Uncategorised

Thanks to Covid-19, a great proportion of us now have a lot more time on our hands and can use some of this time to get to grips with our recycling habits and make better choices for the future. We will also soon be able to get away from our homes to enjoy a well-deserved UK staycation; this remaining an important time to continue making good recycling and waste reducing choices like we do at home.

My top ten tips to follow while on holiday include:

1. Reading the recycling tips sheets that are provided in your welcome folder

All regions can differ in terms of what they will recycle, so it’s important to read up what the local rules are so that you can recycle more. There are a number of items you may bring away with you that are widely forgotten about when it comes to recycling such as empty aerosol cans, cosmetic pots and tubs and medication blister packs, which would make a real difference if we all were to recycle these.

2. Rinsing your used ready meal and food containers

It’s extremely important to continue rinsing out all recyclable food packaging. Many items will be rejected at recycling facilities if there is too much food residue left, so those few extra minutes needed to soak and rinse ready plastic ready meal trays after dinner are really worth it. Better still, it is usually cheaper to make meals from scratch, so why not utilise all of the high-quality cooking utensils and baking material serviced at our holiday properties!

3. Remembering to remove bottle tops from your used drink containers

It not only takes up a huge amount of space in the wheelie bins provided at your holiday home but can actually mean that the entire bottle may be rejected at the recycling facility if you don’t take off the top before recycling. Bottle tops can still be recycled in most areas so it’s worth popping those in too!

4. Leaving new or part used items behind

Although a lot of self-catering homes specify that you should remove all items at the end of your stay, we at Happy Homes Management are happy to sort through left over food items and toiletries if you would rather not take them onto the next stop of your travels. More often than not, unopened dry foods and drinks can either be left for the next guests to enjoy or can be used by our housekeepers. Loose Tea bags, coffee granules and sugar are left for guests anyway, so it is a nice gesture to leave behind these items ready for them to enjoy.

5. Trying to order online items with less packaging

Although we are happy for you to have items delivered to our properties during your stay, if you can, try to stick to the essentials, and don’t shop online for the sake of it. This will only create more packaging waste. Many online delivery companies like Amazon and Ebay have items listed with the keyword ‘Frustration free packaging’ which in lots of cases, means that your products won’t come in anything that’s difficult to unravel. Instead, they’ll come in easy to open recyclable packaging. It is also worth asking sellers to send multiple items in the same box or in smaller packages.

6. Making better use of carrier bags and packaging materials

Online food deliveries usually come in single use plastic carrier bags, so why not use them to house general waste that’s accumulated during your stay. Any carriers that are still left over can be taken away with you and kept for your shopping at home. As we know, plastic bags are now not given any free, so why not make use of these bags and extend the life of them many times-over. Bubble wrap is handy to keep at home for sending on your own packaging items or for your next home move.

7. Using chilled tap water rather than buying expensive bottled water

We often find that guests can use dozens of large mineral water bottles over the course of their stay. All of our holiday homes provide glass or plastic water jugs which are perfect for keeping a constant supply of ready chilled refreshing water. We also provide ice cube trays which are free to top up, rather than buying supermarket bagged ice, which also come with the inevitable single use plastic packaging. If you buy individual bottled drinks while out for the day, these can be refiled with water or with larger bottles of fizzy drinks or juice over again to extend their life.

8. Bringing along family sized toiletry bottles rather than travel size

Not all of us are aware that buying larger containers of toiletries works out far cheaper. Most of our properties have one shared bathroom, so it makes sense both financially and environmentally to use larger bottles which the entire family can use throughout your holiday.

9. Making better use of used news-papers and magazines

There are many great uses for new-spapers, magazines and even used card food packaging. Rolled up news-paper pages are great to use to light fires or wood stoves, to line pet waste containers or to mop up spills under dog food and drink bowls, and an old fashioned tip to make better use of cereal and food card packaging is to cut into smaller pieces and write lists or to use when sending packages.

