Irritations when self catering

[Tootingbec]

Anyone else getting too old and grumpy for self catering? Not the cooking/dishwasher emptying so much, more the amenities.

Just got back from a two centre European holiday (2 different countries) where we were self catering in expensive holiday lodges/apartments.

In both places 3 different means of making coffee but no decent chopping board or utensils. 4 mugs but inexplicably 11 billion shot glasses. No bath mats for the myriad of en- suite bathrooms so had to buy some cheap towels from the supermarket (they charge for “extra” towels) No extra loo rolls except whatever is left on the holder! TV’s with no internet access for Netflix etc so only English language channel is Bloomberg Business or Eurosport. Really dim lightbulbs so in the evening you can hardly see anything.

I wouldn’t mind but none of these places were cheap and part of a big chain of up market holiday parks so not Air B&B which can be hit or miss.

Realised I will have to turn into my mother and bring half the kitchen with me next time!

Totally. I wonder what people running these think about when kitting them out. Most of the ones I have been to in the UK have been great. But there's nearly always something that isn't up to scratch.
Uncomfortable mattresses and sofas are the worst.
Back from a really interesting property in France earlier this year, but hardly any kitchen utensils and no bread knife. Ancient but functioning hob and dishwasher combo (never seen that before)

Oh yes.... 74 mismatched glasses and mug but no scissors, wooden spoons, oven trays etc.. .

😂 at the hob/dishwasher combo - how does that even work 😵‍💫😂

Our two places had state of the art microwave/oven combo things that were literally impossible to fathom how to use despite google translate! Lot of soup got eaten on our holiday.

I don’t mind quirky one off properties being a bit hit and miss but this is a European wide chain with plenty of buying power!!

We only self cater in the UK and usually at the same place, which is fairly well kitted out. However, always bring my own chopping boards, knives and scales because the ones they supply are usually awful. I usually have to end up buying a decent frying pan too. Not easy to do if you’re travelling abroad though.

I have a holiday house and it’s so nice to go there and have enough (matching albeit ikea) cutlery and crockery. And enough pots and pans, knives and useful other kitchen equipment. I’m a keen cook. No negative comments from guests other than DS’s mate (a chef) who thought the knives were blunt! A fair criticism to be fair… but we also have a knife sharpener!

Yeah, our most recent holiday really pissed me off. All great reviews but the dishwasher/cooker/washing machine kept tripping the electricity. Teflon dishes with no wooden spoons, plenty of glasses but only 5 teaspoons (for 5 people). I did not want to cook too much but when we did it took ages and the washing machine nearly walked out of the kitchen one day during a spin.

We also stayed in a uk holiday cottage that was a big house chopped up into different flats but all owned by the same person.

We had virtually no cutlery or bowls but loads of teaspoons and mismatched small plates. I figured out that probably the owner had rented the whole place out for a big group and somewhere along the way plates/cutlery etc had ended up in the wrong place due to communal meals. So I emailed the managing agent and told them this. Thought I was being helpful as the cleaners might not pick this up.

Went back a year later and it was exactly the same 🤨 So 12 months worth of guests who had (as Alanis Morrisset would say) “10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife” 😬

Rented a UK place very expensive but shared with in-laws. State of the art kitchen but no instructions for appliances . Constantly Google searching for them . Three ensuites with not enough toilet roll . No waste paper bins. The most annoying was in a 5 bedroom property , no mirrors except bathroom . Not one full length mirror anywhere .

This is why I invested in a knife roll. I can’t be doing without a decent knife. Not useful if only taking cabin luggage though. I refuse to be less comfortable than at home, it’s not worth it. I’d prefer to camp.

Currently in a french gîte with about 6 flan dishes and an electric mixer but no saucepan lids. We are used to self-catering though and drove so we brought a sharp knife and some mugs. Having your own pool makes up for the kitchen shortcomings.

My pet hate is four tiny cups , not proper mugs, often with four side plates and inadequate cutlery. Two extremely scratched non stick pans, ridiculous lightning that renders reading impossible indoors and rickety showers that are impossible to work and have no power. PVC sofas which I loathe, no cushions so I get back ache, Tv's that need a degree to work and hardly any channels. Sound systems with no CDs. No oven trays and a hob that won't work properly or an oven that is impossible to use or absolutely ancient.Oh and six pegs to hang out washing.

We always go self catering but don't do any actual cooking, just preparing lunch or breakfast.

