Travel and Leisure Guide

If you are interested in booking a holiday cottage to stay in and finally enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation, then you may be interested in a few tips to help you in your cottage booking decision.

Firstly, what do you (and your partner/family) want from your holiday? The requirements you have and the things you want to do during your stay can directly influence your choice in cottage and vice versa. Are you more interested in an activity based holiday or are you looking for a more relaxing time?

So secondly, the location of the holiday cottage is vital to achieving your holiday aims. If you want activity, ideally your cottage will be central to many attractions such as theme parks and more sport related pursuits such as water skiing and so on. You may however, want to take leisurely walks or relax on a beach for most of your holiday, the more central your cottage is with the least required travelling, the better.

If you want to experience as many attractions as possible during your stay, you’ll want to be within reasonable driving distance of as many as possible. Attractions can cater for both the active and passive holiday maker, with the aforementioned theme parks on one hand and beautiful, relaxing gardens on the other.

The amount of travelling you have to do from your cottage to any attraction or convenience such as grocery stores and so on, should also be factored in. Travel takes time and money and, unless that’s what you want, the location of your cottage is pivotal in how much travelling you may have to do.

One of the first things on your mind when looking or browsing through possible cottages in a brochure or online is the cost. The cost for a holiday cottage will normally vary according to the time of year, when you will expect to pay more during holiday periods such as summer holidays or Easter/Christmas/Bank Holidays than at other times of the year – if you can get a cottage at an off-peak time when the weather is still good you can save a lot.

How big is the cottage? An important question since you may be booking for a whole family or for just yourself and your partner, guides both online and in brochures will tell you.

Lastly, but by no means least, your online guide or printed guide will tell you about the facilities offered in the cottage – facilities in the kitchen, bathroom and entertainment such as televisions and so on are often listed.

I hope this brief list of tips will help you in your quest for the right holiday cottage and save you some time and money.

If you’re looking for a holiday cottage in South West Cornwall, there are Mullion cottages available including Pippin’s cottage which is ideally located for a great holiday.

Ownership of holiday homes in Norfolk puts you right at the heart of Broads country – in the middle of one of England’s most diverse and rewarding places to visit. With coastal areas, country villages, the Broads and the fens, Norfolk has something for everyone. Here are our top five attractions:

1: Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park. No visit to the county is complete without a thrill seeking adventure through the rides of Pleasurewood Hills. Log Flume fun starts with the Timber Falls – and if that’s not enough why not dry off with a spin on the Wipeout: one of the biggest, baddest rollercoasters in the UK?

2: Pensthorpe Nature Reserve. Owners of holiday homes in Norfolk will love the fabulous Pensthorpe Nature Reserve Park and Gardens. There are beautifully landscaped and arranged geographical gardens; a habitat specific Wildlife Habitat Garden; and even a traditionally managed flood plain (the Wildflower Meadow). Pensthorpe Nature Reserve is an internationally recognised breeding area for all sorts of rare and beautiful birds including the Ringed Plover and the Marsh Harrier.

3: Colman’s Mustard Shop and Museum. When it rains, there’s tons of stuff to do in and around Norfolk: and the owners of holiday homes in the area would do well to check out this fiery little treat! The Colman’s company has been making mustard in Norwich for 200 years, and its museum is more than just a quirky tribute to the yellow condiment the British love so much. It’s a two century journey through the industrial and social history of the whole area, culminating in the fantastic Mustard Shop – where you can buy retro tins of Colman’s to grace your dinner table back at the caravan!

4: BeWILDerwood. Funky by name, fun by nature, BeWILDerwood is the ultimate day out for families! Follow Swampy, the Marsh Boggle, as he takes you on a magical adventure through a treetop Boggle village, Along the way, you’ll encounter the Broken Bridge; the Wobbly Wires; and the Slippery Slope. Superb fantasy adventure for all the family, BeWILDerwood will make you feel like you’ve just stepped into your very own fantasy adventure film. Owners of holiday homes in Norfolk will be transported by this unique and fascinating adventure park.

5: Sandringham. Her Majesty the Queen knows a thing or two about heritage gardens. Sandringham is the jewel in Norfolk’s crown, an imposing, glorious 60 acres of lakes, dells, glades, topiary and designed garden areas. The House alone is worth the admission price, showing a different exhibition in its Ballroom every year, which rotates through private collections not normally seen by visitors.

In addition to the 60 acres of planned and planted Gardens (including the North Garden; the Stream Walk; and Queen Alexandra’s Summerhouse), visitors are welcome to ramble in the 600 acres of Sandringham Country Park. Imposing, breathtaking, and worth at least one full day’s visit.