Last minute summer holiday buys - and a luggage saving tip

I hope you’re enjoying the glorious summer that I ordered for you all the way back in the dark days of March – I told you it was going to be a corker didn’t I? You find me feeling a little weary today. I don’t know how it is where you are but everyone in the north is in full-on spontaneous party mood and we seem to be going out almost every night. It’s lovely but I need to up my stamina if it’s going to go on until the end of August. Thank goodness we have a holiday in sight when we won’t have to think about work the following day – in any spare time I get I’m fully focused on that. Today is all about the last minute summer holiday buys that are great to add to your bag when you’re counting down.

Last minute summer holiday buys – beach towels

More often than not I find that villas don’t include beach towels as part of their offering so we take our own. A distinctive pattern means you can always find your way back to your spot on the beach – and if everyone has their own, it avoids arguments about who gets the sticky ice cream covered one. These are currently on ‘buy one, get one half price.’

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L-R Pink towel; Seas The Day; Striped towel

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L-R Flamingo towel; Ice cream towel

One last kaftan

We covered beachwear a while ago but these kaftans were a late arrival and they’re such good value for money. No elasticated waists to make you look bigger than you want to, light cotton and available in navy or red.

Simple cotton beach coverup

Wide brimmed hat

When you feel your shoulders starting to burn, a wide brimmed hat is always a glamorous solution. This one has just gone into the sale.

Do not disturb sun hat

A Jute beach bag

I’ve found that my boys grumble about carrying a straw bag to the beach because it’s too scratchy (bless them). This is my solution for this year, the leather handles mean that it will cope with the weight of wet swimwear and all of the other clobber you end up carrying.

Palm tree jute bag with leather handles

Or a personalised beach bag

I really like the monogrammed beach bags and clutches that are all over Instagram but there’s no way I’m paying £165 for this one that everyone is carrying (yes you read that correctly)…

Monogrammed beach bag

– it’s insane! However I would pay £39 for one of these, especially with the knowledge that I’m supporting Caro, a midlife woman who has set up a little business of her own in Devon.

Sequin straw basket – personalised with your initials

…or £45 for this one with flamingos

Flamingo beach basket

For a similar price, Caro is also making the personalised raffia clutches that are such a trend for a reasonable price and this week she sent one to show me. They’re just coming into stock so if you’d like one, contact her here.

A sparkly summer clutch

If you prefer something more sparkly, how about this sequin clutch which is supposed to have watermelon slices on it – although I think they look more like hearts thus making it a year round buy.

Sequin and tassel clutch

The best beach sandals

I featured these beach sandals last year and lots of you said you loved them. They’re so much easier to walk in than flip flops and if you are somewhere very hot, you’ll probably find you wear them all holiday because they’re soft and don’t rub your feet. This is the new style for this year.

Riviera rubber sandals

The ultimate travel jewellery box

Occasionally something lands on my desk that is so beautiful, I can’t quite believe my luck and this travel jewellery box is one of those things. It arrived today and it is just so exquisitely made that I don’t know how they do it for the price.

Leather travel jewellery case

It comes from Wolf which has been a family run company since 1834 and it is incredibly well thought through, with ring rolls and earring tabs, necklace hooks, storage compartments and even a mirror. It is lined with their trademarked LusterLoc lining which ensures that nothing tarnishes.

Leather travel jewellery case

I usually end up travelling with my jewellery in lots of little pouches and because of this, I recently lost one of my favourite pairs of earrings because the pouch obviously slipped out of my suitcase without me noticing. This is one of those things that you never knew you needed but will have for life and it would make a great gift for someone special. They deliver internationally (details here) and there is also a US site.

Leather travel jewellery case

PJ shorts for hot summer nights

I ordered a couple of pairs of these pyjama shorts last week and it is so hot that I seem to be living in them. Not only are they great for sleeping in but they are also such a nice cut that I find that I put them on as soon as I get home from work. They’re perfect for evenings spent sitting in the garden with a book, hoping that your legs might build a subtle tan.

Cotton pyjama shorts

Modal pyjama shorts

Or harem pants…

If you prefer something longer then these are great. I’ve bought a pair for our holiday to wear on nights when we’re relaxing and staying in. Not only are they comfortable but the shirred waist is really flattering worn with a short t-shirt or one of these…

Cotton harem pants

A flattering supportive top to wear with them

… I always wear tops with a supportive shelf for sleeping in – it’s an attempt to slow down the ‘ski track’ lines that are appearing across my chest which rather unfairly seems to be something that happens to those with a small bust. It also means it isn’t too bad if I have to answer the door in one.

Vest with secret support

New in at Hush

The last of the summer drops arrived in at Hush today. It’s a small collection but it’s nice to see something new at this time of year and these are my favourites. An easy way to show your support for Pride weekend and also have something cheery to wear for the rest of the summer.

Pastel rainbow tee

It’s going to be too hot for jeans for weeks to come so these loose viscose palazzos are a good alternative.

Palazzo pants

And this navy slip dress with its silver stars is bound to sell out straightaway. I have the long version in black and gold from last year and it’s lovely to pop on when it’s hot.

Navy and silver star dress

Of course there is more and you can see the full collection of ‘new in’ here.

One last piece of travel genius

You’ll probably tell me that you already know this but if not, I just want to share a great tip that I picked up on a Travel Forum I’m part of this week. Did you know that you can have your online order delivered to the airside Boots stores? Details are here and you need to order a minimum of five days before you fly. It means that you can pick up all of the things that you will use while you’re away such as sun cream, deodorants, shower gels etc once you’ve cleared security so you don’t have the stress of travel sizes / clear plastic bags.

To say that this is life-changing is going too far but it has made a big difference to me particularly because sun creams for five take up so much of our weight allowance. They must equate to at least three pairs of extra shoes that I can now pack… if not more – I will be weighing the factor 30 tonight! Obviously I haven’t been through the whole process myself yet but I have my basket ready and I’ve added travel medication and insect repellent as well – you need to wait until a couple of weeks before you fly to place the order for airside store delivery .

And with that I will leave you until Friday. I’ll keep the brand name competition open until the end of the week for anyone who wants to email me. I already have a few very strong entries – you’re a clever bunch!