The AGA is a fantastic piece engineering …. but just how does it work?

We are sorry that we have been away for the last few months …. but we are now back and hopefully you will see that we have a completely new, redesigned website. We hope you like the new look and we will be adding lots of new cottages in the next few weeks so do check back again soon!

Do you own a holiday cottage in the UK with an AGA or Rayburn?  Get in touch today and we will list it for you … completely free of charge for one year.  Hurry, though – this offer is only available until 31st Dec 2015.

Get in touch today and let us know how many your property sleeps, the number of bedrooms, whether it is pet friendly or has wifi and it’s location and we will do the rest.

Are you thinking of buying an AGA or Rayburn? You want one, you know it’s reliable and worth every penny but …. you’ve never actually spent time cooking on one and would just like to be sure you are going to get on with it.

The perfect way to get to know an AGA is to rent a holiday cottage that already has one fitted. You’ll be more relaxed if you are on holiday anyway and will have more time to experiment with a variety of dishes. Go on, it’s worth it for peace of mind.

Knowing in advance when bank holiday dates fall can be really handy when securing a good self catering accommodation deal. We’ve made it easy for you by outlining below the key holiday dates for 2016. Bank holiday dates often get booked before other dates in the year and often, being the early bird, can mean large discounts too!
They say the early bird catches the worm. That could be you!

UK Bank Holiday and School Holiday Dates for 2016

New Year’s Day	Friday, January 1st
February School Half Term	Saturday 13th February to Saturday 20th February
Good Friday	Friday, March 25th
Easter Monday	Monday, March 28th
May Bank Holiday	Monday, May 2nd
Spring Bank Holiday	Monday, May 30th
Spring School Half Term	Saturday 28th May to Saturday 4th June
Summer Bank Holiday	Monday, August 29th
Summer School Holiday	Saturday, July 23rd July to Saturday 3rd September
Autumn School Holiday Break	Saturday October 24th to Saturday November 1st
Christmas Day	Sunday December 25th
Boxing Day	Monday December 26th
Christmas Day Holiday	Tuesday, December 27th

The internet is the ‘shop window’ for every conceivable item for sale these days and your holiday cottage is no exception.

With so many self catering properties to choose from, knowing how to make yours stand out from the rest is vital. We think that choosing the right images to advertise your property is crucial to its success (or, sadly, failure) so we have put together our top ten tips for holiday cottage photography to help you get the best images for your property.

1 High Resolution Images

Good, quality images means high resolution. However, these can create large file sizes which will slow down your webpage. To get around this, you can compress them using a software image manipulation package like Photoshop for faster image load times on your website without compromising on quality.

2 Good Lighting

No-one wants to stay in a gloomy cottage. Add as much light as possible by taking images on a sunny day or putting on the lights in the room.

3 Fit the Picture and Not the Room

Ensure the items in the room fit into your shot by moving them temporarily. This will create a sense of depth and perspective in your shot.

4 Take More ‘Landscape’ than ‘Portrait’ Size Images

These will fit better on websites displayed on both mobile or desktop friendly devices.

5 Don’t Feel Obliged to Include Every Room

Although you should always try to include an outside image, living, dining areas, kitchen and bedrooms, you don’t need to do bathroom or hallways unless you think they can add value. If you have lots bedrooms, only show the best ones but from different angles, giving the illusion they represent all the bedrooms.

6 Pick Out Key Features

If you have a lovely window seat which lets light flood into the living room, then draw attention to it. Don’t forget that much loved AGA in the kitchen, either! Ask a friend to pick out the key features for you – often you can be too near to see them for yourself!

7 Remove any Unnecessary Clutter

You may have various kitchen appliances, pots and pans you want your guests to notice when they stay in your cottage but put them away when photographing your property. Honestly, less is more when photographing a room – you can always put everything back again once that great shot has been taken.

8 Dress Your Room

Add a few vases of flowers, prepare the table for a meal and even add some home-baked cakes. Carefully choose where your cushions appear on your sofa before taking that shot.

9 Don’t Forget the Garden/Outside Area

Take images of your garden from different angles and ideally when the sun is shining! Try to include garden tables and chairs so potential guests can judge the size of the garden/outside area.

10 Take pictures from Different Heights and Angles

Don’t just take a room picture at the height you usually stand at. Bend down and see the room differently … or get a step ladder!

If you find all the above too time-consuming or tricky then it’s probably time to ..

Hire a Professional Photographer

The above tips and many, many, many more are used by professional photographers every day. They will see your cottage from a different perspective to you and will think of shots you had never thought of. Their equipment will be far superior than your’s too! Remember you are paying for their knowledge, experience and expertise and equipment.

Finally, don’t forget to send us your images to get your holiday cottage listed on your website (it must have an AGA or Rayburn). For a limited time only, there is no charge so just get in touch and we’ll do the rest.