For the able bodied, finding holiday accommodation is a relatively straight forward operation. For those with less mobility it can, however, be a different story.
When looking for holiday accommodation that is suitable for disabled people ensure that it has all the facilities that you require during your stay. These can include, depending on what type of disability you have, things such as ceiling hoists, to assist you in and out of bed from your wheelchair, a toilet with a pull down bar and a wheel in shower with grab rails. Some establishments can even offer care and accommodation.
Staying In Hotels and Guest Houses
It is very important to not only let any hotel or guest house owner know the extent of your disability but to also confirm that their idea of a hotel or guest house that is disabled friendly is the same as that of someone who is disabled.
There have been cases of wheelchair users arriving at establishments to be told that their, standard size, wheelchair is too big to fit through the doorways of the hotel or guest house and that they will have to transfer to the wheelchair kept on the premises.
There have also been occasions where the lift used by guests does not have enough capacity to carry both the wheelchair user and the carer, resulting in the carer having to climb the stairs and release the wheelchair user from the lift at the floor where their room is located. For this reason it may be an idea to try and book a room on the ground floor, if one is available.
Many guest houses have been converted from large family homes, which did not originally have shower and toilet facilities in every room. As a result the space allocated to the toilet and shower is often rather limited, so you should ensure that there is enough room to not only access this through the door, but that once inside the bathroom you can actually position your wheelchair to make use of the facilities. Again, as many guest houses are converted larger houses, they will often have steps up to the front door. Ask the owner what arrangements there are for the less mobile guest to access the accommodation.
It is also important to find out just how far your accommodation is from the main tourist area or the area which you plan to visit. If you have mobility difficulties, or have arrived at your accommodation by public transport, it may be awkward if your accommodation is a considerable way from these areas.
If you are planning to use the accommodation as a base to discover the wider area, and you will use public transport to do this, it may be a good idea to research how accessible local public transport is and if you need to give advance notice to travel operators regarding your travel plans.
Holiday camps are a popular choice for a wide range of holiday makers and if you are planning to book a holiday at one it is important to ask for the wheelchair friendly accommodation, as this is generally much more spacious and has facilities such as step free showers etc. If possible try and get this confirmation in writing.