Until we bought Lochanbar earlier this year, we were consumers, rather than suppliers, of holiday accommodation. I think it’s fair to say that after travelling over a period of forty years to a couple of dozen of countries, and staying in hundreds of different establishments from Scottish B&Bs to five star hotels, we are connoisseurs of holiday accommodation.
And one very important part of that – bathrooms.
I wish to rant about Australian facilities. In Britain, Europe and aboard the cruiseships, a showerhead on a hose is absolutely standard.
In Australia, they are rare as hen’s teeth. And this drives me mental.
So, as I write from our holiday apartment on glorious North Stradbroke Island*, let me pass on a few basic facts and tips to our fellow accommodation owners:
1. Human beings have nooks. Depending the shape of their naughty bits and the generosity of their cuddliness, they may also have crevices, caves, blowholes and canyons. These innies need washing as much as the outies.
2. Fixed head showers are useless and tiresome to wash said bits, especially when coupled to a low-flow head.
3. Shower heads on hoses do not use more water, are not more expensive to buy or install, and are excellent not just for bits, but short people and children.
4. Also, providing somewhere for a person performing towel gymnastics or attending to gardening to prop their foot that isn’t the toilet, is only polite.
5. I might say the same for somewhere to hang dry clothes waiting to be put on, toothbrushes after use, and enough towel racks and hooks that a couple doesn’t have to share – especially if your bathroom doesn’t have a window.
The first thing I insisted on when we bought our house in Brisbane was that we had a shower spray, not a fixed head shower. And I did the same when we renovated Lochanbar (which also has a restricted water supply and no problem with the new shower.)
Guests come in all sizes, ages, and shapes. Why would you make life hard for them, especially when you are pricing your accommodation at luxury rates?
*If you’re a Queenslander and haven’t been to Straddie, especially in whale watching season, you’re missing out. We’re enjoying gorgeous bright weather in the day, cool nights, and lots and lots of fantastic scenery, including the whales 
