Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying there is anything wrong with Self catering Holidays. I have gone Self Catering once and I decided it was not for me. As I live alone I am responsible for cooking my own meals and making my own bed, washing up and basically fending for myself 24/7.

When I book a holiday, especially when I am forced to pay out for single room supplements, then I do not expect to have to 'look after' myself as it were. I pay a lot of money and for that I want to be looked after. I agree with you, Hotel food does tend to resemble english food in most establishments and if you want to sample true foreign cooking then a Package Deal will probably not provide you with that opportunity. However, just because I have paid for Half or Full Board that does not mean I am obligated to dine in the Hotel Restuarant. I can skip all Hotel Meals if I so wish and eat out just as if I was Self Catering. The cost of my food forms only a small part of the overall holiday cost so I am not really loosing out if I decline my hotel meals.

Indeed, if I book a self catering apartment I am forced to pay Full Occupancy prices for that apartment even though it is only me occupying it. So it makes no econominc sense for me to go self ccatering in the first place. But its because I don't want to have to cook for myself, wash up after myself and make my bed whilst I am on a holiday that I have saved up for all year that I choose to book a package holiday. I'm not lazy, do not misunderstand me, but after 50 weeks of fending for myself I feel I am entitled to two weeks of being pampered to a certain extent.

BHIC

I totally agree with your comments. I too like to be waited on when I go on holiday as although I am not on my own I have a husband and three kids to feed and clear up after when at home. Perhaps we are just lucky enough to own on a timeshare resort where the maids come in and change/make your beds each day etc. They even wash up for you. I do understand what you are saying and perhaps if I was on my owm I too would choose an hotel.

Rgds

Appartment hotels are a good alternative. I stayed in a 4* Appartment hotel in Lanzarote last year, we had maid service everyday, clean sheets towels etc, just the same as a normal hotel. But we had a bedroom and a large living room/dining room /kitchen which was very comfortable.The only meal I prepared was breakfast which is normally just a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. We were able to try different restaurants every night and could pay to have a meal in the hotel if we wanted. I certainly don't go away to do cooking and cleaning.
I do understand that this option is not always available for single travellers.

I do understand that this option is not always available for single travellers.

Judith, I believe the option IS "available" if I, as a Single Traveller, wanted it, but as I say, I would have no choice but to pay for FULL Occupancy of the apartment. How many guests can an average apartment accomodate? Let us say six. Therefore I would be paying for five non existent people, and that would make my holiday VERY expensive, especially if I had to pay out for all my meals on top of the accomodation. It's just not a viable ecomonic option for me really.

Yes, I do like the idea of having a spacious room with all the furniture and room to 'swing a cat' (NOT that I am accustomed to that practice I hasten to add ), but clearly an apartment can offer facilities that a small Hotel room cannot. Ok, I appreciate hoteliers do try to cram as much furniture as they can into their rooms for the comfort of their guests, but that can make the room feel very small and cramped. But I only usually use my room for sleeping in to be honest. At all other times I would make use of the Hotel's public areas, Lounges, Reception, Pool, Bars, Restuarants etc. and of course I am out and about in Resort for the vast majority of my stay.

As a Single Traveller I would probably have no real need for the extra benefits an appartment can offer. Indeed, the one and only time I did book a Self Catering Apartment, the sheer size of the accomodation had the effect of making me feel very lonely, and I never used half of the facilities. I ate out at local restuarants every day, even for my breakfast. The cooker was never used. The sink was only used to wash up my cups (from early morning Tea), and the dining table, well it might as well not have been there. As for the sofa, well, who wants to sit inside on a sofa when you are on holiday on a beautiful Greek Island. My suitcase occuoied the sofa for ther duration of my stay.

Ok, I had a choice of several beds to sleep in each night, but I truly believed I wasted a lot of money on that holiday, but I had no choice really as the small Greek Island Resort I wanted to stay in consisted entirely of self catering apartments, not one Hotel in site....the construction of high rise hotels was strictly forbidden, and still is so I understand.

But, as this thread suggests, we are all entitled to our own views and opinions but more importantly, we all have different needs and requirements. For a small family with young children, a Hotel might not be suitable as the rooms might not be large enough and I can understand parents not wanting their kids to be in rooms of their own in a foriegn country. An Apartment is probably much better suited for a family holiday.

