Frequently Asked Questions

The gravel area in front of the front garden is shared between the first three cottages. You can always unload there and usually park there although this is not guaranteed as some give-and-take is required if all three are occupied at the same time. Occasionally it may be easier for you to park nearby where there is ample public parking. Parking is free on George Street, right next to the cottages but it does get busy during the daytime. Alternatively a number of Pay and Display car parks are just a short walk from the cottage.

You can arrive any time after 2.00pm on the first day of your stay. On your last morning of your holiday the cottage must be vacated no later than 10.00am. You can not usually arrive early or leave later as our cleaners will need clear access to the cottage to ensure it is ready for your, or the next guests, stay.

Unfortunately pets are NOT allowed, even if they are small and well-behaved! Our daughter is allergic to them so we have to be strict. If you are allergic to animals you can be reassured that we never allow them to stay in the cottage.

Nope, when we say four, we mean four. We wouldn’t want people to find staying in our cottage a squash and a squeeze.

Only the number listed on the booking may stay overnight.

Yes of course, but you will need to book the three nights  – this ensures that you have the use of the cottage for the whole of the weekend. You can get the keys as early as you like if you are arriving on a Saturday or stay as late as you want if you are leaving Sunday.

Please don’t ask us as the answer will be no. We don’t discount on request. We are confident our cottage provides good value for money at the rates you see listed on the website.

If we did simply pro-rata the weekly rate, short breaks wouldn’t be worthwhile for us. Every booking has the same cleaning and laundry fees. We start with a weekly rate and work out three night rates to give us enough profit to make the admin time, risks and wear and tear associated with the booking worthwhile. It’s 65% of the weekly rate (many other holiday homes use a figure of 70% for three nights).

Yes we do. Please see it here: Access statement Unfortunately  the cottage may be difficult for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues due to the fact that it is small and the bedrooms are upstairs.

There is a travel cot kept in the understairs cupboard which you are welcome to get out, put up and use (upstairs, not in the cupboard, we’re not talking Harry Potter here!). Please do bring your own bedding.

Yes. Please let us know when you book and we will arrange for you to be given the key to our garage so you can lock your bikes up securely while you are on holiday.

You may not charge your electric car via a cable from the cottage, this is a fire hazard and could invalidate our insurance. The nearest public charging point is in West Bay Road car park, only a couple of minutes walk away.

Smoking is NOT allowed in the cottage.

We don’t want you to spend all your time cleaning but we ask you leave the house as tidy as when you arrived, and make sure all equipment and utensils you’ve used are put away clean.

Yes, fibre broadband.

The TV is a Smart one. You need to use your own subscription so remember your id and password. Please log off at the end of your holiday or you may have the next guests using your subscription too! (If you forget you can log off all your devices when you get home from a settings screen but then you’ll need to log all your usual devices back in again.)

There should be enough wood provided to start you off. If you need some more you can top up with logs and kindling in the nearby Spar, amongst many other places. The central heating is sufficient to keep the cottage warm, the wood burner is for fun and added cosiness. We only supply logs in the colder months.

Please go to the booking  page here: Book

Availability is bang up to date. The calendar is always updated when a booking is reserved or confirmed. All information about booking, including paying the deposit and the balance and filling in the booking form is on that page.

We do not take a damage deposit. We ask that you respect the trust we place in you to look after the cottage and its contents during your stay. By making a booking you agree to accept responsibility for any damage caused by you or any member of your party and you agree to pay any costs incurred as a result. We don’t mind the odd broken glass or crockery, but if you do break something, or notice damage or items missing, please let us or the caretaker know so that the item can be replaced before the arrival of the next guests. The cottage will be checked during changeover and you may be charged for any loss or damage found.

Take a look below to see what you’ll find at the cottage already and suggestions on what to pack. Things like decent kitchen appliances, good cookware, cafetière etc are supplied to make your holiday more enjoyable and hassle-free.

At the cottage:
Bed linen
Towels
Tea towels
Bin bags – kitchen and outdoor ones
Local maps and guide books
Travel cot
High chair.

Enough to get you started:
Toilet rolls
Logs and kindling (in the colder months).

There should be one or two toilet rolls in the cottage when you arrive and enough logs for an evening. After that you need to supply your own.

Please let our housekeeper know if you can’t find any of the above things.

The following items are often at the cottage:
Washing up liquid, rubber gloves, sponges
Kitchen roll
Antibacterial handwash in kitchen and liquid soap in bathroom
Kitchen cleaner
Tin foil and cling film
Tea / coffee / sugar
Matches.

When we visit we make sure the above things are in good supply in the cottage. If the cottage has been booked a lot and we haven’t visited for a while they might have got used up and perhaps not been replaced by other guests before your visit. Best to check when you arrive and then buy as required.

Bring your own

Much of this is pretty obvious and if something is forgotten, don’t worry, there’s plenty of local shops:

Food and drink*
Toiletries
Clothes, including swimming gear
Slippers or warm socks in winter – the flagstone floor downstairs can be cold on the feet!
Hat and gloves (cold weather)
Sun hat (summer)
Walking boots
Any medicine you may need
Suntan lotion
Small first aid kit
Phone, iPad etc.
Camera
Chargers for any of the above
Buckets and spades
Beach towels
Picnic hamper / coolbox / sandwich container.

* You can get a supermarket food delivery made to the cottage, timed when you know you’ll have arrived. Waitrose, Sainsburys, Ocado and Asda definitely deliver to our area. We suggest you just get the basics though. With so many great places to eat out and local food shops and markets you might not be doing much cooking and, when you do, it’s a pleasure to shop locally.

If you have babies, toddlers or kids you may need:
Cot bedding
Travel stair-gate perhaps
Child toilet seat
Toilet step
Favourite teddy and toys **
Night light
Nappies, nappy bags, baby wipes etc.

** A lesson learnt from experience. One holiday, when our daughter was still quite little, we realised on the outbound journey we’d accidentally left her favourite teddy at home. Calamity. It was too late to go back. We listened to her singing a sad song every bedtime about how much she missed him. 🙁