If you're like me, the hardest part of travel planning is finding a place to stay. We have clear requirements - accessible, family-friendly, high speed internet (working on Wandering Educators!), and honesty. We've all heard stories (or experienced them!) of finding a place on Craigslist or through a friend of a friend, getting there, and then finding it's a dump/filthy/small/not as advertised. I've been dreaming of visiting Yorkshire, and found an excellent site for discovering accommodations - with photos, detailed dossiers, and which are vetted by the owner.

Byland Abbey at Sunset

The site? Ingrid Flute's Yorkshire Holiday Cottages. Ingrid started the business in 1970 (!) and now represents over 350 cottages on the website. Located in Whitby, it is one of the UK's longest-running  accommodations agencies - imagine how many families have experienced wonderful vacations, in part, due to Yorkshire Holiday Cottages.

Want details? Here you go:

Locations

The search box is quite easy - and covers the Yorkshire Coast, the Yorkshire Dales, the Vale of York, and the Yorkshire Moors. You can search by featured destination - Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, Richmond, Scarborough, and Runswick Bay. You can also search by town. When you get a list of cottages, each one will have a very detailed map of its location in Yorkshire.

Seascape near Robin Hood's Bay

Themes

Let's say you travel with your pet, or would prefer to stay in a particular area. You can also search by pet friendly cottages, cottages with open fires, staying near a pub, cottages near the coast, properties on one level, and cottages that are great for large groups.

Features

I love checkboxes to narrow my search. Besides searching for a radius of a location, and the number of people I'm traveling with (and bedrooms required), you can check for internet access, a garden, near a pub, close to the coast, private parking, an open fire, luxury property, on one level, and the aforementioned pet-friendly. The staff at Yorkshire Holiday Cottages inspects each property - so there are no surprises.

The Gardener's Cottage, West Ayton, Scarborough

Availablity

Each cottage has a clear calendar of availability. Some cottages have special discounts at certain times.

Details

What is great about this site is the plethora of detail about each cottage. From the layout to the furnishings, you won't be surprised. The photos are beautiful, and give a sense of place to each location.

St Hilda's View from Bedroom Window, Whitby

Other features that stand out:

A blog filled with local travel suggestions
A listing, for each geographic area, of things to do, food and drink, and the great outdoors
Secure payment options

Why not see for yourself?! Click here to visit their website.

South Bay, Scarborough

Things to see and do in Yorkshire:

History galore

If you're interested in pirates, smugglers, and press gangs, be sure to stay near Robin Hood's Bay. Did you know that Captain James Cook spent time in Whitby (and, the legend says, Bram Stoker's Dracula is buried in St Mary's Churchyard). Be sure to visit the Jorvik Viking Centre and Castle Museum, which covers 2,000 years of history.

Overlooking Robin Hood's Bay

Love Heathcliff?

Be sure to head to the Yorkshire Dales. Nature awaits you there, wild and unspoiled. You can also check out castles (at Ripley and Skipton), or visit Knaresborough Forest, where you can see the Petrifying Well.

Yorkshire Dales

Perhaps you’d like to explore the outdoors...

The North York Moors are just the place for you, starting with the North York Moors National Park (and visitor centre), located on the River Esk.

Beautiful Day on the North Yorkshire Moors

Are you all about the beach?

Be sure to stay in Whitby, one of the most popular seaside resorts in the UK. The long, sandy beach entices visitors to set up a chair and rest a spell (or dig furiously, building the sand castle to beat all sand castles).

Wherever you want to visit in Yorkshire, you'll be sure to find inspiration - and a great place to stay - at Yorkshire Holiday Cottages.

All photos courtesy and copyright Yorkshire Holiday Cottages