... And so when surfing the internet I stumbled across Welcome Cottages, and I've never bothered to look elsewhere since.
The website-------------------------------------
www.welcomecottages.com
I have to admit that stylistically the site certainly isn't up to much (I live with a graphic ... Read review
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Advantages: Lots of choice, good service Disadvantages: Added insurance costs
...the internet I stumbled across Welcome Cottages, and I've never bothered to look elsewhere since.
The website-------------------------------------
www.welcomecottages.com
I have to admit that stylistically the site certainly isn't up to much (I live with a graphic designer!), it looks fairly content heavy, yet its really easy to use.
You can search for cottages by area in either the UK, ... ...further by specifying dates, prices, do you have pets, do you have children, do you want a garden, to be near the sea, be near a pub etc etc. Once you have selected your options the site will throw up a number of cottages that suit your needs. The cottages nearest the top of the list will suit your needs better than those further down the list.
(If you have stayed in a particular cottage before and want to go again then you can simply ... more
Since deciding to adopt a rescue dog nearly 4 years ago I've found that my holiday requirements have changed somewhat. This may also be due to the fact that I'm getting old and am something of a homebody, but now when I am planning my holidays I don't go straight down to the local travel agents looking for sun, sea and the other (well, the bloke would be mortified for a start!), instead I have started to look a little closer to home.
Around 4 years ago my would be parents-in-law stayed in a cottage on the Norfolk coast with their beloved family pet. Before adopting a dog I was concerned about leaving a dog in kennels when going on holiday, but the bloke convinced me that we would be able to have holidays with the dog aswell, and so Spencer's fate was sealed and he was duly adopted!
So, having finally moved into a position where we could afford holidays again I started to look around at cottages that could be hired and would accept dogs. And so when surfing the internet I stumbled across Welcome Cottages, and I've never bothered to look elsewhere since.
The website-------------------------------------
www.welcomecottages.com
I have to admit that stylistically the site certainly isn't up to much (I live with a graphic designer!), it looks fairly content heavy, yet its really easy to use.
You can search for cottages by area in either the UK, Ireland or France and then you can refine your search further by specifying dates, prices, do you have pets, do you have children, do you want a garden, to be near the sea, be near a pub etc etc. Once you have selected your options the site will throw up a number of cottages that suit your needs. The cottages nearest the top of the list will suit your needs better than those further down the list.
(If you have stayed in a particular cottage before and want to go again then you can simply enter the property code).
-----------Choosing your cottage----------
Cottages are graded from comfortable to lovely and you can generally find internal and external photos of your accommodation so you can see for yourself what you are getting. I have to say that so far I have agreed with the ratings and I find the photos really useful. Unfortunately some properties that may just have been added to the website won't have as many photo's.
You can search by area, price, number of nights, specific dates, number of occupants and by amentities, i.e. you have pets, you need a cot, you want pubs nearby.
If you have access requirements then the details will usually indicate whether there are steep stairs etc.
--------Making your booking----------------
Once you have selected a cottage then you are ready to make your booking. This can be done over the internet or on the telephone. Either way you are still subject to a booking fee (£24), so I prefer to actually talk to someone. The booking line is not a premium number which is always a bonus and is usually answered straight away.
Internet booking
This is incredibly easy to do. You simply follow the booking pages which as usual will confirm your details, ask if you want to take out insurance (I never take out their own insurance as my own annual holiday insurance covers breaks abroad). You will then be asked for payment details and confirmation will be sent to you. You can choose to pay the deposit and then pay off the rest of the holiday around 8 weeks before the commencement of your holiday. Personally I hate thinking that I owe anyone anything and I always pay upfront.
Telephone booking
I have always found the staff to be incredibly helpful and they have never tried to push the insurance on me. Again you will be asked for your details and asked to make a deposit payment. You can then choose whether to pay the balance now or closer to the holiday date. I find that this is a good opportunity to ask a few questions about the property if I'm unsure of any of the details, and I always like to double check that they will allow dogs at the propery I have chosen.
----------Booking confirmation--------------
Having made your booking you will be sent confirmation in the post. This will include the payment details, cottage details and the details of the owner of the property usually together with some directions to the cottage. I have always found the travel instructions to be very useful and detailed, much better than AA directions!
You are then advised to contact the owner of the property (their contact details will be included in the confirmation letter) to arrange collection of keys. Again the owners I've spoken to have always been lovely and will go that little extra for you.
--------------Your holiday------------------
I have found that the cottages live up to their descriptions, gradings and photo's. I've been in an annex to the owners and have been given fresh eggs every morning and been allowed to use their own gardens and take stuff from their fridges. Owners who allow dogs in their properties are very thoughtful and will leave towels and drinks for your dogs etc.
Each property will have a comments book that is always an interesting read and will usually give you ideas for your holiday. And most properties will have details and leaflets about the area in which you are staying.
I have always found the standard of cleanliness to be excellent (I'm one of those who tidies hotel rooms and inspects tops of cupboards etc!).
