Have you been following Lambing live on television over the last week?  Have the children been wishing they lived on a farm like the Bevan children?  I know that this would be an impossible dream but what if you decided to take a holiday in the country and be part of the lifestyle that looks so idyllic.  A self catering country cottage would be perfect, surrounded by fields which are filled with lambs at this time of year.  Some cottages are on working farms, some larger estates and others just in real rural communities.  For a taste of the country Mulberry Cottages can give your family a lifestyle adventure.  Start by looking at Apple Tree Cottage, a picturesque property on a working  Kent Farm.

The Easter holidays are nearly upon us, the prospect of warmer days and spring bulbs is very appealing. We could all do with a break from our normal day to day routine so a picturesque cottage in the country for a week away could be the answer. The Easter holidays are often the perfect time to plan a break away, imagine fields of spring lambs, daffodils flowering and plenty of Easter Bunnies! After the winter we have all been having it is perhaps just what is required to lift the spirit. We have many lovely properties not just in the countryside, some in gorgeous villages and others in the City of Canterbury. Imagine spending Easter in Canterbury, with the historic Cathedral at this important time in the Christian year. Whatever the reason you chose for your Easter break, remember to book early to find the perfect cottage for you.

Going away with the kids for a holiday is wonderful when you get there but can be a real headache before hand.  Making sure you have remembered all the equipment, the food, that special teddy and a selection of games and toys to keep them happy on the journey and on arrival.  We pride ourselves on having a really good selection of houses that are so well equipped your list of packing will dwindle – a good example is Moorings in Aldeburgh Suffolk, large enough to house two families comfortably (it sleeps up to 14), with a good range of games, books, toys and films for all ages.  It has a large back garden, ideal for the children and is only a five minute walk (even for little legs!) from the beach, the boat pond and the ice cream parlour . Aldeburgh is a wonderful old fashioned seaside town ideal for all ages with tennis courts, walks across the marshes and even a Lifeboat station to visit – a great place for all but particularly the kids! 

If Moorings seems to large what about Doubloons in Camber Sands, Sussex?  This charming weatherboarded seaside house has a playstation, games and books and is also a few minutes walk from one of the most stunning sandy beaches in Southern England.  The sands at Camber go for miles with lots of activities on the beach including kite boarding and wind surfing – it is cleaned each day and with lifeguards in the summer makes it an ideal spot for a beach holiday. 

Another idea is 26 The Green, a delightful thatched cottage in Studland village in Dorset – again within an easy walk from a lovely sandy beach and only a 10 minute ferry ride from the glossy ritzy resort at poole Harbour – great for people watching!

This is just a selection – call us and we will come up with lots of other suggestions to delight and enchant you and your kids!

There is lots to think about when assessing the potential of a property for holiday letting.  The first thing is that it is really important that it has year round appeal and will not just attract guests in the summer months. 

You then need to identify your market – Who will want to let it? What do they need?  How do you make them comfortable and welcome?  So don’t put cream sofas in a family orientated cottage or you will be forever washing the covers and the parents will not be able to relax and enjoy their holiday.  For families think games, toys, cots and high chairs and ideas for family days out.  If you are aiming at couples think in terms of creature comforts, glossy magazines and lots of information on restaurants and shops to visit. 

All guests want and expect comfortable, clean and stylish accommodation with a well equipped kitchen, high tech machinery, broadband and really good quality beds and linen – never skimp on quality, items won’t last and won’t give the right impression.  Thats not to say you can’t go to a high street chain store just pick carefully and always add individual touches to make it look and feel special.  And don’t necessarily pick very trendy pieces because they will date! 

Make your guests welcome – if you can’t be there when they arrive leave them a welcome gift – a bottle of wine, some local apple juice (lots of choice for this in Kent and Sussex ask us for more details!), fresh eggs, homemade cake – we even have an owner who specially bakes a pie for each and every guest – how special is that!

Make your accommodation as flexible as possible – with pull out beds, sofabeds for extra guests – so you have more chance of meeting your guests needs – and catching those extra bookings!

The most popular properties are those with added features – something to make your cottage stand out from the crowd – clearly a pool, tennis court or hot tub are wonderful but if you havent these options think of activities in the garden for children or extra special goodies in the bathrooms – something we wouldn’t find at home.

It needs to be immaculately clean at all times – hotel standard bathrooms and kitchens – if you use cleaners make sure they come by recommendation (we can help with this) – guests will never return if it was dirty and they might not tell you either! 

All in all you need to encourage your guests back – repeat bookings are the back bone of a good holiday cottage.  There is much much more but hopefully this will give you a flavour of what to think of and Corinne or I are happy to fill in the blanks – just give us a call.  Sarah Wood

What to do with the children at half term in February, weather awful most of the time and the thought of just staying at home for a week with them glued onto the TV, Facebook and the computer game is nearly becoming a reality.

 Unless of course you do a last minute break to one of our charming holiday cottages.  This could be just what the family need, a change of scene without it costing the earth and having to spend hours at the airport.  Naturally the weather will not be hot, but in a new area for you all to explore this need not be an issue.  We are surrounded by historical places of interest, wonderful walks, cycle paths and coastline – all just waiting for you to discover them.  Our spectacular beaches I think are best out of season as you often have them to yourself, and rock pooling and beachcombing are best done when the weather is more turbulent!!  After you have given the children a day of fresh air you can return to your holiday cottage complete with open fire to talk about the day. 

