An Owner Case Study – Molyneux, Polperro
Owner: Cliff Haywood – Purchased 2007
1. Why did you choose Polperro?
Like many of our guests, we’ve been regular visitors to Polperro over many years. There’s something about Polperro that draws you back. It’s lovely in any season. It’s a perfect location for exploring Cornwall, taking coastal walks or whiling a few hours away in one of the excellent pubs and restaurants. It’s pretty as a picture but it’s also got spirit and a fascinating history.
2. What prompted you to take the plunge from regular guest to cottage owner
Having rented many cottages over the years, and knowing we’d be coming back for many years still, we wanted to have a place which we could make our own. We made the decision to take the plunge whilst on a holiday at Kirk House!
3. You bought an existing holiday rental cottage – was this a major factor in the decision or was Molyneux simply the right cottage for you that happened to already be on our portfolio
It wasn’t a major factor; Molyneux hadn’t been a rental cottage for long when we bought it. It was just the right place for us.
4. What advice did you seek prior to the purchase
Knowing we would be renting the cottage out to guests, we asked Giles at Holiday Cottages Polperro for advice about its viability as a holiday cottage before making an offer.
5. Now with over 5 years experience what would be your top tips to ‘would be’ cottage owners
Have a think about what guests would appreciate, and also the sort of things you would like to find if you were the paying guest. Also, it’s important to maintain the cottage properly, for example replacing linen before it gets tired and redecorating off-season. The property should please the guests from first opening the door. Giles is always happy to offer advice for owners; listen to him, he knows what works.
6. Like me you live away from Polperro – how do you find managing the cottage remotely – does this cause any issues
This hasn’t been a problem for us. Obviously there are problems that crop up. We have a house manager who informs us of any problems and then we can act on them. Between us we always get things sorted out. Obviously we’d love to be there more than we are, but then there would be no room for guests!
7. What do you consider to be the main reasons that explain why Molyneux has been such a success
There’s a combination of factors that seem to be working well for us at Molyneux. We accept pets. We have a nice terraced garden and barbecue area. We buy good quality items for the cottage, for example in the kitchen we have good saucepans, crockery and utensils etc.
Our location is very convenient, and having a reserved parking space is helpful. We have radios and iPod players on every floor along with Sky TV and WI-FI broadband, which guests really appreciate. Basically, we try to keep the cottage stocked with things that we like or that we’d want to find if we were staying at a holiday let! We have also stayed at holiday cottages elsewhere in the country and picked up ideas from there of things that we thought were particularly nice on arrival.
Friends advised us not to buy nice quality things for the cottage, citing that they would get ruined, but our experience has shown the reverse to be true. We have found that people tend to look after nice things and appreciate the sentiment that they are trusted.
Finally, we offer a guest pack including soap, dishwasher tabs, washing tabs and a bottle of wine. We think it all helps to make for a better experience for the guests. It’s these little touches that our repeat bookers appreciate. We enjoy staying at Molyneux and we want other people to feel the same way.
8. If the funds allowed it and the right opportunity arose would you buy another cottage
Yes, as long as we could keep it to a similar standard to Molyneux.
