Hotel Accom/?hair dryers

Hi Sandy, We went on the Venice, Florence and Rome in 10 Days tour this past May and had a great time! I found the rooms in all the hotels that we stayed in (from one to three stars) to have hairdryers in the bathrooms or if not, available to borrow from the reservation desk. None of the hotels had wash cloths, so I would bring a couple of those. Personally, I didn't find the need to bring an extra towel. Some hotels have thinner towels than what you may be used to, but for us, they worked; however, that is a matter of preference in how light you want to travel. Soaps and shampoos were provided in every hotel. Some were more generous than others. If there isn't enough, you can always ask for more from the desk. Also, it's fun to adventure to the grocery store and buy some there if you want/need extra, and a great cultural experience! None of the hotels provided facial tissue (Kleenex, etc.), which I thought was interesting. If you decide to buy it there I heard from the locals that tobacco shops (of all places!) carry it. We didn't see it anywhere else. I would also suggest bringing hand sanitizer with you from home, or buy it there, as many times there isn't soap in the public restrooms. None of the hotels we stayed at had an alarm clock, so definitely bring a travel clock (we loved the one Rick sells because it is compact, reliable and has nice features.) I would also suggest bringing a sturdy rain poncho. When the wind blew and it rained, an umbrella wasn't much use. We found that Europe is very livable and easy to "make do" in. Try to pack light, as Rick suggests. You will be glad you did! I didn't pack as light as I wished I had, and mailed back half of the contents of my backpack. I will definitely pack lighter next time. Buono viaggio! Ruth

As for towels, we take a travel towel like the one Rick sells in his stores. They take up virtually no room and they've come in handy a few times, esp. on those occasions when the "towel" you get is more like a thin small tablecloth or sheet. Don't take along a terry cloth towel - they take up too much room.

Accor's a big chain with lots of brands. Etap and F1, generally no and not even at reception, F1 has showers and toilettes in clusters down the hall and sometimes there's one there. These two brands may not be in Italy. Mercure/Ibis, sometimes to usually, if not in room, maybe/probably at reception.. Sofitel/Noveltel, generally yes, however, these are probably a tad to expensive for an RS tour.

All the hotels I've stayed at on Rick's tours have hair-dryers. Also most had good thick towels but I do take Rick's microfibre towel as it is great for wringing out the handwashed laundry. I also take one of the microfibre face cloths and also a universal sink stopper - that has come in handy a few times! But definitely no hair dryer.

sandy, I don't know about the Hotels used on that particular tour, but in general I've found that Hair Dryers are provided in most rooms in Italy these days. As someone else mentioned, if not in the room, the Front Desk will generally have a couple to "loan out". I definitely agree with the others that it might be a good idea to pack along one of the microfibre Travel Towels. On every trip to Italy, I seem to encounter a couple of Hotels that have really thin Bath Towels (almost like a Dish Towel). They don't hold much water, so of course they're useless after one shower. If this is your first RS tour, you're in for a treat! Buon Viaggio!

I've always found hair dryers in the hotels in Europe and I stay in less expensive 3 stars. Wash cloths, are not usually provided ANYWHERE in Europe, unless staying at a higher-end hotel. I bring the Neutrogena or Oil of Olay disposable make-up removers, or even Adult Disposable Wipes which will do for either face washing or even whole body washing. They are in light soft plastic similar to small disposable baby-wipe packs and can be bought in any drug store here. I've never had a problem with the towels, and can't imagine that RS would take tour groups to hotels that do not supply adequate towels. I've stayed at two hotels that host RS tours (Alimandi Tunisi and another one in Rome) and they were both way beyond adequate in all of these regards. Heart of Italy, I would also think only stay at hotels that would provide the basics. Don't worry! Just bring a pkg of "wipes" toothbrush, small toothpaste, and you'll have a blast!

Thank you to all of you for your reassurances, comments and suggestions. You've all been very helpful.