Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about Sea Haven
What is included in the rental price and what do we have to bring with us?
The rental price includes clean bedding and towels (the beds will be made up and ready for you) and lots of useful stuff like smart TVs, DVD, a hair dryer, a bluetooth music player, washer-dryer etc.
- Electricity for normal use is included, but if you plan to bring an Electric Vehicle you must inform us in advance and we will jointly estimate the additional electricity cost and add it to your rental price. We welcome and encourage EV use but you must pay your own travel costs. We do not provide special EV charging facilities so you should provide your own EV charger (granny charger) with, if necessary, a waterproof extension cable designed for slow EV charging - not an ordinary extension lead. Six metres should be long enough. The power supply is standard household single-phase.
- If you're planning to bring your muse along, you'll find an artists' easel and a photographers' tripod in the cupboard behind the front door.
- If you would like to use the Aga wood-burning stove at Sea Haven, bring logs (max. 25 cm), kindling and firelighters.
- The cottage is let on a fully 'self-catering' basis which means we don't provide a welcome package or stuff, other than a couple of bare essentials like a toilet roll, dishcloth, hand cleanser. Your first stop should be to Staithes Co-op!
Do you offer Short Breaks and discounts for couples or single guests at Sea Haven?
Short breaks (minimum 3 nights) are available at most times of the year.
- 20% discounts are available for couples or single travellers who do not need the second and third bedrooms on the top floor.
- See our Book page for the latest availability and pricing.
How many people can sleep at Sea Haven?
Sea Haven is typically booked by a couple but can sleep up to five if you use the attic bedrooms, so:
- Two if you booked with a couple's discount and will only use the ground floor and the principal bedroom on the first floor; or
- Five if you will also use the attic floor bedrooms, which have two single beds in a main converted attic room and another in 'The Den', a tiny separate room leading off it. These are simply-furnished rooms that are typically used by kids during the school holidays, but the beds are full-sized singles so adults can use them too.
Does Sea Haven have a smoking policy?
Yes - it's No Smoking
- Smoking, and the use of candles inside the cottage is strictly forbidden.
- You may choose to smoke outdoors, for example sitting on the terrace overlooking the sea.
Do you accept dogs?
Yes - one small dog is permitted (and there is no charge) but guest must agree to some very, very strict conditions:
- Downstairs only: Guests with a pet must agree not to permit him/her upstairs, so the staircase door must be kept closed.
- Zero pet hair: Guest with a pet must agree to thoroughly remove any pet hair, leaving no trace that a dog/cat has been present.
- Zero pet damage: Guests must agree to promptly repair or replace furniture, carpets or soft furnishings damaged or stained by pets.
- Never alone: Guests must agree never to leave a dog in the cottage when you go out. All three pubs welcome well-behaved dogs so there is no reason to leave a dog alone in the cottage.
Is there is an enclosed space for a dog?
Yes - the terrace can be closed off
- An extra section of the white picket fence lifts over to prevent Fido (or a toddler) running down the steps.
When is bin day?
Friday morning (early). Please leave the bin at the bottom of the steps.
- We pay the local council extra so that the bin is emptied weekly, not fortnightly.
- Please make sure that everything in the bin is bagged. This is important as the bin lorry is too big to get down the hill so they use an ordinary van. Anything that isn't bagged cannot be taken away.
- If possible, get rid of as much rubbish as you can (get it ready Thursday evening) rather than leaving it all until your last day as a courtesy to the next guests who won't arrive to find a full bin!
- Make sure you parked tightly so that there will be room for the bin van to get past.
How can we connect to wi-fi broadband?
The password is posted around the cottage as well as on the router in the main bedroom (behind the TV).
- If the wifi goes down, you will find guidelines with what to do in the cottage.
What if we bring a second car?
We provide only one parking permit.
- If you bring a second car see our village page for parking solutions.
Why do you offer a discount for holidays that don't start or end on a Friday?
As a courtesy to our fabulous housekeeping team, who clean for several cottage owners.
- Most changeovers take place on Fridays between 10am and 4pm, which can be a surreally busy time.
- A changeover can be hard work - particularly for a family booking with up to four beds to change.
- The Family Discount encourages arrival/departure on a less-intensive day - to ease the pressure a little.
Are there two cottages called Sea Haven at Staithes?
Kind of - another cottage on the other side of the village has a remarkably similar name.
- We are Sea Haven on Cowbar Bank. There is also a cottage called Seahaven near the Cod and Lobster.
- Staithes is a quirky kind of place - multiple cottages with the same names is not unusual.
How is Sea Haven heated?
Electric heating and a woodburner
- The electric heating includes night storage heaters, wall heaters, infra-red panel heaters, an electric towel rail, an electric stove. Winters can be cold on the Yorkshire coast so we provide plenty of heating. The storage heaters warm up overnight and release heat during the day. The other heaters have energy-saving rollback timers, so you can switch them on whenever you need them and they will turn themselves off again up to 6 hours later. If it's still cold just switch them on again. If you've gone out for the day, you won't be heating empty space.
- The Aga wood-burning stove in the living room is great for cosy fireside evenings. We do not provide logs / kindling / firelighters/matches, which you can find for sale in the village (max. log length 25cm). We encourage you to support local businesses, but in the case of logs we feel it's only right to point out that if you buy them in the village you have to lug them over the bridge and up the hill, so if you come by car you might want to pick up some logs on the way!
- We keep a steel fireguard behind one of the armchairs, which isn't strictly necessary for a stove but it's a good idea if you have kids around as the stove gets HOT. Look out for a blue laminated instruction sheet which shows how to use the stove.
