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Choosing a Self Catering Holiday Property on Mull
By Penmore
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Finding the right holiday property for your annual vacation often needs considerable research but once you have identified one of the many on offer you’d be wise to rebook on leaving as you may be disappointed if it’s fully booked when you want to come the following year.
One assumes that the location of your holiday is the prime choosing factor and therefore it normally appears on the front of your search criteria. Sometimes however, it is worth reversing the search criteria to see what search results are forthcoming; so, moving the location to the end of the search criteria will often give a different set of results and perhaps web sites that you haven’t found before. If you have been searching for self catering then try changing it to self catering .
The type of holiday accommodation you are looking for e.g. cottage, bungalow, apartment should also feature in your search string however, if you go to one of the sites that specialises in holiday accommodation then you can usually specify the type of accommodation that you require. Usually the type and location of the property will be a precursor to how many the property will accommodate. Older traditional crofting or farm workers cottages tend to be more cramped but they also have an ambience which, when considered is often the overriding factor. One thing to try when searching for a property is to include the beds required or using the phrase sleeps 4 at the end of your search phrase just to limit the number of properties you get returned and that the relevant ones are at the top of the list. It may also give you some of the sites that are not normally at the top of this search list and therefore are perhaps more likely to have vacancies.
When trying to judge how suitable a property is going to turn out it is perhaps to look out for one that has a star rating from an accredited tourist board. Visit Scotland runs such a scheme which aims to standardise the assessment criteria so the rating for each property will give an accurate ‘figure’ on which the visitor can make a decision. Some of the sort of criteria they use is listed below.
Objective assessment of accommodation gives you a clear indication of cleanliness, ambience, hospitality, service, accommodation standard and food.
Using a scale of 1-5 Stars, it provides the reassurance you need about what to expect before you arrive.
Based on visitor research, this scheme allows you to distinguish between the quality of the accommodation, and the number of facilities on offer. A 5-Star grading scheme shows the full range of standards suitable for every budget and preference.
The variety of accommodation can be seen clearly, from hotels and B&B's, through to inns, lodges, restaurants with rooms and self-catering.
Simple and easy to understand, holiday parks, visitor attractions and hostels are also graded using 5 stars.
With these reliable quality assurance schemes, you can trust organisations like VisitScotland, knowing that their rating advisors have done all the research, so that you can relax and enjoy your holiday.
A trend over recent years is for property owners to include floor plans of their properties. This sort of additional information often helps and certainly with some older properties where the sleeping arrangements are perhaps only separated by a curtain.
At the end of the day, the more research you do when looking for holiday accommodation, the more likely you are to enjoy holiday in a location that is best suited to your needs.
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