Arrived at holiday cottage and no towels!

[savingin2018welltryingto]

So we have arrived at a holiday cottage, we have stayed at many in the past and there are no towels. Although bizarre I know this happens ocassionally so went back to check the listing and there's no mention of this.

We are miles from anything so suggestions on a post card for showering tomorrow morning - the curtains?! Just kidding of course.

What's the most random thing you've found missing? Before this it was hand soap which I found ridiculous given the price.

Do people really nick three dishwasher tablets?
Yes I'm afraid they do - and lots of other things as well. I searched high and low for a corkscrew in my own holiday let to no avail. I had to pop out and buy a new one.
I didn't replace the chess set, backgammon, cribbage board and draughts that were taken though. They lasted less than 6 weeks.
People will take anything.

I fear this may be behind the lack of provision of various items in a number of s/c properties - they used to be provided, but were nicked once too often.

I think this is one of the great divides of people - those who think they can take anything (because they've "paid for it") and those who would die first

I think there should be a name and shame website for holiday let owners to warn against hirers who take the piss. Let them put up the names and addresses of people who leave the place in a dirty state or run off with the fixtures and fittings.

I should think 95% of renters are genuine, clean and reliable people. We inadvertently drove home with a map that had been in our holiday cottage and we took it out with us and forgot to put it back on the shelves before we set off for home again. We posted it back with a note of apology within a day of arriving home.

Saying that, I was annoyed in our recent £800/week holiday let to find a message in the owner's manual saying something like "please replace the toilet rolls as you use them". We did not. If toilet rolls were NOT included in the price, why not make it clear on the booking form?

We stayed at one where you had to pay £100 refundable payment for damages or £15 non refundable payment. We didn’t damage or nick anything, so did feel a bit ripped off by it.

Stuff nicked includes:

All lightbulbs

Anything in the kitchen (washing up stuff, sugar etc)

Scissors - replace these almost monthly

Batteries from remote controls

Hairdryers

Stuff damaged:

Beds soaked and pissed in

White towels used to clean muddy boots

Doors smashed into walls

Windows

But, most people are lovely and we just have to suck it up. TripAdvisor allows you to review guests but most are fine.

Airbnb allows reviews of customers too, which I find useful.

Absolute disgrace! Write to your MP.

WINDOWS???

"WINDOWS???" ----> "Stuff damaged"

oh yes

Thank you, liz

Yup! Cracked. Cord pulls snipped. Old shutters pulled off hinges. (Georgian building) .

Oh, curtains are used as swings so we regularly have to put poles back up and reinforce the way the pole is attached to the wall.

But we have been doing this for years and have very, very few problems. Most people are lovely.

Well if nothing else you’ve saved me a lot of hassle. We are staying in a cottage in a couple of weeks - just checked and booking form states no towels. I’d not noticed!

I have a holiday rental in central London, zone 1, my rates are £169 per night in Summer, for a two bed sleeps four apartement but I do provide everything for my guests. A stack of bath sheets, hand towels etc, the only thing I stopped providing is bath gel as I had so much wastage and I feel that is personal choice. I also leave water, fresh milk and a cake or scones & jam for my guests as a little treat on arrival. 90% of my guest are American or Canadian so would not expect them to bring towels on a trip to Europe.
I once had Australian guests who called me after check in to ask if they could use the towels!

Ha, there's an apartment block we use in Tenerife, which must be run by the type of Mumsnetter who washes all her towels immediately after anyone has breathed on them. The apartments only sleep 2 but you always get about 20 towels and even more face cloths.

The first apartment we stayed in had so many personal possessions in there that I thought that someone must live there some of the time and it felt a bit weird using the towels but they were the only ones we had and the website said towels provided (I always try to remember to check for bedding and towels, a balcony or terrace and some sort of kitchen, which I know you get with self catering, but we sometimes stay in aparthotels or hotels that have varying degrees of kitchen - even if it's just a hotel we like a mini fridge and coffee maker).

The second time we stayed there, it was a different apartment and I had half a thought that we might be judged for not using 'enough' towels.