Towels and wash cloths in Italy hotels

wash cloths are not very common in any European Hotels apart from the higher end ones,in fact on all my travels in Europe over that last 40 years or so I can't remember ever having wash cloths provided .On the other hand it is very seldom that I have not had towels provided in hotels. In Italy I must admit the quality of hotels towels have been much poorer that in other countries.

Thanks. Do you have any suggestions on what to bring to clean face and body? We'll plan to bring body pouf and face wipes.
Joe

I've never had any issues with hotels not having wash clothes or towels, even hotels that were very small and inexpensive. I don't think you need to bother bringing any with you.

Donna

Wash cloths were not always provided in the places we have stayed. We carry several in small plastic baggies - usually old ones that we don't mind discarding. No problem with towels.

I found myself in need of a washcloth in Venice. I found a microfiber cloth that dries overnight. Now I carry it when and wherever I travel.
BTW, my dad gave me this advice about traveling in Italy: Be prepared to see a lot of laundry and bring your own toilet paper.

Wash clothes are a cultural thing, like bidets. Towels, on the other hand are a given, unless you are staying in the most bargain basement hostel in the country.

Towels are always provided. Washcloths, rarely - or has been our experience even in 4-star properties. If you must have a something to scrub with, make sure it's not a cotton cloth that won't dry quickly.

I'll generally pick up an inexpensive stack of wash clothes (Walmart $3 for a stack of maybe 20 or ditto for Costco), count out one clean one for each travel day, +1 for good measure. They are thin and of a fair-at-best quality, but they work okay for travel. Because they are thin, they take up little room in luggage.

I leave the used ones bundled with the towels, etc. at the hotel, where I would guess someone doing the laundry could find a use for them.

I'm generally a very adaptable person, but a clean wash cloth for my face (hot compress for my eyes each a.m.) is a medical "must."

Sometimes a hotel that otherwise does not have wash clothes in the room can provide one upon request, but you might literally get ONE for your entire stay.

We never see a wash cloth in Europe. Maybe once in a higher end hotel, and that was enough to make it notable. Towels in Italy we saw were all very thin, almost linen-like, but worked fine.

Facecloths are as rare as iced drinks in Italy. I bring face wipes (Daily Facials by Olay) and a"pouf" to use with body wash. I like my Rick Steves' microfiber bath towel as a back up to hotel towels. Very useful in doing laundry in the sink or to go to pool or beach.

What's wrong with just hands and soap, and a towel to dry? Used to work fine before washcloths came along

Agnes, sometime hands just won't do. If you have grim on your feet or hands, if you want to wash off body glide or mosquito repellant. You just need more friction to get stuff off.

I went ahead and bought the 2 pack Rick Steves fast drying wash clothes.

Also, I have a friend that says many hotels just have the pump soap and she likes bar soap. So do I. I'm throwing a bar of soap in my bag, too.

It is a cultural thing about the perception of how wash clothes are used and what body parts are cleaned with the wash cloths. So if wash cloths are critical to you life style, then bring your own. Hand towels and bath towels are always provide but often are very thin or light weight so don't expect a six foot bath towel to cover your body.

I've rarely seen a washcloth in a European hotel. The towels in Italian hotels are sometimes the thin "waffle weave" type.

Here's what we've done to adapt. Sometimes we've used a corner of the towel as a wash cloth before it's actually needed as a towel. Sometimes we've bought those cute little wash mitts that are used in Europe instead of washcloths (we have quite a colorful assortment at home now to remind us of our trips). And every time I go to Italy, Germany or Austria I look for those thin waffle type bath towels to buy and bring home. We love that they dry faster and are more energy efficient. Our bathroom at home is a little slice of a European bathroom.

What's a wash cloth?
https://www.ricksteves.com/press-room/ricks-travel-philosophy

Experiencing the real Europe.... Europe is a cultural carnival....
Simply enjoy the local-style alternatives to expensive hotels.....

What's a wash cloth?
https://www.ricksteves.com/press-room/ricks-travel-philosophy

Experiencing the real Europe.... Europe is a cultural carnival....
Simply enjoy the local-style alternatives to expensive hotels.....

I lived my first 27 years in Italy without even knowing what wash cloths were and I survived without ever smelling like a Frenchman. Wash cloths aren't used there. Italians use sponges to bathe (I still do as I don't use cloths even now). Sponges are also not always provided in hotels, but you can buy any light weight mesh sponge at home in many stores or even in Italy. If even sponges don't work for your body, I don't know what to tell you, other than suggest some Brillo pads which in Italy is called "paglietta di ferro" (iron scourer).

Europeans apparently don't use washclothes -- you never see them in hotels and it is hard to find them in shops. They do often have terry wash mitts which are hard to find in the US. my husband likes those for showers, so we always buy a few when we travel. I just throw several old ratty washclothes into the top of my suitcase before a trip with a plan to dump them eventually before heading home. It is not big deal when staying in one place -- a bit of a pain to load up wet rags in the luggage when you move around.

