Self Catering Checklist

Self Catering Expectations
When searching for a holiday rental most potential guests start with a wish list that includes ‘must have’, ‘nice to have’ and ‘in your dreams’ criteria. The more you are able to offer, the higher your property will rank on their short list, so check out these most-searched facilities and services.

Water Based Activities

Water based activities top the list of most holidaymakers ‘must have’ lists. If you are fortunate enough to be on the water, or near a beach, this may be sufficient to attract visitors to your listing. For winter lets where cold temperatures are in the picture, hot tubs are in high demand.
WiFi Connection

Having an internet connection ranks highly on holiday home wish lists and for many families it’s becoming a must have. A good mobile signal is no longer sufficient for the tech-tethered family who want to do more than check email and a little light surfing.

Pets Welcome

The ability to take the dog on holiday is one reason self catering homes have increased so much in popularity. Accepting pets can create a real advantage in areas where there is a lot of competition.

Eating Out

Attractive patios, decks and balconies set up for al fresco eating appeal to most people. Having facilities for the whole family to eat outside is important. This means supplying sufficient outdoor seating and eating space for the whole group.

That’s Entertainment!

Improvements in technology have changed the value prospective guests place on a potential rental choice. LCD HD TVs, blu-ray dvd player; iPod docking stations and gaming systems are growing in demand.

Good Quality Beds

Guests want a good night’s sleep and demand quality mattresses and bedding.

Self Catering Links

• Traditional Thatched Cottages in Ireland
• Inishowen Self Catering
• Donegal Self Catering
• Holiday Home with free Wifi

Wild Atlantic Drive Ireland

PLANS are being drawn up for an “end-of-the-world” drive along Ireland’s Atlantic coastline to rival the most scenic road trips around the globe.

Tourism chiefs are working on a link-up of existing routes from Donegal’s dizzying Slieve League sea cliffs to the wilds of west Cork to draw in thrill-seeking motorists from overseas.

The trail will be pitched to continental Europeans and US visitors in particular as the “authentic Irish experience” on a self-drive journey to match famous drives such as California’s Pacific Coast Highway or Australia’s Great Ocean Road.

Alex Connolly, head of communications at Failte Ireland, said the “Wild Atlantic Drive” could be promoted as a two-week holiday which can also be completed in smaller stages for those with less time.

“We’ll be pitching this at people who want to come over and have an authentic experience and enjoy not only Irish landscapes, but also the company of Irish people,” he said.

“It will be for people who are looking for that rugged, authentic Irish experience, the Ireland that at one stage – before the discovery of America – was considered the end of the world, but still has that remoteness and beauty about it.”

Great news that Inishowen is to be included in Fáilte Ireland's 'Wild Atlantic Drive' tourism initiative! http://t.co/BkDHgk8m

January 31, 2012 8:49 am via FacebookReplyRetweetFavorite

@TheRedDoorFahan

The Red Door

The proposal is one of the flagship projects for the state tourism agency in the year ahead.

There is no defined route yet drawn up but it is already envisaged it will join up the most dramatic by-ways and highways from Donegal through remotest Mayo and Achill Island, into Connemara and over the Burren and on to west Cork.

The themed trail will also act as a “shopping aisle”, with points and markers along the designated way to tempt holidaymakers off the main route to “pleasant diversions” including historical, cultural and tourism attractions.

“People who come from overseas to Ireland don’t necessarily see the counties, and they’re looking for the authentic Ireland,” said Mr Connolly.

“We have as much to offer as other countries when it comes to that kind of thing.

“We now have to work with local communities and local authorities along that whole western seaboard area to try and bring this alive – there is a lot of work to do.”

The initiative is seen as a key way to remarket and rebrand Ireland to overseas tourists without spending too much money during a time of national austerity.

Another major focus in the coming year is Project Britain – a plan to dramatically increase visitors from across the Irish Sea by promoting Ireland as a holiday “at home”.

Research by the tourism agency suggests Britons do not think of a visit to their nearest neighbours as an overseas trip.

Mr Connolly said it was planned to take advantage of this psyche by advertising Ireland as a ‘staycation’ at a time when the economic decline there is pushing up the numbers taking breaks at home.

“Our research is telling us that a lot of British people, when they consider their own home market, they think of places like Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, but they also kind of consider here as home,” he said.

“We think there’s a trick there we should play.

“There may be scope for us to start pitching to possible British visitors who are looking for a home break to come to Ireland.”

With a 4pc increase in visitors from Britain last year after years of steep decline, tourism bosses are expecting at least the same increase this year, which they plan to build upon with Project Britain.

They are mainly targeting the more affluent parts of the UK – London and the south east.

“Given that Britain represents 45pc of our overseas visitors, we really have to crack it,” said Mr Connolly.

There will also be a focus on Germans, who are starting to come back to Ireland in greater numbers as their economy recovers and they see more value for money in Ireland now than in recent years.

See also: Traditional Cottages in Ireland

Ray Thatched Cottage Donegal

There is an expectation that business from the domestic and foreign markets will increase in 2012. However, the agency has warned that there is no room for complacency and says increasing value for money must be the top priority.

2011 saw an increase of almost 6% in the number of overseas visitors here.

