What’s the Difference Between a Cottage and a Lodge

Cottage and lodge holidays here in the UK are becoming more popular than ever. Rather than going through the hassle of organizing a holiday abroad including buying holiday gear, arranging flights and getting to the airport early, more and more people are preferring to save money and holiday here at home.

Renting a cottage or lodge for the first time can be a totally new and thrilling experience to holidaymakers, often feeling like a home away from home with all the creature comforts you could possibly want.

In addition to this these lodges are typically in beautiful rural locations with areas of beauty right on your doorstep; not to mention that these holidays are typically more affordable for the average family than a trip abroad.

Key Difference Summary

A common misconception is that you can do both a lodge and a cottage when it comes to a holiday rental however they are huge differences between the two types of the properties and one might suit you over the other depending on what exactly you want your home to consist of and look like as well as the price. We are going to look at the differences between both of these types of properties and explain what makes each unique and how it might fit into what you’re looking for.

Price

This is probably the biggest difference between a cottage and a lodge. Typically when browsing for a holiday home to rent you’ll expect to find that cottages are usually dearer to rent. This is usually because when you’re going to rent a cottage it is or has been somebodies home so it has been designed to reflect the owners’ character and style. On the contrary lodges usually have a similar styling to one another and lodge parks can be created quite quickly.

To have a look at the price difference I had a look at some lodges and cottages of similar sizes and locations in Scotland for 2 guests over 3 nights and found the following prices:-

Home Luxuries

Although typically log cabins and other types of lodges will be furnished with all the modern and standard appliances you’d expect out of an accommodation if you want the added luxuries cottages are more likely to include these. For example lodges typically won’t have their own gardens however if you were to rent a cottage out you’d probably find that you have your own garden both to the front of the rear with these sometimes being enclosed giving you that perfect sense of privacy and making it feel like your home.

Locations

Lodges usually are built together on a plot of land for a specific purpose, for example if it was a holiday park the land would have been bought specifically for that reason and all the lodges placed there. However when it comes to cottages you can expect to find them literally anywhere, whether this be up in a rural part of the Scottish Highlands or on the shores of the Lake Windermere, or even if it’s on the outskirts or a major city this is what makes cottages special whereas you don’t get as much variance with lodges.

Pet Friendly

Both lodges and cottages tend to be pet friendly allowing guests to bring their four legged friends along with them to share the experience with. However when it comes to lodges, holiday parks for example have usually been situated where they are so that there are many different routes for you to walk your dogs along or beaches nearby for example. This can be the same with a cottage you’re renting however due to where the cottage could be placed in an extremely rural community official dog walking routes could be hard to find.

Activities

One of the main reason people pick holiday parks that are full of lodges for example are the facilities and on-site amenities. Typically to entice people to come to the holiday park and rent a lodge for the week or the weekend they want everything to be in one place, whether this be entertainment at night for the kids, amusements and arcades, or even a restaurant or bar to relax in at night. Cottages due to their locations can sometimes be a bit further adrift from such activities, sometimes with a pub in the local village to visit for some food which can sometimes be a fair walk away.

Privacy

Although there are a range of activities to experience at holiday parks at the same time these lodges or caravans are usually in close proximity to one another meaning you don’t get as much privacy and seclusion as you would for example in a cottage that is set down a rural village lane in the Cotswolds. Again it is all down to personal preference and whether you want privacy and seclusion away from other guests or you’d rather sacrifice this to have the onsite facilities and activities.

Size

Cottages usually had been someone’s home in the past and therefore the sizes can range from accommodating a large and extended family to a smaller family. Whereas the intention behind the construction of lodges and caravans were purely and simply for the rental market. It is for this reason that the sizes will usually be quite rigid so if you have a party of 8-10 people and you want to rent a cabin or lodge you’ll usually struggle to get this. Whereas cottages can accommodation this many people if you look hard enough. Many websites online such as hoseasons will allow you to filter by how many bedrooms or people you need the property to accommodate.

So coming back to the original question, should you go for a cottage or lodge? Well simply put, it all depends on what you need and want from your holiday experience. Each of the sections above are areas of concern to consider when choosing between a cottage or lodge. For example if you have a strict budget then a lodge might be the way to go but if you want privacy and seclusion then it may be preferable to pick a cottage, it is all down to you.

It is always worth putting in the extra time into researching and finding the perfect property for you as the time put into this will pay off with the experience and satisfaction you have during your break. Not only this but it is also worth looking at the photos of the place you have in mind as well as checking out reviews of past guests to see how they enjoyed the experience.

We wish you a good holiday whether it is a lodge or a cottage you’re staying in and wherever you are staying