What do you look for in holiday cottage

[Mayblossom]

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I cannot believe people can be so picky! Bet their own house has it’s fair share of dust and cobwebs....mine does Our last cottage we went to at Christmas had literally thought of everything, all condiments, kitchen roll, washing machine and dishwasher tablets, cream tea coffee, tea , toiletries...etc etc...it was just perfect and we couldn’t find anything to complain about. They also had a basket with dog towels, treats, toys, poo bags and fleece blankets. Best one we’ve ever stayed at . We hoovered before we left, cleaned the fridge, toilets etc and made sure it looked as lovely as the day we arrived .

 

[JudyN]

That's awful, @Caro Perry Jasper once made a tiny tear in the side of a bedsheet when he snuck on (I had assured the owners that he never went on beds) but I owned up and paid for a new sheet - which wasn't cheap, it was excellent quality and the bed was half the size of Luxembourg. And I sent back a teaspoon that I'd forgotten I'd stuck in my coffee jar and had come home with us. You'd think that any decent person would do the same.

i do remember once fishing some hair out of the bath plughole in an apartment that wasn't particularly clean. I assumed it was from DS2, who had fairly long hair, but I pulled out a good three foot of hair, all in one tangled strand, which must have collected from multiple guests. Lovely!

 

[Josie]

Pubs close by got a yes from me straight away!

 

[Josie]

Oh yes like JudyN mentioned - an extra touch of having a welcome pack like tea, coffee, milk, eggs, cake, bottle of wine makes such a difference for me personally! Some places have even left dog biscuits. It's so thoughtful and very well received when you arrive and want a cup of tea

Also a nice amount of dishwasher tablets and black bags.

We always own up to any damage. Dennis was being a monkey and cleaning the dishwasher at a place when he got his collar stuck and panicked. As he pulled away the whole bottom tray came with him and smashed all the bowls/plates/glasses with it We went and found the owner straight way. Told her what we'd broken and how much we owed!

 

[Josie]

I'll spare you the pictures my cleaner sent me of the fridge full of blood. Cleaning holiday lets is not a job for the faint hearted.

WTF is all I can say here

 

[Kara 1]

Pubs close by got a yes from me straight away!

There are 5 all in walking distance through the village ...a mini pub crawl...all dog friendly and all serve delicious food ...
Also in the village is a co-op , hairdressers, barbers, wine shop , Michelin star restaurant that is also open every day for breakfast and lunch ...a Chinese takeaway, fish and chips shop,greengrocers...post office ....

 

[Josie]

There are 5 all in walking distance through the village ...a mini pub crawl...all dog friendly and all serve delicious food ...
Also in the village is a co-op , hairdressers, barbers, wine shop , Michelin star restaurant that is also open every day for breakfast and lunch ...a Chinese takeaway, fish and chips shop,greengrocers...post office ....

I’m on my way!

 

[JudyN]

I had a few more thoughts in the bath...

It's lovely to be asked what you'd like in the welcome pack (if you leave one) - e.g. choice of red or white wine, beer or orange juice. And I think it would be great if this was extended towards vegans - turning up to find a bottle of milk and clotted cream in the fridge might be a bit annoying, and they would feel really included if the booking form asked for details of what they'd like included/excluded. This could even extend to the sort of dog treats you leave, if any, in case the dogs have allergies to certain foods.

Placement of 'welcome' food - at one cottage I had to spend the first 5 minutes hunting down and moving all the dog biscuits, human biscuits, and so on, off the worktops and into cupboards...

Sofa throws, bed throws, dog towels... it would be good to know if they are available and if you expect them to be laundered before departure.

A general list of what you don't need to bring, e.g. loo rolls, milk, washing-up liquid & sponges. And dog beds, in which case an idea of size would be helpful for people with big dogs.

 

[Mad Murphy]

The last place we rented was what it said a simple detached chalet on the edge of the woods. It was well equipped but simple. Some of the reviews were ludicrous complaints that trees gave too much shade , that someone got hayfever, even that the birds made too much noise!
Some people are just born to complain.

 

[Kara 1]

We wouldn't be offering a welcome pack as there are local shops and big supermarkets locally...will supply dog towels and throws...

 

[Rebecca F]

Lots of local pubs that allow dogs!

 

[Rhythmpig]

Order of things when I rent a cottage is
Secured garden
Outdoor tap for washing dogs down
WiFi
Them three things and I'm happy.

 

[Caro Perry]

That's awful, @Caro Perry Jasper once made a tiny tear in the side of a bedsheet when he snuck on (I had assured the owners that he never went on beds) but I owned up and paid for a new sheet - which wasn't cheap, it was excellent quality and the bed was half the size of Luxembourg. And I sent back a teaspoon that I'd forgotten I'd stuck in my coffee jar and had come home with us. You'd think that any decent person would do the same.

i do remember once fishing some hair out of the bath plughole in an apartment that wasn't particularly clean. I assumed it was from DS2, who had fairly long hair, but I pulled out a good three foot of hair, all in one tangled strand, which must have collected from multiple guests. Lovely!

You sound the perfect guest Judy! We'd have you any time. I did have a guest offer to post the dog food bowls she'd packed by mistake but I told her to keep them!

That hair is just gross - one of my least favourite jobs!

 

[JudyN]

You just need to get rid of those pesky sheep, Caro!

 

[Caro Perry]

Ah yes - there may be a couple in the area!

 

[Kara 1]

 

[Mayblossom]

Beautiful bathroom have you thought about how much you’ll charge throughout the year? Will it be available all year ? We love going away at Christmas and New Year.

 

[Kara 1]

We haven't thought about pricing yet as we will put it with a holiday let agency first so they will advise price ..yes it will be available all year ...
We are staying in a 3 bed detached bungalow in may £815 for a week and in sept a week in a detached bungalow £765 .....

 

[Mayblossom]

We’ve just paid over £1000 for a beautiful cottage over Christmas but that included £40 for the dogs, I’m happy to pay that for Christmas week as it was a very high quality place ( as yours would be )

 

[Kara 1]

We’ve just paid over £1000 for a beautiful cottage over Christmas but that included £40 for the dogs, I’m happy to pay that for Christmas week as it was a very high quality place ( as yours would be )

Blimey....there would definitely be no charge for dogs ..the bungalow we are going to in may charged an extra £25 per dog thats 5 dogs ...i wonder what people would say if they charged extra per child ....