Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think there's no need to eat out every night of a holiday?

182 replies

JQuinnS · 19/03/2017 00:13

We're going away soon and are staying in a resort/hotel that has a small kitchen in the room. We have decided to not do all inclusive/eat out at the town. There's no reason to not cook something at least a couple of needs. Is there really a need to eat out every night? Not being arsey, genuinely wondering. AIBU?

OP posts:
YetAnotherSpartacus · 19/03/2017 12:39

But I don't understand the laundrette/luggage thing. There's another thread where people are going to all sorts of ridiculous lengths to avoid paying for a checked in suitcase. I don't want to be shopping for basics that I already have at home, wearing and discarding old clothes or finding and sitting around in laundrettes on holiday, so we always take one medium sized hold case as it's much easier

We pay for the checked in suitcase and bring it home full of cowbells, ceramic spoons, exotic alcohol, t-shirts, bling, colourful lamps, other more serious stuff and whatever else we can find. :)

When we find laundrettes they are almost always near bars or restaurants and so we drink (and / or eat) and duck. Sometimes we pay for a service wash. It's all part of the fun.

BackforGood · 19/03/2017 17:47

This does totally depend on the set up though.

We've self catered in caravans, and then cottages in the UK for years, and would cook easy things most nights - it was easier when the dc were little and also cheaper as we were a bit strapped for cash then.

First time we went on a 'package' - shorthaul into Europe - I assumed we'd do a mix of eating in and out, but the "kitchenette" in the apartment was so poor it just wasn't practical - no oven to stick a pizza in, only 2 rings on the hob, one of which was temperamental and very little in the way of equipment.
Now we either go All Inclusive (which I love, and we've only ever had brilliant food quality and choices), or we stroll down the local 'strip' or restaurants and eat there. With older dc, it's relaxing and lovely and 'makes' the holiday for us.
No choice is 'right' or 'wrong' though - just do what you like. No need to sneer at anyone else's choices.

TheNaze73 · 19/03/2017 17:48

Don't see the point of going on holiday, if you're going to cook yourself. What's all that about?

LynetteScavo · 19/03/2017 17:58

I chose somewhere where I can cook when I go on holiday. I find eating out every meal a bit tiresome.

But I Were staying somewhere like the OP I would probably eat out for some meals and also have a few simple meals That I'd chosen in advance. I'm a bit of a control freak.

skerrywind · 19/03/2017 17:59

thenaze- I agree.

I do 95% of the cooking at home.
Cooking on holiday is not a holiday to me.
And it's not just chucking a few chops on the grill. It's the shopping, the washing up, dealing with waste, dirty sinks, brushing up dropped stuff, wiping cookers and surfaces.

No thanks.

BeyondThePage · 19/03/2017 19:22

Don't see the point of going on holiday, if you're going to cook yourself. What's all that about

Allergies
fussy eaters
lack of money
perhaps only a few local restaurants (don't want to eat the same every night)
local "hygiene" standards (I'm not eating crap from a cart in the street)
can relax in a swimsuit, by a pool with a pizza instead of getting dressed up and going out
can all drink what you want - no driving to do

But mostly money... 2 weeks in the US in a villa - eating out $70- $150 for 4 for a 2 course meal.
Takeaway Papa John's for 4 $35-45, supermarket chicken and salad for 4 $20, Supermarket readymade lasagna and garlic bread for 4 $20

When 4 meals in can be bought for the price of one meal out and you can spend the extra on experiences like hugging a sloth, I'll go for the experiences EVERY time!

I don't see the point of going on holiday and sitting in a restaurant every evening, we are all different.

littleme2017 · 19/03/2017 19:33

There is no need but I love having the option of doing it!!

That said though, you can guarantee we will always buy crisps and bread no matter what board basis we are staying on because sometimes you just can't beat a bag of crisps or a round of toast either before you go out on an evening or when you come home!

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 19/03/2017 19:42

Do whatever you want.

We often camp, so that tends to be a mix of cooking and eating out. I find cooking when camping a very different experience to cooking at home, and much more relaxing.

When DS1 was little he had food allergies. I found static caravans particularly good for a few years because I could cook more varied food than his sole choice of fishfinger and chips off a children's menu. It also meant we had a separate bedroom for the young children and we could relax in the lounge.

When his allergies eased and we needed less caution with his diet, we went for an all inclusive for a change. It was lovely to have one week off catering and planning food. It's not my usual type of holiday, but it was what I needed that particular time.

Parker231 · 19/03/2017 19:42

We did self catering when DC's were small - I hated it - it was more work not less and didn't feel like a holiday. We now go long haul but haven't done a resort or All inclusive. We eat out every meal - for us it's a big part of the holiday - trying different restaurants, finding new and unusual places to eat and going back to the same place if they become favourites.

ClementineWardrobe · 19/03/2017 19:47

Lunch out is best for us, then trip to local supermarket for local bread, cheese, wine, dips. Buy the local produce, eat in room. Make sure your room has a balcony with a view. After dinner, go to local bar if we feel like it. We do this at least half the holiday evenings. If there are self catering facilities then we use them for breakfast.

