Renting A Holiday Cottage
How to stay in someone else's house - and enjoy it
To get the most from a cottage holiday it is worth taking a moment to look at the transaction from the other side of the fence. “You get what you pay for in this life”. In the business of renting out holiday cottages to the public, that is the killer complaint.
Mrs X (and it was usually a Mrs) had just stayed in one of the company's cottages and it was nowhere near as nice as the one she stayed in last year, even though she paid more. She's not happy and what are the company going to do about it.
So out comes the file, and the customer service dept. take a look. It transpires Mrs X has missed the golden rule for cottages – you pay more for location than quality, and you pay more for seasonality than either. Typically, the many Mrs X's have rented a wonderful cottage outside school holidays and had a great time. The she rented another one, but thought paying more meant it would be even better. Wrong! It was more expensive because she chose a more popular area and/or a more popular week.
All of which is a long-winded introduction to helping anyone enjoy a cottage holiday. If you want fabulous value, start searching in places off the beaten track, at times well away from school holidays. Herefordshire in early October would be a great example. Visit Cornwall in August and be prepared to pay a lot more.
When it comes to quality you have two options. Booking direct with the owner offers the opportunity to ask questions before your stay, but offers very little in the way of consumer protection. A rental agency will know less about the property, but have a vested interest in you enjoying your stay. At least with an agency you know someone has visited the property and considered it acceptable, even if their definition of the word may differ from yours. Pictures on web sites are of course a great way to get a feel for what's on offer.
Book early to get the best choice. Holiday cottages are rarely discounted for late booking, and popular spots and times fill up quickly. Many people go back to cottages year after year, leaving few vacancies for new renters.
Don't arrive too early! The owner or caretaker typically has a short space of time between one set of guests departing and the next arriving. That's their window to vacuum, change bed-linen, and generally get the place sparkling, so it's in your interest not to intrude.
Cottages4you is by far the biggest agency site in the UK, featuring brands such as English Country Cottages and Welcome Holidays. Cottages.co.uk is a directory site listing over 100 of the smaller local rental agencies.
Good cottages are wonderfully flexible and a real home from home. Choose carefully, and you could be a convert to cottage holidays for life.
