Devon Holiday Tales

Working with customers from the booking of a holiday through to arrival, departure and beyond is very rewarding for the team at Coast & Country Cottages. It also produces some amusing moments and many frustrating ones as people look for their perfect Devon cottage.

With an all-year round out-of-hours emergency service provided to our holiday tenants, the telephone can ring at all times of day and night, particularly during the busiest summer months. From holidaymakers returning to their property after an evening out and discovering they have forgotten their keys or locked themselves out, to those trying to get into the wrong property, key stories abound. Most recently our Operations Manager, Jon Doyle, was woken up during the night by a Japanese visitor who simply could not get the key she had been given to operate the lock at the property she thought she was staying at. In spite of the difficulties in understanding each other (we have a fair knowledge of several languages between members of the team but not Japanese!) he was able to work out she was in the wrong building!! Jon was eventually able to point her in the right direction and ‘hey presto’ she was in! With the number of ‘lockouts’ we receive each year, you have to wonder what people do with their keys at home….?!

An April 1st call-out was initially thought to be an April Fool’s joke, when a gentleman called to say his mother-in-law was stuck in the loo! Whilst he had initially found this amusing, as time passed and they had been unable to release her, they became more concerned as she was quite elderly. Luckily we were able to secure her release quite quickly and everyone was happy!

Pets or animals in general generate some tales every year. One customer was understandably very upset when she called us to inform us that her dog had died before the holiday and that she therefore wanted to cancel as she couldn’t face the holiday without him. Unfortunately she could not understand that the holiday insurance she had taken out for her party did not include the dog as a named member of the party and his sad demise would not constitute grounds for an insurance claim. Another customer called our Dartmouth office in a panic having discovered a ‘snake’ on the carpet. A quick visit to the property determined that it was actually a harmless slow worm, which had come in from the garden when the doors were left open!

An enormous number of items are left by behind in our properties every year when holidaymakers pack up to leave after their holiday in Devon. Mobile telephone chargers are regularly discovered by cleaners, still plugged in at properties, whilst bedroom drawers often contain complete sets of underwear, overlooked in the rush to pack up. Food is often discovered by our cleaners, abandoned in fridges and cupboards and one recent tenant contacted us after leaving his wallet on top of a high kitchen cupboard. Often we have to go to great lengths to find a missing item for a customer such as recently when a departing child had mislaid a favourite game for his Nintendo DS! This small item was not to be found in the location indicated, but a vigilant member of the team cleaning and checking the property found it down the back of a chair and returned it to its owner.

Some of our experiences with customers are frustrating and require careful handling, such as the gentleman who simply could not understand how to operate the shower in his property and had to be shown by the team and a local plumber, in spite of claiming he had a degree in engineering! One family booked a ground floor apartment, then called the office upon arrival at the property to ask where the second floor to the property was! Very recently one couple arrived for their holiday in Salcombe a day early! After some initial reluctance to do so, their mistake was admitted, but luckily as it was earlier in the season we were able to find them accommodation for the night and everyone was happy.

Whilst every business will experience a small number of customer complaints (particularly in the current ‘litigation age’) the vast majority of our customers are delighted with their property, have a fabulous holiday and want to return to us and the area again and again. Most people look forward to their holiday all year and so when expectations are not met and things go wrong, they are understandably disappointed. Our out-of-hours service means that ‘emergencies’ are picked up with quickly and as much is done as possible to quickly enable the holidaymaker to carry on and enjoy their well earned break. It can be frustrating on occasion, however, when a customer has called this emergency number out of office hours to request a brochure! Indeed just this weekend a member of the team received a call at 7.30am on Sunday morning, on the Emergency number, from a customer just wishing to pay the balance due for her forthcoming holiday! On a previous occasion another lady was quite indignant when told that her call to check availability was not actually an emergency, claiming, ‘It is an emergency, I need a holiday…!’

For a free Brochure or Owners Guide call 01548 843773 or visit www.coastandcountry.co.uk. The new 2008 brochure featuring over 350 properties throughout the South Hams will be available from October 2007 – pre-order your free copy today.

