Is it still a restful holiday if you have to cook?

[timberleigh]

Usually we go on holidays to places where we can afford to eat out for every meal. Often skip breakfast out because some yoghurt and granola or cereal is fine.

We are considering going to a very expensive place for a week’s holiday. A mid range meal out for two would easily be £150. We just don’t want to spend that much on food every day, so we’ve found an apartment with a kitchen so we could cook in maybe half of the nights. Will this trip still feel restful?

It's not just the cooking though. It's the planning, shopping, prep, cooking, clearing away, and washing-up. If you have someone to share it with maybe but if you're the only adult with kids it sucks.

I hate paying for AI and when mine weee younger we always self catered and it was fine. Wine on garden work a crossword of an evening in a French cottage. Blissful. Now they're up until more or less same time as me so it's tiring and I hate the pressure as it's still me " thinking " and buying and cooking it. I think an apartment hotel would be a good balance.

Sometimes is my answer When my children were little we used to go camping (cheaper and less stressful as nothing to break that wasn't ours!!) in a trailer tent/folding camper which had a two burner gas hob fitted. We were always on a budget but I (most of the time) enjoyed the challenge of producing filling meals for a family of 5 on just 2 rings with no oven. As it was usually raining and/or cold we had a lot of mince based meals with potatoes or rice or pasta, or chicken in a deep sided frying pan with veggies and a sauce served with some filling carbs.

We did treat ourselves to fish and chips on one night and a couple of pub meals but in those days pubs didn't serve food until 7pm and our kids were ready for bed by then!

It works for us. We usually book the same villa, on its own, with a fantastic view and a decent, well equipped kitchen. Breakfast at home, lunch out, then we make simple, decent meals on an evening. Sit on the terrace, stare at the view, glass of wine in hand. Bliss!

Depends where you’re going, what the cooking facilities are like and how easily accessible eating out would be if you didn’t have to cook.

We always cook on UK breaks and abroad if we have a villa with proper facilities. Not sure I would want to cook in the kitchenette of my beach apartment if there are tavernas just down the road I could eat at instead.

in any case we would always buy breakfast things in and take lunches with us - much cheaper, fresher and you get the joy of the local supermarkets as well.

I love cooking so have no issue with it whatsoever but I can see that if you don't enjoy cooking it's a bit of a drag to do it on holiday.

It depends where you're going and what you mean by cooking.

I don't cook like I do at home on holiday, but stick with simple things. Steak and salad, omelette, seafood or good quality ready meals. I like cooking with a glass of wine and a chat.

The last few years we have been AI for this very reason but going self catering this year.
It's on the agreement that we have simple dinners and option for a few meals out. I'm only doing basics though - salads with meats and cheese, a 15 min pasta etc. I refuse to be cooking every night up to 2 different meals (which happened a few years ago on a self catering holiday)

I don't think I could be bothered cooking abroad anymore,I did when the kids were younger now I'd rather not.

I would get a reasonable take away or insist that you share the cooking so you don't have to do it all. I think it can still be restful as you will have the rest of the time....cooking doesn't take all day!

Budget has almost always dictated self catering. We cook easy food. Sausages & salad, pre made quiche or fish & chips from a box in the oven. Where possible we cook a double amount so we don't have to cook the next night. Lunches are ham & cheese sandwiches, easy salads or a roast chook & bread rolls.

Also, have you looked for restaurants a bit further afield from the tourist strip? It becomes a LOT cheaper. For example, we just returned from Japan and saw the prices at a noodle bar right next to a major shrine & it was western prices. Nope. Went to the local noodle bar next to our hotel & it was about 25% of the price, much quieter & the food was more authentic.

Or Switzerland. Or Iceland. We didn't spend quite that much as we stuck to less expensive places and only had one course and one beer.

But if you want steak or lamb, more than one course, and wine, it could easily have been at least £150 to £200 per couple.

But there's plenty of nice supermarket food that's no effort to cook, so can still be a restful experience.

I cook on holidays but I enjoy cooking. It doesn’t feel like a chore when I have time to do it.

We do still tend to have the odd meal out but I like being able to decide between the two.

I think it depends how you approach it. My kids loved going around markets or even foreign supermarkets were an adventure. 10 minutes washing up with a glass of wine while the kids were in bed didn't really bother me. I happily pay the price of a little bit of tidying round to have a villa with private pool and separate bedrooms. But different people prefer different things.

If it's shared it can be restful. If it's mum doing it, same as at home, it's not restful for the cook.

To me, yes- I love cooking and having that time to explore local markets and cook a lovely leisurely meal with a glass of wine is part of what I enjoy on holiday. But if you hate it then no, not for you.

It’s ok if you have a partner and kids who will help with meal prep and do the clearing up, and eat the food without complaint (or not eat, but sort themselves out something else). Even better if they each choose a meal, shop for it and make it.

It’s no fun if everything is on you, and then people moan about it.

I also keep it simple, as it’s surprisingly time consuming shopping and cooking in a different country with a different range of ingredients and utensils etc.

I think it might be ok as you are eating out some of the time (so not cooking every evening). I would also be absolutely insistent that the cooking nights would be split alternately between you. It's so unfair when one person carries on skivvying on holiday while the other puts their feet up.

We've done aparthotel holidays where we had breakfast and a picnic lunch at "home" most days and ate out in the evening. It saved loads of money and wasn't really much bother. I would not have wanted to cook every night though!

I think it really depends on the type of holiday, and what type of meals you’re thinking of. Is it a hot, sunny holiday? In that case I really wouldn’t want to be in a kitchen in an apartment cooking on a sunny evening.

We’ve done villa holidays before where we do 50% eating out and 50% bbqs by the villa pool. And this is great, as you can still be outside cooking in the evening sun.

I’ve never stayed in an apartment and cooked. I don’t really see the appeal unless it’s getting lovely tapas style bits, cured meats, breads and cheeses from a local market and eating it on the balcony. That would be lovely! But I wouldn’t be cooking full on, proper meals.

If you’re talking a UK holiday then I think that’s fine. We’ve done a lot of Airbnb style holidays with groups of friends all year round and enjoyed Fajhita nights, etc. Easy but tasty meals.

That just sounds like monumentally bad planning!

Nope, holidays for me do not include cooking at all.

Does it depend on why you want to go there ?

we often cook on holidays but the focus is more on the things we can see and do, not “having a rest”

we might make it more of a change - DH cook more and have more cold dinners with nice fruit and cheese and bread ( because we like that )

but if not cooking is important to your holiday, if you want a break from it, I would chose somewhere else

A holiday where I have time cook or think about what to eat and plan meals is absolutely not a holiday for me.

I'd find it fine to cook on hol if just DP and I as we would both be pretty flexible on timing and what to eat eg just grab some bread and cheese for lunch, let's relax with a glass of wine and some olives and do dinner later etc. With dc I'd find it more stressful as it's more about balanced meals, correct timing, more washing up etc.

Sorry, just saw you said meal for 2 so no dc there. I'd find it relaxing enough to cook assuming your DH would do roughly half.