Whathaveilost · 19/03/2017 19:58

When I go on holiday by myself I tend to have breakfast in the apartment and then graze for the rest of the day. However when I go with DH he likes to eat out at lunch and eat out in the evening. I don't really like it but go with it because he only goes away for about 3 or 4 weeks a year and I go a lot more so I am happy that he's happy!

Soapandglory · 19/03/2017 20:07

It's preference isn't it?

When I go away I don't want to have to do chores, I want a break from all that, so I like to eat out.

Having said that, our youngest isn't much fun to eat out with especially after a busy day. So this year we've decided to eat in our holiday apartment half the time.

It's a UK holiday and the apartments are really fancy so the kitchens will definitely be well equipped, we will keep it simple, shop bought pizzas etc.

Hoping to eat lunch out most days, go to a couple of our favourite pubs/restaurants on the evening and eat in the rest of the week.

skerrywind · 19/03/2017 20:09

whathaveilost = yes but do you have kids?

Blondeshavemorefun · 19/03/2017 20:58

we always eat out, its a holiday, i dont want to cook and wash up

tho a fe3w years ago, we did one night decide to cook,never again

cooking in 30* isnt fun,small steamy kitchen, was hot and bothered when finished, then still had to wash up-which i never do at home as have dw

cost of meal was more then if we went out to local resturant

Whathaveilost · 19/03/2017 21:12

whathaveilost = yes but do you have kids?
Yes and it was friggin' expensive when they were young teenagers!!!

All the eating did my head in!!

Increasinglymiddleaged · 20/03/2017 17:49

Don't see the point of going on holiday, if you're going to cook yourself. What's all that about

Do you really hate cooking that much? 😂

amusedbush · 20/03/2017 17:53

To me, going out for food is a massive part of the holiday. We don't go on "sunshine" holidays, instead going on city breaks but I wouldn't cook for myself unless it was financially necessary. And in that case, I'd say I couldn't actually afford to go away because I can't bear half-arsing a holiday.

NavyandWhite · 20/03/2017 17:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bluntness100 · 20/03/2017 18:03

Owlina, no they're not prisons but I just don't enjoy all that sheeple stuff of queuing for mediocre restaurant buffet food and being surrounded only by other holiday makers

Lottylovesbread · 20/03/2017 18:07

We've done both all inclusive (5* only with restaurants attached to hotel) and we've stayed in apartments. In fact we toured Europe for a month and having to cook or spend a stupid amount of time finding restaurants took the enjoyment out of it. Also food quality is not so good in Europe unless you're shopping for raw ingredients.

It will be a long time before I go back to cleaning my holiday kitchen or bathroom because I'm too snobby to sit with 50 others in a hotel restaurant...

Ecureuil · 20/03/2017 18:19

Of course there's no need to eat out every evening. And what's arsey about it?! Odd thread.
I've only been AI once and didn't enjoy it. We usually hire a villa with a proper kitchen but since having the DD's we tend to have a big lunch out then DH and I will have olives/bread/cold meats etc when they're in bed.
Pre DC we would have eaten out every evening, finding good local restaurants is a big part of our holiday.
Everyone else can do what they want though, why would anyone care what other people do on their holidays?

Wtfdoipick · 20/03/2017 18:20

I love a good AI as it means I can relax totally and just relax. A city break for a weekend then I would eat all meals out. A week long city trip I prefer a kitchen to prepare simple meals. Camping I am quite happy to cook, there is something relaxing about it. If I'm in a villa somewhere then I tend to do a mix of cooking and eating out. There is no set rule as far as I'm concerned it's just what feels right for the holiday.

Lazyafternoon · 20/03/2017 19:05

With our 3 year old the idea of having to go out to eat (even just down to hotel restaurants) for every meal would be such a chore I really don't fancy it.

Its not about money or wanting to try new local foods, or hating/loving cooking it's just doing what's least stressful!!!

We prefer to eat out for lunch, then do DS tea in the accommodation, put him to bed then we'll eat after he's in bed. Much more relaxing than trying to drag an over tired toddler into a restaurant. Might be something local from the market, might be pizza from the spar shop or might be bread and cheese or whatever, but it'll probably be eaten on the terrace washed down with plenty of local wine! We go to quiet self catering places that don't have evening entertainment and quite happy sitting out reading/playing cards in the evening.

milliemolliemou · 20/03/2017 21:30

As other PPs have said it's what you like. I love cooking on holiday especially with hugely fresh stuff from markets including sea food and veg that I might not find so cheaply at home - my DCs had sea food from 3 years and still love it. Would have cost a fortune in a restaurant. And I found it so much more relaxing after a day in the sea to get back, shower, open a bottle and start cookig while DCs still played. I find always eating out a bore but if you have more kids and cook endlessly can understand. But a lunch of local bread, cheeses, olives, tomatoes - what's not to like?

tovelitime · 20/03/2017 21:35

I'm slightly obsessed with holiday supermarkets so when we go SC we like to eat breakfast and lunch in the apartment, lovely bread, olives, ham and salad and we do the odd barbecue. We eat out the rest of the time but sometimes we get a bit fed up of siting in restaurants and enjoy cooking something a bit different and trying out local ingredients