Holiday Rental Essentials - A Cleaner

MP was in London for a few days over Easter. She rented an apartment in Islington through Airbnb on a great street, just minutes away from some of my favourite London shops, bars, pubs and restaurants. The apartment had great potential - but was let down by the fact it was missing many of the items that we would consider essential.

It seemed that the rental was geared more towards groups of students rather than families or older groups of people - for example they had about four spare camp style beds stored in one of the bedrooms and they had a set of shot glasses. They were lacking any wine glasses, a sufficient number of water glasses and any tea towels. The bath towels provided were rather threadbare and they didn't supply any additional hand towels or bathmats. The bedlinen was purple and brown and MP reported that the beds themselves were rather lumpy.

To me, it seems such a shame that the owner hasn't been willing to spend just a little bit of money and time to improve the overall experience of staying at their property.

When MP first arrived at the property she also opened up all of the windows to try and get rid of the damp, musty smell that was in the bedrooms. It doesn't really matter how clean a place might be, if it smells bad, it feels dirty.

The holiday rental essential that I am recommending for this week is a cleaner. After each lot of guests have departed it is essential that a holiday rental is thoroughly cleaned and aired out. Any missing or broken glasses or crockery should be replaced.

At the property we stayed in last year in Ibiza we had a cleaner come mid-week and replace the towels and bedlinen - I think this is also a great service to offer.

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Tropical Style

Here at Bamboo and Blue, we always love a tropical print and it seems to be very on trend this season! Here are a few pieces to get you in the mood for summer.

The predominantly white and green tones of this Dolce and Gabbana swimsuit makes it feel nice and fresh.

This Zara dress combines tropical sleeves with a classic stripe. This would be an easy dress to throw on and look stylish this summer.

Still at Zara, I saw these in the shop the other day and thought my girls would look really cute in them. 

If you’re not feeling brave enough to wear something so bold and bright then you could accessorize with a tropical clutch. We LOVE this one by Samudra.

MP

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Desert Island Beauty Pick - Body Scrub

I always think there is nothing like a summer holiday to clear up my skin. After being covered up all winter in layers of clothing and subjected to months of heating it is great to strip off the layers and feel the benefits of the salt water, sand and sun.

My preferred body scrubs tend to be those that are either salt or sugar based - emulating the effects of sand and salt water on your skin.

My all-time favourite body scrub - the one that I would take to a desert island with me - is the Brown Sugar Body Polish by Fresh. I love everything in the sugar range and will no doubt refer to a couple of other products during this desert island series. One thing that not everyone may know about the Fresh stores in London and the US is that they offer face and body treatments where the cost of the treatment is redeemable in products! I love stores that offer this service as you are basically getting a free facial or body treatment. I think that REN occasionally run offers like this at locations throughout London and many cosmetic counters and stores have a similar service with make up - I definitely recommend looking into offers like this wherever you may live.

The L'Occitane Verbena Body Salt Scrub was one of the first scrubs I tried in this style. I like these scrubs as the large grains of salt and sugar seem to do a great job of exfoliation and then the scented oil really soaks into your skin, leaving is soft and shiny.

When I have been back in New Zealand on holidays I have tried this Pure Fiji Coconut Milk and Honey Sugar Rub which is also really nice.

Have you got a favourite body scrub? Be sure to write in and let us know.

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Holiday Rental Essentials - DVD Player

AD has posted before about how on one of our holidays to Portugal the weather was so bad that for most of the week we were stuck indoors with not a great selection of things to do, fighting over the one iPhone that we had between us! For further details, read here.

On our recent trip to Samoens, the chalet had a great little area just off the main living room that had a television, DVD player and Xbox. I know my girls were very happy to watch a DVD on the couple of mornings they had someone looking after them.

A DVD player by Toshiba is only around £25 and definitely a worthy investment for rainy days or for just generally chilling out.

Here are a couple of outdoor cinemas that would be fun to hang out in:

MP

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Summer Entertaining - Bright Napkins

Whenever I go to Ikea I bulk buy their tealights and a big stack of their paper napkins. I always buy plain white ones in the large and cocktail sizes, but also look out for their fun seasonal ranges. These new seafood ones would be great for a summer meal alfresco.

H&M Homeware also do great, inexpensive paper napkins. I love all four of these designs.

My go-to shop for cotton or linen napkins is usually Zara Home or Anthropologie - I pick up piles of napkins and new tablecloths in their sales. I love these new Anthropologie sardine print ones.

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Holiday Rental Essentials - What to Leave Out

We are getting towards the end of our list of what we think every holiday rental should provide. We will wrap it up soon with a recap - so be sure to let us know if you think there is something we have missed so far.

Today I am going to look at what holiday rentals should remove rather than what they should include...

Many people now seem to be using sites like Airbnb to make some extra money - meaning that they simply move out of their home and in with friends and families when they have a booking. Now while some people might like access to your children's toys or your book and DVD collection - I am guessing that they don't want to see your toothbrush and half-used tube of toothbrush by the bathroom sink (even if they are as cute as the ones below).

You might think this would be obvious but I have had at least three groups of friends who have arrived at a holiday rental to discover there is no space in the fridge, cupboards or wardrobe as the owner has left all of their food and clothing there and all of their toiletries in the bathroom(s).

So our holiday rental essential advice for this week is to consider what you are going to do with all of your personal belongings if you open your home up to paying guests.

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Image from Petit Pan via Pinterest

Laser Hair Removal

I was thinking about another Desert Island Beauty Pick and something that I usually pack for a longer holiday are some wax strips. Not very glamorous but very essential for a beach holiday where 90% of your skin is on display most of the time!