10. Re-using tourist information leaflets and guide books

Why not take a look through the provided leaflets to see if previous guests may have collected any interesting leaflets to give you ideas for activities? Guidebooks can be expensive so it makes sense to bring along one that may have been purchased by a previous guest; this not only saving you money but extending the life of the paper they are made from.

To keep up to date with all our latest news and ideas for your holiday property and your guests, please follow our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/happyhomesmanagement.

If you’d like to discuss how Christopher and the team could help you with your holiday property, please contact us on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk

If you visit the historic town of Arundel, you cannot miss the stunning Arundel Castle as it stands out magnificently in the landscape. Arundel itself is a wonderful town to visit, with antique shops for browsing and quaint coffee shops to enjoy some cake. While you here the Castle is a must visit in our book!

Arundel castle is part stately home and part medieval castle. The castle is still home to the Fitzalan-Howard family, the Dukes of Norfolk and Earls of Arundel. It is one of the longest inhabited places in the United Kingdom, it was built in 1068 and has undergone many extensions and some restoration over the years. Many believe the castle sits on a hill; however, it was actually built on an artificial mound.

The oldest part of the castle is the medieval keep, and you can get a true sense of battles of old when you visit this part of the castle. There are huge stone walls, battlements and slit windows to fire arrows through at the enemy! You must (if you are able to climb the steps) walk along the walls and to the top of the round tower. There are fabulous views from the top, across the beautiful South Downs and out to the coast.

The main part of the castle is packed full of treasures and more of a grand stately home. There are wonderful stained-glass windows, incredible artworks, vast fireplaces and beautiful antique furniture. We would suggest taking your time in this part of the castle as there is so much to see and take in. You can almost imagine the castle in use and people sitting in the library enjoying a good book! The armory is fascinating with plenty of weapons and shield to investigate. It makes for a living history lesson if you take the children for the day.

Over the years the castle has seen some important visitors. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed at Arundel Castle for three days in 1846. In celebration of their visit, special furniture was commissioned, this is on display in the bedrooms in the castle today. Empress Matilda visited the castle not long after it was built, and you can walk through the apartments in the Keep that were built for her stay.

Once you’ve toured the castle itself, you must take a stroll around the grounds. There is plenty to explore with beautiful flowers, pretty plants, and fabulous fountains. We’d suggest seeing Oberon’s Palace with shell encrusted walls and a special fountain with a crown spinning on water in mid-air! There is a lovely rose garden and you can walk around the moat as well.

A new tropical glasshouse was recently built at Arundel Castle. It’s a perfect replica of an original Victorian ‘Thomas G Messenger’ wooden pineapple house. Built with new durable materials, the glasshouse allows you to see pineapple and passion fruit trees, banana trees, coffee plants and a baobab tree.

Keep an eye on the Facebook page for Arundel Castle as they have some amazing Summer events taking place including Shakespeare plays and medieval battles. If you’re looking for other recommendations for days out in Sussex please get in touch as we are always happy to help. Please contact us on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk.

At the end of a busy day, there’s something rather special about sitting outside and enjoying a cup of tea or perhaps a glass of wine. Whether you’ve had a day exploring whilst on holiday or you’ve been out and about whilst staying at your own holiday home, that time at the end of the day relaxing is precious.

Your Holiday Home

When you own a holiday home, one of the benefits is enjoying your own getaway when you stay there. You don’t want to spend your time painting, gardening and generally maintaining your property.

We love talking to owners about how they spend their break at their holiday home, and it’s clear they relish the thought of someone else looking after things for them!

Here at Happy Homes, we enjoy transforming holiday home interiors and exteriors, so owners and guests alike can relax during their stay.

Transforming The Planted Area

To begin with, we pulled away overgrown ivy from the wall. Ivy can be very damaging to brickwork, so we painstakingly removed the notoriously hard to remove feelers from the right-hand wall. We also removed a broken trellis from the wall as this detracted from the space.