I can't recall ever seeing a washcloth in any of the hotels I've stayed in over the years. I don't use them so not too concerned whether they had them or not. All hotels have provided towels. In some cases, these have been the thick towels that we're used to in this part of the world, while other smaller hotels have provided fairly thin towels (much like a dish towel). One use and the thin ones are thoroughly soaked (they usually change the thin towels every day so not a problem).

yes, there will be towels, this is what I carry for wash clothes, truly take very little space and would be fine even for those people that travel just with hand luggage, you can even cut them in half before you leave home.....for 8 nights in Italy (2 nights per accommodation), I could have managed with 2 wipes, each cut in half. my mother used these for dish clothes in my growing up years http://www.walmart.com/ip/12442829?wmlspartner=wmtlabs&adid=22222222222009732226&veh=sem there is no detergent in these, just a plain wipe. you can find them in any grocery store in the cleaning products isle

I do the same as Margaret....take the thin little guys from Target, Bed Bath, etc. (usually in bundles of eight or so)...one for each hotel, and then leave them behind. They take up next to no room in my carryon, and when they're gone, more room for fun things to bring home!

Never use washcloths in Europe but I like bar soap, so I take that with me. I did stay at a B&B in Germany that had washcloths, the only time I saw them in Eutope.

I use this Salux cloth at home and they are long enough that I have cut one in half, machine hemmed the edge and take it with me in a small ziplock. It squashes down more than a pouf does and is a little more abrasive. I first found them on the Dr Bailey (dermatologist) blog.

http://www.amazon.com/Salux-Nylon-Japanese-Beauty-Cloth/dp/B000EZOC1O/ref=sr_1_5?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1440806467&sr=1-5&keywords=salux

I also take a bar of glycerine soap cut in half in case some place does not have soap that I like, also in a small ziplock. I tried a traveling soap dish but they just take up too much space for 1/2 a bar of soap.

I thought Italians drip dried themselves by standing on their hotel room balcony.

But they wouldn't have to do that if they had wash clothes.

Once upon a time, an American couple at a fancy hotel in Argentina was miffed that the hotel did not supply wash clothes, so they cut a towel up in little pieces. The hotel was miffed that they intentionally destroyed hotel property. It was a perfect culture clash.

mph -

Thanks for the tip - these forums are priceless for giving us first-timers those little known insights into local culture. Now I'll probably return with a stiff neck.

I have never been in a hotel in Italy that didn't have toilet paper and the quality is just as good as what you get in the U.S. You can get wash cloths at Costco also, and you will have enough to last you the rest of your life. I pick up the bars of soap that one finds in hotels ( if they provide them). Since hotels generally provide two bars, I take one and add them to my supply. Just carry a couple of baggies to toss them in. I would love to know where to buy waffle weave towels as they are the best. Dry you off quickly and the towel dries quickly. I have a couple but would be happy to have a stack of them.

@Chloe
Ah, the quest for waffle weave towels. We've been acquiring our collection over many years. I've found them in good department stores and linen/housewares stores in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Sometime they have one little stack. More typically they don't have any thin towels-- but I look, ask and mime...

The towels we do own were purchased in stores like La Rinascente and Coin in Italy, Gallerie Kaufhaus in Germany, and a few independent stores in Austria and Switzerland. The towels are all 100% cotton.

These towels are usually more expensive than terry cloth towels but I think the cost is justified because in the coastal climate where we live, they dry much faster hanging in the bathroom and take less energy if we do put them in the dryer. My husband doesn't even ask how much they cost any more when I finally track some down in Europe. He just says what color are you getting.

Lately I've been thinking of getting some Turkish Peshtemal style towels.

I can't wash my face without a wash cloth & always take InstaCloths with me. You can get them from travel stores but they're a bit expensive so I buy them on eBay for much less. They are rolled up into a little ball the size of a large pill & they come in blister packs. I use 1/day & you can only use it once; its disposable. I don't travel to Italy without them.

Those waffle towels are easy to find in department stores in either Italy or France -- we prefer terry although you are right that they look cool and dry faster. They dry faster though because they are less absorbent.

The dollar stores in the US sell microfiber washcloths, 3 in a pack for $1. They dry quickly & you could toss them in the trash when your trip is done if you want to. I bring ours home & save for the next trip.

I have had many so called towels in European hotels that were practically the size of wash cloths. ;-)

Never really missed them when traveling. Guess if you have to have them you can pick up some micro fiber quick drying ones like those offered in the RS shop here online or where ever you might shop for travel things.

In Rome, in hotel and oh my, I have soap, towels, and toilet paper. They of nice quality and the bath towel is surprising large. There are two of each: hand, bath, and bidet. No wash cloth or face cloth. There are two bars of soap near bidet and two bars of soap near wash basin. Additional to bars are two small bottles of liquid soap.