Why do holiday rentals in Spain* have..

Just had the opposite in Levens last week. The place had everything we needed and more.

I normally find they never gave big enough drink vessels. Surely all houses should have at least one pint glass!

Heat making you grumpy? 🙂

My dad's in Campillos and he's just posted this on Instagram

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You want a nice cold beer, not a coffee.

I’d wager it’s because if they supply anything decent they’ll have to supply it again for the next user.
Just spent a few days at sundrum castle holiday park, near ayr, caravan was spotless, and everything was absolutely fine.
We took our own things, because we expected utensils to be crap, but they were actually fine.

Cos I’m coming to Spain & might fancy baking a cake?

One of mine enjoys cooking on holiday, baking included. It's one of his happy places.

But I do wonder in general at holiday places if many have themselves stayed or had critical friends stay and give feedback.

Crap knives and rubbish peeler are our peeves. Not expensive to sort.

We always forensically examine the pictures to establish what sort of coffee maker to take, then pack knife, bottle opener and bog roll to be sure we've got all we need.

Crap knives and rubbish peeler are our peeves. Not expensive to sort.

Probably gets that way when folks keep nicking them 😂

When self catering I always pack an aeropress with decent coffee, a fibrox chef’s knife, a good corkscrew and a cup and glass of my preferred sizes, they’re always provided with crap, I suspect to stop people from nicking them.

Whilst we’re on the subject, why o why glass chopping boards?? Almost anything else is better unless you like blunt knives!

One of mine enjoys cooking on holiday, baking included. It’s one of his happy places.

That

And as Blazin saddles says, your own coffee and tea making stuff and a decent knife.  All is good

Agreed re looking closely at the pictures to determine what coffee machine they have. However, my first ever experience of Nespresso was an rented apartment in Barcelona, so it's not always bad.

Very often we take our own machine with us, either the stove-top or a Nespresso machine. They're both small and usually go in my bike bag.

Agree on the kitchen knives. No excuse really. We bought some super-cheap ones on amazon, for our caravan, and they are ridiculously sharp. Might not last 20 years but they were about £20 for a full set.

Loo roll - i guess that one roll is to last your first afternoon/night, rather than two weeks, and they assume when you go food shopping, you might buy a few more.

any holiday rental has to have a massive selection of blunt chopping knifes, which all look the same (with slightly serated edges) and one of which is slightly less blunt than the others but you can never find it again.

Anything decent will dissapear or get ruined though, so it's a fine line.

I normally find they never gave big enough drink vessels. Surely all houses should have at least one pint glass!

Yep, on one holiday we took a trip to Ikea to get some glasses that held more than 150ml

I’ve got one of these in my wash bag - don’t use it on the knives at home but puts a decent enough edge on most rough arsed stuff in holiday cottages that’s been through the dishwasher a gazillion times etc.

https://lansky.com/index.php/products/blademedic-knife-sharpener/

When we finally get our holiday let up and running we'll have nice stuff and I'll just cavity search the guests on check out

Should have booked our place, we've got an oven!
Casa Tomillo, Costa Daurada

Guess it is to stop good stuff disappearing and having to do a kit audit between guests. Alternative would be like when we stayed at Legoland Windsor and sprung for the Ninjago room. Price list displayed for everything from the bedspread etc as to what would be charged to your credit card if it was taken. £200 for the bedspread from memory!

Somebody left their air fryer behind in our holiday let. It was absolutely filthy too. WTF, who takes an air fryer on holiday.

One of our neighbours who runs an off-grid yoga retreat is very careful to inform visitors about not using high wattage electrical appliances such as hair dryers etc. One French family smuggled a full size air conditioning unit into their accommodation and ran it all night thus frying €3,000 worth of batteries. All whilst denying it.

My absolute worst was a recent one that felt like an expensive 'live laugh love' sign museum. None of the kitchen stuff was useable, every surface was festooned with beach-themed tat but the absolute worst part was all of the 'To the Beach' signs (there were 8) didn't even point to the beach. Which was just over the road and occupied 50% of the horizon.

Dreadful.

