What is it exactly. I was told to find a self-catering place to save some money.

My sister is getting married near Ennis next oct and the hotel she is recommending is approx 150E per NITE, yet I have found a self catering cottage that is 200E per WEEK. What's the catch?

How can an entire cottage with full kitchen, full bath, 2 bedrooms, garage and living room be that much less than a hotel room?

Thanks for explaining this.

This is the real world. A hotel has a whole staff of people who get paid. Who pays them? The guest. A self-catering facility has no real staff. Who saves? The guest.
Yes, it is that simple.

It's a British term which just means you don't have hotel services, and generally is referring to you buying your own food in a place with a kitchen.

I don't know that area where that cottage is or the Ennis area, so can't comment on the price and why it's so cheap, but various reasons might be location, condition, decor, and that you are probably dealing with a private owner so there aren't the overhead costs of hotels or agencies.

Some catches aside from those might be deposits, extra fees, payment in advance, no refunds for cancellation, etc.

Self catering can be great and you do save a lot but I'd be concerned about a place for 200/week. It may be dramatically less comfortable than what you'd want. I do agree for a week it's a great idea. Slowtrav.com has a lot of listings for apt rentals and reviews of same. Maybe have a look to see if your place is reviewed there. You could also try doing a text search here.

There are a few threads on the pros and cons of hotels vs apartments. You might have a read. Remember no daily maid service, no room service, no concierge etc.

We find self catering to be preferable to a hotel. Simply put, you are renting an apartment, period. The linens aren't changed daily, you have to buy your own food (for us a +)and the host provides the cookware and basic condiments. We delight in going to the local market(s) to buy the local foods, canned and fresh, asking questions. We've done it in France, Germany, Italy and Suisse and wouldn't have it any other way if we have a choice.

Haven't been to Ireland, but have rented self-catering accommodation.

When I've done it, bed and bath linens have been provided, utilities have been included in the cost, and the cleaning of the apartment or cottage after our departure (usually referred to as final cleaning) has been included. I've heard of instances in which some of these elements have been treated as add-ons.

Sometimes the owners of self-catering accommodations do not accept credit cards, and one has to pay by cash, bank draft, or money order.

Seasonal rates vary. If the blurb on a website says, "Starting at 200E," you have to look for more detail. That might mean 200E in low season, 300E in shoulder season, and 400E in high season.

It is good to make as many enquiries as possible so there can be lots of clarity about what is and is not covered by the quoted price.

It also is good to consult online reviews by guests who have stayed in the place if they are available.

I did a search for ENNIS + SELF CATERING and the cheapest place I found was 250E / week, so that does leave me wondering why the place you found appears to be below what seems like the prevailing market rate.

Agree with mclaurie that Slow Travel is a good place to find out more about this topic.

My husband and I have done self-catering during our last three trips to Ireland. For the size you describe the price you've been given is probably not so cheap as to cause concern, especially in October. We've paid in that same range for small cottages in May. Keep in mind that most self-catering cottages are on metered electricity which in our case added from 15 to 30 euro. Also be sure to see if linens are provided. We found that some do not provide towels nor in some cases sheets. I assume they normally rent to Irish families who bring their own.

Postscript. A cottage far out of town, which necessitates the use of a car, usually fetches a lower rental than a place in the centre of town. Again I'm not speaking about Ireland specifically, just self-catering rentals in general.

If the cottage looks nice I would not be at all concerned about that price. As Judy says, a cottage that rents for €400 or more in August or over Christmas week could easily cost €200 in the off season. Many places are half the price in spring or fall than they are in the summer.

Just be glad the wedding is in Oct and not in July or Aug - you'll save big time on your airfare and on a cottage.

The 200E rate you quote looks quite low compared to the cottages I found with a quick look at ireland.ie, the country's official tourism site. That may reflect low demand at that time of year, or sparse furnishings, or a tempermental heating system, or bare-bones management and no affiliation with the regional or national marketing/booking agencies.
Do a bit more looking around -- Google "ireland self catering" and see what you find through the numerous booking agencies.
Note that the typical rental is Saturday to Saturday, which might not be ideal for your needs if the wedding is on a weekend.

