Holiday cottage - What would make you feel welcome?

[DianaPrince]

We are moving to a house with a holiday cottage attached. Rural area two miles from beautiful coastline and two miles from nearest station. We have three young children and have our own ideas about what we need from a self catering cottage which is welcoming to a family. (DH would require an open fire - but there isn't one!) What is your list of requirements that would make a cottage really special for your holiday? From basics to luxury treats - we want to make it a real home from home for the whole family and obviously want people to recommend it and want to come back. What would do it for your family? Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes a good website is hugely important to me, with loads of photos of the rooms and the setting of the cottage, details about the facilities and what you provide, and a friendly tone, and an email address so you can contact the owners easily. It also sounds super-cheesy, but giving your cottage a lovely olde-worlde, quirky name helps too. I can't help being attracted to names like "Gran's Cottage" and "Driftwood Cottage" and "The Old Wash House" - not "Bay View" or "14a Whatever Road".

Having basics like herbs and oil in the cupboard would be fab. As would having enough cutlery, crockery, cups, a teapot, cafetiere, baking trays, ovenproof dishes, teatowels etc.

It sounds like you are pretty on the ball, provide what you would like to find and I'm sure you will be fine.

Colouring stuff, jigsaws, board games, books, TV/DVD player, if not a real fire how about a woodburning stove thingy?

Where is it and do you allow dogs?

Really comfortable, good quality beds and bedding.

1. If you are going to provide supplies of any kind, let your guests know in advance what they are going to be. We tend to do a supermarket shop on our way to the cottage (fills in the time before the keys are available) and you have to guess whether salt/herbs/toilet paper/dishwasher/washing powder etc are going to be supplied. Getting it wrong is always annoying, in either direction. Even more true if you are going down the 'basket of goodies' route.

1. Sharp knives and more than one tea towel.

1. Make clear what parking there is and where.

1. Don't stock the cupboards/furnish the place with things you no longer want yourself.

1. Except books...

1. In general, I don't want a 'home from home' when on holiday, I want it to be nicer!!

The cottage we stayed in last year had a note saying we could help ourselves to garden produce - there were loads of herbs in the garden and the gooseberries were just ripe, so we really appreciated that!

Thankyou all very much. OrmIrian - we are moving to Norfolk, between Holt (market town) and Sheringham (seaside town). We are very lucky although we can only afford to do it because we have been left some money by our parents (both sides) and if we could choose of course would rather have them around. But since we can't, we thought we should do something we've always dreamed of doing and always remember how their hard work and generosity helped us. And if the children can't have grandparents to play with we thought growing up with space to run wild and make sandcastles all year would be something our mums and dads would have approved of. DH works from home but having the opportunity to have a small business from home is great for me to after giving up a job for the last five years to look after children and parents.

We go on holiday in the UK a lot and have been to some great cottages so although we need to earn some money we want to share the place we have found with other families who need a break and make them feel as relaxed as possible. So COMPLETELY agree about having herbs, cleaning stuff, loo paper, some breakfast stuff etc plus DVDs and books and toys. Thought a pushchair for use of guests too and baby backpack. The cottage has some decking for sitting out but our children will be keen to make friends with any other children who stay so the garden won't be out of bounds. We stayed at a farm recently and you weren't allowed to go to any of the places shown in the photos so my dreams of picnics under the trees were misplaced - not just by the constant rain!

By the way, I have a friend who is a travel journalist and has written a guide on travelling round Ireland without a car - she's very hot on eco travel. What do you think about providing a small run around car with car seats so if people choose to come by train they can be put on the insurance for a couple of days for local trips? I haven't checked insurance implications of this yet - but in theory? Would any of you use this? Might make Friday night trips out of London pleasanter if they know all the gear will be there when they arrive.

I have a herb garden in mine too - not that anyone uses them as far as I can tell.

Agree with previous posters about basic food stocks etc. I liked the idea of a herb patch in the garden where guests could lop a bit of basil off for their salads.

We stayed in a B&B where the owner had put up some family photos and personal items. It made it feel very welcoming and she said that she had far less damage done to the rooms as it looked like a family home so renters were more careful.

