What To Bring To A Vacation Rental? Don´t Forget this….

Are you going to Spain for a holiday soon and will you be staying in your own holiday home? Or are you thinking of booking a holiday to Spain, and perhaps a beautiful holiday villa with private swimming pool? This will obviously entirely change how you pack your luggage. After all, the things you need for a stay in a holiday home or villa are different to those for a stay in any other type of accommodation.

In your own holiday villa, you have access to all private facilities, including your own fully equipped kitchen that you can use, a complete living room, a lovely outdoor area, often with private swimming pool, and so much more.

But what is actually generally included and available in a holiday home? And what isn’t included but that you often need? Sometimes it may be difficult to assess in advance what is really important to take with you. But no worries, help is at hand with these useful packing tips for your stay in a Spanish holiday villa.

10 useful items to take with you

1. Chargers

This might sound rather obvious, but it is something we really need and still often forget when we go travelling. We often take many electrical devices on holiday, for example (multiple) phones, laptops, camcorders, cameras or iPads. So bringing additional chargers is not such a bad idea.  And don’t forget to bring a travel charger, for example one that works on batteries, solar energy or that you can use in your car. After a long day of travelling you will be glad that you can still use your phone to make a quick call to say the you have arrived, or to take that first picture of your own dream villa when you arrive at your holiday destination.

2. Cleaning supplies

Often you pay cleaning charges for a holiday home in Spain or these are included in the rental of the holiday villa. This means that you don’t have to clean the villa yourself at the end of the stay. In some cases, interim cleaning is included in the price or can be booked at an additional charge. But this does not include doing the laundry and washing the dishes, this is something you have to do yourself during your holiday. It might be that there is a sponge, a cloth, some washing-up liquid/detergent, plastic bags, tea towels etc. available in the holiday home, or you can buy these at the nearby local supermarket, but often this is not something you want to do when you first arrive. If you have room in your car, it would be much easier to bring all these things yourself. So, you have the supplies you like to use, and you know that your clothes will be washed the way you prefer.

3. Child-proofing supplies

Are you travelling with (small) children? Then it may be useful to bring child-proofing supplies. Unless you rent a holiday home in Spain that is specially designed for children and therefore equipped with special protection. However, in general it is quite unlikely that a holiday home is completely child-safe by default. If you have enough room, take a stair gate. If you want to cover the electrical sockets against curious children’s fingers, you can just use some duct tape, this provides the same “do not touch” effect.

4. Plastic bags

Sandwich bags, ziplock bags, plastic carrier bags, bin bags, there are many different types of plastic bags, all with their own function. And each traveller uses them in many different ways: for example you can use a sandwich bag for taking a snack to the beach, you can use a ziplock bag for packing your toiletries and you can use a plastic bag for storing your dirty laundry. Regardless whether it concerns throwing away rubbish or storing items, you can never have enough plastic bags.

5. Sheets and towels

There is nothing like home when it comes to your own quality sheets and towels. Are you renting a holiday home with a swimming pool or a real Spanish beach villa? Then you should naturally bring a large, soft beach towel. Check with your holiday villa whether sheets and towels are included. What do you prefer to bring along from home? Carefully consider what is still missing in terms of linen in your holiday property, what you would like to take from home and how much room you have for it.

6. Toilet paper

Is this really necessary? Maybe not. But it can’t hurt to bring some. After all, you might need it during your car journey. Let’s be honest… there is nothing worse than finding out during your journey or after a long day of travelling, that there is no toilet paper.

7. Drinks upon arrival

Do you like a drink when you are on holiday? Imagine: you arrive at your beautiful holiday home with a view of the Spanish coast, you’re sitting on the lovely terrace in the warm Mediterranean sun, totally relaxed and recovering from the journey… when you realise that you don’t have anything to drink… help! Having a nice drink when you are on holiday is always great, especially when you first arrive, want to acclimatise, and forget about all the stress caused by travelling. Of course, you can always rush to a Spanish supermarket, if this is still open, but your property might be very remote or you might simply not be in the mood to get back into the car immediately after arrival. So, start your holiday in a relaxed manner and be properly prepared by bringing a nice bottle of wine/beer/cocktail mixers or non-alcoholic drinks.

8. Herbs and your favourite kitchen knife

Even if you are not a foodie, it is still nice to bring your favourite herbs on holiday. There are often a number of basic products available in a holiday home, such as salt, pepper and oil, but your favourite herbs for preparing your most delicious meals with are probably not there. So, take a few of your favourite herbs with you and feel more at home in your holiday property. And, when you start cooking a nice meal in the Spanish sun, it might be an idea to use your own good kitchen knife. After all, your own knife is always the best.

9. Entertainment

This also depends on your holiday home in Spain; some villas have televisions, DVD-players, films, books, games and toys. Check what is included in your property and what you would really like to bring along for your fellow travellers. Are you going on holiday with your kids? Buying a few new (or second-hand) items such as craft supplies, action figures and new apps (or digging out some old favourites) may make the holiday even more fun for the kids and entertain them when mum and dad need some time to recover from a long day of travelling or for when they just want to relax on their holiday.

10. Beach gear

Have you chosen a beach villa as your holiday accommodation? Or are you staying near a lake? Don’t forget to take a variety of useful beach gear with you such as chairs, beach towels, beach toys, parasols, armbands, footballs, frisbees, kites etc. etc. Make sure you also pack a handy beach bag or backpack for carrying all this gear and for storing sunscreen lotion,  insect repellent and a small first aid kit with bandages and disinfectant. The items you take will of course depend on your fellow travellers and also on how much you can take with you. If you fly to your destination, look for foldable water bottles, easy to pack inflatable beach balls and a warm/cold insulation bag that is perfect for a picnic.

Your holiday home and your personal preferences

These are just a few examples. Obviously each holiday home is different, so especially check what is and what is not included in your accommodation. What you want to bring depends a lot on your personal preferences and wishes. Your requirements also depend on your type of holiday. Who are you travelling with? Where are you going? Do you have anything specific planned? What will the weather be like? What type of holiday home have you rented? By using a handy checklist, you can see what your property is or isn’t offering and what you should or shouldn’t take with you.

Holiday home checklist (adjust to your own situation in Spain):

Bed and bath:

• Towels
• Sheets
• Toiletries (soap/shampoo/conditioner etc)

Kitchen:

• Washing-up liquid and dishwasher tablets
• Tea towels
• Enough cutlery and crockery for the number of people that will stay there
• Herbs (there might be some salt and pepper, but it’s better to take some of your own favourite herbs!)
• Coffee and coffee filters
• Kitchen roll
• Bin bags

Children:

• Pram
• Cot and/or playpen
• Child-proofing supplies (socket covers, cupboard locks, stair gate)
• Baby toys
• Board games and playing cards
• Films

Outside:

• Bikes
• Beach toys
• Beach/pool towels (don’t assume that the holiday home’s towels are suitable for outdoor use)
• Balls, a frisbee, sports gear
• Armbands and pool toys

Miscellaneous:

• Detergent
• Cleaning products (for a quick clean, a thorough clean is most likely already included)
• Plastic bags (bin bags, plastic carrier bags, sandwich bags, ziplock bags… you can never have enough!)
• Supplies for your pet (if you bring you four-legged friend)
• Music (speakers for your phone or another way to play music)
• Chargers

If you’re not sure what is actually included, present or what can be booked in addition, you can always inquire to find out. We are there to ensure that your stay in Spain is as complete and enjoyable as possible!