Benefits of staying in a cottage over a hotel

Deciding where to spend the family holiday is always a big decision. Just as important is what type of accommodation you are going to chose to spend your hard earned break in. Holidays abroad tend to be focused on hotels but if you are staying at home or even travelling across the channel to Europe, cottage rentals are becoming an increasingly popular choice.

One of the major benefits of choosing a cottage is the cost. Everyone knows how the price of a holiday can look tempting in a brochure; but when you multiply it by all the members of the family or group, it starts to look expensive. Cottages are rented by the building, so instead of multiplying up you are dividing down per head, a far more attractive value for money proposition.

Holiday cottages also offer privacy, hotel rooms tend to have limited space and there is sometimes a feeling of being “on top” of each other. A cottage is a home from home giving everyone somewhere to get some time to themselves. Many cottages have more than one bathroom, avoiding the need to be waiting for someone to finish their shower and on the whole offer a more relaxed holiday experience.

Hotels have meals at set times, in a cottage you can eat when you chose and not have to worry about dressing and getting to the restaurant in time. If the weather is not what you had hoped for, you can settle for a night in front of a roaring fire or have a lazy meal over a bottle of wine. If you don’t feel like socialising then you don’t have to, you can simply stay at home and relax.

Many cottages have areas intended for outdoor enjoyment, so a barbecue and evening in the garden makes for a more pleasant experience with young children. Spending time in a hotel with children can be very limiting, either because they have to get to bed, meaning that you are restricted to your room; or they want to stay for the entertainment which means sitting through the children’s disco every night.

A cottage holiday can be as low key or as lively as you want to make it and there will almost always be a village Pub nearby for a change of scenery. Cottages are especially good for romantic getaways. There is no need to spend any time with anyone else unless you want to; you have a whole house to yourselves with no disruption.

Another appeal of a cottage holiday is the setting in which so many of these properties can be found; many are set in quaint little villages, often by the sea or in areas of historic interest. Many holiday cottages are listed buildings and have a charm of their own. Country retreats and old Fisherman’s cottages, the choice of properties is endless. You can have a cottage with television and DVD player or one with nothing to connect to the outside world at all.

Whichever type of cottage you chose you can be sure that you will have a holiday to remember, free from any restrictions.