Oh yeah Brian - the washcloth... forgot about that...the luxury of a washcloth has long eluded me. I figure I'm livin' large if there's a shower on the same floor as my room! <BR>Sidebar: We're renting a house in the Dordogne Valley, fully equipped. The list of linens included is quite large: bath towels, hand towels, tea towels... but not a washcloth in sight. Needless to say, we are not aghast nor amazed...

Thanks Ron, that's good to know. I am sure our accomodatins in England will be fine. I am most concerned with the hotel we will be staying at in Amsterdam. We have reservations for 6 nights, and that's a long time to be staying in a place you don't like. We have only heard one review about the facility, and that was that it is a good bargain.

Elizabeth, I just went to your Amsterdam hotel's home page. Relax, it looks great! It's on the far edge of what I would consider central (and this is likely partially responsible for the good rates) but Amsterdam is such a wonderfully walkable city, that it won't matter much. Plus, you're very close to the big museums and the restaurant/bar scene of the Leidesplein (sp?). Better yet, you're a decent distance from the somewhat noisy/slimy/intimidating Central Station.