On a Clare day ...

WHATEVER the New Year has in store for Irish holidaymakers, you can be sure self-catering will be involved.

The use of a kitchen, the freedom to come and go as you please, the chance to plonk yourself on a sofa that isn’t four inches from a hotel bed, the savings to be made when several people pool their accommodation — all have made self-catering an Irish holiday staple.

Serviced self-catering, which combines the freedom of a holiday home with the option of paying for staff to clean the house or cook your food, is a newer niche. This year, Sandbrook House in Co Carlow opened with the offer of a house manager and kitchen staff, for example.