Award winners give their take on Holiday Letting

Owning your own holiday cottage can be incredibly rewarding, especially when you have built up your portfolio from one holiday let, to four outstanding cottages within the space of 3 years, with exciting plans in place to build a further two.

Meet Maureen, the owner of four unique holiday cottages that are tucked away in an almost hidden spot in the Cornish countryside at Nantrisack.

The warm and welcoming embrace she bestows upon her guests when they arrive creates a lasting first impression. You can completely understand why she is able to welcome repeat guests year upon year, putting them at instant ease, ensuring they create lasting memories along the way.

Located near the village of Chacewater, just five miles from Truro, Cornwall’s capital city, the cottages at Nantrisack are ideally located for touring all of Cornwall and betwixt the two coastlines.

Maureen and husband John began their holiday cottage adventure back in January 2015 when they purchased Demelza Cottage, their first property with Cornish Cottage Holidays. Since then, they’ve gone from strength to strength, with three more holiday cottages all offering something different and each with their own story.

Demelza Cottage

Step inside and discover a light and spacious interior furnished in a contemporary country style. Enjoy an alfresco dining experience in the outdoor seated arbour at Demelza.

Phoenix Cottage

Named after her husband John’s middle name, you can marvel at the fox and stag inspired country-chic interiors of this gorgeous bolthole.

Morranne Cottage

Then comes Morranne, a Swiss style lodge that is great for families. Moranne was so named as a combination of Maureen’s mother’s name (also Maureen) and Maureen’s middle name; Anne.

Her pride and joy, Omalast…

Omalast is an idyllic hideaway for two with a retro twist and bright accents. Maureen recalls how the name came about, “When guests come back they say ‘Ahh we’re home at last.’ and that’s how I want them to feel.” It is pronounced ‘ome a’ last.’

Maureen has a real eye for design and a love for a bit of sparkle. She has the vision to create a home away from home, this is an experience that really does have it all.

Letting with Cornish Cottage Holidays

Maureen puts some of the success of her collection of cottages down to working with the team at Cornish Cottage Holidays. “I’ve been helped a lot by Sharon and Janine, I’m getting on great. As these are my first holiday cottages to me it was a real learning curve. The advice and support has just been brilliant.”

Attention to detail is one of the things that stands out at Nantrisack. Maureen said, “I want people to come in and say; “The beds are comfy, the pillows are right”. I’ve had good feedback about the beds and pillows – people always ask me where we get them from.”

What an honour!

One of Maureen’s favourite moments was when two ladies came to stay at Omalast and they happened to mention they were getting married. They weren’t sure how to get to the local city of Truro so that’s when Maureen stepped in to help.

“They also asked if I would be their witness. I said, “What an honour, you’ve taken me back, I’d love to be.” It was lovely. To be there when they said their vows, such an emotional day. Then I became the official photographer.”

The happy couple returned exactly a year later to celebrate their anniversary at Omalast and plan to visit later this year to their Cornish home.

Multi-Award Winners

Last year, quite aptly, Omalast was named the Best for Romance at the Sykes Gems awards, something Maureen was overjoyed about, “It’s been lovely to receive this award. It’s like being told you’re doing your job right, especially when you’re self-employed. People’s feedback is priceless.”

Another accolade was bestowed upon Maureen in 2017 when Phoenix Cottage was awarded the Man’s Best Friend COCOA Award for being a highly commended dog friendly holiday cottage, “I remember squealing when they announced my name.”

Exciting plans for the future…

The plans are in place and ground has been dug on the two new cottages. Maureen says she has learnt a lot from her first four cottages and how she wants to make sure that the next two properties are just as successful, “These two new cottages will tick even more boxes. It’s the little things that will make the difference.”

If you’re interested in joining our stunning portfolio of Cornish Cottages, take a look at our Let Your Cottage page for more information or contact our Owner’s Team on 01326 336773.