Happy October. I’m having a bit of trouble getting my head round this.
I love my house (particularly after it was refurbed several years ago). But, the vanity in the bathroom needs replacing. It was purchased during the first wave of Covid in 2020, when almost everything needed to be done online, and it’s too big for the space (among some other problems). It’s on the list for the next year.
One of the things I was excited about for my recent trip was hotels. I love staying in hotels – and at this point in my being I no longer really do low budget places unless there’s absolutely nothing else available. I don’t do the high high end of things (simply don’t have that kind of dosh lying around) but I want decent location, a really comfortable bed, the potential for room service, especially regarding breakfast, and a nice bathroom. And I appreciate decent toiletries though I always bring my own shampoo.
Anyway, on this trip things started out with the night train from Brussels to Vienna which had a titchy shower/toilet. This was not luxurious. Definitely not the Orient Express. But, it was mine – meaning I wasn’t sharing with everyone else in the carriage (yes, I know it doesn’t look like much but I didn’t have to wander down the carriage to where everyone else … you get the point).
I didn’t imagine decent bath products would be on offer so I had picked up a Lush shower gel at Paddington before zooming across London to the Eurostar to Belgium.
I know we had a bit thing about Rose Jam, which is love, but I picked up the new-ish LE for Eid, Stick Dates: date syrup and vanilla.
This is not for everyone. It’s as gooey and sweet as the name implies. I love it. My travel bottle is small but I’m eyeing a larger one for Xmas.
Anyway, that gooey-liciousness was used through most of my trip, including in Berlin, even though the bath products in that hotel were perfectly adequate. I just enjoyed it so much.
The Berlin hotel was very nice, with one of those big walk-in showers with a rain shower head. It was still very hot when I was there so that shower got a lot of use.
The next stop in Germany (a south-western city with not much to recommend it beyond the fact that my mother’s family had lived there – thus the reason for the visit) was boring hotel-wise. The place was central and comfortable. The bathroom was adequate, with one of those moulded shower units. Feh. The breakfast, however, was really great.
The last stop of the trip was after this, in Paris, where the hotel, including its bathroom, was more than adequate. I plan to return there as it was central and really nicely done, with a wonderful bathroom. I don’t generally take baths but availed myself of the proper porcelain one my second to last night, when I had walked so much the muscle at the back of my left thigh was twitching in protest (the pic doesn’t do the room justice).
The hotel’s bath products were Fragonard floral and fig – and you could buy bottles (shower gel was €20 for a 500ml bottle) from reception. I did not but I did enjoy the gel and felt it was of sufficient quality that when (not if) I return to the hotel I might consider indulging.
So, does the Sticky Date sound interesting? Do you use whatever bath products are on offer where you stay or bring the whole shebang? Where do you stand on the hotel question (cheap and decent; whatever the large, reliable chain is; boutique, with attractive amenities; high end all the way)?
Pics: Mine
Because of March, I am really curious about Sticky Date – this is so outside my wheelhouse that I’m definitely gonna try it – worst case, it goes to Missy March – we’ll see.
I absolutely love a 4-5 star hotel. One of my faves is Shutters in LA – the bathroom is GLAM!!!
And I’m #TeamPortia on hotel dining rooms for breakfast.
There is something about Sticky Dates I adore. It’s definitely worth a try. Ah, good hotels: one of life’s worthwhile luxuries.
We like mid-range hotels when we travel. I love a bathtub over a shower, so that one hotel you stayed in looked amazing to me! Somewhere I stayed years ago had Diptyque products which was super posh. Loved that. I can’t remember where it was. I take my own hair products. Sticky Dates sounds too sweet, but the floral fig product sounded nice.
If I’m recalling correctly it was more floral than fig, but in any case it was quite nice. I prefer showers but that bathroom was just so nice — and in the end the bath was quite handy. Diptyque toiletries — that sounds lovely. What a treat.
We usually go self catering rather than B&B. My DH likes to sleep late in a morning so brunch out would be our preference.
I tend to take shampoo & conditioner but body wash & soap in the room gets used.
I adore eating dates but I’m unsure about Sticky Dates. Depends how sweet it is
It is very sweet. Have you smelled date syrup? This, with vanilla, is that smell amped up. I no longer sleep past 7:30 — even when I’ve had a bad night. Summertime my brain wakes me earlier. I’m always impressed by people who are good sleepers.
Hey Cinnamon,
Sadly the rise and rise of rates for many of our favourite hotels has priced us out of their market so we are trying to find new faves in cities we regularly visit. Mid price has such varying standards that Jin is now preferring to AirBnB. It makes me a bit sad but needs must.
I’m such a weirdo. On our travels I’ll open the first two soaps and bring them along with us. The rest get saved and used at home in memory of travelling adventures.
One thing I really love about a hotel is breakfast in the dining room. While munching, chatting and sorting our days adventures out it’s the time I write postcards. Perfect start to a day.
