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!

Really comfortable beds with good quality bedding. Good quality comfortable furniture. Not PVC sofas or sofas which are lumpy or too small to be comfortable. Enough seating for the number of people. Good wifi, a tv with freeview and is internet enabled to watch Netflix etc.
A dishwasher. Good quality crockery, enough to fill the dishwasher. A washing machine.
I hate worn tatty furnishings , dated decor and a shabby kitchen. Bathroom which is up to date and with a good shower.
I want to feel really comfortable with little homely touches like recipe books, nice pictures and throws.
Also instructions and information. I don’t want to spend two hours trying to make the TV work.
And spotlessly clean.

Also good lightning. The number of places I have stayed in where the lighting is so bad you can’t read in the evening!!

For us it is Wifi,

A Smart TV so we can log into Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Plain neutral decoration. No ornaments.

A dishwasher

Comfy beds

Good lighting

Mirrors

Don't take the mickey with photos taken with a wide-angled lens.
We are in a holiday let at the moment. The rooms looked OK online. In reality, the rooms are tiny. It's supposed to sleep six people. No way can six sit comfortably in the living room or eat around the dining table in one sitting.

Definitely contemporary decor. I just scroll past chintz and dated interiors. I want a lovely treat, I don’t want to feel as though I’m staying in someone’s nan’s old house.

Easy parking.

Enclosed garden. Especially if it says it’s dog friendly. We once arrived at a cottage that declared itself so only to find that the garden entrance wasn’t accessible from the house. You had to go out the door and round to a gate. The fence was three foot high stock fence about thirty foot from a main road. Not suitable for small children either.

One thing that annoyed me last year was a smoke alarm in our bedroom just above the bed that had a tiny flashing light. Completely unnoticeable during the day but when we went to bed it flashed like a Belisha beacon and lit the ceiling up. I couldn’t get to sleep, it was so invasive. Eventually I stuck a plaster over it.

I like things to be easier/better than they are at home, otherwise it's not much of a holiday.
Comfy beds - appreciate this can be subjective but there's nothing worse than an old saggy mattress you can feel the springs through.
Nice bedding - no feathers. They might be "luxury" but if you're an allergy sufferer it makes for a miserable week.
Black out blinds / curtains.
Decent hot water system that doesn't empty after one shower!
Dishwasher.
Good range of cooking utensils and crockery - we stayed in one place that literally had a knife, fork and spoon per person! Pans sized according to the number of people the property sleeps (if it's only 4 this isn't really an issue but i've stayed in places that sleep large numbers and they only have little pots).
Decent wifi
Local information - places to visit, eat, walk etc. and a guest book as comments in those often offer good recommendations.
TV size / channels doesn't bother me.

We've recently stayed somewhere. Mostly it was lovely. No clutter so easy to keep clean, well supplied kitchen and easy to contact owners. Only complaint was a lack of mirrors. One in each bedroom is needed. Also be really clear about parking. Our said parking was available, and it was, sort of. 300m away and ideally can you move the car in the daytime. It was fine, but just needed a bit of thought and I'd have preferred the advert to be clearer.

Good wifi
Parking attached
Skytv/Netflix I know you can bring a firestick but can be a faff
Powerful hot shower
Washing machine
Separate dryer
Ironing board and iron
Dishwasher
Loads of towels
Access to hoover/dyson etc.
Staycation every year and these are my must haves.

We have stayed in some absolutely beautiful cottages and some shockers, we have come to the conclusion that it is absolutely worth paying more, but even in the £2500 a week range we have been let down at times.
The best thing is when you find somewhere and the owners think the same way as you do, so everything is where you would logically put it at home eg a torch by the back door, fresh hoover bags by the hoover.
Recycling instructions by the bins.

My pet hate is too many cushions/throws in the bedroom, esp if I suspect they haven't been changed for each fresh set of guests.
I don't care about the TV, I never watch it at home so I'm not going to sit in watching it when i'm away! but, with older teenagers, decent UNLIMITED wifi is great.
A few times we have stayed in cottages and all the data has been used up by the previous guests.
Combi boiler is great, even our old touring caravan has one.

Agree that constant hot water is a must. Nothing worse than the hot water running out.

We are currently staying in a cottage. It is lovely, but I wish there was somewhere to hang wet bath towels, the seating in the living room allowed everyone to see the TV and there was something to attain vegetables with. We liked the fastest there was milk in the frhdge, a bottle of wine and some biscuits left for us.b

A well checked kitchen. Lots of places have had corkscrews that don't work and iced up ice boxes and freezers.

I like a dishwasher. Resent having one ta home and having to do more work on holiday.

Nice touch in one place was a framed OS map of the area. I'm a map nerd anyway but this was lovely for seeing footpaths in detail.

And good WiFi essential.

Be careful if you use netflix in cottages. Someone left theirs logged in. I felt awkward not knowing if it was the owners or not. I logged my own in cos I didn't want to mess theirs up but make it clear in the info. And remembered to log mine out again!

immaculately clean
excellent mattress /pillows /bedlinen
hate furniture that's been scraped together ie tacky old settee , but love shabby chic /cosy old furniture.
sturdy chairs around a big enough table.
i love a country living magazine look.
washing machine.
not fussed about dishwasher.
good quality kitchen ware.
lots of towels.
good cleaning products.
parking.
agree with someone who mentioned light on smoke alarm .

Clean insides of kitchen cupboards and cutlery trays.
No cushions on beds
No granny smelling things (I can't quantify this really)
No sticky, greasy condiments in cupboards
No manky coat hangers!

Feels like it's been aired
Directions to the pub
Enough pans to make a decent Sunday lunch
Nothing too personal
Clean!

Key things I agree with in PPs:
Accurate description so you don't feel cheated on arrival (so if you don't have room for king size bed or twin beds then be clear what there is there)
If you can though prioritise twin/double for second room over clothes storage. It's a holiday cottage not a home to live in so hooks on back of doors and bedside table in middle of twins beds with drawers would be fine if a wardrobe and drawers in first bedroom.
Clean with some supplies (but not leftovers from previous guests)

A welcome pack with some essentials, toys Books and games ( jigsaws or such like ) Clean, and ideally king sized beds. For me personally, no dogs as I have allergies. I’m in the minority it seems and it’s very difficult to find somewhere animals are not permitted unfortunately.