In our 8 years of cottage ownership, we have had MANY guests. We love our personal slice of heaven, and love also to share it. We intentionally created a space that could accommodate loads of guests, and thus far have had only great experiences — either we have a fortuitous guest-selection process, or our guests have actively vied for invitations back! If you find yourself invited to someone’s cottage and do hope to score a return, there are generally two 2 basic facts to keep in mind: 1) your hosts also want to relax, and 2) your hosts likely don’t live at their cottage and don’t want an accumulation of stuff to have to deal with later (see basic fact #1).
If you are the recipient of an invitation to a friend or family member’s personal oasis (cottage, cabin, farm, summerhouse, beach house, etc), here are some good-guest behaviour tips that will keep you on the roster:
10 Ways To Be a Good Guest (aka…how to get invited back)
- Offer to bring/prepare a meal. When you go to a dinner party at someone’s house, unless it’s potluck, your hosts are likely happy to buy/make/serve/clean-up the whole thing. If you are going to someone’s cottage for a weekend, that is a lot of buying/making/serving/cleaning up. Plus, unlike a home, where you have a pantry full of staples and/or a convenient grocery store, at a cottage almost everything that gets consumed has to be brought to & from the cottage.
- Bring your own sheets/pillowcases (unless otherwise instructed) — chances are, your hosts will be departing the cottage around the same time you are, so will not want to be left with a bunch of laundry to do, nor cart back to the city where the washer & dryer actually is. If your hosts tell you in advance they will provide bedding, consider it a bonus!
- Clean up after yourself — strip your bed, empty the waste basket in your room, offer to clean the bathroom, etc. [I get it, you might be thinking: ‘wait a sec, I have to do that at home. I don’t want to do it when I’m away.’ Fair enough, but your hosts are themselves thinking the same thing.] If you see something that needs to be done in communal spaces, offer to help with that too — clean up after meals, sweep, etc
- BYOB/BYOP. It could be our guests, but we’ve never (ever) had anyone forget to bring booze. Your hosts might have plenty for you, but don’t assume it! The same goes for any other preferences you might have (the P in BYOP…). You may prefer vegetarian fare, a certain type of milk, gluten-free options, or anything else you might consider a staple at home, but don’t assume your hosts will know or remember your preferences. Same with any allergies or sensitivities — let your hosts know in advance (bring your own allergy meds too for that matter — it might be a long drive to the nearest hospital!)
- Check with your hosts on the plumbing situation. Every cottage will have its own finnickiness (yes, I made that word up) — whether you can drink the water, need to jiggle the handle, need to let yellow mellow (ugh), etc. Just ask. Even showering…while stinky is not necessarily encouraged if it’s a cozy place, your shower water will likely end up in a septic system that ultimately has to get emptied…so shower sparingly. A jump in the lake may just do the trick (though no shampoo in the lake please!)
- Make yourself at home (as in, don’t wait to be waited on). All hosts will have their own take on this, but my general assumptions are: a) you want to relax, and b) I want to relax. So, I will show you where the fridge is (and will likely offer you your first drink), but you’re on your own after that. At home, I might not want you digging through my fridge, but at the cottage, knock yourself out!
- Do not complain about the bugs, weather, lack of cell reception/WIFI — For most people, it fills the soul to get back to nature. And since nature comes in many forms, don whatever you need to make it tolerable (bug spray, sunscreen, rain boots, etc) and get in it. Likewise, embrace the chance to eschew all things digital, and go old school — cards, games, puzzles, books, actual conversation, etc. Don’t worry, your weekend will be over soon enough, and you’ll be back to your screens, email, tweets, streaks, and likes.
- Consider ‘consumables’ if you want to bring a hostess gift (which you don’t need to bring to our place! :). Even the least sexy of consumables (toilet paper, batteries, hand soap, etc) are appreciated!
- Bring home your perishable leftovers. I don’t mean the compostable garbage, but the leftovers that you might be inclined to toss into your fridge or freezer at home. Most likely you are being kind and generous when you suggest “keep it, it will freeze”. However, if your host asks you to take it home, there is likely a practical reason for it — they don’t live there and will likely have to pitch it when they leave anyway, they don’t want a freezer full of mystery meals, they get pests/rodents if food is left behind. Notable exceptions — beer and wine — generally not much risk of them not getting consumed before they go bad!
- If you bring a watermelon, cut it up and serve it! Watermelon is great — feeds a crowd, tastes good, not too filling, universally appealing — a veritable celebration of summer. But they only do those things if cut up and served. If it doesn’t get consumed, take it home with you. (or…see last blog post for an excellent use for left-over watermelon!)
Now, if you happen to be hosting this weekend, and your guests do not read the above list in advance…for you we have created a:
Guest Tolerator
- 1 oz fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
- 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice
- splash of fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1-1/2 oz tequila
- 1 tsp simple syrup (for a batch: equal parts water & sugar on med-high heat; remove immediately from heat when it hits boil; allow to cool)
- pinch of salt
- 1-1/2 oz grapefruit soda (we used Perrier; San Pellegrino also good)
- Shake all ingredients except soda
- Pour into glass filled with ice
- Top with grapefruit soda
- Garnish with citrus of choice
- Head to the hammock, or your own secret spot, and enjoy in peace and quiet!
Song Pairing: We’re Here For A Good Time, Trooper
Enjoy your guests. They’re here for a good time. Not a long time.