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?

To us, yes it is.

we can explore the local supermarkets for interesting fresh/local ingredients and shortcuts. We are not afraid to spend on good food as it’s a lot cheaper than eating out.

we do relatively easy things that can be BBQ’d (if there is a bbq there), or all done in the oven, or other easy meals. Like buying a rotisserie chicken, salads and a crusty loaf for dinner. Or a pot of pasta, some added veggies/nice sausages/prawns cooked in a pan and with a jar of sauce thrown in to heat through. Easy but nice meals.

And we enjoy pottering around with a glass of wine, getting the few bits ready and then sitting with a bowl of olives enjoying the wine while it all cooks. So it’s all much more relaxed than the everyday grind of cooking after work.

we have done various forms of self catering for over 20 years (long before DC arrived). And we have always had some meals out even when SC - sometimes big lunch or dinner, sometimes nice breakfast of coffee/nice cake in the afternoon.

Yes this is my thinking and what I'd be doing.

I would hate to have to cook when away. And making decisions about what to have!! But it’s a personal choice if you’re happy to do that or not.

I'd do one meal out and one meal sandwiches or pizza or something easy to make at home, I wouldn't be chopping up veg etc

We did one self catering holiday with friends as that’s what they could afford and we really wanted to spend time with them. Never again. Cooking and cleaning and even with taking turns. Not to mention shopping for the stuff and planning.
we have only done hotels and AI. I don’t think if you cook and clean it’s a holiday.

EDITED, to say I work in kitchen/cook for a living, so like the break!

Having to cook is rubbish. Being able to cook is best.

Holidays we're entirely Self Catering when the kids were small,.due to cost mainly. A two ring hob, no oven and kids not old enough to wash up or happy with a bowl of olives...not very restful at all.
We've been AI/half board the last few years and it's been glorious.

This year we've a Self-catering appt. Within an AI hotel (and no kids!). Best of both.

I'm defo never doing anymore than cold tapas and a one pan pasta thing on my holidays. And I NEVER wash up 😅

I always go self catering, eat in about half the time. Cook very easy meals, get loads from nice delis etc. Enjoy that. Eating out all the time is tiring, after a long day a nice easy meal on the balcony is lovely.

It depends what you like about a holiday. I only ever go self-catering and we barely eat out. I like to stay in quiet rural places so there's not many options for eating out anyway. We go out for the day then enjoy relaxing in the house in the evening. I also have a very picky autistic daughter so more hassle than it's worth to eat out. The property is cleaned at the end of the stay so all that needs doing is the dishwasher and wiping the kitchen table.

As its a holiday we do as many easy meals as possible - pizza or lasagne that goes in the oven, burgers on the bbq etc. Your holiday sounds like you would still be eating out quite a lot and you would just need a few easy meals in the evenings so if it's a place you really want to go it would seem quite manageable.

I'm generally not keen on eating out, as it means I have very little, if any, control over what's in the meal. I prefer to be fully aware of what I'm eating, so self-catering is my preferred option. It doesn't have to mean slaving away in a kitchen for hours: a simple salad and some freshly baked bread and local cheese will often suffice.

Where are you going?

We always do self catering, but cheat - easy meals. It's definitely not the focus of the holiday.

We've mainly done selfcatering up to a few years ago as couldn't afford to do different. Everyone mucus in and takes shared responsibility it can be fun. Even now we go away with my elderly mother in a cottage: husband cooks breakfasts and bbqs , I do evening meals and mum likes to potter doing the washing up and tidying ( we help too!)

We always self cater as I have allergies and my daughter is autistic. I love shopping in other countries. We don’t make anything elaborate and have plenty of meals of meats / cheeses / nice bread whatever so it’s often more putting stuff together as opposed to cooking. I think it helps to rent somewhere with a pretty view or garden so it feels relaxing to hang out.

