The only thing that can sometimes put a downer on an otherwise excellent holiday is a bad hotel. Whether the basic standards are bad, the service is terrible or the holiday brochure forgot to mention that it's actually on a building site, these things can affect your holiday in a major way.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to completely illuminate any chance of problems occurring in the first place. A holiday rental home is an excellent option regardless of whether you own it or are renting it from someone for a couple weeks.

When staying in a holiday rental home you don't have to worry about check - in and check - out times so can make up your own schedule. You can arrive when you want and leave when you want which is ideal for flight times as sometimes you end up sitting at the airport for hours on end as you had to check out the hotel so early.

Staying in a holiday rental home means that you are free to come and go as you please. You are restricted in some hotels, especially the smaller ones as they may lock their doors after a certain time. It also means that you are not restricted when it comes to meal times if you are on a half or full board basis.

You also have a lot more privacy and independence when staying in a holiday rental home. You don't have to worry about how much noise you are making or how much noise the people in the room next to you are making. You don't have to worry about house - keeping knocking on your door at 9am every morning or receiving a hefty bill at the end of your stay for phone calls, room service or the mini bar.

It is common for holiday rental home resorts to have facilities such as swimming pools, tennis, bars and activities so you don't have to worry about getting bored or running out of things to do.

You are also more likely to make friends with fellow holiday makers in a holiday rental home as it's a close knit community. However, it's not so close that if you want to do your own thing you can't. Overall, staying in a holiday rental home is a great way of ensuring that you have a brilliant holiday and it is more than likely that you will want to go back to the same place the following year.