The property had a double bedroom plus a 2nd bedroom with bunk beds plus a sofa i.e. capacity to sleep 5 but
- the living area (kitchen/dining/sitting) could barely hold 5 people standing up
- the only comfortable seating was a 2 seater sofa
- the dining table had 4 chairs
- the kitchen had just 2 electric rings (plus a microwave)

In addition to being very small, the downstairs was very dark and uninviting when you walked in.

In the bathroom, the shower had a curtain (didn’t those go out with the ark?) and if you switched on the shower, the shower head couldn’t be fixed so it whizzed round and showered the bathroom. The blankets provided were not long enough. I don’t think the sheets were either as we ended up with the sheets and blankets in a total mess each morning. The beds had soft mattresses and fairly high wooden sides – really uncomfortable to sleep in and get out of. The back garden was a dingy uncared for area clearly meant only for barbecuing.

We left a day early because it was clear it was going to rain and we could not face staying in such a dingy place for a whole day.

On the plus side, the owner (who was not on site) could not have been more helpful in our email correspondence. And the place was clean. And the view from the balcony was to die for.

But I wouldn’t go back there. I want to feel comfortable on holiday – isn’t there a way of gauging this in advance? It seems not.

I wholeheartedly agree that comfortable simplicity meets the needs of many people and we are often asked for this by rental clients. The cottage shown on the photo above is tiny, simply furnished and could not be considered luxurious, but the owner has gone to considerable lengths to create such an opportunity as you describe.

I speak to hundreds of renters each week and their top requirements after location and waterfront, are good quality mattresses, and cleanliness, which doesn’t seem too much to ask for. I have seen dozens of cottages where ‘authenticity’ seems to be derived from the amount of mouse droppings in drawers and cupboards, and the generations of dead bugs piled up in corners and on window sills.

Cottages, and vacation rentals across the board, come in all shapes and sizes and need to appeal to a wide range of potential renters, but simple standards should be maintained as well. My own first experience of a cottage rental was a two day cleaning exercise just to bring it to a minimum standard. We had to buy covers to put on the stained and stinking mattresses before we could go to bed, and clean up several dead mice from food cupboards. I hate to think of other unsuspecting renters paying hard earned money for a similar experience.

http://www.khon2.com/news/local/37072874.html

Scott V’s last blog post..Vacation Rental Resolutions