The price of holidays has skyrocketed in recent years - including staycations - leaving many families struggling to take a break amidst the cost of living crisis.
With so many people priced out summer getaways, a generous offer from friends to stay in their seaside holiday home would be welcomed by most.
If that offer comes free of charge, you might feel compelled to get your pal a small token of appreciation to show your thanks. That way, they may invite you back again.
But one woman was left insulted after she "gifted" a friend a £600+ holiday, only to be left a bottle of "budget wine."
She took to Mumsnet to write: "We have a static caravan on the coast - it's nothing fancy but on a nice park near nice beaches and if you rented one through the site it would cost between £600-£800 for a long weekend low season (and way more for peak season or a week). It can sleep six, though five more comfortably, as two bedrooms and a sofa bed.
"We don't rent it out through the company because we want to just go when we fancy and we also leave all our stuff there - some food supplies, bathroom stuff, kids' toys, etc whereas we'd have to clear completely each time if we rented it out.
"But we do let friends use it for free if we are def not going, for example, if we know we have a weekend at home, then we'd let them use it then. Lots of people have done this and mostly it is fine."
She then went on to explain that the people that had stayed in the past had left gifts such as "posh hampers", and a "box of milk tray", but she wasn't happy with one particular guest she'd allowed in her holiday caravan.
She continued: "I don't want people borrowing it because they don't have much money to then spend money they don't have on expensive gifts. And the only cost to us is wear and tear, and utilities (we have started asking for a tenner a night to cover utilities).
"Anyhow one friend has borrowed the caravan three times with two of her friends - so three adults all with decent jobs and no dependents. The first time they left us a nice bottle (yes we said thank you). The second time they left us nothing. We said nothing. The third time they left us a bottle of wine from the basics range of a supermarket.
"Am I being unreasonable to be a bit cross at them leaving nothing time and the budget wine? Obviously, I can just not lend them it again but I just feel a bit taken for granted. I mean I don't need gifts as such, I just feel it's a bit taking the mickey. Like turning up for dinner at someone's house without flowers or a bottle of wine. But maybe I have been spoiled by the people who send hampers.
"Interested to know views and what you would leave if gifted a £600+ holiday. We are borrowing a friend's house later this year for a week and I was going to get them a case of wine as a thank you - an Airbnb for the same amount of time is over £1,500."
In the comments, people were left confused at why the group wouldn't have left a gift, with some trying to work it out.
One wrote: "Tricky one, I do agree it's the polite thing to do and not great they didn't, but also like you say you don't actually expect anything. Is there a chance you said something like 'oh, you shouldn't have' when they gave a gift the first time?"
Someone else explained: "We have a second home that we use similarly to you. We don't charge friends for the use, especially as it's expensive to get there (ferry journey) and it's good to have it lived in, kept warm etc.
"Most people leave it clean and tidy and we've had nice gifts, plus most people offer a donation to bills etc, which we do take up as it's expensive these days to run the heating/hot water.
"People who leave it a mess or take it for granted we simply don't offer it again. We have a cleaner but she shouldn't be washing dishes and the bathroom has been left very dirty on a couple of occasions.
"A simple 'sorry, it's not available' seems to work, I think cheeky f*****s know fine what they did. I don't need gifts and the payment is useful, but I don't like being taken advantage of.
"One lovely family we know, for example, can't afford much but they always leave a lovely card, a bottle of wine in the fridge, and some artwork their little girls have done for us!"
Another fumed: "Do not offer again. It's extremely rude of them."
But others defended the woman who stayed over, writing: "Surely the cheap wine still cost more than a box of milk tray?! So why is one acceptable to you and one isn't?"
Do you have a similar story to share? Email: danielle.wroe@reachplc.com