When we finally get our holiday let up and running we’ll have nice stuff and I’ll just cavity search the guests on check out

You wouldn’t even need a cleaner in after we’ve gone, we’re very considerate!
Best place we’ve stayed in Spain was Poolmans place (he’s on here) up near Denia. We needed nothing extra there.
Best place in the UK was on Islay, it had absolutely everything you’d ever need for up to 6 people including free eggs. Bonus!
Yes I get the fact that a lot of visitors to holiday lets are tramps & thieves so it’s understandable but annoying when you’re not a tramp or a thief!
A fine line as mattyfez said.

Yes I get the fact that a lot of visitors to holiday lets are tramps & thieves so it’s understandable but annoying when you’re not a tramp or a thief!

Which is a substantial part of why we now have an 8 person tent and a trailer (along with the cost in the UK of self catering). Some owners aren't so hot on cleaning between guests either.

The blunt knives thing I really don't get. 30 seconds with one of those supermarket grinding wheel sharpeners on some supermarket/ ikea kitchen knives (or just leave one in the cutlery drawer) would make a would make a world of difference to the kitchen provision.

We only book cheapish holiday rentals, only once have we been abroad, and never had this problem. 🤷‍♂️

I ALWAYS pack a knife sharpener and some form of coffee making appliance. My pen knife has a corkscrew on it and goes in the hold luggage.

It's all part of the holiday experience and an intrinsic element in the 'thank good we're home and I can have a decent cup of coffee / dice onions / find an appropriate glass rather than drinking beer from champagne flutes' moment that, in turn, minimises any potential post-holiday blues.

As someone who runs a holiday let, we've found that we have to buy really good quality everything otherwise it doesn't last.... If you put rubbish things in they just brake and you get complaints or have to replace them regularly.

Nice enough place, clean, air con, comfy bed, big balcony, great views, 400mtrs to the beach

Thoughts and prayers.

You have all the stuff you need/like at home. Just stay there?

Currently on holiday in Northumberland. 20 steps from the door to a huge sandy beach. Been watching dolphins from the windows when the tide is in. Place was spotless with a basic but well equipped kitchen. Don't tend to cook much on holiday.

Did bring my own coffeemaker. Can't risk a week without good coffee.

And didn't need to transit airports getting here. The biggest factor in staying in the UK though was so the dogs could be with us.

My pet hate is tiny coffee cups. I would like a MUG to hold my hot drinks, preferably quite a large one. I don't want 18 thimbles of coffee...

I remember once in the Lake District, we had to go out and buy a cheap knife set from a supermarket - the ones in the self-catering place we'd rented were completely unusable.

You have all the stuff you need/like at home. Just stay there?

We already do that 38 weeks a year.

My pet hate is tiny coffee cups. I would like a MUG to hold my hot drinks, preferably quite a large one. I don’t want 18 thimbles of coffee…

Well, we were on Tenerife in January & whilst the place had a decent cafetière it had titchy cups, so I bought a decent sized one to leave in the suitcase, of course this place has big mugs!

Surely the point is that you go OUT for coffee?

... really shitty electrics.

Surely the point is that you go OUT for coffee?

Eh? At whatever o’clock on a morning after I roll out of bed, mouth like Ghandis flip flop & you think I’m going anywhere before coffee!?
Not happening.

Why lug a suitcase with two weeks of bog roll all the way to Spain. They do have shops locally, and they will sell toilet roll.
It's a bit like when people have second homes that destroy local economies, and then rather than shop locally the few times they are there they get an Amazon grocery delivery. Local shops don't stand a chance and are forced out of business. Sheesh...

I wish more (UK) self-catering places just carried the basics. I'm fairly sure that many venues' idea of a welcome pack is whatever the previous occupants left behind.

I'll pack a kitchen knife (because I value my fingers), but also staples like cooking oil, kitchen roll, salt and pepper, maybe a few herbs, foil (because bollocks to your grill whose burnt-on carbon needs carbon dating), washing-up liquid or a couple of dishwasher tablets, brewing materials. How can accommodation not have these things? I don't use sugar but I have a jar of it in the kitchen for when guests come round.

The last UK air BnB I stayed at had not only decent knives, but bread, milk, eggs, butter, coffee, sugar, and home made cake...

