to guidelines or something, but it makes no sense whatsoever and it was really annoying having to schlep a shitload of towels in the car.
• TVs are miniscule in relation to the room sizes. Bigger TVs or binoculars provided would be good.

😂 I’ll tell her to provide binoculars instead of forking out for a bigger tv!

Good knives in the kitchen always win me over.

Yes laundry basket! Why do places never have these? Even if it all goes home dirty after a short stay it’s nice to be able to separate it!