Self Catering Accommodation - Why Use it and What to Look For

Self catering accommodation is a great option instead of using hotels. Not only do they often work out to be better value than hotels, you will usually get:

* real living space, usually a living room and kitchen facilities as well as bedrooms and bathrooms * facilities to allow you to do your own cooking, washing, ironing

* more flexibility than is available with a hotel. You can come and go whenever you want, feed yourselves whenever you want, and if you choose big enough accommodation, you can host your own guests for a few days.

For a family with young children or babies the freedom to be able to feed the children at any time, and to be able to feed them what they will eat, is a huge benefit. You avoid the dreaded time in the hotel restaurant when the children do not want to eat, or do not want to eat what is available! At any time when you or the children get tired, you can retire to the apartment and settle down for a rest or some time just slobbing out watching TV (in a living space, rather than on the bed!)

Self catering accommodation is normally charged per apartment or cottage, rather than per person, which is why it works out to be such good value, especially for families or groups of friends. You can get cheap and cheerful, or luxury at great rates.

So, you have decided to go self-catering, what should you check out before booking self-catering accommodation?

Location and Transport. This is often the most important aspect. Where do you want to be? Consider what you want to do and see. Will you want to travel away from the property? Will you have a car? If so, what are the parking facilities? This is especially important in cities, where parking can be difficult and it may be better not to have a car and to use public transport. How far away are food shops and cafes or restaurants?

The sleeping arrangements. Decide on what you ideally want: the bedroom arrangement, how many double beds, how many single beds, whether you want any cots for babies. Check the details of the properties for the actual beds provided, and if it is not clear in the write up, explain your requirements and ask.

Most properties will give a maximum number of people that can be accommodated. This number will often include a sofabed in the living space, so it is common to see 2 bedroom apartments that say they sleep 6, and they do with 2 bedrooms and a double sofabed. This can be a cheap way of accommodating 6 people, but if you want the living area to be free most of the time, it would mean that the people sleeping on the sofabed have to be up first and last to bed.

The facilities. Think about how much cooking and washing you are likely to want to do. Will you need a microwave, a washing machine, a dishwasher? Is a TV important to you? Is internet access important to you? It is probably best to make a list of the facilities that matter to you and check the details of the properties you are interested in to ensure that what you want is available. Again, if it is not clear, ask.

Many self-catering properties will have a tourist board rating, and these should give some assurance about the level of accommodation and the facilities that will be available. Do still check all the factors that are important to you. What matters to you, may not be covered by the grading authority.

Smaller operators of self catering properties often find the costs and bureaucracy associated with grading prohibitive and there are some excellent properties that are not graded.

Damages. What happens if you break something? Many self catering operating will take a refundable damage deposit to cover for breakages and damage. Check out whether the operator requires an up-front payment. If they do, how much it is, what this covers and when you will get it refunded.

Access to the property. Many self-catering properties have no reception at the property. Find out how you will get access to the property. Will you have to collect keys? If so, where from and how far away from the property will you be? At many self-catering properties, people will meet you at the property, which is ideal because they can show you the facilities and you will have the opportunity to ask about them and the local area.

Wherever you go and whatever you book, have a great time!