Hillfield Cottages - Self catering Devon

Set in acres of beautiful gardens and nestling on a South-facing hillside with stunning views across the soft rolling hills of this rural, unspoilt area of South Devon, the 28 luxury apartments and individually designed cottages at Hillfield Cottages & Country House provide the perfect destination for a relaxing family holiday in Devon, throughout the year.

Exclusively available to book through South Devon based Coast & Country Cottages, each property at Hillfield is different but furnished to the highest standards. Families can enjoy the facilities including outdoor pool, all-weather tennis court and children’s play area, with several properties also boasting private outdoor hot tubs – perfect for grown up ‘me-time’! Cots and highchairs are available, plus specially created kids bedrooms in some properties, ideal for older children, with bunks, games and their own TV, DVD and CD!

Situated just 3 miles from historic Dartmouth with it’s castle, waterfront, restaurants and art galleries, the properties are only 10 minutes drive from stunning Blackpool Sands, recently named ‘Best Beach for Family Fun’ in Conde Nast Traveller Magazine. The team at Coast & Country Cottages Dartmouth office know the properties and area well and would be delighted to help you choose the property that best suits your holiday requirements and the needs of your family.

Call now for a free brochure on 01803 839600 or visit www.coastandcountry.co.uk.

Thinking of letting your holiday home?

South Hams based ‘Coast & Country Cottages’, has offices in the picturesque towns of Dartmouth, Salcombe and Kingsbridge, over 350 properties, exclusively in the South Hams, and a team of 17 locally based staff, providing the high standard of friendly service for which the company is known and truly local knowledge of their regularly visited properties. In the past 5 years, the business has more than doubled in size, with more people now choosing to let their properties through the agency and a continued increase in the number of holidaymakers attracted to the area. An extensive marketing campaign, including a highly regarded website, plus a high percentage of repeat bookings and recommendations has ensured an even greater number of bookings than ever before for 2007.

The family owned and managed agency not only provide advice and help to potential new owners thinking of letting their Devon holiday homes or those planning to renovate a property in readiness for holiday letting, but also ongoing support and practical assistance, particularly vital to the many owners who do not live locally.

When inspecting properties offered for holiday letting, a number of factors are evaluated - views, parking, sleeping capacity and number of bathrooms are all important but assessing the correct price to be charged per week, the location and the standard of the accommodation are the key considerations.

If you are considering using an agency Coast & Country Cottages suggest seeking the opinion of several different letting companies and choosing the one with which you feel most comfortable – a good relationship between owner and agent really contributes to success, so it is important that a rapport is established. Be wary, though, of unrealistically high promises – a higher rental might sound attractive to you but may well deter visitors or impact on potential repeat business, whilst promising a very high number of weeks in the first year of letting may not be truly realistic and can lead to disappointment all round.

For a free Brochure or Owners Guide call 0870 4050530 or visit www.coastandcountry.co.uk. For helpful advice about buying a home for holiday letting or to arrange a free property visit, without obligation , call Andrew Jones via the local offices: Salcombe (01548 ) 843773, Kingsbridge (01548) 852572 or Dartmouth (01803) 839499.

Autumn Breaks and Winter Escapes

With traditional ‘peak seasons’ extending well into September and October, and the Autumn months becoming increasingly busy months for holiday letting in Devon, visitors choose to visit the South Hams out of season for many reasons. Some hope for an ‘Indian Summer’, often the case ironically as soon as the children return to school, (and particularly hoped for this year after the rain), others wish to avoid the crowds and to come when it’s cheaper too! For those looking to move to the area, of course, the Autumn is a great time to search for that ideal property and to maybe combine house-hunting with a short break exploring the area.

Out of season, late Summer and Autumn breaks attract families with pre-school children, not restricted by the need to take their holiday whilst the schools are off. Tourist attractions including farm parks, the zoo, model village and aquarium are less busy, beaches not so crowded and car-parking easier – factors that appeal when travelling with one or more toddlers in tow.

