I've used them a lot over the years - it is usually much cheaper abroad than here and enables you to travel light.

In China, the service was brilliant and really cheap - stuff left in the morning was waiting for you at the concierge desk by early evening.

In the Gambia it was slower but very cheap and all my white linen did need bleaching when I got home because it did take on an off-white tone but I think that this was because it was dried outside in strong sunlight. A hot wash with strong detergent and some in-wash bleach brought it back to its usual brilliant white.

I found in Tunisia that the price varied quite a bit - it was more expensive in some hotels than others but still cheaper than what you'd pay here.

In Cuba I stay mainly in 'homestays' and if asked they will provide or arrange a laundry service extremely cheaply and efficiently. Stuff handed over a breakfast is usually laid out washed and ironed on the bed by the time you get back of an evening. In the hotels it was slightly more expensive and did take longer - I found that it was best to assume a 48 rather 24 hr turnaraound but it was very cheap. So three of everything at most - eg trousers/shorts, tops, dresses - is all I bother taking with me when I go there.

SM

I have never used a hotel laundry service but we do sometimes take things to the laundry in Turkey. Last year we had a villa with a washing machine so I put everything in the day before we came home and dried it in the garden so I hardly had any left to do when we got home.

We've only done it once - in Sri Lanka - and my brand new short came back completely ruined. They must have boil washed it so all the elastic dissolved! Was not impressed and have been put off ever since. We normally take enough clothes that we don't need to wash stuff while we're away anyway!

I always use it in the Far East though I wouldn't trust them with anything silk. Some of my holidays last up to 6 weeks and there is no way I could carry enough around in my case to last that long without availing myself of the laundry services. I have only once had anything ruined and that was a silk mix top that was obviously washed at a too high temperature and came back big enough to fit a child, I think that was in either Thailand or Malaysia. A few things I had washed in Sri Lanka had a funny smell to them but this disappeared the next time they were washed. I have noticed though that prices have risen quite a lot over the last few years.

I have used the laundry service in Cuba and Jamaica and hubby uses it in Saudi.
Never had anything spoilt or ruined. We were even getting a same day service sometimes in Cuba this time.

used a laundry service,in both thailand & malaysia.i absolutely loved,coming back with all our clothes,washed & ironed
tracy

When staying in Goa, we use the hotel's laundry service as it is cheap and saves on having to do loads of washing when we return home. We don't however, have anything delicate laundered as we don't know how that would be treated.