Holiday Cottages - Selecting Self Catering Holiday Accommodation Online

Introduction

The use of the term "holiday cottages" can be considered a little bit misleading. This is because the term is actually used to cover a range of property types as well as a cottage, such as a house, townhouse, flat, etc. However, it is generally understood to mean self catering holiday accommodation where you are the sole user of the accommodation.

If you feel the need to get away from the daily routines of modern life, holiday cottages are a great place to escape to. There are many options available to suit virtually everyone: from families with young children, family pets, or aged parents; groups of friends; or romantic couples.

To find a holiday cottage you can use one of the two main options available:

1. Go to a travel consultant and let them do all the hard work;
2. Find one yourself via the Internet.

Whichever option you go for, it is a good idea to write down a checklist for your holiday cottage selection criteria. If you use a travel consultant you will need to communicate your requirements to them. If you do the searching yourself, it is very useful to have your checklist available as you search. You should be able to save time and effort by comparing properties against the criteria on your checklist.

Selecting Holiday Cottages

Selecting a holiday cottage can be considered an iterative two stage sequence:

1. Find a suitable website;
2. Search the website based on your selection criteria.

If the website does not have anything suitable for your holiday then find another website to search. Here are the two stages in more detail:

1 - Find Websites - Firstly you need to search for websites that have holiday properties available. There are three major criteria to consider:

• Location - In order to find a website you need to decide on the location of your holiday, including country, region and vicinity. Knowing this you can search for websites that have properties for the location you want to stay in. An example might be that you want to go on holiday to the country of England, within the region of Cornwall, in the vicinity of St Ives. If you decide to use vicinity search terms like "St Ives holiday cottages" or "St Ives self catering accommodation" you are more likely to get websites dealing in a smaller amount of local properties. If you decide to use region or country terms like "Cornwall holiday cottages" or "Cornwall self catering accommodation" you are more likely to get websites dealing with a larger number of properties.


• Payment Options - The website you choose to deal with may also depend on your payment preferences; and also how comfortable you feel when dealing with the website. If it is a small website or an individual property website, credit card facilities may not be available. To make a payment you may have to send a cheque; make a direct bank transfer; or use PayPal.


• Availability Checking - The website may not have a fully automated availability checking facility to provide up to the minute availability information. In this case, to check availability you may have to send an email to the website or make an enquiry to the appropriate telephone number. This will therefore slow down the process of finding a property.

If you want to maximise security and minimise hassle during the booking stage, it is best to use a website that has credit card facilities and a fully automated booking system that provides up to the minute availability information. This would probably mean you need to use one of the larger websites that deal with many properties.

Like me, once you have successfully and satisfactorily used the services of a large property provider, the chances are, you will continue to use them as the first point of call for future holidays. That is, unless they cannot provide you with a property in the location of your choice. My preference is to use "Cottages4You" that deal with properties on a national and international basis. If they do not have what I want then I use another large property provider.

2 - Finding Properties - Having found a website to search you can then undertake the detailed task of finding suitable holiday cottages or self catering holiday accommodation. This is where it is useful to have a list of criteria available to compare properties against. Here are some criteria you should add to your checklist:

2.1 - Holiday Reason - Once you know the reason for the holiday you will get a feeling for what kind of property you want. Being aware of the reason will help you decide on your other criteria:

• Is it a romantic or activity based break for a couple?
• Is it a group or a celebration holiday?
• Is it a quality time family break?

2.2 - Vicinity Scenario - Having used you location in terms of country, region and vicinity to find websites to search, you also need to decide on your vicinity scenario. This will most likely depend on the personal preferences of the people going on the holiday. It will be best if you discuss what you want as a group. However, these are a few common vicinity scenarios:

• Population Centres - Do you want to be in or near a city, town or village? Do you want easy access to a variety of eating establishments like restaurants, bistros and coffee shops?


• Amenities & Services - Do you want to be close to a beach, a park, or other visitor attractions? Do you want to be close to supermarkets and high street shops? Do you want medical facilities close at hand just in case there is an emergency situation or an illness?