Those without children also avoid the busier school holidays and take their breaks later, enjoying the lower rates, the couples discounts and short break availability as well as the quieter towns and the more relaxed pace that is the South Hams during most of the year. Dog owners and keen walkers enjoy exploring the miles of coastal paths and unspoilt beaches, often choosing properties with these right on their doorstep for their away-from-it-all break.

With a varied and productive local food economy, including many award-winning products and premises, the South Hams boasts fantastic, locally produced and sourced food all year round, with something for all tastes and budgets, whether self-catering or eating out is the preference. For such a rural, unspoilt area the South Hams offers locals and visitors alike, more than its fair share of great places to dine, from pubs offering freshly caught fish & chips to fine Michelin starred and AA Rosette acclaimed restaurants.

‘Foodie breaks’ are becoming more popular, with visitors booking specific Devon cottages to be close to their favourite restaurant, whilst others are pre-ordering organic vegetable boxes and local food hampers to be delivered to their property to start off their self-catering in style. Food related days out include visits to Sharpham Vineyard (a tour around the beautiful grounds followed by a spot of wine tasting) and a tractor tour of Riverford Organic Farm followed by a delicious lunch in their ‘field kitchen’ with views of the farm. Dartmouth’s Food Festival, taking place from 11^th-13^th October 2007, looks set to be a real celebration of the diversity, success and pleasure that is South Hams food and drink, with cookery demonstrations, workshops, tasting sessions and more attracting visitors to the town and area for this out of season weekend.

October Half Term is a great time to bring the family away to South Devon, to ‘recharge their batteries’ and fill their lungs with fresh sea air after the tiring start to the new school year. With rock-pools to explore, beautiful beaches for kite-flying and plenty of all-weather suggestions for rainy days, including award-winning farms, one of the largest indoor play areas, and places to create and paint pottery, a half term break provides plenty of fresh air fun for all the family.

Looking further ahead, November may not seem like the ideal month for choosing a holiday or short break, but a surprising number of people enjoy escaping the more commercial run up to Christmas in other parts of the country with a South Hams short break. With individual shops rather than commercial chains, the area is ideal for seeking out unusual present ideas and all in much more pleasant surroundings! Why fight for a parking space in a city shopping centre car park when you can park easily and conveniently at this time of year in picturesque shopping towns or visit Dartington Cider Press Centre with its beautiful Christmas Shop - the place to go for decorations, cards and much more including award-winning glass and a fantastic ‘traditional’ style toyshop.

November is also Extravaganza time in Kingsbridge with the illumination of the simple Christmas lights, a carnival parade and fair, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts really starting off the festivities in traditional fashion. With the lead up to Christmas seeming to start in many commercial centres even before the end of the summer holidays, the appeal of individual shops, local delicacies and a cosy spot in front of a log fire in a picturesque pub is the choice for more and more visitors every year!

With the arrival of Autumn often comes the decision of where to spend the Christmas and New Year festivities. For those who are fed up with arguing over which set of relatives they need to invite or who simply cannot face the thought of the same old routine, a Christmas escape to South Devon may be the answer! Avoiding the commercialism and the post-Christmas Sales, you can put colour in your cheeks and work off any over-indulgence with walks on empty beaches or along miles of coastal paths and then reward yourself with a cream tea in front of a cosy log fire – the best Christmas present you will ever receive.

Or if you cannot avoid the relatives at Christmas, enjoy the festivities with the thought of a New Year break waiting at the end of it. Nothing beats a New Year’s Day stroll on a nearby beach – the best hangover cure ever! New Year’s resolutions can also be kick started with local organic food and juices and the promise that you will treat yourself to more breaks in South Devon in the coming year……■

Coast & Country Cottages – Over 350 holiday properties throughout the beautiful South Hams coast and countryside. For details of Autumn and Winter Special Offers, a free brochure or Owners Guide call our Salcombe office on 01548 843773 or our Dartmouth office on 01803 839499 or visit www.coastandcountry.co.uk. To arrange a free property visit with no obligation or ‘hard sell’ or for helpful advice before purchasing or redesigning a home for holiday rental, contact Andrew Jones via the above local offices.