Personally I would love to book a Villa with its own pool, but I very much doubt I would appreciate the isolation and loneliness....yes it is nice to be on ones own in ones 'own space'.......but as I live alone here in the UK, travelling to a foreign country to spend two weeks alone in a Villa catering for myself would be a bit like a 'Busmans' holiday, and the feeling of not being inside your own 'Comfort Zone' would be immense.
I mention this as an example of how we all have our own individual requirements.

Booking a Hotel can mean that I can get to interact with other guests and meet new 'friends'. Ok, as someone as mentioned a bit further up in this thread, you might be unlucky to meet 'The Holiday Maker From Hell' who will insist on boring you with their own personal problems, or indeed you might 'bump' into a 'Serial Complainer'.....but if that was the case, I would just act as if I was deaf, or unable to understand english, and stare at them intentley with glaring eyes, they usually 'get the picture' and go away.

BHIC

You sound really scary

Rgds Jackie

Jackie,
He's not scary, Hi BHIC.
We tend to go half board as it's usually cheaper then self catering as we too have to pay for Casper the ghost as we are only 3. If the meals are rubbish, we can always eat out.

BHIC

You sound really scary

Do I I cannot think why. I am a really nice guy, or so I am told. All the people I 'care' for in my job as a Home Carer like me.

I'm so sorry if I have 'scared' you Judith. That was clearly not my intention. Obviously

We tend to go half board

CMT, I have also gone 'half board' on several occasions, but I found it was just as cheap to go full board.....the only thing I must confess that I do not like about Full Board is being tied down to specific meal times. But beggars cannot be choosers really can they.

BHIC,
As you probably know from the benidorm forum, we are going fully inclusive this year. Hubby and I did AI before we had Tom so we hope we will save a fortune in pepsi, as this was dearer than a pint of Cervaza and just as expensive as bacardi and coke, yet another rip off.

Don't know why she thought you were scary, must be of a nervous disposition.

I've never actually gone 'All Inclusive'. I have looked into though, but I'm not so sure as a Single Traveller that I would actually benefit. I'm also not so sure that AI holidays are all they claim to be. But that is just based on what I have read elsewhere in these forums and on similar forums.

I guess at the end of the day when you are used to travelling and booking in a certain way for many years, (ie for me Package Deals), then its difficult to pluck up the courage to try something different. I am quite sure I could save a small fortune by booking Accomodation On Arrival, but I would have a very worrying flight wondering what was waiting for me at the other end. Your Outbound Flight is always the start of your holiday and I don't want to spend it sat there biting my nails wondering if I had been booked into a hell hole. So I will probabaly never book a AOA holiday.

I believe some people book holidays where they don't even know which country they are going to until they receive their flight tickets and accomodation vouchers. That might sound like fun, a bit of a mystery, an element of surprise, but what if you found out you were booked to go to a country you would never in a million years would have wanted to have paid to go to?

Some people like to book each part of their holidays On Line and that is fair enough, but I would personally NEVER buy ANYTHING on line. I would NEVER give out my personal details over the Internet, no matter how secure the Website might claim to be and no matter how much security I have on my PC. I just will not do it. I like to deal with people 'face-to'face'. I book in the same branch of Thomsons Holiday Shop (Lunn Poly) and deal with the same expert Staff year in and year out. They know me now and know what I want, and they go out of their way to find me the best possible deal for my own personal circumstances.

I'm not saying 'Last Minute/Late Booking' deals are all bad, but I like to know well in advance where I am going to and where I will be staying. Ok, perhaps I am a boring 'old' so and so, but thats me. I will always be me. One day I might venture into the world of D.I.Y, but I can honestly say that will not be for a few years yet.

Hi

I am not of a nervous disposition, when I said he sounded scary I was refering to the line 'and stare at them intentley with glaring eyes'. Lighten up people it was said tounge in cheek.

Rgds Jackie

Okay, point taken. They should have an emoticon fir toungue in cheek.

Hi

I am not of a nervous disposition, when I said he sounded scary I was refering to the line 'and stare at them intentley with glaring eyes'. Lighten up people it was said tounge in cheek.

Hi.....yes I see what you mean now. I had not thought of that!! But, no seriously, I do.....I stare these 'moaners' out.....it always works, everytime.

