I love having friends and family come to stay and, throughout the year, our house can be so busy — and full of people — it sometimes resembles a B&B. A visitors welcome basket is a lovely thing to welcome guests with. It’s easy to put together but really makes guests feel looked after.
We have two little guest bedrooms and there’s always fresh bedlinen and towels — plus a little hairdryer and also a hot-water bottle (for those that feel the cold).
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Welcome Basket Ideas for Out of Town Guests
I put together a little welcome hamper for guests that — if I was staying away from home — I’d be really grateful to receive.
Most of these things are pretty inexpensive but will go a long way to make your overnight guests feel really comfortable and at ease.
The gorgeous basket is from Loaf.
It’s called Marché and is reminiscent of a vintage wire shopping pannier.
Whilst it’s being sold as bathroom storage — on the Loaf website — and looks fab when filled with loo rolls, it’s also the perfect size for a stack of freshly washed towels and other bits and bobs, to create the perfect little welcome basket for visitors.
Sometimes (particularly when you have small children) it’s really easy to overlook certain items when you’re packing.
Cute Ideas for House Guests
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Had lovely meal at a friend’s house — or at a restaurant — then wished we had some Rennie or Gaviscon to wash it all down with, when the night is over and we realise we’ve eaten far too much.
Ditto pain killers for that banging hangover the next morning!
A visitors welcome basket in a guest room will be a welcome relief to any visitor who’s failed to pack them in their wash-bag.
Taking the lead from various welcome baskets for hotel guests, asides from lovely fluffy towels, the addition of some chocolates would also put a big smile on my face.
And whilst I draw the line at a kettle — or Teasmaid — a couple of bottles of water will go down a treat with thirsty houseguests.
Other little essentials that I included were tissues, antacids, pain relief tablets and a tiny anti-perspirant spray — plus Vaseline and a mini toothpaste and mouthwash.
Pick and Mix
All these mini items were picked up in Superdrug from their fab pick and mix display. I usually make a beeline for it when I’m going on holiday but these dinky little essentials are also the perfect addition to guest welcome packs.
I’m SO looking forward to welcoming our house-guests over the Christmas period.
Happy in the knowledge that they’ll have a relaxing stay, the only thing that’s troubling me is, they’ll be so comfortable that they may not actually want to leave ;)
Thanks so much to those lovely Loafers for providing me with the fabulous Marché basket for the purposes of styling this post. I was under no obligation to write about it but thought it made such a fab visitors welcome basket; too nice not to share!
Pop along to the Loaf website to see more of their lovely ranges and products.
All photos, thoughts and words, as ever, are my own.
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
I want to come stay at your house! Love this and I wish we had a spare room to be able to do the same. My friend always does this when we stay at hers and it is always much appreciated. You are just a doll you know that? x
Aww bless you lovely — thanks so much! :) I think it makes a nice change from just towels and a hot water bottle! :) Hopefully our guests will appreciate it when they come to stay! xx
Such a lovely idea, I know I’d appreciate the trouble you’ve gone to if I was a guest. What a fabulous host you are!
Thanks so much :) It’s only what I’d like myself if I was going to stay somewhere! :) I’m so forgetful since I had the twins — I’d be so pleased with a care package like this in my bedroom!
We love having guests to stay too and while I have lovely fluffy towels and a cute glass water jug and glasses for them I’ll definitely be taking your idea and adding some travel-sizes extras – genius! Love the Loaf wire basket too – fab site. #HomeEtc
I think it’s such a nice thing to have in a guest-room — certainly saves any embarrassment for guests who’ve overindulged and need pain relief in the wee small hours of the morning!! ;)
Such a cute idea! Funny you should mention a Teasmade – I’m considering getting one!