We now take three melamine bowls with spoons as the usual ones in apartments are ridiculous. This year I've added "butter knife" to my list of things to take, as all the knives were pointy. And there was no tray for carrying our big mugs of tea (we buy the mugs in the local supermarket as there are always loads of tiny espresso style cups and no decent big ones). And yes, eleventy billion shot glasses!

There was a clothes rack for drying, with a small basket of pegs. Place we were in before had two pegs plus bits of a broken one. Why are there so rarely pegs, do people actually steal them?! Who would want a bundle of cheap mass market pegs retailing for two euros??

It's always hit and miss and we're usually amused by the result rather than annoyed, but then we're not actually cooking...

My sibling has a B&B with self-catering rooms and a couple of self-catering cottages. Their holiday accommodation always gets good reviews, but that's because of the customer service, not the equipment supplied. They started off outfitting the self-caterings in the way they would like to holiday. Soon gave up on that concept because customers break things, leave them outside, even steal them. As ever, the selfish users spoil things for the considerate ones.

Do You eat out every night?

@Ladedahlia Yes we do! Always book accommodation in places with plenty recommended restaurants

We had a great self catering flat in Austria last year. Everything we needed but we only ate breakfast and had drinks in the flat. It was an apart-hotel and very well priced.

We're sticking with self-catering but do get frustrated when you need to google the oven/hob instructions, as happens so often now.

Last year I asked if they had larger glasses - the cottage was beautifully equipped with a couple of mugs and a lot of delicate cups but only tiny glasses, slightly bigger than a shot glass. The manager did find larger and we've had an ongoing joke that he's added larger glasses in all his properties but I felt bad for asking but a week not being able to have a proper drink woudl have been frustrating.

I only pick the places which come with some supplies now, moving up a tier has been well worth it.

Only Nespresso style coffee maker and no local shops selling the pods. Cafetieres are apparently out of fashion. Sorry a Nespresso shot is not sufficient!
Inexplicably no cooking utensils but we later found the cleaner had accidentally pushed them around the corner of a shelf.
In all fairness - all holiday cottages in North Norfolk have been well kitted out. Even our dad's caravan was pretty good despite remote controls going missing and then once the TV in the bedroom.
Booby prize goes to lodge in Italy for the flatest pancake pillows ever!

We once had an amazing 3 bed apartment in Dubai with a kitchen that must have cost a fortune it was so fabulous - not a single saucepan or baking tray in the place - !!

We stayed in a cottage for three. It had three of everything in the kitchen - knives, forks, spoons, you name it. We had to wash up between courses, if we had a starter or dessert; and there was only one tea towel!

You may say Airbnb can be hit and miss, but I've stayed in around 30 properties across Europe and now in the USA and have never experienced any of those issues except maybe the mug one - I'm the only one who uses them so I don't tend to notice how many are provided. Also, we haven't always had Netflix etc but we don't really watch much while away and dc happy to use phones/ ipads if they do want to watch.

If paying a decent amount what you describe isn't good enough and would piss me off, especially the light bulbs and toilet paper. How cheap.

I used to take my "going away box", which held things that I'd accumulated over the years due to inadequately equipped self catering properties. Things like - sharp knives, kitchen scissors, a decent non stick frying pan, a decent sized mug, a roll of tin foil, a decent non stick baking tray, plastic and wooden utensils. And the day before we went, I'd add in tea, coffee, condiments, small bottle of cooking oil, bleach and kitchen roll.

The mug was the main thing for me. I never understood why SC accommodations only ever provided tiny cups/mugs.

If we go away now, we still choose SC, because I don't like being confined to just one room. I won't actually do any self catering now (the most "cooking" I do is pour cereal and milk into a bowl, and make tea/coffee 😄), but I still take a decent sized mug with me!

We rent out a mobile. Everything is
from Ikea. We have everything you would need (may not like, but need) and we don’t over stock eg it sleeps six so we have six of each main utensil.

Have learnt over the years that people are fuckers and they’ll nick pretty much anything.

Ive got my own box of stuff for when we go s/c including decent knives and chopping boards.

We rent out a mobile. Everything is
from Ikea. We have everything you would need (may not like, but need) and we don’t over stock eg it sleeps six so we have six of each main utensil.

Have learnt over the years that people are fuckers and they’ll nick pretty much anything.

Ive got my own box of stuff for when we go s/c including decent knives and chopping boards.

We rent out a mobile. Everything is
from Ikea. We have everything you would need (may not like, but need) and we don’t over stock eg it sleeps six so we have six of each main utensil.

Have learnt over the years that people are fuckers and they’ll nick pretty much anything.

Ive got my own box of stuff for when we go s/c including decent knives and chopping boards.