Record of My COVID Hotel Quarantine (List of Things I Wish I Had Brought)

Today, I am sharing a list of things I wish I had brought with me when I had to stay at a hotel for COVID-19 quarantine.

In the end, I managed without them, but around the first day, I found myself thinking, "Oh no..."

1st Place: Indoor Slippers

The hotel only provided one set of flimsy paper slippers. Thinking about having to use these for a whole week made me feel quite uneasy.

In the end, they managed to hold up, but if possible, it would be reassuring to have a spare pair, even if they are just from a 100-yen shop. Since they get wet in the bathroom, I feel it is better to have something disposable rather than something high-end, so you can use them without worry.

2nd Place: Bath Towel

I thought I had brought extra towels, but my bag was full of underwear. It seems I completely forgot the towels. The quarantine guide provided by the city also had a note saying, "Please bring your own towels." Check your packing list carefully!

The hotel only provided one bath towel and two face towels. There was one bath mat, but that is not meant for drying your body, so it does not count.

On the second day, I noticed there was one body towel in the amenity set. From the second day on, I managed by using the body towel to wash my body and using one face towel as a substitute for a bath towel.

If possible, I wish I had brought one extra bath towel and two extra face towels.

Personally, hotel pillows are too high for me, so I usually stack bath towels to use as a pillow. I do the same at home. This time, I used one of the hotel's bath towels exclusively as a pillow.

3rd Place: Mug, Paper Cups & Stirrer

Since it was a hotel, I assumed there would be about two cups. What was provided was just one small mug (for coffee or tea) and one glass cup in the washroom (for gargling).

I could not make soup and tea at the same time.
There was also no cup to stand my toothbrush in.
It was quite inconvenient...

I thought about how nice it would be to have one more mug, but it was already too late. It is hard to decide whether to go through the trouble of bringing a heavy, bulky mug. I think it is more reasonable to just accept it and bring a set of 10 to 20 paper cups. They are disposable, and you can use one a day or reuse them. 100-yen shop ones seem fine.

Also, it would have been good to have more disposable stirrers or spoons for mixing powdered soup and the like. Miraculously, the hotel provided about five stirrers, but even that was not enough for daily use. I ended up having to wash and reuse them to get by.

Extra Section

A floor mat for stretching would have been nice, but maybe that is a bit of a luxury. The hotel carpet was clean, but I could not bring myself to lie down on it. Stretching is part of my daily routine, but I could only manage to wiggle around on the bed.

It was spring this time, so I didn't feel like eating cold things. However, in the summer, you might want to eat ice cream or other cold items. It probably varies by hotel, but I suspect that even if there is a refrigerator, there is no freezer. I didn't use the refrigerator at all this time, so I am not sure.

Puddingandyogurtwere mentioned as things to bring in a cooler box, but that seemed like a lot of work, so I decided against it. Personally, I find that having a cream puffreally lifts my spirits, but that's a luxury. I didn't end up craving sweets that much. Chilling things like jellyis nice, but since they're heavy, I wouldn't recommend it... lol

Things I brought but didn't use

Something I surprisingly didn't use was socks. You only really need socks for the trip there and back. Inside the room, I was barefoot and just wore slippers. Since I only went out into the hallway to pick up my bento, I almost never wore socks, so one spare pair would have been enough.

I brought tissues and masks thinking they wouldn't be provided, but they were actually available at the hotel. However, I think the situation varies by hotel.
Tissues are a necessity, so I had decided to bring one box of Kleenex no matter what. I had assumed hotel tissues would be the standard small, rough ones, but they provided two packs of nice, soft tissues, totaling 200 sheets. Since there were two packs, I kept one by the bed and one on the desk, and they were actually more convenient than the ones I brought.

Non-woven masks were also on the 'must-bring' list, so I brought quite a few, but they were provided at the hotel as well. Basically, the only times I left the room were to pick up my bento or take out the trash. Since I hardly ever left the room, I barely needed masks. Perhaps they had extra budget for infection control measures.

Just barely made it: Keep your luggage to what you can carry in both hands!

When going to the hotel, a dedicated taxi comes to pick you up at your home, so you might feel like you can bring a lot of luggage. But this is the source of a misunderstanding!

From the time you arrive at the hotel until you enter your room, you have to carry everything yourself. Once you enter, you cannot go back outside for the duration of your stay. You can't leave things outside and make multiple trips to bring them in either. No one will help you during check-in. After all, you are an infected person. You're treated like an alien. lol
If you bring things in cardboard boxes, you probably won't be able to carry them in yourself and will end up having to throw them away.

Furthermore, when your quarantine period ends and you return home, you are on your own. You have to call a taxi yourself. There is no hotel service. I quietly took the train home. I returned drenched in sweat, carrying bags stuffed with snacks and laundry.
If you have a lot of luggage, it would be great if your family could come pick you up.

I had a backpack on, and bags and paper bags in both hands, and I just barely made it. Those with a lot of luggage, please be careful!

So, while I wouldn't say I regretted anything, this was a list of things I found a bit inconvenient. I hope this is helpful.

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