Seaside holiday let with toddlers/young childen - what would you want?

[SeagulllikesIcecream]

Looking to equip two holiday cottages on the outskirts of a nice seaside town. They need a lot of work done, but eventually will each have 2 double bedrooms, one single, enclosed garden, off street parking and within 10 minutes walk of the beach. We're mainly targeting families with young children since we're in that demographic and will be using them frequently so are going to set them up to our requirements.

So they'll have:

• Folding stairgates on the (fairly steep) stairs (bottom and top) and over the entrance to the kitchen.
• No sharp-edged or glass furniture. All sturdy second-hand stuff (except brand new beds and mattresses, of course).
• Large wall-mounted TV.
• Completely enclosed gardens visible from kitchen/living area. Mostly lawn/stones, but with small patio area.
• Carpet upstairs but wood/tiled floors downstairs.
• One of those dyson cordless hoovers wall mounted in a cupboard for cleaning up sand/messes (as well as a proper hoover for deep cleaning on changeover day).

In addition, we will equip with highchairs, booster seats, plastic plates and cutlery (as well as plenty of nice stuff for parents), travel cots, toddler bed, bed guard. Also a big toys and games cupboard with (our surplus ) toys in age-sorted boxes, box of crayons and colouring books). Lots of kids DVDs for when the parents just need a break. We're going to turn part of the garden of each cottage into a gigantic (shaded) sand play area since that's what our kids like to do. And put a small paddling pool in each garden (not filled) in case the parents want to use this. Also have beach stuff in a cupboard which guests are welcome to use (old coloured beach towels, buckets and spades, beach chairs, wind break etc.).

We're going to outsource cleaning and management to a professional company that comes very well-recommended locally. They're also going to do welcome packs for us and we'll leave some non-perishable essentials (coffee, tea, sugar etc. plus washing and dishwasher stuff) in the cupboards.

This will be our first time doing this, so just thought I'd post in case we're missing a trick. Is there anything else we should be thinking about adding? How would you set up the bedrooms? Our current plan is to have one king-size, one with zip-link twins and one bunk beds. What do you look for when you're choosing a holiday cottage?

I'd go for single beds not bunk.

Can the sandpit have a lid so local cats don't use it as a toilet?

Not sure if you said this but lots of Ikea plastic plates etc and a picnic bag that can be borrowed.

Phone number of a trusted local babysitter.

Plenty of pegs to hang up washing/air beach towels. With 3 small dcs we always end up doing a few loads of washing g while we are away and there is always a shortage of pegs to hang them out to dry.
Also I'd prefer twin beds to bunks as we have toddler twins who are much too small to use a bunk bed safely. These could be made into a double like they are in a hotel.

Waterproof mattresses, yes. I think I'll make sure there's some accessible spare sheets etc. in case of accidents/unwell DC.

Will make sure plenty of pegs!

Single room is too small for a double, but it could just about fit two singles in an L shape.

Mattress protectors that actually protect against fluids so if a child is ill it's only the sheets to worry about.

Carpets a colour that's forgiving. I'd also get them scotch guarded.

Not white towels

Fire guard if there is any kind of open fire.

Black our blinds, or curtains at the least.

Step stools for each bathroom

Washing line

If near sand (think you said that) an outside foot wash area to use before coming in to house. Tap, area to leave sandy things etc.

If it was me I would have
Bedroom 1: king size (or super king if space) and leave floor space for a travel cot
Bedroom 2: 2 singles that can be used as twin beds or put together as a large double
Bedroom 3: 1 low single bed (suitable for toddler) with removable bed guard, leaving enough floor space for a cot if necessary

Love the idea of a porch area with outdoor sink... Slightly wacky but am wondering if I could persuade DH to add a basic outdoor shower attachment... Would be lovely to hose off DC before they tread muck and sand inside!

Where does everyone stand on white towels/bedding? I prefer not in case we mess them up, but I know others prefer them.

I prefer white because it's easier to get stains out.

A nanny.

Sounds lovely and just the sort of place I'd like to stay.
For me I'd appreciate the bigger stuff like stair gates, cot, high chair etc as well as plastic plates and a few toys. I wouldn't be as keen on picnic bags and such like as I think after a few uses they may not be that clean and personally would just prefer my own.
Also things like sand toys are bound to get lost/broken

Sounds like you have thought of everything. The thing that I find I never have enough of is coat hangers for clothes,.