I will continue to use this website time and time again as I am constantly pleased with the standard of service and the standard of the property itself.
Prices can be fairly steep over New Year and in the height of the school holidays. For instance a property for 4 that will cost around £250 before easter will cost £200 more in the summer months. But generally speaking I think that this is a really cheap way of seeing the countryside and seaside and is ideal for families, couples and groups alike.
Advantages: range of locations, lots of deals, pets welcome Disadvantages: added costs
...easier, we always book with Welcome Holiday Cottages.
They offer an extensive range of cottages and villas with properties in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and Croatia. Each of the properties is rated according to their easy-to-use grading system so finding your ideal place to stay is made simple:
Comfortable properties are practical, robust and reliable. The furniture may not be the most up to date, but there is ample room to relax and ... ...Scotland, Devon and Northumbria with Welcome Cottages and have been completely satisfied with the standard of location and the actual properties. All of the places we've stayed in have been very clean and furnished tastefully and near to local shops and amenities so cooking wasn't ever a problem. The properties always live up to their grading and photographs featured in the brochure. Everywhere we've stayed has had a welcome book that includes places ...
groovyem100 11.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Welcome Cottages
Advantages: Easy booking process and professional to deal with Disadvantages: They don't inspect the properties themselves and rely on owner descriptions
My husband I have used Welcome Cottages five times now to book a week long holiday in the UK for us and our two dogs. We have stayed in four lovely places, but the last place was rather grim, so I thought I would share our experience so others can try and avoid doing what we did!
Welcome Cottages lets properties in Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Croatia. The properties are owned by private owners who let them through Welcome ... ...looked good, so I rang Welcome Cottages, paid my £24 booking fee and made the booking.
So at the allotted time, we all piled into the car and off we went from London to North Yorkshire.
When we first got there, we didn't really notice the extent of the vileness of the property, so just dumped our suitcases and went to the local supermarket to fill up the freezer for the week. When we returned, we found that the freezer that was listed in the property ...
Pip2002 28.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Welcome Cottages
Advantages: Cheep Disadvantages: Cottage listed as child friendly and it was not
...out of the control of welcome cottages I felt they made a couple of basic mistakes…
1) The property should have been listed as unsuitable for children (as many others are)
2) We should have been informed that many parts of Brittany close in September for the Winter
3) The property shouldn't have been listed as having an enclosed garden as it was actually a gravel/stone drive which was completely unsuitable for children to play on
I complained ...
vickigroth 22.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Welcome Cottages
Advantages: Hundreds of cottages to choose from Disadvantages: too many to choose from
...Anyway we first used Welcome Cottages last year when we went to the Isle of Wight for our first cottage holiday.
We'd received their brochure for 2003 the year before and booked our holiday in the October.
The brochure is very colourful with John Noakes (formerly of Blue Peter fame) heading their brochure as well as their website.
The brochure is broken down into sections within England, Wales and Scotland and they have cottages in Ireland and ... ...more than any other time of the year.
When corresponding with Welcome Cottages I found them to be very cooperative and helpful which is why we have used them again for our holiday this year to Cornwall!
Check out their website at www.welcome.cottages.co.uk
Thanks for reading :-) ...
allyb2003 06.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Welcome Cottages
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Advantages: Easy to find cottages in the area you want Disadvantages: Sometimes it can be hard to find a cottage that really suits you
We have booked holidays with this company for approximately 4 years now, some 8 holidays.
We have always found them to be professional and helpful, even when wanting to book a last minute break - they searched for properties for us and gave us plenty of details over the phone and didn't mind being on the phone for half an hour at their expense.
On the one occasion we had cause to complain about the accommodation and the owners, the company were professional, helpful and apologetic.
I would throughly recommend this company for the choice of properties available, their professionalism and the ease of use of their website.
When you are booking online or on the phone you can specify very detailed criteria such as whether pets are allowed, whether the property is a non-smoking one, the availability of cots, whether the cottage is ...
Welcomecottages, they were not interested said we should sort it out with the owner direct. Basically once they have your money, they don't care. Would NOT recommend.
Would be very interested if someone has had a similar problem with this cottage, or the other one she has (next to Graig Isaf Farm). ...
Advantages: Beautiful, friendly, nuff said Disadvantages: none - i hope
It's been ages since I ventured so far south to the sunny climbs of Cornwall country, but I hope when we visit the area again this weekend all my dreams & memories of the place remain.
Out of all the Cornish towns perhaps only Exmouth beats Penzance for natural beauty. But the latter is more welcoming on a human level, the tied cottages, the warm welcome from the indiginous people is very well received.
Even the name, "Penzance" has a kind of hypnotic romantic air about it. The only real place I can remember is Mousehole which I used to visit frequently when just a kid. I hope it still there.
Another great memory is the pasties and the genuine Cornish ice cream, I hope progress hasn't ruined anything.
Penzance is very close to my heart and I can't wait to spend a week down there and realise my memories once again.
We ...
