Cottage Reviews and Feedback
Reviews and feedback are valuable when choosing somewhere to stay. Holidays are an expensive business and it would be most disappointing to make a mistake. Feedback from previous guests can help illuminate the good and bad points of a self-catering cottage.
Things to bear in mind when reading reviews are:
- Some reviews are written by family and friends with an interest in the accommodation.
- Where a cottage owner has the ability to edit a review, negative parts may have been deleted.
- Most review sites give the cottage owner the right to state whether a certain guest stayed or not. The cottage owner is not going to accept the review of someone they had a bad experience with, perhaps a disgruntled client with cause for complaint.
A review and feedback offer some insight into a property but cannot be accepted as gospel. Just read some of the resort reviews on Tripadvisor and you will soon see that a certain hotel can be rated as offering excellent food by some clients and yet marked down by others. It is merely a guide and certainly beware of any self-catering accommodation with poor reviews generally.
We welcome stories of your self-catering holidays, both good and bad. Tell us and we'll share them here so that other guests are at least aware of the potenital pitfalls.
Factors to avoid when booking a cottage
Swimming pool or no swimming pool?
A holiday cottage with its own swimming pool can be a blessing for families because it's instant healthy entertainment. However, the blessing could soon turn into a curse if you worry endlessly about toddlers or young children falling into the pool. Children need to be supervised at all times if you rent a cottage with a pool.
Paying for Electicity or Gas in your Cottage by feeding a Meter
Paying for electricity and gas using a meter is the most expensive form of fuel, avoid it if you can. Good quality cottages never have this option and fuel costs are included in the rent.
Central heating outwith your control
The wonderful British weather is notorious for its unreliability; we can have cold days in June! There is nothing worse than a holiday cottage that is too cold for comfort and you are unable to turn the temperature up.
Most people do not like to make a nuisance of themselves by contacting the owner too frequently but that is what has to be done if the heating is controlled externally. Book a cottage where you have full control over the heat settings and timing. A wood burner in the lounge is a nice optional extra. Check the provision of logs beforehand.
Never book a pet-friendly cottage if you do not have a dog.
The allergens from dog and cat hair remain in a property on the furnishings after the pet has gone. One of your group may be allergic and may suffer a reaction that prevents them from continuing the holiday. This is especially important for asthma sufferers who may experience breating difficulties and swollen eyes. This problem is best avoided by renting cottages that do not allow pets.
Finding stray pet hairs by comparison is a minor problem and annoyance. Dogs may have used the garden for toilet purposes and even when cleaned up you may not be that happy about your children playing there.
We have known people who had to return home early because they did not take this into consideration when booking.