Grim to great - the rise of the boutique and the chic holiday home

Over only a few years, holiday cottages seem to have gone from grim to great. Abroad or in the UK, 'self-catering' has grown from being a bit part of the holiday trade to the main part of it in many areas. From Catalonia to Cornwall, self-catering holiday homes, holiday cottages, holiday villas, flats and huge houses have become the accommodation of choice for a new generation of families and singles. The public has spotted the quality and value offered by privately let holiday homes. The freedom to do your own thing has made the concept a winner.

The term 'self-catering' is really a misnomer. Although kitchens are frequently brilliantly equipped, only a minority of guests make serious use of the cooking facilities at most holiday cottages. The beauty of self-catering holiday cottages is that you can cook if you like and not if you don't. Restaurants do very well out of self-caterers and those properties that are well located close to a pub are as popular with the landlord as the pub is with guests. Symbiosis prevails. Paradoxical as it may seem, it's not a coincidence that the rise of self-catering has coincided with the rise in the demand for (and supply of) good restaurant and pub food - certainly in the West Country.

Not so many years ago, staying in holiday cottages was the rock bottom of the UK holiday market: 'About as popular as a wet weekend in Weston-super-Mare.' Frequently cold, damp, and uninviting, the sort of holiday cottages in which I stayed in the '70s was absolutely miserable. Helpful Holidays built its early reputation on finding and promoting the exceptions and relentlessly encouraging owners to 'upgrade'. About 15 years ago, things started to change. At first it was only a few enlightened owners. But soon more saw the success of those who'd taken the plunge and they too decided to follow our advice and upgrade their cottages with home comforts like central heating, comfy sofas, fitted kitchens and plush bathrooms. The effect was immediate and the demand for those properties overwhelming. Obvious as it now seems, offering a comfortable home-from-home in which customers could enjoy the freedom to do their own thing was a great hit and the era of 'modern' holiday cottages began.

Now holiday cottages have to be plush to succeed. 'Better than our own home,' is the standard that has to be achieved to thrive in the modern market place. Many regional agencies have helped their owners achieve the necessary standards and their businesses have thrived as a result. As quality has improved, the season has lengthened and although rental prices have risen dramatically, demand for good quality holiday homes is still growing. And something else has started to happen. Slowly at first, but recently with gathering pace, the attitude of the Great British public to the weather seems to be changing. Perhaps it has something to do with having a warm, clean and comfy place to retreat back to and/or maybe it has something to go with good quality clothing (Gore-Tex) which doesn't take a week to dry, but the effect 'the weather' has on demand seems to be greatly reduced now.

The latest exciting new development (in the UK at least) is 'serviced-self-catering'. Whether purpose built new lodges or concentrations of individually owned cottages in a small area, this idea tries to offer the best of the 'hotel' experience with the benefits of self-catering. A fully equipped holiday cottage, cleaned every day, with the beds made up or changed, but with the opportunity to cook if you want. Prices charged for this sort of arrangement can be not short of £75 per person per night in the high season - almost as much as a hotel, but there you have no opportunity to save a bit of cash by cooking for yourself. If you stay in a hotel, your small room is all the privacy you get. Serviced holiday cottages offer freedom to do your own thing, with the pampering that makes a hotel stay so luxurious, but at a lower cost. The best of all worlds - it seems.

Good regional holiday cottage agencies: