Whether you own a holiday cottage or are contemplating doing so one day, you are welcome to get in touch - here is a bit of info on how it works with us.
We are a family run holiday letting agency based in Porlock Weir - if you haven't yet met the team, check out our about us page. Since starting up in 2005, we have helped an ever growing number of cottage owners make the most of their properties, while spreading the word to share the wonders of Exmoor to people from far and wide .
We believe that through making our guests and owners happy, we are all winners. We opt for a unique approach to holiday letting, offering one of the most flexible and personal services available, allowing you to sit in the driving seat as much or a little as you like. With aspects such as no set up fees, no minimum join up period, unlimited advice and round the clock support, we go out on a limb to help our owners get started. We are happy to invest our time, resources and expertise into getting your business off the ground, because we are confident that if we do a good job, you will stick with us for the long run.
We are a tiny, independent and local team - you will really get to know us like family. With our experience of the holiday letting industry, we are confident we can guide you to make the most out of your property for the least hassle.
We have few overheads and new efficient methods to help keep costs down while providing you with the most proficient of services. This allows us to keep our commission down and spend the maximum amount possible on marketing your property and finding new guests. Through providing a service second to none, we ensure our guests keep returning to us year after year, helping you to see your holiday home business grow.
We have developed our own state of the art booking system, allowing a streamlined search and booking process for our guests and the easiest admin experience for our owners. We can set any arrival day or duration of stay to suit you, with flexibility to adjust this for the time of year. You can login to view your bookings if you wish to, or use our automated reminders and notifications sent directly to yourself and your housekeeper to keep you in the know at all times.
Many agencies stipulate a maximum number of owner bookings, or prevent you using the property during peak weeks. We feel that one of the great benefits of owning a holiday property is being able to use it yourself. So let us know whenever you fancy taking a holiday!.
Rather than using rigid banding structures to set holiday prices through the year, we uniquely tailor prices for each property. We know the local market well and our aim is to achieve maximum profit for you, however we are totally flexible to adjust prices to reflect what each booking is worth to you.
We can discuss with you the benefits and drawbacks of who can use your cottage - let us know what you're comfortable with and we'll stick with that.
One of our core values is to support the local economy here on Exmoor. By bringing guests to Exmoor and directing them to pubs, shops and other small businesses, we hope to see the local economy thrive. We aim to achieve high occupancy of cottages through the off peak season helping owners and local businesses alike.
Tourism brings in roughly £440 million of revenue to National Parks across the UK. However Exmoor is currently one of the least visited of the National Parks, and we hope that by working together, we can help bring Exmoor to the forefront, sharing this magical place to new visitors for everyone's benefit.
If this is your first time holiday letting, it can seem a daunting task. Whether you want to make the most of a second home or are considering investment options and looking for advice on what or where to buy, we will share all that we know with you.
Over the years we have developed a great idea of what guests really want, from styling to inventory,
Everyone is welcome here - even if you are with another agency. We don't demand exclusivity and are happy to market alongside them (our booking system integrates with existing calendars). Feel free to get in touch with us if you want to chat through your options.
Yes! Our passion to help small businesses is extended to all holiday cottage owners on Exmoor. With the holiday letting industry evolving rapidly, it is tricky for independent owners to get ahead of the crowd. We are happy to fill your empty weeks, if you are keen to continue to take your own bookings alongside us.
A few advantages of getting us involved..
- You can put your feet up and have a cuppa if you want to! We can take care of everything involved in finding and managing bookings
- Never miss a guest; our round the clock responses to enquiries by email, live chat, or over the phone ensure that we make the most of every opportunity
- Fill your calendar; our state of the art marketing and advertising methods give you maximum exposure to all potential new guests
- Satisfy those who want it now! Our booking system price generation and payment methods allow guests to find what they want and book instantly
How much does it cost? - we take a commission of the bookings we find you. We are proud to offer the most competitive of rates, allowing you to make the most of your holiday letting business.
How much can I make from my property? - This is a big question, depending on property size, location, styling and various other factors. We are happy to guide you on likely estimates and provide income figures of similar properties to give you an idea. Beware other agencies offering estimates of 'number of weeks sold' or estimated peak week prices - they can be misleading and not necessarily the best indicator of how well your property will perform. We offer guidance according to projected income figures across the year, which tend to be a much more useful marker of the success of your holiday let.
What do I have to do? - Get in touch! Drop us an email and we can give you a call back - we can have a chat about everything and guide you through the next simple steps of getting started with us.
Try our live chat button - whenever we can, we'll help out in an instant on the live chat - it will always be one of us, Chris, Nat or Harry
Or use the contact form to send an email
"We are delighted to have enlisted The Best of Exmoor to market our cottage. The fact that the company is small and extremely local to Exmoor was what attracted us initially. The very personal approach, flexibility, and above all effectiveness (four months completely booked so far from a standing start) has confirmed our feelings.
Two well-known large west-country holiday cottage agencies were also keen to have our cottage on their books, but neither could come even close to matching The Best of Exmoor track record in their booking projections."
David and Nicky Ramsay
"We're coming to the end of our 4th year in partnership with The Best of Exmoor and it's been a tremendous success with full bookings within months of taking the plunge. We are particularly pleased by the demand during the 'off' season which is much to the credit of the thoughtful attention given to marketing and pricing which has led to the establishment of a loyal group of repeat visitors.
As it is our own home we were initially concerned about wear and tear but this has proved unfounded - our guests treat the place with as much respect as we do and we genuinely enjoy sharing it with them. We're very happy to recommend The Best of Exmoor."
Anne and Michael Ridley
"We have been letting our property with Best of Exmoor since 2013, and it has been a great success from day one. We chose Chris and his team because they are local and they both know and love the area.
Unlike national agents that we spoke to, Best of Exmoor don't place restrictions on when we can stay in our own property, and don't charge an annual fee - they only get paid if the cottage is let. They offer flexible booking arrangements, with our guests able to book with few restrictions placed on start dates or duration. We continue to be pleasantly surprised at the excellent occupancy rate through the year, and with less wear and tear than we had anticipated. Best of Exmoor run a smooth and efficient operation - any queries are answered promptly - and they notify the housekeeper of bookings, which minimises the 'hassle' factor for us. Overall, choosing Best of Exmoor has been a great decision both for our business and for us personally, and we don't hesitate to recommend their services to other owners."
Peter and Jacqui Brasted
