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 prefer white sheets. You can tell they are clean and if they do get stained you can easily stain treat them.

We are in a child friendly let now. One thing I'd like is some shelves out of toddler reach with nothing on them so I've got a safe, high up dumping ground.

No stones, thankfully DS is just about old enough not to eat them but as a toddler it was so stressful as he'd try to eat them or throw them.

Decent blackout curtains/blinds in all rooms- I've had to buy a groblind for our bedroom as the curtains are so flimsy.

Leather sofa was very forgiving with DS had an accident on the sofa.

Scuttlebug toy would be lovely and takes up a fraction of space of a cosy coupe. I'd stick to plastic toys so they can be given a wash in the sink. Nothing too small that it could be a choking hazard- I'd go for megabloks over Lego etc.

Folding bed rail
Loo seat reducer/family loo seat
Plastic glasses
Blackout curtains
Nightlight
Washing machine, line and pegs

Generally not child related
Sharp knives
Decent spud peeler
Enough cup/plate/glasses
Big mugs, I don't want a thimble of morning coffee

Key hooks. Hooks on back of bedroom and bathroom doors. Drives me crazy when these are absent!

@missmouse101 yes hooks on.the back of doors!

All practical suggestions added to the list! Couldn't agree more on a decent peeler.

What about a little wendy house in the garden? We're thinking about a folding one that can be stored away for our own DC so that's something we might think of letting guests use if it would prove popular .

Some times less is more. If you have a smart Tv then there is no need for DVDs. The more you have the more which needs to be replaced.

A proper screwed in stair gate at the top of the stairs.

Shade for the garden.

Selection of family and adult board games.

I would go for white towels as can be bleached...
outside shower is great idea ..
Not a big fan sandpits especially if your near the beach - wouldn't trust the cleanliness of the sand from other guests/cats ...

Most essential-decent coffee machine,
washing machine and clothes horse/hanging ..
Decent garden furniture so can sit comfortably

Yes to local checklist so local playgrounds. Chemists,late night shop, family friendly cafe/restaurant/pub

I was going to say an outdoor tap but a shower would be amazing!!
I'm ok with white towels and bedding although if people take them to the beach they could come back grubby. Maybe some neutral non-gender specific bright stripes or spotty bedding for the kids bedroom?

When mine were young, I'd have said note of things like local A&E, or chemist etc, but in truth I think most people would just google that sort of stuff now.

When people start saying things like "decent coffee machine is essential" I think you are probably then going into a different price bracket. there are regularly threads on here about what people either feel they 'need' or at least 'want' in a holiday let, and they go on for pages sometimes. When my dc were little though, we were pretty broke - it is an expensive time with either childcare to pay or living on one wage, at a time when you are unlikely to be that senior in your career and are likely to have a hefty mortgage. I would far rather "do without" some of the more expensive items, and be able to afford the holiday let for a week (esp. during school holidays) than find the owner has spent so much trying to meet all the 'wants' and priced us out of the market.
Quite frankly, you are there for a week. Most of the time, you aren't even in the house. I'd rather have that extra £100 in my pocket for ice creams, treats, meals out or what have you, than have a particular thread on the sheets, or quality coffee maker.
You need to think about who you ar marketing to, in a way.

There is a great demand for holiday let's set up for twins - if you buy two of everything you could market to twin patents? There are specialised Facebook groups "holidays with twins and multiples" is one. I'd second the no stones in the garden - or sand

Mine are a little older now but I wouldn't have liked them to play in a holiday house garden sand pit, especially an uncovered one (cat poo). I wouldn't leave too much in the way of toys, some is good, but I don't like to feel I'm staying in someone's home with their things and especially photos.

I agree with the zip & link suggestion for the second bedroom. If you have 3 kids it's unlikely you want the sleepless nights of 2 sharing a bed and being on each other's side all night.

Also, having a tall husband, a divan with a headboard is infinitely preferable to a bed with a footboard. It's one of the things I look for first- if the main bed has a footboard then the house is a no because he'll get no sleep. Most footboard-ed holiday house beds have really naff metal/pine frames anyway, just get a decent divan.

I think you do need to be careful not to restrict your market too much, its not many years when families need all the baby / toddler stuff. Perhaps have it all available on request but out of the way for those who don't need it. We stayed somewhere when the DCs were a bit older that had a non-removable stairgate which was really annoying and most of the useful storage was taken up with high chairs etc. So maybe store the bulk of it in a garage or similar when not in use.

Also a decent mattress. We've had a few holidays where the mattress is so soft and we've had such rubbish sleep. I prefer a really firm mattress but I don't understand why people wouldn't equip it with a medium to appeal to more people.
While this is something that wouldn't affect my first booking as you don't know until you get there, I actively wouldn't rebook there ones with super soft mattresses even though they are otherwise perfect.

Sounds lovely! Where is this??

Baby monitor. Decent coffee machine Ice maker. Creative corner with the pound shop bits and bobs for glueing colouring and painting.

Honestly...a hot tub. I know they're divisive but it's the thing that makes me book a place now. Kids love it, way for the adults to relax on an eve when the kids are in bed. A winner.

I wouldn’t be keen on the open sandpit. I also wouldn’t invest too much on toys etc as they’ll go missing. Bigger ones in the garden sound good though. I’d echo the requests for a blackout blind and Ikea high chair. I think you’re along the right lines as you’re basing it on your own children.

Definitely an outside tap. mounted high Maybe so it acts as a shower for small kids. The less sand that gets inside the house, the better

And a good shower in the bathroom

My non-negotiables:
Washing machine
Dryer
Single beds not bunks
Good WiFi
Freezer, not just ice box

With that, I think I can cope with everything else.

We're in a holiday let now with slightly older ones (6 and 3).

If the seaside town is accessible by train then don't assume families will always drive there- it is super helpful to have good directions from the station, the number of a reliable cab company and some bus timetables for that reason. We stayed in a place in Italy last year that left great instructions for getting to particular places by bus.

My pet hate is little niggles- ie the place we're in now has v specific instructions for the rubbish, but don't seem to have left the special bags anywhere. Which means I have to spend ages looking for them, get in touch with the caretaker etc. I like that stuff sorted out much better than toys. A smart tv is a good idea though.

Also, if we haven't driven I don't want to end up with most of a packet of laundry powder or dishwasher tablets (and I don't really want to carry them there either). It's great if you can provide these, don't leave the lot if you're worried about them getting nicked. I'm quite partial to tea, coffee, bread and milk being in as well, because again, we won't have carried it. Really those things are marginal on a 1k plus a week rental.

And a king or larger beds; the kids always get in it. Bed guards for toddlers.

@alwaysthinkingofsleep

Honestly...a hot tub. I know they're divisive but it's the thing that makes me book a place now. Kids love it, way for the adults to relax on an eve when the kids are in bed. A winner.

A hot tub would really put me off. Partly because of hygiene but mainly because of the drowning risk for young dcs. Mine are big enough to leave in the garden for a couple of mins while I get a drink or something now but I couldn't do that if there was water they could climb/fall into.

We once stayed in a baby friendly cottage and all towels & bedding came from The White Company. Beautiful quality but notes everywhere warning about staining them with sun cream. Small children and beaches usually require suncream and washing the baby before lying her down on the pristine white changing mat cover was not on my agenda.
Access to a buggy was fab though.
Proper changing mat
Night lights
Access to spare bedding incase kids are ill
Blender for pureeing food
Pint glasses and large mugs
Kids books
Board games
List of good indoor attractions for children