But on the other hand, if people are nice I will stop and chat to anyone. I have made many new friends whilst I have been on holiday.....and I still keep in touch with these people now, if only at Xmas etc.

I don't think anyone really thought you were of a 'nervous disposistion'....as you say, we need an emoticon to covery 'tongue-in-cheek' really.....but whatch out, who knows one day, I might turn

BHIC

I think you have got the wrong poster, I am not scared of much in this life
(other than missing my next flight to Australia, alone I may add and booked on line) and your post certainly didn't scare me.
This thread was about different opinions and of course we all have an opinion of what makes up a good holiday , I know my holidays wouldn't suit many people. I like active holidays, hiking, snorkelling, , museums, art galleries and some sightseeing in cities. I can't stand lazing in the sun, did it for many years and have the wrinkles to show for it, I don't like large resorts I usually have one short seaside break in a quiet resort, a few long weekend and one 3-5week long haul every year. At the end of a busy day I just want to relax, I'm not interested in entertainment or drinking, so a comfortable appartment suits me. I realise this wouldn't be regarded as much fun to most people but it's a good job we are not all the same as resorts would be even more crowded than they are at present. Having said that I do occasionally stay in HB Hotels, some lovely ones on my travels.

I think you have got the wrong poster, I am not scared of much in this life
(other than missing my next flight to Australia, alone I may add and booked on line) and your post certainly didn't scare me.

I'm glad I did not scare you Judith, or hopefully anyone else for that matter . I assure you I am not a scary guy

Anyway, your holidays do sound like fun, but you are correct, in that they don't sound like they would appeal to me very much, personally. But to others, sure.

'Snorkling'.....although I would love to see the wonderful world that lies beneath the oceans surface, I can never put my head under water. That is totally alien to me. I'm not scared of water, but we were never taught to swim as kids and I was thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool once, so now, if my feet cannot touch the pool floor, I don't go in.

'Hiking'....yes, I don't mind a good walk....I take occasional walks here in the UK...and I love walking along our local beach, but a 'Walking Holiday'......no, definately not my scene.

'Museums / Gallerys / Monuments / Historic Buildings / Shops / Sightseeing'.....Yes, now that is much more like it. I also prefer to 'sightsee' as opposed to laying on a sun drenched beach all day.....I personally don't see any 'fun' at all in laying in the hot sun and burning my skin to a colour it is not meant to be. No, I don't 'do' beaches....well not foreign beaches anyway...but I don't mind walking along our english beaches out of season all alone.....

'Skiing'.....ok, I appreciate you never mentioned this in your post, but again, this activity based holiday is not for me. The UK is cold enough as it it without travelling to another, even colder country and risking life and limb with what is in effect two planks of polished wood attached to my feet hurtling down a snow covered hill at break neck speed. No, I think not.

Please, to those of you who love all these 'activity-based' type of holidays, don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying they are bad holidays, but they are definatelly not what I personally would like to do on my holidays. Yes, I love Benidorm, but I am NOT part of the 'Benidorm Lager Lout' image as so often misportrayed by the Media.

I love Benidorm for the simple fact it has so much to offer where you can do as much or indeed as little as you like and the atmosphere is like no where else I have ever been to. I also like Greece and the Greek Islands for their sheer beauty and tranquility. Not to mention the wonderful music and great food. I don't tend to sit around on a holiday all that much....yes, I do tend to take afternoon 'siestas', simply because of the heat at that time of day in most foreign countries with a hot climate. I do as the locals do. 'When In Rome'......and all that.....

I can make my own 'fun' and 'entertainment', or go to Nightclubs if I want to. I just do basically whatever I feel like doing. Some people plan their holidays out down to every last minute. They have itineries in place for each and every day and they stick to it rigidly. They go on every 'trip' that is on offer. There is nothing wrong with doing that of course, but that is not my idea of a holiday. I've done most of the 'trips' now, AND got the 'Tee-Shirts'. So these days I just take each day of my holiday as it comes.

I also don't tend to take a holiday in the height of the main Summer Season because I usually find the Resorts are far too busy then and the heat is often more than I can comfortably stand. So I tend to opt for a trip in either late March, or early April. Or quite often I will take a three week break over the Christmas and New Year period. The atmosphere in Benidorm at Christmas is electric. It really feels like Christmas when I am in Spain....here in the UK, well it is just a commercial excercise.