@choli. . Not sure we could quite manage that! And much as I'd like our guests to have a good time, I'm not volunteering...have my hands full with my own already...

Sounds amazing! Just two things from our own experiences....

No stones outside - both of mine love picking up stones and throwing them. It’s stressful constantly asking them not to, or refraining from going outside.

Ensure the TV is a smart TV, so people can log-in to their own Netflix account etc

Should say having to lug all the big stuff with us is part of why we wanted our own place!

That and blocking stairs with the sofa or buggy (or else never sit down and just follow DC up and down the whole time).

We've had some incredibly unrelaxing holidays over the past few years (dangerous railings on balconies, no lock on balcony door, cottages full of knick-knacks, a removable glass tabletop we almost didn't spot in time (in fact, any glass furniture), low opening windows, a courtyard with an inexplicable gap in the wall right next to the car park).

These sound lovely OP. For me, the important things are......

Furniture that is wipeable, I hate spending my entire holiday running around checking for dirty hand prints especially on a lovely cream material sofa.

I don't have dogs and I wont hire something that has had a dog in. No matter how clean the dog or it's owners are, a non dog owner can smell them instantly. I wouldn't be happy for my baby to be crawling around on a floor that has had dogs in.

I'd say bunk beds. My son use to love going away and there being a bunk bed, it was a real treat, so much so we bought him his own for his bedroom.

I think the others have put forward some great ideas

Agree no bunkbeds- if you can fit in 2 singles that’s much better, even if there isn’t much floor space. Places with bunks have put me off recently because my toddler would definitely climb up them and injure himself, and they’re also really not suitable for adults, whereas a twin room would be.

Stair gates and high chair a must (agree on antilop). All your other suggestions seem great. Sand pit in garden not necessary - I worry that cats etc might have pooed in random sand pits and tbh if it’s near the seaside they’ll have enough sand. Same with paddling pool.

Agree no stones outside: little ones (well, mine) May like to pick these up and leave them all over the place. And try to eat them. Very stressful.

Baby bath?

Tbh I would bring a lot of my own stuff (I’m just like that...) but it sounds like you have thought of everything and it sound lovely! Yes please!

A list of nice restaurants that are child friendly and of recommended takeaway places and if they deliver.

A big double bed! We sometimes choose houses based on the size of the double bed

Also definitely blackout blinds/curtains

Two small singles rather than a bunk bed

It sounds amazing and you have had some brilliant suggestions too. I agree with mnahmnah. No stones outside. My kids always used to eat or throw them too and you couldn’t relax for a second.

Ok, we'll get rid of the stones! And do two singles rather than bunks...

The sandpit is more for our own DC since they love, love it and spend hours in it (we have a big one in our garden with a water-table in)! And we find it's too hot to spend all day on the beach with little ones so love a shady garden with something for them to do! But having listened to the feedback, we'll make sure it has a proper cover and might only do it for one of the properties since it doesn't seem generally popular (the one we'll use the most). We'll definitely have a blackboard wall, though!

Have added the following to the list based on all your kind suggestions:

• Baby bath + bath seat.
• Smart TV
• Loads of coat hangers!
• List of restaurants and local babysitters.

Outside toys like a scuttlebug, scooter or balance bike.

Bed rail

Cupboard locks on lower kitchen units

The family demographic is nice but you want to make sure you don't put off other guests. I'd be tempted to put bunkbeds in the little room possibly a wall mounted tv too. Keep the other two bedrooms grown up a double and if you have space zip link twin beds gives you a lot of flexibility. Often siblings don't want to share and couples won't sleep separately.

I have a 3 bed cottage and will be following my own advice on that one right now I have a double futon that I pop in the bedroom as requested which is a faff on a tight changeover.

Mattresses for cots can be a sids risk. Especially if being stored in a cupboard when not in use or are you planning to leave a cot up year round which would narrow your market.

@choli

No - I wouldn't want white sheets. That would make me nervous.

I do like a list of local pubs and takeaways (with a menu preferably, or you don't know if it is the poshest hotel or the local 'Spoons)

I'm not sure if you are being tongue in cheek re list of local babysitters, but, just in case, I really wouldn't get involved in that and all the liability that brings on you. (Sorry, if you were joking - hard to tell without tone of voice / facial expression )