The walls were then given a fresh lick of bright white masonry paint to maintain them. The climbers needed to be trained to grow upwards rather than outwards into the space. To help them, we bought beautiful wrought iron trellis panels from the Brick Kiln Garden Centre in Chichester. The climbers were then retrained to grow up the trellis and eventually across to fill the gaps.

The Finished Result

Our before and after photos reflect how our Happy Homes makeover transformed this small garden space. Please follow our Facebook page to see more makeovers and holiday trends and ideas. If your outdoor space needs some care and attention, please get in touch to find out how we could help you.

If you’d like to discuss how Christopher and the team could help you with your holiday property, please contact us on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk

We recently undertook a garden transformation for this pretty outdoor space. The plants had grown out of control and the fence had certainly seen better days! Privacy is important in a garden and areas can look bigger once plants have been bought under control.

Your Holiday Guests

When people are searching for places to stay in West Sussex, they often look for houses or cottages with a garden or outdoor seating area. West Sussex has so much to do and see, from the castle at Arundel to the beaches at Bognor Regis to the South Downs National Park.

After a day visiting the local attractions, guests want to sit and relax. With the beautiful summer weather we’ve had over the last few years, it’s nice to be able to spend the end of the day outdoors.

Transforming the Fence

The fence needed a makeover, so we removed the plants which had attached themselves to it. We engaged Aaron from AMC Garden Maintenance to erect a new trellis. This was attached along the top of the existing fence to create more privacy from neighbours. We then used a wood treatment and filled all the rotten areas of the fence posts. Finally, a good coat of cream garden furniture paint bought the whole look together and brightened the area.

The Finished Result

Our before and after photos reflect how our Happy Homes makeover transformed this small garden space. Please follow our Facebook page to see more makeovers and holiday trends and ideas. If your outdoor space needs some care and attention, please get in touchto find out how we could help you.

If you’d like to discuss how Christopher and the team could help you with your holiday property, please contact us on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk

Coming to stay in Sussex for the May Half Term? Wondering what to do? Wonder no more as Happy Homes bring you our top five things to do next week in Sussex. And if none of these take your fancy, please do get in touch as we have a wealth of knowledge as to what is happening across the area. We are more than happy to help with suggestions of what to do whilst you’re away!

Castle Siege at Arundel Castle

Step back into 1474 at Arundel Castle from 26th to 28th May. The castle here is a firm favourite of ours as it is simply stunning, but this three-day event enables you to really get a feel for medieval times. Twice a day, English and French forces will battle with replica cannons, knights and archers to try and gain possession of the castle. Find out more about the siege on thecastle website.

Star Wars Exhibition at Hove Museum and Art Gallery

The first Star Wars film was released in 1977 with nine films released over the last 41 years, making it a favourite with young and old alike. Hove Museum and Art Gallery are hosting a display of vintage Star Wars toys and memorabilia from the 1970s and 80s. We come over all nostalgic for the toys we enjoyed playing with as children and it’s a great opportunity to catch up on all the latest Star Wars films too. Thisexhibitionruns into June giving you plenty of time to visit.

Roman Week in Chichester

Returning for the third year, Roman Week takes over Chichester during May half term, celebrating the area’s rich history. The event is led by the Novium Museum and promises to be bigger and better than ever. There are Roman re-enactments in Priory Park with talks, demonstrations, displays and battles.

On Friday 1st June there’s a Roman Market as the Chichester Farmers Market becomes a Roman market with theatre and dressing up. The Novium will have a pop-up museum in the House of Fraser with examples of archaeology that were originally excavated from the House of Fraser site. The children can also take part in themed Roman treasure hunts, with 26 objects to find in shop windows throughout the city centre. For full details of what’s on during the week, please visit theNovium website.

Alice in Wonderland Sculptures in Bognor Regis

Join the grand unveiling of the new Alice in Wonderland Sculptures inHotham Park in Bognor Regison 27th May 2018. The sculptures will be revealed at 2.15pm with a theatre production at 4pm from the Bard and the Troubadour theatre company. These sculptures join the Mad Hatter wood carving as part of the park’s Alice in Wonderland trail. The Mad Hatter sculpture is a permanent fixture in the park and depicts the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party; there is an 8ft x 2.5ft table with clocks in each corner, playing cards down the centre and 8 mushrooms as seating, with the Mad Hatter as a separate figure. The park is fantastic for a day out, we’d highly recommend it.

