The Glamorous Life of a Holiday Cottage Owner
17th November 2024
Running a holiday cottage is like starring in your own reality TV show. There’s drama, comedy, unexpected plot twists, and occasionally, a guest who thinks you’re running a five-star hotel staffed by psychic butlers. Welcome to a ‘tongue in cheek’ behind-the-scenes glimpse of life as holiday cottage owners.
The Booking Frenzy
Imagine this: you’re sitting down to a peaceful cup of tea when the phone dings. A new booking! The adrenaline rush is real. Is it a weekend break? A two-week stay? Oh, wait… it’s someone who booked the wrong dates. They email: “We accidentally booked Skipton but meant to stay in Skegness. Can we swap?” Sure, let me just teleport the Yorkshire Dales to Lincolnshire.
And then there are the platforms. Booking.com and Airbnb are brilliant for visibility, but navigating their systems feels like doing battle with a labyrinth. Double-bookings are the stuff of nightmares, so we’ve become spreadsheet ninjas, wielding calendars like weapons.
Guest Questions: The Quirky and the Quizzical
We love our guests, truly. But their questions? They’re a genre of entertainment all their own.
- “Does the cottage have a toaster?” Yes, and it’s a marvel of modern engineering.
- “How far is it to the nearest beach?” About 70 miles. (Spoiler: Yorkshire is famous for hills, not seaside strolls.)
- “Can we bring a peacock instead of a dog?” Sadly, the cottage is dog-friendly, not bird-palace-friendly.
The Cleaning Olympics
Cleaning day is like training for a triathlon, except instead of swimming, cycling, and running, it’s scrubbing, vacuuming, and fluffing cushions. There’s a science to achieving the perfect “just stepped into a magazine shoot” look while also removing traces of the last guest’s Labrador.
If you think “putting on fresh bedding” sounds simple, you’ve never wrestled with a duvet cover at speed. There’s also the detective work:
- Who hid a teaspoon under the sofa?
- Why is there a single sock in the fridge?
- What happened to the matching wine glass?
Maintenance: DIY or Die Trying
Owning a holiday cottage means embracing your inner handyman (or woman). Leaky taps, squeaky doors, and that mysterious draft under the front door? We’ve tackled them all. Of course, when things get really technical, we call in the professionals, but not before spending three hours Googling how to fix it ourselves.
Pro tip: Always keep a stash of lightbulbs, batteries, and WD-40. They’re the holy trinity of holiday cottage maintenance.
The Review Rollercoaster
Ah, reviews. That delicate dance between glowing praise and constructive criticism. A five-star review is the holy grail, but even the most glowing comments can come with a backhanded compliment.
- “Lovely stay, but the birds were too loud in the mornings.”
- “Cosy cottage, but the weather was rainy.” (We’ll have a word with the clouds next time.)
We take it all in stride, respond graciously, and file away the more bizarre comments for future blog inspiration.
The Reward: Why We Do It
Despite the chaos, the juggling, and the occasional odd request, running a Holiday Cottage is a joy. There’s nothing better than knowing we’ve helped someone create lasting memories in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Whether it’s a couple celebrating their anniversary, a family discovering Skipton Castle, or someone just enjoying a glass of wine in the comfort of a holiday cottage, it’s all worth it.
So, if you’ve ever considered running your own holiday cottage, here’s our advice: buckle up, bring your sense of humour, and remember—there’s no such thing as a boring day in the world of holiday lets.