Of course, it won't come as a surprise to find out I have still managed to fit a little holiday in since my last blog - a week in Wales. We wanted something cheap but not camping (not in April, when it actually snowed during our Butlins holiday two years ago!), so we looked at cottages. Hiring a house/cottage/apartment is a great option for a cheapish holiday, usually costing a lot less than a hotel, especially if there are a few of you going. Other benefits include being able to cook your own meals (should you wish) and having somewhere to sit in the evenings once the kids are in bed other than the bathroom... Anyway, we decided we fancied going to Wales (I had only visited Wales once before!) and I set about looking for cottages on various websites such as HomeAway and Cottages4you . I eventually found a cottage for just £250 for a week, which was nearly £100 less than the next cheapest. (I should add here that you may well be able to get cheaper cottages but I was looking for houses with at least two bedrooms). This cottage had three bedrooms - meaning my children could have a room each - a lovely garden with mountain views, free Wi-Fi, a washing machine and tumble drier, and towels and linen included. About the only thing it didn't have was a dishwasher (a bit of a disappointment, as washing-up is not something I want to do on holiday), but for the price I couldn't complain. Of course, we were somewhat suspicious about the price, so I made sure I thoroughly read all the (independent) reviews - all of which rated the cottage very highly. So I booked it.
The owner of the cottage was very quick at getting back to us, and attached an address and directions. That's the point at which it went slightly wrong. Lee decided to go on Google Streetview to look at the house, and all of a sudden, our bargain didn't feel quite so... bargainous. Our 'cottage' was actually a mid-terrace house (quite cleverly hidden on the original photos), and while it had been made to look pretty with a nice sign and hanging baskets, it didn't really have the picturesque cottage appeal that we had hoped for. The village it was in was not an attractive place - a typical mining village with a small industrial estate near the back of the house. The house next door had all sorts of rubbish in the front garden. It wasn't quite what we had envisaged.
'Cancel it!' said Lee straightaway. I tried to be diplomatic. 'It can't be that bad,' I said. 'After all, the reviews are good. And we won't actually be spending much time in it.' 'Cancel it!' said Lee.
We agreed to sleep on it, and in the meantime I felt bad sending back the most cursory of acknowledgement emails to the owner while we decided whether or not to cancel. What clinched it in the end was good old Trip Advisor. There weren't many reviews on there (there rarely are for cottage rentals) but the first one basically said to ignore what it looked like from the outside. It even mentioned how lovely the neighbours were. We decided to go for it (and my follow-up email to the owner was decidedly more upbeat). The reviews were good, it looked comfy and clean inside, there was a lot to do in the area, and the village - whilst not picturesque - did have three take-aways. For £250, we couldn't moan!
It turned out to be a good decision. The cottage itself was indeed clean and comfortable, with pretty much every amenity we could think of (apart from a dishwasher of course). The neighbours' front yards were empty, and the walls were so thick we couldn't hear anything from either side (and hopefully they couldn't hear us either). The take-aways came in very handy. And while the village - as well as many of the surrounding towns/villages - wasn't exactly attractive, the beautiful mountains and countryside in South Wales certainly were, and some of the views were simply breath-taking. We spent daytimes exploring castles, caves and mountains, and evenings relaxing in the cottage and getting thrashed at backgammon and Trivial Pursuit (to be fair, it was only me that was getting thrashed). It was a lovely holiday, and one I would recommend even if it wasn't a ridiculously cheap £250.
I'm not entirely sure what the moral is here. Do your research, definitely, but don't make snap judgements based on one review or photo. Think about what's important to you on your holiday and what will actually affect you (and what will have only a minimum impact). Paying less money often does mean you need to lower your expectations, but it doesn't mean there's a hidden catch - in our case, we really did get a bargain. And I even managed to fit in some walking training, climbing Pen Y Fan (the highest peak in southern Britain, for those that don't know)!