I think a lot of it boils down to whether or not you enjoy cooking - to state the obvious

I do so I actually really enjoy checking out local food and ingredients and throwing together something a bit different to what I would cook at home

We also do things like visit delis and pick up things like quiches if in France

I cook on holiday. I meal plan, get supermarkets deliveries planned ahead of time, and I make sure the place is totally stocked with everything I need. I make nearly everything I can to reduce costs and spend a lot more time on it on holiday than I do at home because I have more time (due to being on holiday) I make breads, soups, cakes, I do a lot of long slow cooks using cheaper ingredients to feed crowds so that we can go out and come home to food. It’s absolutely necessary as last time we went out for ONE meal in a medium nice place and the cost of that one meal was 1/3 the cost of the weeks holiday - and significantly more than I spent on the food for the rest of the week including all meals and alcohol. For just one meal. If we did that just one meal a day the cost of the holiday would treble.

Depends on where you are going. We will often make use the hot food counter at local supermarkets which works well.

God, yeah, Switzerland was very expensive. Gorgeous but pricey.

Hawaii, if you want anything other than fish or pineapple, was pretty darn pricey for the USA - because it had to go a loooooong way.

My daughter is coeliac so we always go on holidays where we have some cooking facilities. The thought of AI buffets would be too stressful at the thought of cross contamination. We will have some meals out if we can be sure that there are gluten free options are available, but will always have a few bags of gluten free pasta in the suitcase as a last ditch back up option.

We have had a few holidays to Bali where there are still some villas which offer a personal chef. I will check with the villa owner before booking that the chef would be happy to cook with gluten free ingredients, which we will take with us, particularly if we are travelling to a remote part of the island.

If we are self catering in the UK I don’t go unless I can take my own knife, chopping board and air fryer. Too many self catering places have pisspoor facilities for the price they charge.

Fresh stuff from the market, salad, wine, simple - no stress. Or we get a pizza or something.

I love cooking so never used to mind this at all but, after years of lone parenting, on holiday the last thing I want to be having to do is shop, meal plan, cook, and also clear up after meals, wash up, and clean an apartment before leaving to come home.

It’s only a real holiday for me now if I have to do nothing just for those couple of weeks. I need room restaurants/ room service/ beach service and housekeeping and all daily tasks removed so I can actually rest for once and just spend time with my children, relax, sit on a beach, swim in the sea, eat, sleep and repeat. Bliss and so worth the money.

I avoid self catering holidays now with my children as they are so fussy and I generally have to make several different meals for everybody in my house… It’s such a mental load and a faff, and there’s all the washing up to do. I’ll only go places that are all-inclusive with a buffet now, (obviously good quality) so that I don’t have to worry about it… I wouldn’t go otherwise! If you don’t have children that are fussy it might be different for you.

We sometimes eat lunch out instead of dinner in expensive locations, taking advantage of special lunch menus.

If we do eat in, it will usually be really simple but lovely local stuff, like a baguette with local cheeses and meats. Or a rotisserie chicken (France) or a takeaway paella.

Yes. Mix it up. Cook simple or some semi prepped stuff. BBQ.

Roast chicken, salad, fresh bread. Watermelon

Bbq - various options

Quesidillas

Bread/ deli stuff/ cheese/ fruits

What else is simple and affordable where you go.

Buy some nice snacks, drink and ice cream also for apartment. Again mix it up, ice cream out one day , ice cream after bbq at home another. Can buy a fancier brand than usual ( still cheaper than out)

Also remember to take refillable water bottles so at least water is not being bought multiple times a day. And some snacks from supermarket. Day at beach or lake can then be you buy an ice cream but take picnic

Nope. I cook all year as I'm a live in carer to elderly parent. I'm fortunate to get two weeks respite coming up. I have saved my Carer's Allowance (£83.30 pw) for months so that I can eat out every night. I'm really looking forward to it.

I don't mind cooking in holiday as long as it is simple. And sometimes it's nice to just relax in your PJs if necessary after a long day rather than be socially 'on it' eating out. It depends is the answer! I think I'd get some simple supermarket stuff for most lunches but make a judgement depending on what you're doing that day. Then most meals simply cooked in and some eaten out. Also, I'd say that there is a difference between 3 courses each steaks/white linen/a bottle of wine etc, and a simple meal of one course and a local beer each.

Have a great time!

We done half board last time and done half eat out half hotel food.
It was OK to get us fed but not that nice. Very canteen like.
Would've preferred half eat out and half cafe/takeaway
I am guessing £150 is full,on restaurants. Cafes will do decent sandwiches and salads much cheaper.