Some people still prefer to take their Holidays here in the UK, and would never dream of travelling overseas. And yes, I agree there are some very beautiful parts of the UK in which to have any kind of holiday you want.......take Camping for example. Again that is not for me. For one I don't see the fun in sleeping on the floor, laying under a piece of canvas with creepy crawlies all around you, having to walk a mile across a muddy field to get a wash and to use the 'ablutions'.....but that is just my own personal opinion....others love their camping, (and I am not knocking it) even if that means towing their little (or sometimes rather large 'mobile' ) homes behind them all over the country. ( too much like hard work to me )I prefere to leave the kitchen sink where it belongs.....at home. I appreciate Campers love the freedom a tent or a caravan gives them, and when I was younger I owned a Motorhome myself, and I did enjoy a camping break.....but not anymore. I now live in a village surrounded by tents and caravans and I need to get away from these when I take a holiday.

Some people prefer to book their holidays in a good old British Holiday camp the likes of Butlins. When i was a kid we never had a foreign overseas holiday. All our holidays were spent on the Sussex Coast in a Holiday Camp. But unfortuantely, most of these camps are now owned by large Organisations like Rank, and they are being left to decline.....and are not like they used to be. But I appreciate some people love the 'Red Coats' and the 'Glamerous Granny' and 'Knobbly Knees' contests. Again, there is nothing wrong with any of these holidays, but they are not for me.

These UK based holidays invariably cost a lot more than and Overseas holiday these days and you simply cannot bank on the British Weather to be kind to you. They may be alright for short Weekend Breaks, or 'Reunions', but for an Annual Two Week Holiday......no, sorry.

Each To Their Own.

well said..there are some everywhere you go. We got saddled on the last holiday with a couple where the wife insisted on telling us about every holiday she had ever been on since she joined Noah for a cruise on the ark ( well it seemed like that long) including how much they had paid and every complaint they had ever made...but on the positive side, they did tell us how much they enjoyed the hotel we were at and that it was their umpteenth visit. Perhaps there could be a purpose built resort for professional whingers, say somehwere on 3 mile island......

It is when people complain about things that they should of been only too well aware of when they booked their holiday that annoys me.

I mean, how many people have you heard complaining that is it "too hot"? Yes, people do. They book to travel to a Foreign Country known for its Hot Climate and they complain about it when they arrive. Now how stupid is that?

And I have even heard people complaining because the locals cannot speak English properly.....yes, honestly I have....."why can't they speak English so we can understand them?" I kid you not, I have heard this said and these people are very serious.

Top 10 holiday complaints compiled by Thomas Cook (well known British travel agents)

1. On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost
every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food at all.

2. The beach was too sandy.

3. I bought a snorkel and swimming mask for my 6 year old son, but he
was too upset to use them as the fish frightened him.

4. It rained on my birthday.

5. Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was
ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women.

6. I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local store
does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts.

7. It's lazy of the shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often
needed to buy things in the 'siesta time'. This should be banned.

8. We bought Ray Ban sunglasses for five euros (£3.50) from a street
trader only to find they were fake.

9. None of the hotel staff spoke English, and the tea didn't taste the
same as at home.

10. I would like to complain about the price of alcohol in the
resort. It was too cheap and I woke up with a hangover every day.

Robby

Over the years we have stayed in different places from New York to Skegness !!
Each holiday was booked according to our needs at the time , our forst 3 holidays were in Italy (twice ) and mainland Spain ,all 3 holidays were by coach, at the time we were newly married and fairly skint so if we wanted sunshine we went by coach simple as that , boy did some people moan though .
I just think you have to be realistic about where you are going and what you are paying (by the way those cheap coach holidays to Italy served up one of the loveliest little hotels I have EVER stayed in )
Now we travel as a family our priorities are different and like some of the others say I would complain if I felt our safety was compromised but i have never had to complain and any time i have needed any thing a polite request has always done the trick.
One thing I think where people need to be careful is not just reading through the lines of the brochure but looking carefully at what people said in a review of a holiday , yes those all singing all dancing family supercentres might have everything your kids might want but will YOU really enjoy it in mid august when it's crammed to bursting and there are no sunbeds and screaming kids running everywhere