etc GETAWAY SELF-CATERING

option, with perhaps one restaurant on site to give the cooks a break. But increasingly, there is the option to feed yourself on city breaks, with aparthotels and apartments providing that flexibility to suit yourself, even if it’s just to enjoy a long lie and not have to run down to breakfast bleary-eyed 10 minutes before it ends.

During the summer months, choose a lodge or a chalet where you can have a barbecue or eat alfresco, making the most of the surroundings.

Unless a fondue party is planned, or a Moroccan feast with authentic tagines, most kitchens will be wellenough equipped to satisfy all needs, with a fridge, cooker, microwave, cutlery and crockery and the must-have dishwasher – this is a holiday after all.

Self-catering also tends to be more pet-friendly than many other choices of accommodation, so four-legged friends can come too, enjoying the exploration of new territory and no upset to their diet.

It might seem like extra work, taking shopping, topping up, then cooking and cleaning up, but somehow it doesn’t feel like so tiresome away from home. Some self-catering accommodation will also offer maid services, where the dishes and kitchen will be sparkling on your return each day.

Self-catering abroad is particularly enjoyable, with the opportunity to shop in exotic street markets and at times wonder what particular items are – it’s part of the fun. With food costs so much lower in other parts of the world too, it can reduce the cost of a break significantly – providing more spending money for sightseeing.

The attractions of Montreal and

Quebec City are many too, particularly the latter, which can be overlooked, despite the fact that its Old Town is a patchwork of cobblestones, 17th-century houses, giving it its UNESCO World Heritage designation.

Driving obviously provides the greatest flexibility for exploring the vast interior, but