Recently, we’ve stayed in several very different self-catering cottages in Croatia and the UK. Being self-catering guests ourselves, really made us appraise what it’s like to be in the shoes of our guests.
Here are three things that have struck us:
- Finding the perfect place was difficult, and a leap of faith. We looked for a 5 ensuite bedroom holiday cottage to meet up with friends for a reunion. It has to be walkable to a pub, with space to gather in and similar sized bedrooms. We realised (again) how stressful it is to be the person booking a place. And how lacking in transparency lots of places are. Places with every bedroom with an ensuite weren’t common. And if they were ensuite, at least one of the bedrooms was single beds or bunk beds.
With a lot of places, we had to become detectives and check the small print. Few gave an option to speak to the owners to check it out. Lots had social media that was out of date, and didn’t really give a feel of the place.
So we’re updating our web site, and reiterating to all who enquire, that we are happy to answer any questions over the phone. Plus look out for more videos on our social media that will show the look and feel of the Long Barn. If you are thinking of booking, give us a call. We are also very happy to show prospective guests around the barn if it’s empty. Just call us first to arrange a visit.
2. The welcome we got varied hugely. We were surprised how much reassurance we wanted, and just a helpful friendly email from the owner made a difference. Few of the places we booked did this. Getting early reassurance was important to us. It was also helpful to meet the owner, and have some local tips on where to visit.
Our aim is to email out to guests 3 times between booking and their stay. Living next door means whilst guests will then rarely see us (unless they have an issue or visit the pub) we are on hand for a personal welcome on arrival.
Part of our ethos at the Long Barn is a welcome basket of home-made treats and local goodies. Many places (especially in the UK) have made the decision to stop supplying these. We respectfully disagree and believe these touches make a difference. So, we’ll keep baking and supplying a generous choice of local produce. Plus a pint of fresh milk for that all-important cuppa when you arrive.
We’ve been inspired by one helpful host who had the best instructions to find their apartment in Split. Without which, we’d have wandered for hours. So we’ll be reviewing ours in our digital guide to make sure it’s as clear as possible.
3. The reality versus the online description. Most times this was pretty good, in fact in some of the places, the reality was way more than we’d expected. But for some, it was a disappointment. Thumbs down to the place who provided 2 dishwasher tabs for a weekend stay or the place where there wasn’t enough seating for the number of people staying. And a big thumbs up to a fabulous place in Croatia that had the most wonderful undersold views and location. Along with crisp white bed linen and the most comfortable of beds.
Please get in touch with any comments or suggestions about the Long Barn if you’ve stayed with us or are thinking about booking. And if you’re thinking of going to Croatia next year, get in touch and we’ll let you know where we stayed…
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