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From the Blog

Top five tips for what makes a successful holiday home

Posted by Laura Easlick on
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Enhancing the guest experience 

When it comes to booking a luxury holiday, exquisite interiors, with thoughtful details and stand-out features can provide a competitive edge. From bespoke artwork and lighting, to dedicated cinema rooms and wellness features, there are numerous ways to achieve high standards within the luxury holiday rentals market.

Our Portfolio Team have a wealth of experience when it comes to knowing what guests look for when booking a staycation. When in conversations with current or prospective owners, our team begin by asking owners what makes their own holidays special and what frustrates them when they're renting a holiday home.

Often, the answers to these questions spark ideas and suggestions for enhancing the guest experience. Here, we've curated a list of our top five tips for a successful holiday home within the luxury rentals market.

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Brynia in Daymer Bay (left) and Red Cove in Mawgan Porth (right)

1. Include wellness features 

Not only are guests expecting high-specification facilities, they're likely to opt for properties with wellness features, such as pools, hot tubs, saunas and yoga studios - a home where everything is under one roof. A high-end property should be even better than the renter’s own home, therefore standards should be exceptional.

Installing a hot tub, which is something guests can enjoy year-round, can be an extremely profitable decision. From a marketing perspective, hot tubs and sunken spa pools photograph beautifully, which tends to increase enquiry levels. Our Portfolio team often suggest a hot tub as a valuable addition to a luxury home:  

“When it comes to stand-out features, hot tubs continue to be one of the most searched-for amenities in the holiday rental market and really help a property to stand out from the crowd."

Likewise, sauna-cations and yoga retreats are among the top travel trends for a 2026 staycation, with our homes offering saunas, steam rooms, dedicated yoga studios and gyms always booking up far ahead. Perfect for families and large group stays, our homes with heated pools are always high up in our search results and provide a multitude of health and wellness benefits.

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Constantia in Constantine Bay (left) and Noordhoek in Porthcothan (right)

2. Consider welcoming dogs

With many miles of coastal paths, moorland trails and woodland walks to explore, the South West lends itself perfectly to staycations with a canine companion. Our 2025 bookings suggest that dog-friendly properties are more sought-after than those that don't welcome dogs. More specifically, 90% of our bookings last year were at dog-friendly properties. 

"One of the main reasons guests holiday in the UK is so they can bring their dog along with them, so being dog-friendly can significantly widen a property's audience and provide the perfect staycation home for all the family."

In late 2025, Trevenek became a dog-friendly property and saw a 75% increase in property page views and a 33% increase in bookings compared to the same period in the previous year.

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Trevenek in Mawgan Porth

3. Enhance outdoor areas

Whether cooking up a feast in the outdoor kitchen or toasting marshmallows around an outdoor fire pit, guests want to enjoy the fresh countryside and coastal air as much as possible during their stay. Enhancing outdoor spaces can be the making of a property, with carefully landscaped areas and scenic spots to enjoy a tranquil drink helping to increase a property's popularity.

"Many of our guests are city-dwellers, where private outdoor space is often limited, so they value having access to secluded seating areas and outdoor features whilst on holiday. Outdoor kitchens, pizza ovens and fire pits are very much in demand, with nearly 20% of our properties boasting at least one of these."

The simple, low-cost addition of an outdoor kitchen can help to increase a property's marketability. After action-packed days exploring Cornwall, Devon or Somerset, guests may prefer to relax at their holiday home, rather than dining out every evening. An outdoor kitchen enables guests to enjoy cooking and eating together with picturesque views, making the most of longer daylight hours in the spring and summer, or wrapping up warm for glorious autumnal sunsets.

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Tamarisks in Hope Cove (left) and Constantia in Constantine Bay (right)

4. Create a home-from-home

As the Great British weather can’t be relied upon, indoor spaces need to cater for all demographics, with a conscious effort to ensure the whole group can come together in the same space, but also separate off when desired. Properties in our collection are often booked for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and family reunions, therefore many guests are seeking a holiday home with spacious living areas.

“Extended families and circles of friends may only get together as a whole unit every so often, so ensuring there’s enough space around the TV to accommodate everyone is incredibly important."

Our Portfolio team highlight the importance of considering how guests spend time together. For instance, ensuring there's a large enough dining table, both indoors and outdoors, to seat all guest comfortably, as well as providing at least one TV in the house, with an account for streaming services and ample comfortable seating for film nights.

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Sea Edge in Downderry (left) and Shun Lee in St Ives (right)

5. Elevate the interiors

Interiors should be unique and feel indulgent, with calming colours and soft furnishings. Our Portfolio team always suggest updating anything that looks worn, dated or poorly maintained. Carefully chosen light fittings, artwork and accessories can completely transform a room, while a wood burner provides a captivating focal point and a homely atmosphere. 

When receiving feedback from guests, it’s apparent that the small, thoughtful details can also make the biggest difference. For example, matching glassware and premium kitchen gadgets can really elevate the guest experience.

“It’s so incredibly important that properties are luxurious, with unique interiors and furnishings. Luxury doesn’t mean sterile. Thoughtful touches such as artwork, books and board games help a property to feel like a genuine home from home.

 Carefully curated interiors and working with a professional interior designer can really elevate a property. Our Devon's best interior designers and Cornwall's best interior designers blog posts offer plenty of inspiration to get you started.

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Panorama in Mawgan Porth (left) and Trelorna in Polzeath (right)

 

Considering joining our portfolio?

Our Portfolio team can offer expert advice about preparing your property for the luxury rental market. You can read more owner testimonials here or reach out to our team on owners@perfectstays.co.uk and 01208 895 750.

  

Image credits: All images are our own.

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Posted by Laura Easlick

Laura has lived in Cornwall most of her life and loves writing content about South West holiday destinations. When she's not in the office, she can be found walking the coast path, sunset chasing and camping with family or friends.

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