autumn cottage rentals and LS weekends... whats the secret sauce

we've done a few autumn cottage rentals now with 2 other couples and theyve been some of our best LS weekends... oct half term in the cotswolds, late sept in cornwall, early nov in the highlands. theres something about cottages in autumn... the fires, the long evenings drawing in, the mist, the smell of woodsmoke. way better LS energy than summer cottages which always feel a bit too "bbq weekend with friends". whats ur secret sauce for autumn cottage LS? location, group size, what u bring... share the tricks cos we're planning next yrs already and want to level up