Llama Park near the Ashdown Forest

Rather unusually, there is a llama parkin Sussex! This 33-acre park is close to the stunning Ashdown Forest which is in an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. In the park, you’ll not only find llamas but also alpacas, reindeer, horses, donkeys, Jacob sheep, Kune Kune pigs, peafowl, and poultry. If you book in advance you can take a llama for a guided walk around the grounds. There’s also woodland to explore together with a play area for the children and that all important tea room and coffee shop!

Whatever you do decide to do whilst staying in your Sussex holiday cottage, we hope you have a fantastic time. Don’t forget, we’re always on hand should you need some advice or information on the local areas and events taking place. You can contact Christopher and the team on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk.

To keep up to date with all our latest news and ideas for your holiday property and your guests, please follow our Facebook page.

If you are holidaying in Sussex during September visiting the beach probably isn’t necessarily top of your list of things to do. But here at Happy Homes we’d suggest this is the perfect time of year for that beach visit, especially as Sussex holiday cottages are usually just a stones throw from a good beach!

Autumn is a fantastic time to visit the beach. Not only are they much quieter than they are in the height of Summer, the light is perfect for you to capture some fantastic photography shots. If you’re in striking distance of Brighton from your holiday cottage then the now derelict West Pier makes for a stunning focal point for photographs. The starlings swoop and swirl around the Pier and you could end up with a fabulous photo you want to hang on your wall when you return home!

We like to think we have a beach which suits everyone in Sussex, with the sea lapping both shingle and sandy beaches. If pebbles are your thing, then Ferring beach is a lovely quiet area and you can listen to the sea rushing over the pebbles, a very relaxing way to spend some quiet reflective time. It’s a great place to pick up an unusual pebble – check out Pinterest ‘Pebble Art’ for numerous suggestions to decorate your keepsake.

If you’re looking for a quiet spot for a picnic then Climping beach is one of our personal favourites. Take a blanket, some delicious nibbles and a nice chilled bottle of something and enjoy the ambience of the beach whilst you tuck in. There’s something about the sound of the waves which soothes and calms the mind. If you’re not a ‘picnic on the beach’ type then do visit Worthing beach and save yourself cooking a meal in your holiday cottage – buy some traditional fish and chips and enjoy them on a bench watching the tide come in. Very British and very enjoyable for all the family!

We don’t think you’re ever too old for sandcastles and if there isn’t a bucket and spade in your holiday home then buy some cheap ones and head to West Wittering beach. This beach is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with stunning views of Chichester Harbour and the South Downs. It’s a beautifully sandy beach so use that bucket and spade to create a palace, a city or something completely different! Write your names or quotes in the sand and take photos so you can use them as prints when you get home.

There is a shingle beach at East Wittering so you could take a disposable BBQ and enjoy some Sussex sausages watching the sunset, or for those early birds among you, perhaps sausages while the sun rises! Watching the sun sparkle against the sea as it sets or rises is something we should all do at least once.

If you’ve taken the pooch on holiday with you please don’t leave him or her in your holiday cottage whilst you hit the beach. The beaches at Shoreham and Littlehampton West as well as Goring beach are dog friendly. There’s nothing our furry friends like more than a run along the tideline and perhaps a swim in the sea with a salty shake off afterwards!

For those of you into your fitness who like to keep up the exercise routine whilst away, the East beach at Bognor Regis has a promenade which is great for a good run (or a walk if you’re taking things easy on holiday!). The Council has also installed the “Flex on the Beach Fitness Trail” which is well worth a visit if you are looking for some free fitness activity whilst connecting with nature with the sound of the waves in the background.

Please pay a visit to this very helpful website to check on tide times for all the beaches I’ve recommended: https://www.tideschart.com. There you can easily type in the beach you’re looking for in the search bar.

