Frequently Asked Questions

Why don't you permit Visitors to the Holiday Homes?

There are a number of reasons for this,

The infrastructure of the houses are designed for the number of occupants of the houses on site, about 50 persons including guests and staff. If each house invited guests equal to or exceeding the house occupancy number then the number on site could double which would exceed the physical capacity of the site infrastructure including parking spaces, effluent disposal capabilities, free space available to each guest etc..

In the event of an emergency we are the only persons able to inform the emergency service how many people are actually in the house.

We feel we have a duty of Care to our Guests and indeed Insurance Cover for the Business is to cover the guests as listed on the Booking Sheet. We feel we should not be liable for persons not entitled to be on the site, de jure trespassers, nor should we be liable for their actions on our site, such as their vehicles causing damage or injury to other guest property or person.

The Tariff paid is for the number of persons agreed at the time of booking to be accommodated at the holiday houses and to avail of the services and amenities on the site. These other visitors are availing of such services and amenities with out any payment.

In this more security conscious age it is important for us to know who is on the site at all time. This is applicable not only in national security issues, some of the recent terrorist attacks in the UK mainland – such as Glasgow Airport- used holiday cottages as a temporary base, but also in the matter of Child Protection. We have to be able to account for all the persons on our site so that parents can feel assured bringing their children to our accommodation, the booking form with the list of occupants goes a long way to providing this assurance.

In terms of management we have found over 15 years of trading that to avoid the issue of when a visitor may actually be intending to stay the night it is simpler to not accept visitors at all.

In many cases the houses are booked by people wishing a degree of peace and quiet and they do not wish to be disturbed by additional people and children from adjacent houses.

Can we bring our dog?

No. Sadly we cannot accept any pets, dogs or otherwise.

Can we invite friends around?

Unless your friends are booked into the holiday homes they cannot visit, as this is a breach of my insurance policy.

Can we hold a Birthday Party in the house?

Parties of all types are not permitted at the cottages.

Why do you need to know if a member of our group goes home early?

We must be informed if a member of your group leaves the cottage early as in the event of a fire or other serious incident we are the only persons who know who is actually in the house.

How should we leave the holiday homes, should we wash the floors?

When leaving the house we would appreciate if you left the house as tidy as possible, all crockery, cutlery etc should be washed and the dish washer emptied, all the beds should be stripped leaving only the under pillow case and mattress protector. A Hoover and mop bucket are provided as well as cleaning utensils and chemicals.
Basically we ask you to leave the house as you found it. We now have a policy of not accepting a repeat booking from customers who do not leave the cottages as clean as we expect.

What is the earliest time we can arrive?

Arrival time is 4pm; it is generally not possible to arrive earlier as we need time to changeover each house and we usually have several houses to changeover on any given day.

We might be arriving very late, our boat does not get into 9.00 and we have to drive down, is that ok, how do we get the keys?

If you will be arriving late please inform me before hand as then we can arrange collection of the keys.

Where are the nearest shops, what are the opening times?

There is a convenience store (Spar) 200m along the street, open to 10.00p.m. each evening, there is a large Tesco store in Newcastle again open to ten most nights in summer time. There is a local farmers market each 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month in Castlewellan, as Saturday is an arrival or departure day it may be possible to arrange delivery of a box of local organic produce to your house, please phone 028 43778655.

Do you provide any essential provisions, bread, milk, tea or coffee?

No. We don’t provide a welcome pack of foodstuffs for ethical and environmental reasons. If you need a large order for a family or group arrival we can purchase it at a local supermarket subject to a 10% surcharge, with a minimum charge of fifteen pounds.

Does the cost of hire include bed linen; are the beds made up?

Yes, bed lined is provided and the beds will be made-up, we will ask you if you require single or double beds so that we can make the beds in advance.

Do you provide towels, or should we bring our own?

Again yes towels are provided, we provide one good quality towel per person.

Do you have a child’s cot and a highchair?

Yes we can provide a cot and high chair, we make a small charge of three pounds per item, irrespective of the length of stay..

Can we bring an extra person; we have a fold up bed?

This is not permitted; the houses have a maximum number of occupants set by the local planning authority, this then dictates the number allowed by the Fire Service and the Tourist Board.. If an unaccounted person is found at the cottage your entire group may be asked to leave.

Is there good off-road car-parking?

Yes there is off-road car park that is only available to our customers.

Is there space for our young child to play?

Yes there is a large green for your children to play, its away from the road at the front of the holiday homes, it is quite secure but parents are asked to have children under their charge at all times.

A member of our group cannot manage stairs; do any of the holiday homes have downstairs sleeping and bathroom facilities?

Yes, all the three bedroom houses have a downstairs bedroom with an en-suite shower-room with toilet and wash-hand basin. If your group does not need a large three-bedroom house but requires a house with a downstairs bedroom then we might consider charging a discounted rate.

We are a large walking club, what is the maximum number of people you can accommodate and would it be possible for all of us to have single beds?

We can accommodate for any where up to 42 people. Single beds are available for all members of your group.

Do you do longer-term lets, for six months or a year?

Yes, across the shoulder and low seasons long-term lets are available at a reduced cost, up to a maximum of 6 months.

Why to you deduct the cost of replacing an inventory item from the ‘Good Care Deposit”, when it has been left in another cottage where we all dined together?

This is one of the most time consuming chores we have, trying to locate and return items as diverse as milk jugs and oven shelves to their rightful house, we have found the only way to reduce this is to charge for items missing from a house as though it were broken or stolen.

Do you charge every body a final cleaning cost?

Not usually, but if a cottage is left exceptionally dirty the we will impose a final cleaning charge

Are there any additional charges on top of the hire cost?

Yes you will be charged for gas and electric which shouldn’t be more about one pound per day in summer, rising to about four pounds in winter.

Do you provide a hairdryer in each house?

There should be a hairdryer in each house, but often when groups are staying one member, not expecting a hairdryer to be present, often takes the hairdryer with them believing it to belong to another member of the group.

Is there a washing machine and a tumble drier in each house?

There are no washing machines or tumble dryers in each house, but there is a small laundry room with two washing machines and two tumble driers, there is no charge for the use of the washing machines, but the tumble driers are controlled by token meters, and the tokens are available at a cost of 20 pence each.

How far are the holiday homes located out of Newcastle?

Dundrum is a small coastal village about 3 miles north of Newcastle on the main Road (A24) to Belfast. Type in post code BT33 0LY to Google maps for an almost exact location.