Why now is the perfect time to book a short break holiday cottage (and use up your spare annual leave!)

What can I do with spare annual leave?

“Spare annual leave”? Is there even such a thing?!

Well, in actual fact, yes there is.

In 2015, The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, ACAS, reported that, according to a Glassdoor Annual Leave Survey, only half of UK employees take all of their annual leave allowance, with regional differences showing that not many more than a third do in the North East and Scotland.

Findings also showed that, on average, an employee takes around three-quarters (77 per cent) of their annual leave. So, with the statutory annual leave entitlement for a typical full-time job being 28 days, this means that the average worker foregoes almost 6.5 days leave each year!

So about half of us are effectively working nearly 7 days a year for free!

And as the typical leave year draws to a close, perhaps now is the perfect time to down tools, use up that leave and book a short break away?

Why is now a good time to book a holiday cottage?

Now that October half term is out of the way and the kids have returned to school, the prices for an average week away in a holiday cottage in autumn have dropped accordingly, meaning that it’s potentially much more affordable to book that luxury cottage for two with a hot tub!

And if you have children under school age, then the choice of a home from home is all yours.

In addition to offering properties with all the essentials such as cots, high chairs and washing machines – we can also help you find a cottage that has a stairgate; enclosed garden or play area amongst hundreds of other ‘child friendly’ and ‘baby friendly’ options. Some even offer babysitting services, allowing you a much needed night off…

So not only will prices drop between now and the run up to Christmas but availability is also excellent, with just under 9,000 cottages holiday breaks currently available for 3 nights between now and Christmas – as well as 8,350 week long stays.

Book a short break holiday cottage

Gone are the days of employees taking off 2 weeks of leave back to back. The trend nowadays is for us to take shorter breaks – and more of them.

And fortunately, holiday cottages owners have responded to this by making many more of their properties available for shorter lets, in addition to the usual 7 night stays.

So even if you can only spare a few days away, then in actual fact, your choice of holiday cottages is huge! We let you search by 2,3,4,5 and 6 night breaks as well as the more common 7 nights.

And we’ll let you into a secret – always compare the seven night price with the short break price – as it may not differ that much between, for example, 4 nights and 7 nights.

Where should I book my holiday cottage?

The possibilities are huge! And of course very much depend on what you’re looking for. But with over 10,000 holiday cottages throughout the UK, we’re confident that we have the perfect place for you.

Do you prefer the coast? Which at this time of year can be just as relaxing as the summer time but with a fraction of the people sharing the beach with you! In which case, have a look through our holiday cottages near the sea, including all the usual favourite places such as Cornwall, Norfolk and Pembrokeshire as well as some less well explored places in Northumberland, the West coast of Scotland and North Wales.

Or perhaps you like the mountains? Snowdonia? Or the Cairngorms? A total escape from everything and everyone (and no mobile signal for your office to contact you on!) Then you might like to browse our holiday cottages in any one of the UK’s 15 National Parks.

Or maybe a city break holiday cottage is more you? Think good coffee shops, restaurants and a bit of retail therapy before heading home to a cosy log fire…

And if you’re feeling brave, why not explore an area you’ve never been to? You can always enter a destination and then select your own drive time or distance from that location. Do you know everywhere that is 2 hours from your house? Time to try somewhere new?

What features can I chose to have in my holiday cottage?

Ah here the list really is endless!

We help you choose everything from the type of cottage you would like to stay – including shepherds huts, lighthouses and stately homes to the exact number of bedrooms and bathrooms you’d like.

As well as hundreds of important features such as a wood burning fires, games room, hot tub, enclosed garden etc. Particularly important if you want to bring your dog.

And coffee machines and wine fridges.

Home cinemas? Croquet lawns? Helicopter landing pads?! You get the gist. We’ve got it all in one place for you. And lots of holiday cottage ideas if you're stuck for inspiration!

There’s so much choice, I need a hand finding a holiday cottage!

No problem at all.

If, at any point, you have any questions about booking a holiday cottage, then please feel free to contact us  – we’re always happy to help with questions about the cottages and to give you advice before you go ahead and book.