Apartment holidays offer the perfect opportunity to decide what you want to do, when you want to do it, when you want to eat, what you want to eat; a holiday home from home. Self catering holidays in an apartment can also be an excellent way to save money if you are travelling on a budget as the basic cost compared to a hotel will generally be cheaper and you can shop in supermarkets or hypermarkets, rather than dine in restaurants, if you wish.

If it is winter ski accommodation in the Alps or summer apartments by the sea, apartment holidays guarantee total flexibility to your life style.

Do check what your apartment accommodation cost includes as “extras” can bump up the cost – or at least make sure you are aware of these costs, so that you don’t get any suprises on arrival. Is bed linen included or do you pay extra? The same with towels! Do you need to take beach towels but towels to use in the apartment are included? Is end of stay cleaning included, and is cleaning and kitchen towels or bed linen change provided during your stay?

It is almost inevitable that a deposit will have to be paid prior to you receiving the keys, but do check how and when you will get this refunded (provided the accommodation is left in the state you found it). The amount can vary depending on the size of the accommodation, but expect to pay around £200 plus – and do check what form of payment this has to be taken in. In France a tourist tax is added and can only be paid on site, and other charges to consider (at any location) are pet supplements (if you take a pet abroad, don’t forget your Pet Passport), water and electricity.

What facilities are there in the kitchen? May be you’ll have to purchase or take with you cloths, washing up liquid and washing up brushes and cleaning fluids?

The “extras” don’t cost too much, but sometimes to keep the price down it is good to take some bits with you.
When I go on a self catering holiday, I always take a travel bottle of washing up liquid, two old tea towels, some folded cling film, foil and some sandwich bags, a washing up cloth and a roll of toilet roll. I find that these items get my family through at least the first day of our holiday or until we can get to a supermarket to purchase the rest of our holiday needs!

Large apartment complexes, be it in the Caribbean or France, usually have a series of cafes and restaurants if you don’t fancy cooking or the kids would like an ice cream, and like any hotel, their concierge staff will be helpful in recommending places to visit outside of the “resort”.