Self catering isn't a holiday. It's the same rubbish in a different location.

[wintersdawn]

We are currently 3 days into a 10 day self catering holiday and I'm sick of it already. My DH loves self catering holidays as they are a break from work and a different location and he can spend the whole time winding down from work and enjoying the break from the commuting routine.

But for me it's just the same shit in a different place, DD6 and DS4 still wake up early no matter how late we let them stay up. We either head off somewhere for the day which seems to always cost a fortune or involve lots of driving or stay in the house but without all their normal toys and entertainment options. We aren't near a beach this time which would normally give the children hours of entertainment, as we are staying in a relations house whilst they are away to save money. We don't have the budget to eat out each night and so the same cleaning, cooking, washing crap happens as it would at home.

I know we needed a cheap holiday this year as we've just had to replace the car and we did the kitchen at the start of the year but this is the 4th year in a row of self catering and I'm over them.

I can't be the only one who gets dragged down by self catering? Can I?

I would only SC if I could eat out every meal.

I don't do much cooking as DH does it but when we went to a caravan site we looked for somewhere half board as we both refuse to cook on our rare holidays. There are 7 of us and the last thing either of us wants to do is cook and wash up.

Cailleach

We don't like hotels and young families, done that and been there.
All inclusive isn't for us either as like to come and go as we please.
I guess we all like something different.
I'm just looking for our next main holiday next year, a lovely villa in Lake Garda and Verona.

gillybeanz do you have kids?

Ive never been to an alll inclusive hotel and had to queue up for a seat in restaurant at all. & being all inclusive doesn'tmean you're welded to the hotel does it. Its the convenience of breakfast and lunch inc drinks, not having any washing up to do etc. Once you've had lunch you can go wherever you want to go, we didn't even come back for evening meal as were full up from earlier on so grabbed snack if we felt like it when out

I find half-board almost as good actually, it will do

Point of post anyway is OP does not like SC does she? So next time should feel free to suggest something different since she's put up with it for ages now

I like my rare holidays to be a total break from the drudgery of everyday life and having to cook or clean or even trudge round a supermarket is not my idea of fun.
All inclusive is great as it just makes things so stress free. I can understand why some people don't like it and would prefer to eat out, but self catering in the true sense of the word is not for me.

gillybeanz do you have kids?

I have two and still don't ever want to go all inclusive. It just isn't for us. Plus I don't want them to have unlimited access to ice creams and juice. I want some control over what they eat.

Cailleach

Yes 2 adult and one of 13, that's why I don't do family hotels anymore
Can't be doing with toddlers, small children and their parents whilst I'm on holiday
It's good that there are places for families of course, but like I said each to their own.
I know you can skip meals or eat out if you want but then you are paying for an all inclusive you don't use, it isn't free.
We did an all inclusive when dd was little but apart from the food didn't really need any of the other facilities, went to beach across the road rather than sit round the pool of the complex.

We've stayed in the same apartment two years running and it felt like coming home this year. I like being able to get up and make coffee, potter about as if at home etc. We could never afford the same sort of space in a hotel. It may be available but it would add thousands we don't have.

I just asked DP if he would ever want to do all inclusive and he said no.

Self catering isn't for me. Definitely not a rest in the true sense of the word.

I used to hate the idea of all inclusive until
I tried it. I'm currently in an all inclusive with three restaurants (2 a la Carte), two bars, a coffee shop and ice cream parlour which are all part of the all inclusive.

It's not a cheap holiday, but given how much it is to eat out with effectively four adults, this is a no brainer.

We do a mixture of holidays. Just back from a villa holiday which was fantastic. Also did an AI earlier in the year which was also great.

I don't think any holiday is much fun though if you don't have a partner that doesn't pulls their weight!

It's not a cheap holiday, but given how much it is to eat out with effectively four adults, this is a no brainer.

Totally agree you get what you pay for. All inclusive isn't good quality if you look at what it should cost to eat in a proper restaurant.
Have you seen the kitchens and cooks, not exactly quality.
But if you want all inclusive you don't necessarily want quality but convenience.

How does AI work if you go out for the day? Do they provide a picnic lunch? We are usually out and about visiting different sites so will either want to take a picnic or have lunch in a local restaurant/cafe. Ideally we would find where the locals eat and eat in there - TripAdvisor is great for this.

My idea of a nightmare would be staying in some kind of gated complex where most people don't leave for the duration. When I go on holiday I want to explore and get to know the area, sample the local foods and wines, shop in the markets/supermarkets and eat in amazing restaurants (not necessarily pricey but fabulous local food). I suspect AI isn't for me?

We love self catering holidays but where we stay has to be better than our own house and in a location that offers something for us all. To us it's not viewed as a cheap holiday but one that offers flexibility and freedom for us to do our own thing rather than being stuck in a hotel room and confined to set eating times.

I would never stay anywhere that didn't have a dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, wifi, at least one TV and all inclusive costs.
I'm lucky in that although I do most of the cooking at home OH is willing to cook on holiday in return for him having an hour or two to himself everyday so that he can do some reading or listen to music in peace.

