Mumsnet users share with HomeAway the strangest thing they've found or left behind in a holiday home

[EllieMumsnet]

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The chance to spend time away from home and in a new environment is a treat that many of us look forward to. Occasionally, however, we can forget to take everything back home with us once the holiday is over. HomeAway would love to hear about the strangest things that you have left behind or found from former guests in a holiday home.

Here is what HomeAway has to say: “HomeAway offers more than 2 million unique places to stay in over 190 countries around the world, from villas to cottages, from beach houses to tree houses, from mountain cabins to even castles! Over one-third of HomeAway's nearly 1.5 million online bookable listings are now instantly bookable, with no wait for confirmation. The holiday home expert’s mission is to provide families and groups of travellers with the perfect match holiday home to create unforgettable memories together. Not only do holiday homes provide excellent value for travelling families and group of friends, booking a whole house also guarantees more space and flexibility than a hotel or resorts.

Ever wondered how much your home could earn for you? HomeAway is here to help you learn what it takes to rent your home and invite travellers in for unforgettable experiences. Click here to find out more.”

Have you ever found unusual items in the fridge? Maybe you managed to leave just one shoe in the wardrobe? Or your underwear in a strange location? Perhaps you’ve even found something as random as a walking stick or a diary? Share them all on the thread below...no matter how strange!

Everyone who comments on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

I left a bag of expressed breast milk in the fridge of an air bnb. I did get in touch with the owner to make sure she didn't drink it!

Found a velvet pouch of what looked like very expensive jewellery left in the drawer of a bedside table at a hotel we stayed in up in Newcastle. (We handed them into reception, who seemed very nonplussed about it - so am assuming they get a lot of left property handed in!)

Left dd's tooth on top of a bathroom cabinet once at centre Parcs, thought I'd put it up out the way and take it home but forgot!

We left our Ewan the Dreamsheep this year when we went went away! Haven’t got it back... I think I was more upset than my son was!

Found random kids drawings...

Many years ago I booked a week in a beautiful little windmill in the middle of a vineyard in France. It was dirt cheap as it was out of season, but I was undeterred!
When we arrived, it was beautiful, but it was also freezing & it became apparent within a few hours of entering that thousands of the flies who frequented the vineyards that summer, had sought refuge in the high ceiling of the windmill & the stove we switched on to heat the place had stirred them all from the slumber.. it was like something from a horror film!! Never again!!

I like to keep a travel journal when going on holiday, and I left one behind in a French gite once, which made me sad, especially as it had the contact details of a lovely man I met out there .

In a hotel room in Portugal I left my beautiful, and much loved, first ever silk shirt that I only ever wore for special occasions.
Never had it returned but taught me to wear things you love instead of keeping them for 'best'

We found some (tastefully) intimate instax photos, in the safe of the room, of what we guessed was the previous occupants (we could tell by the decor of the bed and walls). They were modelling for the Karma Sutra !! as there were multiple positions. We handed them in - mainly because we did not want to think the next occupants of the room might have thought it was us!

We have found a proper printed photo of a picture of a really old Argos catalogue! Was very random!

We found a stained glass window of Christ being crucified on a cross in between two bedrooms of the holiday cottage l. My son insisted on having the landing light on so it shone into my sisters bedroom on the other side of the landing. The next morning she got some sellotape and the Sunday supplements and covered it over. We left it like that when we left!!

reader digest going back decades!have such fun looking through the back catalogue.how times have changed...

I stayed in a house in Weymouth with my cousin when we were 16.
We left notes saying ‘help us, we are kidnapped’ in the bedroom drawer.

We once left dds bed guard on the bed in a holiday home. The place didn’t provide one and she would’ve rolled out of the bed if we didn’t bring ours. It was a fancy expensive one and I sent an email to the owner saying we had left it but she was welcome to keep it to have it available for future guests use and got a reply indicating she wasn’t as grateful as I had expected. The holiday Home was beautiful and I’ve just remembered there was a note saying children were not allowed to use felt pens in the house, just colouring pencils (which were provided) presumably to prevent marks on furniture, which we’ve never had before or since but I can’t blame her as it was all so lovely and pristine —can’t imagine it’ll stay that way as a holiday let—

We once stayed somewhere when I was a teenager that had dog wee on the floor of the bathroom when we arrived

Found:

An odd shoe under the bed, followed by another odd shoe left in the wardrobe........

