Booking Info

Booking process

Please check the availability and price for your preferred dates on this website.

• Bookings are only confirmed with a 50% deposit payment.
• The balance is due 8 weeks before the rental period starts.
• Our preferred form of payment is by bank transfer.

After a rental period has been agreed, we try to speak with our future guests to ensure that the cottage will be mutually suitable. If this is after your deposit has been paid and together we decide that the rental is not appropriate for your group we will then, immediately, return any deposit paid by you.

Rental periods

• Week rentals are from Saturday at 3.30pm to Saturday at 10am.
• In the low season we offer some weekend and midweek breaks. If these are not shown as available then please contact us.

For more important booking information; what’s included, what to plan etc – please carefully read the below.

What is included?

Your quoted rate is for the private use of the property for the agreed number of guests. Please let us know when booking if you require the foldaway futon.
We provide: utilities; all bedding, and towels; a good hairdryer; iron and ironing board; and an initial supply of toilet rolls. Quite often you’ll find other useful bits and pieces left from the previous guests such as washing up liquid, laundry powder, bin bags, toilet rolls, sugar, salt/pepper, cooking oil, flour, jams etc; as well as dishwasher tablets, rinse and salt. We ask that you replenish any stocks of these that you find on arrival and which you use, so that the guests who follow can enjoy the same benefit.

In the sitting room the shelves are brimming with books and DVD’s for all ages. Outside you’ll find a BBQ for summer.

What you need to bring?

In our pre-arrival information we will give you full guidance and tips on what to bring. If you have any questions in the meantime please contact us.
If you have an infant then you must bring your own travel cot, bedding and high chair as we do not provide these.

Local food and provisioning

Because of the location then thinking ahead is important for island holidays. All the usual home delivery services operate for Holy Island: Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury. The post code for delivery is TD15 2SD.

For those that like to shop themselves, then Sainsbury’s in Alnwick, just off the A1, is good and there are a number of main supermarkets in Berwick upon Tweed, including Morrison’s and M&S.

Eating out on the island, in one of the several pubs is a treat. Or the Post Office offers a great take-away menu as does the Crown & Anchor. For eating out, the basics rule is book ahead and be prepared to eat early.

We are able to provide freshly caught uncooked lobster and crabs and will need one weeks notice so please advise prior to your arrival. Pricing will of course depend on the current market levels.

Parking

There is parking available immediately in front of the house, but we strongly request that guests keep to the slot immediately in front of the cottage as our neighbours on either side can understandably get a little miffed when their space is taken or blocked. Parking spaces come under pressure when it’s busy and the island residents get understandably protective of ‘their’ spaces. We ask our guests to be courteous and sensitive to this.
There is unrestricted parking close by where you can leave your car safely during your stay if, once unpacked, you do not use it regularly.

Extra Services

Please let us know if you need any additional services such as catering, childminding or housekeeping and we will happily put you in touch with excellent local providers.

Guest responsibilities

We want you to relax and enjoy your stay at Eider Duck but with that comes certain responsibilities. These are set out in the information pack provided in the cottage and in our Terms and Conditions of Booking. You and your party should take the time to read these documents.

Pets

Holy Island is great for dog walking and so we allow a maximum of one well behaved large dog breed or two well behaved small breeds per booking unless otherwise agreed by exception. We do not permit any other pets. We allow dogs on the clear understanding that under no circumstances are they allowed to lie on the bedding or chairs or sofa and we ask our guests to show this respect for the property. We will ask you to pay for any damage from a dog during your rental and we insist that all dog mess please be removed.

Please make sure to tell us you are bringing your dog(s) when you make your booking. We charge a supplement of £25 per dog.

Smoking

Eider Duck is a no smoking property and we ask you to strictly respect this.

We allow smoking in the garden but please ensure there are no cigarette butts or debris left in the garden.

Holy Island tides

Holy Island is cut off by the tide twice a day and at high tide the sea covers the causeway so you need to plan your holiday carefully. Whilst there are plenty of notices about how dangerous the tide can be, if you are driving we urge you to take the advice seriously. Around 50 cars each year get stuck in the tide, and often the drivers and passengers must be airlifted to safety and the car is written off. Our advice is to heed the times and be safe, always crossing the causeway with plenty of time to spare. You can find Holy Island tide tables here.

Extra charges you can expect when you stay

The main clean inside the cottage is covered in your rental fee. However, we will ask you to remove all rubbish and leave the cottage in a clean and tidy condition at the end of the rental period.

Unlike some cottages we do not ask to hold a breakages deposit, but we reserve the right to charge additional costs for cleaning (above costs included in the rental), and damage repair or breakages, if either we or our representative consider that the property or its contents have been left in an unacceptable condition.

COVID Cancellation Policy - All Eider Duck Cottage bookings for 2021

We are very hopeful that for 2021 our world will be back to normal. But in case it isn’t we have put the following temporary Covid cancellation policy in place. The following applies to all previously made bookings, new bookings and transferred credit bookings.

• You must make a non-refundable 50% deposit payment to secure your booking
• We will not ask you for the balance payment until 8 weeks prior to your visit.
• If you decide not to come at this point you can roll your 50% deposit to another date up to Nov 2022. Your decision does not have to be based on an official Government travel restriction at this point.
• If official Government travel lockdown restrictions are put in place after you have paid the balance, meaning you cannot make the trip, you will be able to use a credit for the total amount you have paid towards another booking up to Nov 2022.
• If you decide that you do not want to come within the 8 weeks prior to arrival, but there are no official Government travel restrictions, you will be cancelling your booking and no refund or credit will be given.
• If Government travel restrictions come into force midway through your stay and you have to leave, it will not be possible to refund or give a credit for any part of your accommodation cost.
• If you wish to make a claim on your travel insurance then we will supply any documentation you need.

All other T&Cs remain the same.

Terms and Conditions

All guests booking Eider Duck are advised to take out personal cancellation insurance. Any request to cancel a booking must be sent (mail or email) to us in writing. Whilst the Guest remains liable for the final payment by the due date as shown when booking and in our booking conditions, we will re-offer the property for let and will use whatever means we deem reasonable to re let the property for the booked period.

In the event that we are unable to re-let the property for the booked period, the applicant will forfeit the 50% deposit and will be liable to pay the balance of the total rent less 10%.

In the event that we are able to re-let the property for the booked period, we will credit the rental received less a booking fee of £50.