We've been to the same house in Cornwall for the last few years as its layout is just perfect for our family dynamics. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a mumsnetter owns it, and if she does she is lucky to have such a lovely home at her disposal. I can well understand why whoever owns wouldn't want to live there permanently but equally I'm not sure I would want to share such a lovely home with anyone else.

Shopping and cooking has never been an issue for us in that I order an online shop for when we arrive and take a home cooked pasta dish or something similar for tea on the first night. We all love a good Sunday roast, so that's booked before we go and the rest of the time we either eat out or in depending on what we can find in the local shops.

Both OH and I enjoy the freedom and flexibility that a self catering holiday offers and preparing the odd meal and washing the dishes is small price to pay, especially when the accommodation you are staying in is better than your own.

The "holiday" you have described is not, for you, a holiday. I and my partner have been on lots of self catering holidays (I've just come back from one in Brittany) with and without children that have (almost always) been fun and enjoyable, but it does usually involve

a) a beach and/or lots of things to do (funfairs, museums, parks, play spaces
b) usually alternating eating in and eating out (and the former being LOTS of carpet picnics from the supermarket to save on washing up and cooking)
c) being even handed in childcare and activities

It sounds like you have none of the above and I think you are fully qualified to be teed off.

You do get what you pay for. Absolutely. Which is why we go 4 or 5 star all inclusive. Which is why it isn't cheap. But neither was eating out in Florida last year three meals a day.

People staying on the island pay to dine in the restaurants in this hotel. So some all inclusive is very good quality with a very good reputation.

Just because you are all inclusive doesn't mean you are confined to a hotel. We've been out a number of times in our hired car and with a couple of days to go have an all day catamaran cruise to look forward to.

@Bluntness On holiday this year, we went to the beach, sightseeing, a museum and to the zoo. I don't force my children to spend every day on holiday in the supermarket! They did insist on having a photo taken outside it though. Odd children.

I don't even mind doing the washing up when I am on holiday. I find it relaxing.

Like hell you do!

PissedOffNeighbour most AI hotels will provide a picnic lunch if you order the night before.

I will stop trying to defend AI now. It clearly has a bad image- screaming toddlers - people queuing up for chips all day long, gates locked, bad food, drunk guests, shoebox rooms.

Having taken my family many holidays over the years, UK, abroad,SC , all inclusive, the best have been small family run all inclusive budget hotels in Turkey and Greece.
The quality of the food overall has been fantastic, locally sourced, fresh produce, vegetables, fish, big variety, simple but varied. Staff have been attentive, helpful and friendly, a superb source of local information.
Hotels have been quiet at night, and during the day we have mixed exploring local places of interest and days relaxing by the pool.
We have had holidays at 14 or so AI hotels over the years and never been disappointed.
We avoid the big complexes or hotels near to big tourist towns.
Maybe I have low standards, perhaps I am not classy enough to appreciate the "middle class" things in life.

I have travelled extensively extensively before I had kids. Christmas in Bali, Hill Club in Sri Lanka, Homestay in Java, Sumatra, beach huts in Thailand, lodges in Seychelles, Raffles in Singapore, Downtown San Francisco, Dubai, Morocco, most countries in Europe several times.

Strange how my standards are now so low that I am happy to join a queue for chips at a grubby all inclusive hotel.

Must be baby brain.

I suspect AI isn't for me

Ai is just a board basis, you can also go bed and breakfast or even half board, full board etc. This thread isn't about ai v self catering, It's simply self cater v everything else. The op isn't going out,and about and eating out every meal, clearly that's not her complaint, and many folks on here are waxing lyrical about eating supermarket crap like ready meals and pizza. I lived abroad for a few years, trust me mainland European supermarket crap is not different to our supermarket crap.

Pebbles, not odd but yes in my experience it's unusual for children to prefer the supermarket and think it's their fave place over the beach and the zoo etc. Nothing wrong with being different though.

We used to go sc when dcs were little as it was the only way we could have a holiday. DH always helped though - I wouldn't have done it otherwise because it would have been no different than my normal sahp life. Now the dcs are adults and don't come with us anymore, whenever dh mentions sc, I agree but with conditions : I will only prepare a basic breakfast each day, other meals will be prepared by dh or we eat out/ have takeaway. If dh wants to cook, he has to do it without me having to help him along, otherwise, as someone upthread said, I might as well do it myself. There must be a dishwasher - I do not spend my working life thinking how much I'm looking forward to doing the washing up in a different location to normal.

Only thing I don't like about AI is that there are lots of young families, and we are well past that stage!

DH and I are hoping to do AI to Mexico or the Caribbean- adults only. Bliss

I think there is probably a world of difference between 3 star AI and 5 star AI. I can't afford 5 star.

many folks on here are waxing lyrical about eating supermarket crap like ready meals and pizza

Not sure anyone is waxing lyrical about it. Just that you don't have to cook a full roast every day. I mentioned making pizzas on holiday because it's one of the easiest ways to feed gf DD. That's not easy in a lot of restaurants.

It got a bit personal because telling people that something they like is shit is always going to end badly.

primal- always 3 star AI we have done.

I love food- my family loves food.

Eating pizzas and ready meals would would put a real downer on the holiday. It's not food I would eat at home and on holiday I would expect food to at least match that standard.