Life in a Hotel

Tomorrow I fly to Singapore for my second long trip of the year. After spending 7 weeks in Hong Kong I have a fairly good idea of what I need to take with me to survive life in a hotel, and thought I’d share my top hotel living tips!

When you’re suffering from jet lag, or are exhausted after a long working day, some home comforts are essential! Even though temperatures in the Far East are often above 30C, air conditioning means hotel rooms can be chilly, so I never go without a comfortable pair of joggers to curl up in during the evening. At home I very rarely spend a night without a hot water bottle so I have a small one I take everywhere with me, and it makes such a difference when I’m tired, stressed or anxious (I’ve even been known to take it in my hand luggage with the idea of asking for it to be filled on a long haul flight…yet to be done but I’m sure it’ll happen at some point!).

Hotel toiletries are fine for a short stay, but when away for a long time I think it’s worth taking products you’re used to using. To avoid excess luggage weight I transfer most things to smaller bottles, which also means more room in the case for all the shopping when I come home! (The picture below is partly to demonstrate, and partly to show off my new Cath Kidston toilet bag which I am totally in love with!)

 

Whilst there are cheap laundrettes available to avoid expensive hotel laundry bills (in HK I had a load of laundry done for £3!) there are some clothes I prefer to hand wash, so washing detergent is a must, and this time I am also taking some fabric conditioner, because nobody likes crunchy underwear…

Dealing with the humidity is a huge issue for me and my hair. Remember that Friends episode with Monica in Barbados? That’s me when I step out of the hotel! So for the sake of everyone around me I am going fully armed with hair products this time – I will not be defeated by humidity!

Tea. I love a good cup of tea, I can’t function properly in the morning without a large brew. But for some reason in hotels they think we want to drink out of cups designed for the Borrowers. So this time I’m taking my travel mug, a large bag of my favourite blend, and some dried milk (yes I know it’s not quite the same, but it’s not too bad and I can’t drink black tea for 5 weeks straight!).

And finally, entertainment. It’s all very well having a huge TV at the foot of your bed, but when all you can watch is BBC News it begins to lose its appeal! Hopefully with some careful packing I will be able to take my MacBook, disk drive and a box set to keep me entertained when I’m too tired to go out, or when a tornado keeps me trapped in the hotel (really hoping the latter doesn’t happen…!). Plus my kindle is fully loaded for those first few sleepless, jet lagged nights.

So those are my top hotel essentials, plus a small bottle of bubble bath if I have room, because using shower gel to create bubbles just isn’t the same! Hotel living has it’s perks (no cooking, washing up, cleaning…) but a touch of home makes all the difference. 😊