By Kate Hector, co-founder of Luxury Boltholes
With spring finally in full bloom, millions of holidaymakers are expected to escape the hustle and bustle and enjoy a UK getaway.
While the majority will stay in hotels, more and more people are choosing to stay in holiday homes, or ‘boltholes’.
Defined as a place where a person can ‘escape and hide’, boltholes offer a unique take on their hospitality counterparts.
Peppered across the UK coastline and further inland, holiday homes can be hidden in plain sight as they often have the appearance of a normal home, which makes them the ideal retreat.
Most hotels echo the ‘home away from home’ mantra, but sleeping and dining in a building full of strangers isn’t to everyone’s liking. Even the thought of being surrounded by hotel staff isn’t ideal for those who truly want to ‘escape’.
Holiday homes, however, deliver the authentic ‘home away from home’ experience as the guest is actually staying in a home.
When we think of home, warm feelings of freedom, family and comfort come to mind, and that’s what holiday homes offer in abundance.
No restriction means complete control for you and your family as soon as you set foot through the door. There’s no room or area confinement, opening up plenty of space for families to come together and relax, whether that’s by an open fire in the Scottish Highlands or on a sea view terrace on the West Sussex coast.
A holiday home allows you to live like a local, offering the unique advantage of being able to fully immerse yourself in the destination, removing the ‘tourist’ stigma.
Another benefit to a holiday home is that they don’t follow any specific structure, in other words, once you’re in… you’re in! No long-winded check-in processes, handing in hotel keys every time you come and go, relying on staff and, most importantly, no disturbance from noisy guests.
In the fast-paced world we live in where work/life balance continues to be blurred, it can be extremely difficult to switch off from the outside world, but for some, it is crucial they can escape to relax and rejuvenate.
Holiday homes empower guests with a sense of independence through bespoke elements to their holiday. For instance, holiday homes with pools, hot tubs, tennis courts etc can be used around the clock and aren’t limited for the use of others.
In addition, families know exactly where their children are sleeping as they won’t be in other rooms situated down long corridors, breakfast/dinner isn’t restricted to set times and personal touches such as a welcome hamper, flowers, stocked fridge/cupboards and homely ornaments add an extra edge.
The exclusiveness of the holiday home experience doesn’t only begin on arrival either. When booking a hotel online you aren’t always told which room you’ll be staying in or where about it will be within the hotel until check-in, but when booking a holiday home, you’ll get exactly what’s offered so there’s no nasty surprises later down the line.
In fact, when booking a holiday home, you’re getting better value for money too, as they charge per house and not per person like most hotels.
As well as providing the perfect seclusion for those seeking a peaceful escape, holiday homes also prove very popular destination choices for other parties.
Those on corporate team building events, for instance, are likely to find faster internet speeds and larger desktop surfaces to work from, plus unlimited coffee refills!
The same applies to wedding parties and large groups, as they provide a space for friends and family to spend time together, not divided up by walls or assigned to rules and itineraries.
Overall, holiday homes aren’t just different to hotels, but offer an abundance of additional benefits that empower the guest with freedom, while allowing them to experience a break without completely removing the homely connection.
A stress-free retreat where the guests are in control is what makes a holiday home a bespoke alternative to other hospitality accommodation.
And while hotels still prove a popular choice for many, maybe that’s a good thing? After all, a bolthole is a place to ‘escape and hide’. There’s something magical and mysterious about being able to hide in plain sight, and that’s exactly what a holiday home delivers.
Kate Hector is the co-founder of Luxury Boltholes, an online portal of carefully curated self-catering holiday homes in and around West Sussex. Kate has a wealth of experience in the property and interior design industries, which she has channelled to launch the new bespoke holiday business, creating the perfect British getaway for family, corporate, wedding or group parties.