Only thing missing was a pizza cutter.

Biggest issue is finding places with actual bike storage and/or facilities for mtb'ers, even in places like the tweed valley where you'd imagine 50% of visitors would be for MTB.

You have all the stuff you need/like at home. Just stay there?

We already do that 38 weeks a year.

Ah i guess if you work from home. I'm stuck at work 5 days a week so a holiday for me is being able to stay at home.

I wish more (UK) self-catering places just carried the basics.......

A place in the Yorkshire Dales, 2 years ago, had everything we needed, plus a bottle of wine and local biscuits were left for us. Very nice.

Last year, a few days before our trip to North Wales, the owner rang to remind* us to bring our own bedding. Bedding for 5 people! That's the car completely full, then, with no room for basics like clothing, food, never mind guitars, paddle boards, stuff to fill the time, etc. The accommodation was basic but did have a barn owl which visited every night. Silver linings..

* bedding was supposed to be provided.

Surely the point is that you go OUT for coffee

And a hot freshly baked choccy croissant, or a sneaky carajillo 🙂

(Although I did bring an aero shot over onetime.)

I think tbh the kitchen tools are just to cut up the fruit for your sangria.

Yes we do also have bog paper in Spain and if there’s a Carrefour you can relive the heady hayday of the beginning of the covid by buying a moosive packet of the stuff and if your lucky pick a 1L bottle of aniseed liquor for €5.

Yes we do also have bog paper in Spain and if there’s a Carrefour you can relive the heady hayday of the beginning of the covid by buying a moosive packet of the stuff and if your lucky pick a 1L bottle of aniseed liquor for €5.

I know, we went on Saturday after we got here. I also know one can get bog roll in Spain, I’ve been a couple of times before & had to buy some.
No really, we’re here for 2 weeks & there was one roll in the place. One more would’ve been acceptable, only one seems tight. Same with the single tea towel, I mean how long will that last when there’s 13 (thirteen) wine glasses. The apartment only sleeps 2 & doesn’t really lend itself to having parties. 🤔😜
I know by the responses it seems like I’m complaining, but I’m not really. Just observing. I’d definitely come back cos it’s a decent place in a cracking area.

Only I’ll bring the Aeropress next time.

2 places I go to in Spain for Holidays one is great has brilliant everything. The other the plumbing is a bit iffy so you have to be careful. But they're cheap cos they're family properties 😀

The glasses thing is always annoying, number of times I've ended up drinking beer out of a wine glass... I assume it's just because the pint glasses get used most so they get broken most.

The glasses thing is always annoying, number of times I’ve ended up drinking beer out of a wine glass… I assume it’s just because the pint glasses get used most so they get broken most.

The same with cups and saucers in hotel rooms. I want a mug, not the smallest receptacle in the world that barely has enough space for the tea bag.

@irc

Currently on holiday in Northumberland. 20 steps from the door to a huge sandy beach. Been watching dolphins from the windows when the tide is in. Place was spotless with a basic but well equipped kitchen. Don’t tend to cook much on holiday.

Did bring my own coffeemaker. Can’t risk a week without good coffee.

And didn’t need to transit airports getting here. The biggest factor in staying in the UK though was so the dogs could be with us.

Need to share details with this review.

Oh, & I’ve fixed the creaky bedroom door with some virgin olive oil from the kitchen cupboard.
The best one was 2 nights ago when the wind got up at 04.00. Ms heard some flapping outside & went to investigate, saw the patio parasol moving quite dramatically & went to move it. Only for it to take off onto the roof before she got there! Oh how I laughed when she said, ‘call the police’. Cue me, groggy, trying to reach it, stood on a patio chair with a brush, but because I’m a short arse couldn’t reach so I went into Boy Scout mode & utilised another beach parasol which was successful.
Sorry, off topic but I thought id share it. 😂

One French family smuggled a full size air conditioning unit into their accommodation and ran it all night thus frying €3,000 worth of batteries. All whilst denying it.

Batteries need low charge protection. I suggest that if you spend £3000 on batteries it's worth spending a little on battery management.

I'd have plugged my car in. 😉