Hahaha!!! I LOVE the idea of you having a Teasmaid!!! Do they still actually exist?! :)
That’s so thoughtful! I’m not sure I will ever be organised to get round to something like this. I love the basket, very cute xx #HomeEtc
Aah thanks hun :) I love the basket too! Will be great for other bits and bobs when we aren’t preparing for guests! :)
I do this too! Just without the gorgeous basket! My dad came to visit from Kent a few years ago and when he arrived he realised he had left his suitcase in his front porch back home (Doh!), so I put a little kit of essentials together (aside from clothes, he had to go and buy more!) and have continued to do so for guests ever since. Xxx #HomeEtc
It’s SUCH a nice thing to be greeted by isn’t it? Certainly takes the pressure off if you’ve forgotten all your basics!! :) xx
You are lush you are! I want to stay :).
We stayed over at our friends the weekend just gone, as we have the last few years when we’ve done our annual Christmas together and she always puts a little spread out of fresh towels with a little bit of chocolate for us! One year she added a little sponge and rubber duck for Zach which was so thoughtful. It’s so nice walking in and seeing it, that little thought that you are being taken care of.
I do love that basket!
Thanks for hosting #HomeEtc
The basket’s lush isn’t it? So useful — especially for a guestroom :) And I agree — when I stay at a friends house and they remember little extras — magazines by the bed or a hairdryer — I always LOVE my stay!
This is so thoughtful of you Caro, a really lovely thing to do. I want to stay at your house, it must be fab! The basket is lovely and perfect for the job. Thank you for hosting lovely xx
Aah thanks pet — that’s a lovely thing to say :) xx
Caro the basket is gorgeous, and such a great idea to have this all ready for guests. My friend Nicola does something similar what we stay at hers and I love it x
The basket is LOVELY isn’t it? Loaf have some fabulous things — hope my guests like their treats :)
The basket is LOVELY isn’t it? Loaf have some fabulous things — hope my guests like their treats :)
This is such a sweet idea, Caro. And I love the basket. I like having people round but I’m not best at them still being there in the morning. I need the quiet and breathing space to gather my thoughts for the day. Maybe I just need a bigger house ;)
Haha!! You would hate living here then — some of our friends use our house as a country retreat and have been known to stay Friday to Sunday. I love it but it can be exhausting at times!!
Love that basket and love it even more with those fluffy towels , chocolates and other goodies in. Now where do I book my stay ? ;) thanks for hosting #homeetc xx
Haha!! Door’s always open!! ;)
You are so thoughtful! I love the basket and I have to say I have never stayed with a friend who has been quite so generous as this – so when am I coming?! haha xx
Haha!! You’re more than welcome pet! We’d love to have you to stay! :)
What a lovely host you are! I could take a leaf out of your book! Fab idea xx
Aah thanks so much lovely :)
Ha, just noticed all the comments are what I was going to write! You are just tempting people to come and stay with you! It is such a lovely touch if you have guests staying over and a really nice way of presenting it too, they might never want to leave! xx
Haha! Great minds :) I always love having people to stay — a couple of days is good but anything more than that starts to get a bit tiring!! ;) xx
Great idea! A few years ago I changed over to having a special guest set of towels and guest bedclothes that live in the guest room. It makes life so much easier. Everything is already half organised.
Nice touch with the toiletries, etc.
#homeetc
Yep — I have that too! They’re a different colour from the rest of the bathrooms too, so I know they’re from the guest rooms!! Nice for guests to know they don’t have to bring any stuff with them!! Although I draw the line at sharing my clothes ;)
I love this basket, it pops up all the time when I do my ocado shop! I wanted to do something similar in my guest room that I started to put together in my old house, before we moved in the summer, now we have downsized we have no guest room, but it’s a lovely idea and your right your guests won’t want to go home xx
It’s gorgeous isn’t it? I’ve nicked it for my ensuite now and it’s full of towels!! My guests have got a not-so-gorgeous willow basket instead!!! ;)
Love that you’ve included Paracetamol. Always a good idea if you have friends to while away the time with over a bottle of wine (and dinner). x
Aaah thanks so much Kim!! And yes — it saves guests having to ask the next morning… which, invariably they will ;)