Travel: A Very Clever Beach Towel – Hammamas Towel Review

I’d never heard of a Hammam beach towel until Hammamas got in touch to ask me to review theirs. If you’re also in the dark, read on to find out the benefits of a cotton Hammam towel that’s lightweight and small enough to save luggage space, but absorbent enough to do the job!

Ad: Hammamas gave us four of their adult-sized towels for this review. All opinion and images are our own.

Why Hammam beach towels are perfect for a holiday

Every now and then, when you’re reviewing products on a blog, you find one that you love so much, it becomes a permanent addition to your life. This summer, as part of our travel blogging adventures, we were asked if we’d like to try Hammamas beach towels. One click on their website, and I wanted them (you’ll see why when you click), so we did. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many comments on Instagram as I did on the pictures I took of our new Hammam beach towels as we travelled this summer. It’s the colours, I think, and as I said, when you start to browse their range, you might find it difficult to pick a favourite.

 

Hammamas Towel Review

 

First, we did the obvious thing of taking them on holiday. Now, as every parent knows, when you travel with children, you don’t travel light. I remember that fortnight in Mexico when I packed a capsule wardrobe with the perfect sandals into a carry-on case. It was a long time ago! So I’m always looking to save space. I’m also not a flambuoyant spender, so rather than pay for extras when I get there, I like to take whatever I think we’ll need. I’ll happily admit that I have even been known to pack a bucket and spade. Beach towels are a must, but oh, how many lovely dresses I have to sacrifice to get those into my luggage!

 

What is a Hammam towel?

Cotton hammam beach towels are thin, lightweight towels that take up much less space than a conventional fluffy towel. But don’t let that fool you. Actually Daddy eyed them suspiciously, and nicknamed his ‘the giant tea-towel,’ but even he was pleasantly surprised by how absorbent they are. I tend to drip-dry as much as possible on the beach, as I hate trying to get dressed using a damp towel after a swim. But these are absorbent enough for good drying results, and even better, because they’re so lightweight, they dry out in minutes on a hot beach. You can find out more about Hammam towels here.

Hammamas recommend washing their towels before you use them, so I did. In fact, they say, the more you wash them, the softer and more absorbent they become, so they will stand the test of use over time. But the really beautiful thing about these towels isn’t just their value on the beach – although we did get plenty of admiring glances when we threw them down to claim our pitch. They’re perfect as a picnic blanket, a towel to keep handy in the kitchen for an impromptu water fight, and invaluable on a cold camping trip as a huggable cover-up. (And indeed, an extra blanket over your sleeping bag)!

 

The kids laid claim to my favourite designs pretty quickly, and I have a sneaking suspicion that when we redecorate GG’s bedroom this Autumn, I will find hers at home in there. She’s asked for a day-bed so she can have more sleepovers (wish me luck with that). I think one of these would be perfect to drape across it for a contemporary splash of colour.

2020 update

We’re now a few years on and I wanted to come back and update on how our Hammamas towels have stood the test of time. Basically they have. True to their claim, they do actually get more absorbent over time, and I can’t fault them for softness. I’d also like to point out that far from being reserved for beach holidays and camping trips, they’ve found their way into regular use on account of my teenage daughter, who regularly takes them from my cupboards to wrap her wet hair after the shower. In fact, I haven’t seen a couple of them for a while, as they’re her preferred option for this. I can happily say that these are the best Hammam towels we’ve found over the last 6 years – and we’ve been offered a few since then. If you’re looking to buy Hammam towels online I’d definitely recommend Hammamas.