Actually - I tend to prefer independent cottages (one-off's not affiliated to a national scheme). Of course there are exceptions, but the owner is usually closeby and the difference in quality is usually just as good for a little less money. Afterall, it does cost to belong to regional marketing orgs and if someone only has one cottage maybe on their own farm or next door, it often doesn't pay to join.

Also - most self-catering cottages are happy to rent for shorter periods during the off season -- called "short breaks". You might check that out if Sat to Sat doesn't fit your needs.

Self-catering places are rated from one to 4 stars. I would find out the rating first. Some places I have seen in Ireland were pretty bad but others were very nice. Go for 3-4 stars.

We always look for self-catering cottages when staying a week in one place. Not only is it cheaper than a hotel, you can prepare some of your own meals (especially breakfast) and save the cost of eating every meal at a restaurant. Plus, you have much more room than you would in a hotel.

Before you book, check out as many places in the area as possible. Look carefully at the pictures on the websites (keeping in mind that they are showing you the best they have to offer.)

Josie23 you've got some really good advice here.

I'll just add that you should look closely at the cost for fuel/elec., especially in Oct. Might add significantly to your cost. Also the area where the cottage is might not be heavily touristed and the price reflects that. We rent self-catering cottages everytime we go to Ireland and have paid from 150E (in the middle of nowhere in Nov.) to 450E (Cork in May).

Personally, I wouldn't stay in anything else if I'm going to be in an area for awhile. They allow my husband and I to be in separate areas if he wants to nap and I want to watch TV, the fridge is great for healthy food, they often have a washer/dryer where you can do your clothes and you have the opportunity to feel like a local for a week.

You'll love Ireland.

200 euro is cheap so I am wondering is this an old cottage outside Ennis?? I am picturing my Uncles place outside Ennis in the 1970's which would not be an ideal place. It could be just off peak and then cannot rent by the month at that time etc. Find out more about the house etc as well as transport to Ennis from there. The hotel is a lot for Oct. what hotel is it? B&B's may be another option. Do you have a link for the cottage as I could ask around about this (I am living in Dublin). It is cheap so I guess I would worry as you get what you pay for. Let us know more details.

It's a good idea to check what's included.
In October, you may well need heating.
If the cost for electricity is not included, this could mount up.
It sounds nasty, but I always look for a cottage that says "no pets and no children under 12".
You tend to get much nicer furniture in them.

I've done self-catering a couple of times, and the only problem I've run into is that I am allergic to cats and dogs, but never think about it while I'm reserving a cottage. Then I get there and can't breathe because there has been a cat or dog in the cottage before me.

Also, get interior pictures before you rent a place. The last place we rented in Scotland was pleasant enough, but my husband had a sore head the entire time because he kept hitting his head on the low ceilings upstairs, and he's not even 6 feet tall.

We stayed at two different self-catering places in Ireland this year and really liked both of them. They were roomy, clean and pleasant. I liked them much better than the B&B's we stayed in. In both places we paid for metered oil and electricity and one place included towels for Americans and one didn't. 200E in October in Ennis doesn't sound too far off, but check the other self-catering places in the area (goireland.com) to see if that's comparable. They also usually have star ratings and photos.

Thank you for all your help. I prefer to cook for myself, and when we were in France would have killed for a kitchen with all the fresh mushrooms available.

I don't care about daily maid service, I clean up after myself at home, I can do it away. Usually when I stay at a hotel I don't want them in my room every day anyway.

Location is probably the big thing. I didn't have the time to do a thorough search, I was just trying to get some basic cost info. This place may be farther away from Ennis that I wish to be for convience sake.

Thanks for the notes about the linnens and towels, I will need those; or a place to purchase cheap ones when we arrive. I have purchased inexpensive wine glasses, forks, plates etc in the past so we could have snacks in our hotel room, then just left them there when we left.

I will check out the sites you listed and be sure of the "add ins" that I may encounter before reserving a place.

Thank you so much for helping out.

josie: A note about the linens. Most cottages do provide bed and bath linens (except for wash cloths). I'd say probably 70-75% do - but that is just an estimate. But the VAST majority of the rest will provide them for a small weekly fee - they realize a certain portion of their renters are from overseas and can't bring linens w/ them. If there is a linen rental fee it normally runs about €10 give or take. You would not need to buy sheets, towels or kitchen linens.