From 2nd February 2008 we've introduced a new "Live Booking" system to our website. We have been improving our website ever since we started, but this really is a step change for Under The Thatch. It's all thanks to the tireless efforts of our web designer Martin.

We're now able to take debit and credit card details online. This means we can process your booking the moment you submit it and then mark the dates as taken immediately. The availability calendars are live displays of our database so you can see exactly what's free today.

We've also changed some of our pricing options. Some of our accommodation works on a strict Monday and Friday swap over so for these we'll tell you price for a Monday - Friday - Monday break. At the rest of our accommodation we now offer an open booking system. You can choose which day to arrive and how long you want to stay. We charge a set holiday fee, then a nightly rate. So the longer you stay the better value. This removes the need for the ad-hoc enquiry system. We also now automatically discount dates which haven't sold and are due to start in the next week or so. This is great value if you can come at short notice.

To book you now simply find availability in any of our calendar displays and click the date you want to start your holiday. We'll then ask you some simple questions such as when you want to leave, how many people are coming, if your bringing dogs, and if you have stayed with us before. This calculates the exact price of the holiday. If you're happy then you can simply fill in your personal and card details and make the booking. You'll see a confirmation page when you're done, and we'll email you as well. The booking will be made straight away, but we'll still check it manually for any comments you've added, and let you know if we can't process your payment card. We charge a 25% deposit and the balance is due 6 weeks before arrival. Once you've fully paid we'll tell you exactly how to get to your accommodation and how to get in. At ever stage of the process you can check the confirmation page for what we've done with your booking, and what we intend to do next.

We hope you like the "live booking" system. If you find any problems or typo's that we haven't seen during our testing then please do get in touch by email and we'll ensure it's resolved.