• Isolated Locations - Do you want to be in the countryside; near mountains; by a river; or in an isolated coastal location?

2.3 - Group Size - Group size is a very important criterion during the search process as many search engines use this as one of their major search criteria. This can actually be refined into two criteria:

• Number Of People - The number of people in your group.
• Number Of Bedrooms - The number of bedrooms required by your group.

Using just one of the above criteria is no guarantee that a property is suitable but using both is more likely to identify suitable properties. However, there is no guarantee. Ensure you understand what the sleeping needs are for all people in your group and read the detailed description of the property to make sure your sleeping arrangement needs are met.

2.4 - Search Criteria - Many holiday property websites provide a search facility for finding a property. The level of detail in the search will vary from site to site. Some sites provide a basic search facility and then you have to read the detailed property listing to compare it with your checklist. A basic search usually uses:

• Country;
• Region;
• Number of people.

Some websites will provide a second level of search which is more detailed. This will involve price, calendar information and sleeping requirements in order to refine your search. Important criteria for such a search will usually be:

• Price range;
• Start date;
• Length of stay;
• Number of bedrooms;

Additional search criteria such as property features may also be available to aid property selection, such as:

• Enclosed garden;
• Open fire;
• Pets welcome;
• Cot available;
• Pub nearby;
• Ease of access.

On the luxury side of properties there may be criteria such as:

• Swimming pool;
• Hot tub;
• Health Spa.

2.5 - Property Listings - Once you have refined your search using the available criteria, you will then have to read the individual property listings to find out if the property is suitable with respect to any further criteria on your checklist. To aid your choice there will usually be a number of photos to show you around the property, both inside and outside. There should also be a description and/or a list to identify all the features of the property, such as:

• Electricity included, gas central heating included;
• Bed linen and towels included;
• Washing machine, dishwasher, fridge freezer;
• Cot, high chair;
• Satellite TV, video, DVD;
• Microwave;
• BBQ;
• Roadside parking;
• No smoking;

2.6 - Young Children - If you intend to take young children on holiday with you, apart from items like cots, high chairs and gates on stairs; check other safety precautions. If there are other facilities such as an unused pond or swimming pool, make sure they are effectively covered.

For each criterion on your checklist you can check that the property satisfies it. If you cannot find a property to satisfy all of your criteria then you may have to relax one or more of your criteria. Searching for, and selecting a suitable holiday cottage for your cottage holiday may take quite some time and effort. The longer your list of criteria the longer the search may take.

Before you start searching, it is best to know exactly what you want. Before you make a booking, make sure to read and understand the website terms and conditions. Once you find a property you are satisfied with and it is available for the time period you want, it is best to book it before someone else beats you to it. If you wait too long before making a decision, the property may be taken by someone else and you will have to start searching again. Should you require clarification regarding aspects of the property there will usually be an email address and telephone number to contact for clarification.

Summary

Holiday cottages is another term used for self catering holiday accommodation and covers a range of property types including a cottage, house, townhouse, flat, and other forms of property where you have sole use of the property. They are great for escaping on a break from the daily routines of modern life and there are properties available to suit virtually anyone.

To find a holiday cottage you can use a travel consultant or search the Internet yourself. Either way, writing down your criteria in the form of a checklist will aid the search process. A holiday cottage checklist will ensure you communicate your requirements to a travel consultant; or save you time and effort when searching the Internet yourself.

When searching the Internet yourself, you first need to find suitable holiday property websites. Apart from containing listings for suitable properties, the suitability of a website will be determined by the overall service you want from it including payment options and availability checking.

If you are happy with the way a website operates you can search it to find suitable holiday properties. The criteria you use to search for property will include: your holiday reason; vicinity scenario in terms of what you want to be near; group size in terms of number of people and bedrooms required; and a range of specific property features.

There are a wide variety of holiday cottages to choose from. To learn more about the benefits of cottages holidays, who might go on one, and finding holiday cottages take a look at my detailed article on Cottage Holidays and Holiday Cottages.

To start looking for a holiday cottage for your next holiday visit my blog post on Popular Holiday Destinations.