I hear you.
I now bring a pillow each for DH and I (teen DD sometimes also brings one).
I have also bought soooo many mugs when away on hols (I usually bring them home to keep using them, in fairness), but if we are holidaying by car, I will often throw a favourite in. The tiny cups in most SC places are not what you want for relaxing with a whole pot of tea or coffee in the morning, or wrapping your hands around a mug of hot choc after a cold swim etc.
I have a box, which I filled over the years with items we bought on hols that were "missing" from SC places, and added a few extras when I gave in and just built a kit (it does now cover camping trips as well). 1 small sharp knife (now it's a set of 3 decent enough ones in covers to protect fingers), veg peeler, tin opener, corkscrew (repeat offender!), wooden spoon, etc. I ended up buying a cheap set of kitchen tools (non-stick spoon, ladle, whisk, spatula etc) and small chopping board in Ikea. (Half a) pack of clean plastic pegs (to use for hanging clothes out or closing packets of food - half have migrated to our own house over the years or been left behind). A pair of silicon hand mitts for hot pots that were a Christmas present 1 year (my kitchen ones were fine to keep using at home and these are small).
And consumables. Washing up liquid, ziploc bag with a handful each of dishwasher tablets and washing powder tablets and 2 firelighters, small bottle olive oil, salt and pepper grinders, half a box of ice cube making bags, half a box of ziploc bags, end of a roll of bin liners, a pot scrubber, any sachets of tea/coffee/sugar/hot chocolate/ketchup/mayonnaise/vinegar/soy sauce etc that I have gathered, half a box of coffee filters, matches, couple of nightlight candles....
I also have a list.
Well, various lists.
For camping.
For SC in summer.
For SC in winter (when buckets and spades/flippers etc are dropped, but hot water bottles and couple of cosy fleece blankets are good to have).
Additional items if it is Christmas in winter (Advent Calendar no longer needed, but stocking, a few decorations to stick up, some specific treats we all love etc).
There's a lot of crossover between the lists - any involving a solid building include plugs and charging cables; while any involving a tent involve a solar panel/power bank/2 types of charging cables (1 for bank, 1 for devices)
I always want a small torch and swiss army knife/multitool - but more of those if camping.
Board game we'll all play (exact 1 may differ depending on what type of break) and a book for me
Water bottles and travel mugs and cool bag/box
Nature book and local maps
And I also tend to do a food shop when I arrive, but want at least a loo roll and a roll of kitchen towel/kitchen spray, and a carton of milk, in the car for our arrival at the house.
Add in gear for all weathers (as we like to get out regardless) and occasions (we often have to visit family and get dressed up for things).....
But generally we use everything we bring.