 In this day and age of families not spending so much time together a self catering holiday cottage at half term could be just what everyone is after.  We have many last minute deals so why not have a look and see where you can go – I can assure you it will be better than just staying a home!

I was asked the other day to come up with an ideal place to buy a holiday cottage – not an easy thing to answer and probably not where you might think it would be!  Traditionally people would immediately have thought of Cornwall, Devon or any other beach side summer holiday location.  However convenience plays such a large part in decisions particularly out of high season that actually for year round appeal Cornwall and Devon are just too remote for most people.  What I think a prospective owner should be looking for is a mix of history, activities and convenience to ensure they get the highest possible occupancy – in other words something for everyone.  So if you are aiming at the London market, the cottage can’t be more than 3 hours away – which of course is why our holiday cottages in Kent and Sussex are in demand whatever the time of year!  An ideal location would be somewhere like Rye or Camber in East Sussex – close to the sea, lots of history, beautiful countryside and wonderful golf courses or Canterbury and surrounding area in Kent-  again able to combine what a visitor on a short break wants with the needs of a traditional family holiday.  Corinne and I are always happy to advise on any aspect of purchase or redevlopement so do give us a call if you would like some advise! Sarah Wood

Corinne and I have just made a trip to Holland to promote our cottages at a large travel trade fair in Utrecht and what an eye opener it was! Firstly, we were staying in a former chinese restaurant (heavan knows how many people could be fed in it because it was huge!) next to it was a beautiful traditional windmill and beyond that the main motorway into the city! A very odd combination! They too had freezing weather and snow but Holland seems to be able to keep their pavements and roads pretty snow free. The old part of Utrecht is really beautiful and well worth a visit with pretty winding cobbled streets and charming traditional houses either side of the main canal. The shopping looked pretty good too not that we had time to sample it! The people without exception were polite and helpful and thankfully spoke excellent english. The travel fair itself was enormous and in the main Vakantievakbeurs exhibition halls with most countries globally represented – a particular favourite of ours was the Canadian stands. We were lucky enough to be on the Visit Kent stand and had Julian Barnes from Biddenden Vineyards with us so visitors were able to sample the excellent champagne, cider and apple juice that he makes – a great way of drawing them in to talk to us. Kent is a comfortable four hour drive from Holland so it proved easy to attract visitors who were only too delighted to discuss our holiday cottages as a way of really exploring the beautiful countryside of this Garden of England. Gardens were a particular favourite for visitors and with such stunning gardens as Sissinghurst, Belmont Park, Goodnestone and Great Dixter on offer there is much for people to do during their stay in our self catering holiday cottages here in Kent. A very worthwhile trip talking about our favourite subject – why staying in our holiday cottages is the place to be!

Twelve red roses, perhaps a card and some chocolates- are these the normal gifts you think of when giving your loved one a present on Valentines Day?  Why not make 2010 a special year and book a romantic holiday cottage for the weekend and surprise your partner with a Valentines Day that they will remember. 

Imagine arriving at a remote picturesque cottage in the heart of the countryside complete with four poster bed and a roaring open fire.  Or why not book a seaside retreat and enjoy the English Coast in the winter, bracing walks, cosy local pubs and not a bucket and spade in sight!  Paris might be the favourite location for romantic breaks but with so many gorgeous country cottages available I know which one the real romantic would prefer!  So before you leave it too late and have to resort to the roses and card option why not take a look at our beautiful Mulberry Cottages and see what a romantic break in 2010 will do for your love life!

It is time to spend money on your holiday cottage! Not because I am suggesting its tatty or anything – just because 2009-10 is the last tax year that you can offset your losses from your holiday letting against other taxable income that you may have. This could make a huge difference to your tax bill and save you thousands of pounds into the bargain – something we are all keen to do! So if you were thinking of spending money on a new sofa, kitchen or even a re-paint money spent before 5th April 2010 will be able to be offset and money spend after that will not. If you need more information on this, let us know.

We are delighted to announce that we have joined Visit Kent as an investor – promoting what is best about the county to all our visitors .  The Visit Kent organisation, headed by the dynamic Amanda Cottrell, promotes the wonderful diversity of this beautiful county to visitors in both the UK and abroad.  A policy that we heartily agree with!  Kent boasts not only more castles than any other county in England, but with its extensive coastline can offer you anything from a traditional bucket and spade holiday to some of the best kite boarding on the Kent/Sussex border at Camber Sands.  This long stretch of coastline also has some truly sensational walking from the cliff tops of the White Cliffs at Dover, across the unspoilt and rural countryside of the North Downs to the bluebell woods and apple orchards  of the Weald of Kent.  We are delighted to be part of Visit Kent and look forward to bringing our expertise in holiday lettings to bear in promoting the county as a whole!  And if you want some ideas to whet your apetite, then have a look at the things to do section of our website which is brimming with places to visit and events to enjoy whilst you are here in Kent – we look forward to welcoming you to this stunning county!