Owner's Story: Finding the perfect holiday let in Falmouth

Jackie & Julian talk about their love affair with Falmouth & buying the lovely 3 Thetis Place....

The location

"It was love at first sight when we visited Falmouth on a university open day. The town was alive and buzzing, the people were welcoming and friendly and the views of the harbour from the main shopping street were amazing and that was just first impressions."

"We came back for a longer holiday, discovering the local independent shops, cafes and the superb selection of restaurants, plus lovely beaches all of which sealed our love affair and we ended up buying a cottage in Falmouth in 2017.

We had little experience of Cornwall and most of that was limited to the North coast, so the chance to simply potter in and around Falmouth, catch ferries to Flushing and St. Mawes, explore the creeks of the Helford River and discover new coves on the Lizard has been a revelation to us."

The cottage

"The cottage is one of a terrace of three, originally built for ships pilots. As soon as we stepped over the threshold, we both realised this was the place for us - we had found our dream holiday cottage.  Being in an elevated position above the town, it enjoys stunning views of the harbour, the docks and estuary, Flushing and the Carrick Roads and yet it is only five minutes’ walk from the shops. It is an upside-down house, with a first floor living room and so we spend hours watching the comings and goings of boats, yachts, ferries, tankers and cruise ships. Whenever we arrive, on the first morning insomniac Julian can be found watching the sunrise over the Roseland Peninsula, but only after one night, Cornwall works its magic and before long the stresses and strains disappear, and sleep becomes easier, deeper."

Holiday letting

"Very early on, we decided that the cottage had to earn its keep. After researching how we might market the house, we decided that an agent would be the best option for us, taking the pressure off us and with the expertise to market the house to its full potential as well as helping us make sure the house met all the legal requirements. We were most impressed with Helston based Classic Cottages, who are friendly and professional and their initial advice on how to bring the property up to a 'letting standard' was invaluable.

Our journey has been a steep learning curve, whoever said letting a cottage is easy money is wrong! To ensure our guests have a memorable holiday, takes input from so many and we have been fortunate to find some excellent local plumbers, electricians, painters and housekeepers who help us to keep the house in tip top condition. We believe in buying local wherever possible and the pay off with this is that when the toaster breaks down, the local supplier goes above and beyond to make sure the guest has a new one the same day!"  

"We wanted to share our lovely home, 3 Thetis Place, with people who would appreciate it and look after it, but still feel at home. We wanted people to arrive and go "Wow", like we do every time we return and so there is nothing more satisfying than reading the comments left by our guests in the visitors book saying "Amazing views and a great place to stay. A home from home"!"