In today's Telegraph

[Windy]

Ah but what you can't do is work the same magic with a midweek break can you

We are finding an increasing number of guests taking short breaks which works really well for us here.

[Giddy Goat]

Agree, though that wasn't what was under discussion really Windy - unless you're suggesting that many people in the UK are now taking shorter breaks in lieu of a week or longer somewhere?

[Windy]

Well, as I said we are selling more short breaks and if it's booked for a short break it can't be booked for a long one at the same time GG, so I suppose I am saying that yes

I can only speak for my own lodges obviously..

[la vache!]

The short break market here is for the French. But they would never pay the prices you command in the UK in a million years. Anything over 20€ per person per night (and often less in many cases) is considered way too expensive.

[Giddy Goat]

Well, as I said we are selling more short breaks and if it's booked for a short break it can't be booked for a long one at the same time GG

Figured that out Windy - but does this mean that the longer slots are selling more slowly, or that there's better money to be made from the part-weeks?

LV, sounds as if the French drive a very hard bargain!

[kendalcottages]

I seem to remember we had a thread on this topic last year, but I'm not convinced that you average UK rental is double the cost of your average rental on the continent. Plus, when weighing up the cost of the holiday, you need to factor in other costs (eg. getting there).

We'll have to agree to disagree in that case. I'm going on comments from guests, many of whom look at the UK for a week first but decide to come to France because it works out cheaper, even with the added cost of transport.

I guess so... I'm just going on personal experience as someone who's done several holidays in the last few years in both Brittany and Cornwall. Whilst the rental rates for similar standard accommodation may have been slightly less in France (certainly not half, in my experience), the total cost of the holiday was always significantly dearer (for us, at least) when adding on the ferry crossing/fuel costs, etc. Of course, there's upsides, too... such as a much more different experience to 'home' and a better chance of good weather, not too mention cheaper wine.

[Giddy Goat]

KC, is the weather in Brittany really better than in the UK by and large? I can't speak from personal experience as we've only holidayed there once.

[la vache!]

It depends where in Brittany. NW Brittany (Finistère 29) is very wet, but in Eastern Brittany where I am, and the Morbihan, it is drier, more comparable with SE England, but a few degrees hotter.

[la vache!]

I'm just going on personal experience as someone who's done several holidays in the last few years in both Brittany and Cornwall. Whilst the rental rates for similar standard accommodation may have been slightly less in France (certainly not half, in my experience), the total cost of the holiday was always significantly dearer (for us, at least) when adding on the ferry crossing/fuel costs, etc. Of course, there's upsides, too... such as a much more different experience to 'home' and a better chance of good weather, not too mention cheaper wine.

Yes, the exchange rate hasn't helped in the last few years. I've found a 3 bed house (granted more luxurious than mine) with a shared heated pool in Cornwall shared amongst 12 other houses which is £1850, mine equates to £983. But it is difficult to compare like for like exactly.
A ferry crossing (fast ferry, Portsmouth - Poole) in August, with my 20% discount is £398 return, car, 2 adults, 2 children.

[CSE]

…….

We may be cheap on the CB but at least we can guarantee the sun.

That point is a step too far. It must rain be cloudy sometime.

Having spent a month touring the U.K. then back to The Netherlands and through France back home. I personally found the rentals and B&Bs in the U.K. far too expensive and not good value.

I wonder if these two are part of the ingrates who complain about the noise on race days at the local circuit? You know the sort. Purchase a house with no research then find the pub, church airport, or race circuit nearby and complain.
I also wonder if they lost income during the filming of War Horse?

[charles cawley]

You should've stayed at one of ours.

[CSE]

Thanks for the offer.
We found that a lot of rentals are inflexible like insisting minimum stays of a week or rentals must start on a certain day. If you want to do something a bit different maybe some owners are willing to change their habits. But the downside was the price (per day) went up. However we managed to find a few customer friendly rentals.

[charles cawley]

I agree about the inflexibility but the markets can determine this. If you stray from, say friday to friday, monday to friday or friday to monday and take a Wednesday to Tuesday you lose out on short breaks and could end up with lower occupancy.

The market seems to stand short breaks being charged at 80% of a ful week's rental so getting a string of short breaks can be very good.

In the end, it is what the market will bear. Changeover costs are much the same if you stay for two days as for a week so it seems reasonable to charge more for two days. B&B is a very different market and is well suited for the odd day or two bookings.

However, we are seeing some change and we are working to radically increase flexibility so that other permutations of booking can be taken on automated systems. The current system we use has its limitations in this respect as do many others, but things are changing. The nature of the market has been partly determined by the IT available.. which is a bit like the tail wagging the dog, there's still a huge amount of legacy IT out there, but things are getting better.

There appears to be a growth in requests for bookings more than a week long over last year and odd periods seem to be more frequent such as 11 days.

I am sorry if this is off thread. The likes of those clever people buying a holiday cottage and so easily making it pay for itself with Muffin the donkey have little or no idea of the realities of the holiday cottage market. Should any naife souls actually follow its prompt they will either have to learn fast and possibly avoid losing a packet or they will just lose a packet.

[Marks]

…….

We may be cheap on the CB but at least we can guarantee the sun.

That point is a step too far. It must rain be cloudy sometime.

Well it rained here yesterday which is the first time since Christmas Day and today it is clear blue skies and about 18C. Thinking of taking lunch in the garden, again

[kendalcottages]

I agree about the inflexibility but the markets can determine this. If you stray from, say friday to friday, monday to friday or friday to monday and take a Wednesday to Tuesday you lose out on short breaks and could end up with lower occupancy.

Agreed. Plus I find that if your changeover days are on consistent days, things can operate more smoothly. Your staff know what days they are needed and can juggle their other commitments accordingly, even before the bookings are in.