We hope we’ve shown you the beaches in Sussex aren’t just for the middle of the Summer and Autumn is a great time to explore them. If you have any questions about things to do and see in the local area whilst staying in your holiday home, please contact us on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk

To keep up to date with all our latest news and ideas for your holiday property and your guests, please follow our Facebook page.

Did you know that picnic is not actually an English word? It dates from the mid 18th century from the French ‘pique-nique’ to describe a social event where each guest brings some of the food.

Here at Happy Homes Property Management we love a good picnic so we thought we’d share some of our top tips. These will help you put on a fabulous spread for your holiday outdoor feast in beautiful Sussex!

Picnic Essentials

If you’re staying in a holiday cottage it can be a little daunting to try and put a great picnic together. For the essentials we’d suggest either using plastic plates and glasses if there are some in the property or purchasing some paper plates and plastic glasses to use. These will ensure nothing gets broken and are also lighter to carry.  When you’re packing the picnic bag don’t forget the most critical element of all the picnic equipment – the bottle opener or corkscrew!

You will also need something to put the picnic on. If you don’t have a blanket or rug of your own then take a tablecloth to put the food on and sit on the grass – blankets can be heavy to carry and difficult to clean. With the British weather we’re not always assured of brilliant sunshine but you will want to keep the food cool whatever the temperature. If you do not have a coolbox in your holiday cottage, freeze some juice cartons or water bottles to act as ice blocks in the picnic bag.

You will also need a bag to take home any rubbish and we’d recommend some hand wipes as well. Make sure you pack everything up after the picnic so it makes it way back to your holiday home. This ensures you will not lose any of your deposit as the cottage owner needs to replace things.

What To Eat?

For the picnic itself, stock up at some of the fantastic farm shops we have in Sussex. Runcton Farm Shop, Chichester says it has ‘everything you need for a weekly shop’ and a lovely delicatessen for those tubs of olives and tomatoes to tuck into. If you’re after something sweet then Crossbush Farm Shop, Near Littlehampton has cakes and pastries as well as Sussex wines, beer and liqueurs. For local bread, meat and even yogurt, we’d recommend Charlie’s Farm Shop, Bury, near Pulborough. We love the fresh produce at the Sussex Produce Company in Steying and Westons Farm Shop near Horsham.

If you’re feeling more adventurous then how about doing a ‘pick your own’ session to gather the ingredients for your picnic? There’s nothing like tucking into a nice fresh punnet of strawberries or blackberries on a sunny day. Roundstone Farm, Worthing and Maynards in Wadhurst are both fantastic pick your own farms. New House Farm Shop in Horsham has pick your own crops as well as a giant Maize Maze if you fancy some entertainment whilst you’re there!

What to Drink?

A picnic wouldn’t be a picnic without a nice glass of something chilled, plus you’re on holiday so you’re allowed to treat yourself! Pop into one of the many Sussex vineyards and pick up a bottle of locally produced wine. Many of our vineyards are award winning and there are some great wines to enjoy. We can recommend the Nutbourne vineyards near Pulborough and Upperton Vineyards near Petworth. For a fantastic sparkling wine, try the Ridgeview Vineyard near Ditchling.

Where to Picnic?

So your holiday picnic should now be fit for a king with all the flavoursome local produce you’ve sourced. But where to have the picnic itself? If you love the sound of the sea then we’d suggest one our beautiful Sussex beaches. Climping Beach is a lovely quiet beach whilst the Witterings have miles of sand to enjoy. If you’d prefer some country views for your picnic then the South Downs National Park is a must. Your holiday home may be in easy reach of a National Trust property so you could combine a visit to Nymans, Sheffield Park Gardens or Standen House with your picnic.

If you need some help with ideas of places to picnic or help deciding where to visit, please contact Christopher and the team on 07825 212834 or email hello@happyhomesmanagement.co.uk.

To keep up to date with all our latest news and ideas for your holiday property and your guests, please follow our Facebook page.

Save