Whether it be Birmingham or Bari, city breaks are still really popular, and now we can travel again, there is a slew of hotels on all the various websites offering city centre rooms. However, increasingly we’ve been finding great deals staying in self-catering apartments, in super locations for very reasonable prices.
Why go self-catering?
There are many benefits of staying in a self-catering apartment. This type of accommodation definitely feels like a home away from home because first of all, you have freedom. Freedom to come and go as you please – in a hotel I usually feel obliged to stay out all day.
Lie in if you want to without the concierge chasing you out in order to service the room – most will do the room every third day and you can ask if you want it more frequently.
Cook (or not) if you want to; with a fridge and cooking facilities to hand you can manage your refreshments as you want them within your budget. The genuine comfort of sufficient armchairs/sofas in which to really enjoy a good sit down when you’ve finished foot slogging around town all day.
As a growing niche in the market, the quality of these apartments is very high. Get a taste of loft-style living in a big city like Birmingham or enter the lap of luxury in converted theatres or grand villas in Italy.
Location, location, location… you can find apartments at the heart of wherever it’s happening, (whatever it is your looking for). All of the usual online booking sites seem to do great deals on apartments too.
All the comforts of home are standard these days, television (often with DVD players), WIFI (I won’t stay anywhere that does not have it) and copious outlets for all of your gadgets are almost de rigeur.
Obviously, self-catering means cooking, if you’re happy to bring your inner Domestic Goddess (or in my house Galloping Gourmet) with you then that’s great, but if you’ve come on holiday to escape the drudgery of cooking then… just don’t.
However, self-catering is a great way to balance a small budget and defeat “restaurant fatigue” by either alternating the cooking or eating out. If one of you does most of the cooking at home, maybe the non-cooking partner should take a turn on holiday. What to be aware of: self-catering can mean different things to different proprietors. Many don’t really seem to think you actually want to cater for yourself. So be warned, the level of equipment may vary considerably – I’ve been in places that seemed to have read my mind in having everything you could possibly need, but also some that have had just one tiny electric ring that doesn’t really work; insufficient or broken pans, no cutlery, impenetrable mechanisms with no instructions and a kitchen where turning on the oven blew all of the fuses in the property.
If your holiday depends heavily on being able to cook for yourself, it may be worth an email or Whatsapp to your host to check what they have beforehand. Just to be on the safe side here are some things to consider bringing with you.
1. A tea-towel
2. A small bottle of cooking oil
3. A small container of salt/pepper/seasoning of your choice
4. A few stock cubes
5. A small jar of instant coffee/tea bags
6. Universal sink plug (yes even after all this time)
7. A small chopping board*
8. Travel kettle*
9. A Sharp knife*
*If you have hold luggage.
You can of course buy all of these in the local supermarket but usually, you will end up wasting a lot of it. Is there anything else that you think should be in a self-catering survival kit?
El-Gar Tour of the World 
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