Left: Bed bar and had to plead with the holiday let for my Mum to come and collect it - I was told that I couldn't prove I'd left it. My Mum did go and collect it, however, it wasn't ours! Ours was brand new, the one we got back was old and falling apart.......

All of my 6 year old son’s clothes got left behind in a holiday cottage in Wales. Due to lack of storage they were in a cupboard on the landing rather than in the bedroom and they just got missed in the final check. Though with hindsight I did think everything had fitted back in the bags surprisingly easily.

The lovely cottage owner posted them all back home to us.

We were staying in a caravan in Devon, it was a private let and when we arrived we were very pleased at the cleanliness and location, we thought that we had got a bargain.
Whilst unpacking in the master bedroom I opened the cupboard to get out the spare duvet and to my horror and disgust there was a pink rampant rabbit underneath the duvet.
OH thought it was hilarious, I disposed of it but decided against reporting to the owner just in case it was hers, I'm sure she would've been mortified.
OH loves telling this story to whoever will listen, I can see the funny side now, I'm just so pleased none of our children discovered it that would've been an interesting conversation trying to explain what it was.

We stayed in a one-bedroom Airbnb in New York. Our host was a lovely gay guy who apparently went off to stay with his boyfriend when he had guests. (Airbnb isn’t actually legal in NYC so we had to be coached in who we were supposed to be if anyone in the building asked us )

Anyway the bed had storage space underneath, visible down the side of the mattress, & amongst other things it contained some very elegant, very large, very high-heeled shoes.

We were quite surprised.

When I was 6 I had a tape recorder with lots of story tapes. I went on holiday to a caravan and left all of them behind. I was sad and still remember the songs one of the tapes vividly.

We rented a cottage in North Yorkshire, and found a sparkly shiny earring, we posted it off to the cottage owner. We received a lovely letter with a £50 Marks and Spencer voucher from the previous tenant of the cottage - apparently they were one of a pair of a £1000 pair of earrings. We bought a meal for 2 and a bottle of champagne with the voucher.

I found some boxer shorts in the bed where I was staying!

Once went to a little city rental (in England no beach or such for miles) and in the downstairs loo sat on the floor was a small stuffed crocodile (real!) Scared the living daylights out of me! Anyway it turned out the previous guests son had left it by mistake. His father travelled a lot and had brought it back from one of his ‘adventures’. They came back to pick it up and I was quite relieved tbh as it was a bit creepy!

Holidaying in Rome and I was a teen. In the hotel room, at the bottom of the wardrobe, I found a little gift paper case, sellotaped. Opening it, there it was a gorgeous but small millefiori bracelet for a teen or a child. It was just the type of memento I would have liked to buy for myself. It was on the small side, just about fitted my wrist and I didnt tell my parents and i kept it. I thought it wasnt an expensive thing and obviously was bought from one of the hundreds of gift stalls and would be pointless to hand it to the reception since it could be bought easily from any gift shop or stall. I didn't feel any guilt.

Another time, still student and holidaying in Portugal with a friend. It was a budget students holiday, taking it easy, staying at cheap pensions, b&b s and travelling by coach between places. I had nothing to read and I was bored. We just checked into a budget hotel after coach travel in the heat for a long time. Exhausted. All I wanted was to have a shower and read something in bed. My wish was granted, I found several English tabloid papers under the bed, with the page 3 girls and all the rest, only from few days ago. ( I should have wished something bigger and better ). Still, something to read, so it was good.

Another holiday with another friend and she left her diary that she started during our holiday under the mattress. Whoever found it afterwards would have loved it as the friend was a witty and excellent writer, full of self-depreciation in the funniest way. Even I was quite upset on her behalf.

Chocolate in the safe. It was locked so we called reception to get someone to come and open it to put our passports in.

A dirty nappy behind the sofa!