 
I have had a few sessions of laser hair removal and found it to be quite successful. Even though my hair has grown back there does seem to be less and in patches the hair has completely gone. Something that I would like to try is a laser hair removal unit that you can use at home such as the Philips Lumea Precision Plus. Philips claims unwanted hair will be reduced by up to 80% in as few as four fortnightly sessions. Most of the reviews I have read said there is a noticeable slowing in their hair growth. Wouldn't it be great to never have to shave or wax again?!!!

MP

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Summer Sandals

On my recent trip back to New Zealand I packed five pairs of shoes - I had my running shoes, black havaianas and two pairs of heels (one gold, one blue) and a pair of tan ballet shoes. I wouldn't usually take two pairs of heels - but I had a wedding and a couple of other evenings out.

What was decidedly missing from my packing, was a pair of sandals or other comfortable shoes that would look nice with dresses, shorts and skirts.

I haven't had much of a look around the shops since I have been back, but I am going to be looking for sandals very soon - especially with the first signs of summer on the way. As they will need to go with most of my clothes, I will probably opt for a neutral black or tan, a metallic, or maybe even a leopard print (as I think leopard print goes with everything).

I have noticed that pool slides have been experiencing a resurgence in popularity lately. These Pool Sliders by Unique by Topshop look quite glamorous in silver leather.

These Sawyer Leopard Print Calf Hair Sandals by MICHAEL Michael Kors look super comfortable yet stylish enough to take you 'from beach to bar.'

The Heart Medallian Swedish Hasbeens Clog has the benefit of a small heel.

I will let you know what I end up purchasing!

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Holiday Rental Essential - Luggage Storage Facility

I'm in the process of organising my sister's trip to Europe and I'm telling you that a luggage storage facility would be very handy when renting apartments! It's definitely not the most convenient to have to store your luggage somewhere for the day in somewhere like Kings Cross or Euston and then have to go all the way to pick up the luggage again before checking into the apartment.

I've remembered a few holidays where we've had to drive around on our last days with our suitcases in rental cars before we flew back home but I don't think I've had a problem before with checking in and leaving luggage. Definitely something to think about when looking at places to rent for your next holiday.

MP

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Desert Island Beauty Pick - Hair Oil

As you have probably noticed, we have cut back from five posts per week - this is in order to concentrate more on the business side of Bamboo and Blue and hopefully we will have some exciting news regarding that soon.

We plan on continuing to write blog posts along the same themes that we have been following for the past few months, the pattern will just be a bit more irregular.

Today I am going to look at another desert island beauty pick. I don't spend a great deal of time on my hair in the mornings, I usually just tie it back into a ponytail or messy bun. When I do leave it out I usually blow dry it and quickly run the straighteners over it. To finish it off I rub a small amount of hair oil through my hair. I find that hair oil leaves a really nice shine to hair and it doesn't end up feeling hard and sticking like hairspray, gels, mousses or creams would.

I've tried and liked both the products pictured above, but I particularly recommend the Davines Oi /Oil Absolute Beautifying Potion. The fragrance is light and clean and the oil leaves hair smooth, frizz-free and glossy.

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Gelaterias in Rome

I've just booked my ticket to Rome to meet up with my sister for a few days and am so excited. I have spent the last few days doing food research as I don't want her (or me) to miss out on the amazing food experience! One of the things that I will definitely be taking her to sample is the city's incredible gelato.

Rome is full of artisanal gelaterias but the original was Il Gelato di San Crispino which is featured in the Eat Pray Love book.

 
I came here on my first visit to Rome 10 years ago and just remember the vast array of flavours on offer. Oh and also how creamy and melt in your mouth the gelato was! Since then it seems there are plenty of gourmet gelaterias to choose from now. One that I want to try during my visit is Gelateria del Teatro. This is owned by a former pastry chef who focuses on sourcing the freshest ingredients for his gelato. Rasberry and Sage sounds like a lovely combination but the one I want to try is Rosemary, Lemon and Honey in which he cooks the rosemary in the milk, adds honey and then uses the juice and zest from Amalfi Coast lemons. Delicious!

 

The other gelateria that definitely sounds like it's worth seeking out is Vice. Vice has an ice themed decor with a fake snow ceiling but reviews are glowing of the gelato produced, many saying that this gelato has an unparalleled creaminess! Organic eggs and milk are used and again an emphasis on sourcing the freshest ingredients with no preservatives or colourings. On Thursday nights they do an aperitivo where they serve up savoury flavours such as salmon gelato with asparagus cream or olive oil gelato with raw shrimp. Sounds interesting and bet they taste amazing as well!

 
My problem when faced with so many flavours is that I generally choose chocolate. Hopefully I'll be stopping at many gelaterias so I can branch out! 

MP

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Holiday Rental Essentials - Rental Owner/Manager Contact Details

A few years ago we rented an apartment in Paris for about three nights at the end of the year. There were five of us in the apartment and just one small bathroom. As we all showered and got ready to go out to a restaurant on New Year's Eve we suddenly heard frantic shouts. We opened the door to the apartment to discover that our bathroom was somehow leaking and flooding the apartment below. With our poor French, it was hard to resolve the issue with the neighbour and we had no luck reaching anyone at the rental agency that we used.

Eventually we just had to apologise and scoot off out the door to our reservation. After a late night out we then got up and caught the Eurostar back to London without attempting to shower again.

Nothing puts a dampener on a holiday like having to deal with maintenance issues. We were lucky that this example took place towards the end of our stay.

Today's holiday rental essential that we are recommending is that the owner provides sufficient contact details so that someone is always able to be reached if the need arises.

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