Fáilte Ireland’s annual report says this trend should continue, once the industry continues to pay close attention to costs. Ireland is seen as a better value destination than in previous years, particularly by French and German visitors.

View: Holiday Homes in Inishowen

Over 70% of businesses have reduced prices while increasing their marketing efforts and Fáilte Ireland says the sluggishness that crept in during the boom has been replaced by an innovative and flexible approach. Boosting visits from the British market remains a key priority.

It said that while the perception of value has been an issue for British visitors in recent years, better offers from the trade and a weakening of the euro have helped. The perceived value of eating out, drink and the cost of living also improved significantly in 2011, Fáilte Ireland said.

The agency is upbeat about the prospects of increasing visitor numbers from the US and continental Europe and says there are strong indications that Irish people will holiday at home in greater numbers than ever before this year.

Fáilte Ireland’s CEO, Shaun Quinn, said the tourism industry was now in good shape to fight for business in the year ahead.

But he warned that tourism is an export business and one whose fortunes are heavily influenced by consumer confidence.

”Any downturn in the global economy – or even significant fears about a downturn – has the potential to undermine the fragile recovery made so far in Irish tourism”, he said.

Donegal is located in the northwest corner of Ireland and dotted along its rugged, indented coastline are some of the finest surfing beaches and golf links in the country. It’s a great place for a family holiday with many attractions to visit such as Glenveagh National Park and Europe’s highest sea cliffs at Sliabh League. In recent years restaurants have been sourcing produce from local farmers and fishermen – now many of these restaurants appear in the Bridgestone Guide (Ireland’s good food bible)

If you are planning a trip to Ireland, we’d love to see you in Donegal – enjoy viewing.

The music used in this video is called “Old Reggae” by Mutefish.

This article by Catherine Mack appeared in Irish Times

Support your local market

FOOD IS what brings most of us together at Christmas. You can have the decorated tree and loads of presents under it, but it is the smell of a baked ham, the sharing of some of granny’s Christmas cake, or just the first bite of warm brown bread and smoked salmon which creates a true season of goodwill.

Similarly, food is at the core of tourism and a linchpin of making our holidays truly sustainable. And this is why some food producers have realised that the product is a fundamental part of the fáilte and are offering services which enable you to put their fine fare on any self-catering cottage, castle or camping table in the country.

These are my food heroes, and the guys who are going to play a big role in keeping this part of our culture thriving.

Localmarkets.ie is a website where you can buy all the produce you drool over at farmers’ markets or simply on their site and have it delivered to any place in Ireland. So, if you or your loved ones are renting a place for a Christmas get-together – whether it is in Fermanagh or Fermoy, Donegal or Down – you can get a great stock of fine Irish goodies in without any of the arguments about who is doing the shopping. And if you own self-catering accommodation, it would be great to let your guests know about this new service too.

Superb artisan breads from Arbutus Breads, organic chickens from Dan Ahern, vegetarian burgers from Dee’s Eat Well, Be Happy burgers, organic salmon from Old Millbank Smokehouse, fruit and vegetables from Organic Republic, chorizo and cheese from the famous Gubbeen Farmhouse, are just a few things you can pop in your cyber shopping basket, for true farm to front door service.

This is a food delivery scheme for life, not just for Christmas, and will be held up as a sustainable tourism case study by many countries when they hear of it. You just need to order three days in advance for your produce to arrive packed in an expanded polystyrene (EPS) box, fully recyclable and environmentally friendly. You can either time it with your arrival, or ask your accommodation provider to store it for you until you get there as the box temperature is kept at below four degrees until opened. Orders must be a minimum of €30, plus €5 delivery charge. You can even shop a month in advance, and so avoid making it part of your last minute to-do list before you head for the hills.

Another switched on food producer is James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel (jameswhelanbutchers.com) who also has an online delivery service. With an array of fine meat, this prolific butcher (and concessionary at the new Avoca market in Monkstown, avoca.ie) will have your pans doing plenty of seasonal sizzling. After being custom cut and weighed, the meat is packed into a temperature controlled box in a dedicated packing room and delivered the next day to your holiday hideaway. For orders of more than €100 delivery is free to anywhere in the 32 counties, otherwise delivery is €10.

Both companies will be delivering until December 23rd, but it is worth bookmarking the food providers for all your future breaks or sharing on Facebook as well.

I will be spending some of my Christmas break in a yurt, sussing out the sustainable features of a 100-acre site at Mount Druid, in Westmeath, one of Ireland’s latest ventures into the world of “glamping” (boutiquecamping.ie). Tucked up by a wood-burning stove with my loved ones, a box full of goodies, plenty of fresh air if we want it, and a converted barn if we need to escape it too.

This is my idea of bliss for contemplating the year ahead in simple, natural style. It will be a year full of ethical travel, I hope, but sadly no longer on these pages. Many thanks for all the kind support over the years, for reading my rants and visiting places I love to support. I wish you all a peaceful and joyous Christmas, and hope that you will keep in touch as I continue on my journey.

Ethicaltraveller.net, twitter.com/catherinemack and Facebook Ethical Traveller. You can also follow Catherine’s travels around Ireland on her app, Ireland Green Travel, available on iTunes app store