Portia x
I take Jin’s point on airBnB due to the difficulty now of finding decent mid-priced hotels, but I can’t see doing flats for less than 5 days. I was pleased with the Berlin and Paris places I found — and would use them again. Interesting on soap … I did room service breakfast one day at the Paris place and dining room on the other. Both were wonderful. There’s something really special about room service breakfast. But, the standout breakfast was the hotel in southwest Germany which had all kinds of weird and wonderful things.
I enjoy trying hotel amenities and have found some nice, if puzzling, surprises while traveling. (Carner Barcelona products in Budapest, D.S.&Durga on Air France, L’Occitane in Amsterdam). However, my hair has gotten fussy in my advancing age, and traveling with my own shampoo and leave ins seems like a good idea now. Other than that, I’m adventurous.
And that hotel in Paris sounds amazing! That bathroom! ?
I wonder if because a lot of places no longer offer those small bottles of things (just full size) they are trying to make things more interesting. Definitely with you on hair being more finicky now. Interestingly, the Paris hotel doesn’t pop up on best boutique hotel lists. It’s central and very nice and, yes, the bathroom was lovely. And google reviews rate it 4.6 stars.
Ha! Musette knows that Sticky Dates is on my want list! I’d buy it unsniffed and have it shipped, and I am sorely tempted. I put date syrup on a lot of things. I’ve done a lot of AirBnBs which can vary widely in terms of details and odd decorating choices. One happy hotel experience was booking a room in Chicago (Priceline? where you don’t know what the hotel will be) and it turned out to be a massive lakeview suite at the Drake for a very reasonable price.
Ah, Sticky Dates is a particular taste, I think. I really like it. Never heard of Priceline but what a lovely surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a 5 star place (thus the curiosity). Even the outstanding resort in the Maldives was 4 star.
LOL! Do you remember the ground floor weirdness in LA? With the red sofa – and the bathroom from hell? You brought a blowup mattress (still can’t figure out how you managed that) and I slept on the sofa – we simply couldn’t manage the idea of opening it up…
that was hysterical, that stay.
I enjoy hotels when we travel (never was on board with VRBO or AirBnb). I always travel with my dog; therefore, limited to dog-friendly hotel options. However, many such options exist these days. I’m mid-range price wise, budget-conscious yet prefer clean, updated, modern in good location. I bring my own toiletries, as I tend to have samples to use up and am picky about my hair care products. For Lush, die-hard Rose Jam fan here and have not tried any of their other offerings.
We have a family joke about how the dog runs a multinational company and has apartments in numerous cities. He just sold his NY apartment. I’ve taken him on holiday once, a few summers ago to the coast here. The airBnB was great and its garden was far better than the one here as only grass and thus nothing for him to nibble. I do love the idea of taking him to a 5 star place in Paris where they pamper the dogs.
I will certainly give a try to whatever products they have.
As far as hotels go, I usually choose something inexpensive, both due to my budget and the fact that I’m there for the city, not the hotel. But I’d love to stay at say, Claridge’s or the George V.
Many years ago I spent two nights as a guest of a friend at a grande dame hotel in Santa Barbara, and it was a major disappointment. It was over thanksgiving and thanksgiving dinner was turkey roll and Denny’s level sides, the water pressure in our room was so low I couldn’t wash my then shoulder length hair, maid service was spotty at best, the train went by a few times over night feet from the place sounding it’s giant whistle and someone stole the hood ornament and make and model emblem off my friend’s Cadillac. Now the latter two weren’t the fault of the hotel, but didn’t add to the experience (and they tried to say the theft didn’t happen at the hotel until more cars had it happen over the next days) mind you this was in the last millennium and I’m sure that the place has changed, but it just goes to show that A-list cost doesn’t necessarily mean A-list accommodation.
You’re making me want to brave Century City and visit Lush. Oh well, I’ll take the bus this time..
That experience sounds so disappointing — and unfair. I think I like the idea of 5 star in the abstract but mid-range well chosen boutique places have served me well. The Berlin room was a bit larger than Paris, with a seating area. But both were absolutely comfortable and adequate. Do I need more space? I don’t think so. Oooh, yes, check out Lush and report back.
Absolutely nothing wrong with a good mid-range hotel, imo! My favorite San Francisco hotels are all mid-range. And my absolutely favorite breakfast (EVER!) was at Prescott – soft scrambled eggs with lobster and mascarpone with a hint of thyme. Absolutely sublime!
Your Paris hotel looks and sounds lovely. I think I would like it. I want the place I am staying to be clean, pleasant, comfortable, not too expensive, and in a nice location. A vacation to me is all about the place and the people. That’s where my interest is.
Sticky Dates is not for me – even if it’s not actually sticky – simply because of the word sticky. lol. Ever since I was a kid, I could not stand anything sticky or gooey on my hands or body. Silly, I know, but there it is.
The Paris place was all those things. Interestingly, the area where it was located wasn’t half as touristy as those closer to the Louvre and towards the Marais. Lots of restaurants and cafes nearby — and good for transport — but it didn’t feel mad.