One of those travel phone chargers with adaptors for any kind of mobile phone would be great as I often forget to take mine. I saw a solar one recently.

The folder of recommendations from previous guests is a great idea. My mum collects business cards from good restaurants in her area for visitors.

if you have a paddock next to the cottage how about plonking a trio of alpacas in there? that would be LOVELY

see example

The last place we stayed at had a welcome basket including hom made jam and eggs from their chickens, which was lovely (and not too expensive for them, as we bought more eggs from them during the week) - I'd also include loo roll, tea and coffee, bread and a pint of milk. Wouldn't bother with wine.

Loads of books, and games for kids.

Good beds. If you can't afford really good mattresses, then consider mattress toppers (eg from Ikea), which make a big difference to a cheaper mattress. Also, good beds includes good cots - the cots supplied in hotels and holiday houses always seem to be small, spindly, with ill-fitting mattresses. It's their holiday too, and it would be nice to find proper beds supplied.

I'm afraid I disagree with the person who mentioned dogs. It would put me off renting somewhere to know that dogs were allowed - many people have allergies, and the last thing I want is a house that smells of dogs.

Special things:
wood burning stove
dishwasher
outside equipment - nice garden furniture, perhaps outdoor games and BBQ stuff (including charcoal etc)

My reaction to family photos would be the opposite to Mme Lindt's - I would hate that as it would rub it in that you were in someone else's house and make me feel really uncomfortable!

The car thing sounds like it would be fantastically useful for a few people, but most people would probably be driving down anyway and of those who won't, a fair number will be because they can't drive.

I think my alpaca idea is the best and most original so far

I hate, hate, hate it when the property owners have so obviously come in and cleared away all the things that previous tenants have had to buy, e.g. dishwasher tablets, washing machine liquid/tabs, conditioner, cling film, foil, washing up liquid, olive oil, flour, pasta, rice, salt and pepper etc. It's so petty and it means that every tenant has to pay an unnecessary amount of money.

If tenants leave stuff behind because it's not used (apart from fresh stuff, obviously) then why not leave it for the next tenants?

Best place we stayed was where they had cupboards full of basics, such as pasta, flour etc, with a note saying that we were welcome to use these things, but just to replace them during the course of our stay so that the next tenants could benefit from this too.

They even did this with gin/whisky, etc!

Please make sure that the washing machine/dishwasher/microwave/cooker is working.

And another pet hate (sorry if this is turning into a rant!) is when the lighting in the kitchen is insufficient - bulbs blown and not bright enough to see what you're doing.

A couple of spare bulbs in a cupboard would be great.

up to date takeaway menus and corkscrews and tin openers that work
pile of magazines in the lounge for adults and kids helps
video/dvd library and books

Hooks for dressing gowns; somewhere to dry towels; shelves in the bathroom so toiletries can be unpacked; similarly a shelf in the shower to stand shampoos and gel on; a plug somewhere near a mirror for hair-drying; a supply of black bags and bin liners; matches; spare batteries for the remotes.

I often think that owners have never tried LIVING in the cottage themselves for a few nights.

If you get overseas visitors, then a adaptor for the sockets would be great.

A hairdryer in the bathroom.

yes and the black bags should not be those economy ones that split!

Oh, and wine glasses. Enough for (more than) the number of people in the cottage.

I'm feeling quite smug now as our holiday house has most of these things and we do a welcome pack of tea/coffee/milk/wine and herbs, plus dishwasher tabs, cleaning stuff and linen included (who wants to make up beds on their holiday?). I like the herb garden idea - am going to take up a couple of big pots and plant them this weekend with a few basics.

Not sure I can manage the alpacas, though, mitchyinge .

I always love it when there is a stash of magazines, don't even care if they are a bit out of date, perfect holiday reading fodder!

OS maps of the area and books of walks.

A good general cookery book is useful for if you suddenly decide you want to make a cake or you buy a fish that you've never had before and don't know how to cook it!

Yes midnight! Maps are essential although I usually buy my own beforehand as a bit of a map-geek.