This discussion is a timely one! The beach towel idea for hosts with a beach/lake house is just what I was looking for.
Followup question: Where do people get their favorite beach towels? Soft and fluffy is nice, but I’m looking for towels that won’t fall apart after a month or so of hard work. I used to swear by LLBean’s bath towels but the quality has gone down hill in recent years so I’m looking elsewhere for beach towels.
Have napkins imprinted for them. They are disposable but fun to have and use.
Last year I found 3 beach towels in the road in front of my house. I assume they fell off a car. I hung them on the wall for 3-4 days, but no one came to get them so I washed them out. One said ‘Nordstrom’ and the others were Ralph Lauren. All are very nice. I think you can get the RL ones at Macy’s.
Costco has some very nice towels. That said, I’ve never been given towels from any of our house guests and would prefer not to get any towels, as our linen cupboards are full. Folks have given us some food, treated us to meals, and one even repaired one of our light fixtures. Some have had us as house guests in their homes as well, so it’s worked out nicely for us and them.
I may show up with a bottle of wine or a dessert of some kind, but I ALWAYS send a thank you after the stay. I’ve sent after the stay expensive wine with wine accessories. I’ve sent a gift card to a favorite restaurant.
One year my family stayed with a friend at her lake house and we sent a video of pictures from the trip set to music, with interspersed video of my kids talking about their favorite parts of the trip and thanking them. That personal touch was much appreciated.
I just returned from a trip like that and sent a thank you card with an Amazon gift card enclosed.
My best bet would be to let them know in advance that you would like them to make reservations at their favorite restaurant and it will be your treat. But if you like to bring wine and don’t want to travel with it look up a local wine store and ask if they would deliver it to their house with a note from you. Or perhaps send an Edible Arrangements, a fruit basket, or desserts to arrive on or close to the day you arrive.
Personally I’m not a candle person although it appears I may be in the minority.
When we had a pool, we liked the Costco beach towels very much
Thank goodness no one has suggested the traditional “gift bag” to this and that.
A candle, soaps, bath stuff. I have always hated that stuff. The last really beautiful and
expensive candle gift was wrapped in foil and put in a ziplock and then the garbage can.
So nice and I cannot breathe around them.
Local gifts my go to is great balsamic vinegar or olive oil.
Long distance it is usually unique chocolates from our area.
Best idea here is to take them out to a good restaurant. If there is
no time for that, or if that is too expensive, maybe a smaller gift card to local deli
or bakery. You can usually buy this ahead online and print it off with nice note.
My dear sweet aunt of no means liked it when I left her a $100 bill under her pillow
that she did not find for a week,
I too hate candles, and anything with faux scent.
Dinner out would be at the top of my “gifts I’d like to receive” list.
We are having houseguests every weekend until mid-July…except Fathers Day weekend. TBH…I hope they don’t bring me any “stuff” at all. They are my guests. At this point…I don’t need any more stuff to clutter up my house…at all.
Some of the suggestions here are nice ones, but if you have to bring something…make it a consumable item.
With regard to Edible Arrangements…I would pass on those. The fruit is sometimes good…and sometimes not so good. In addition…the thing arrives…and either you put it out immediately and eat it…OR you disassemble the thing to put in your fridge.
I had a guest last weekend, and she brought me a nice bouquet of flowers…that I’m still enjoying. That was just right.
I like the take hosts out to dinner concept, but to expect them to pick and make reservations may be too much. Reason I say that is then they have to worry about picking a place you might think is too expensive, for example. If you ask them for some restaurants they really like, and then you pick one, they don’t have that worry.
Olive oils and balsamic vinegars do seem to be a “thing” now, and it is fun to try different ones, so some kind of sample pack would be welcome in our house.
How about some Poo-Pourri? Just kidding… I hate candles. Flowers are nice but only if you know that they aren’t allergic to anything. Definitely something consumable but only things you know they like.
I used to bring a box of my chocolates or before that a few jars of my homemade chutney/jam/jelly/whatever. (The same thing I did for teacher presents, BTW, and they always seemed very happy about it. 
) If you don’t make things like that yourself, some specialty regional food is usually a good option.
Nice linen or cotton tea towels are usually good, but you have to have some idea of the taste of the recipient.
Not a big scented candle fan here, either.
Taking them out to dinner while you are there is almost a given, I’d say.
I recently stayed for,four days with friends. I took the train…so no issue with transporting things. I took a breakfast basket which included maple syrup, pancake mix, several jellies, and several teas. All consumable!
In addition, I asked them to make a dinner reservation at a place they liked as a treat from me…and we all enjoyed a dinner out together.
Stayed with a different friend last fall…and took them to dinner…again…they made the choice of restaurant…and it was fun!
We just spent a glorious week at our friend’s cottage in Maine. I have put together a box of goodies from a local olive mill and some fresh lemons from our tree to ship to them tomorrow. While we were there, we paid for groceries and, one night, our son took over the kitchen and served deconstructed lobster with creme fraiche, steamed clams, roasted redskins, and corn-on-the-cob for the five of us. Our friends explicitly invited him back – with or without us.
How about sending a gift ahead of your arrival? Something from a gourmet food company that can send wine, cheese, meats and even table center pieces.
Or how about bringing a bag or two of really good gourmet coffee beans from your area? The hosts will be making coffee every morning (most likely)
I have given a set of stainless steel water bottles that they can carry hot and cold drinks in. When I visit my sisters I give them a trader joes g/c because they love that place and I offer to cook a meal and store lots of food for her freezer.
Bottles like this. (in a nice copper color)
https://www.hsn.com/products/asobu-central-park-travel-bottle-2-pack/8231109
If they are driving distance I will go to my favorite bakery and get them a box of small cakes and other desserts that can be served with tea/coffee/covfefe.
I’ve never understood giving a candle as a hostess gift either. It’s like saying, “Sorry for being stinky guests!” 
Some time ago, we lived some place where we had house guests frequently. I always just wished someone would have got up, stripped the sheets, and washed and folded them and the towels before leaving. We appreciated being taken out to dinner the most. One memorable time was when the couple staying with us asked us to pick a restaurant we’d never tried, but had been wanting to - turned out to be a new favorite place we went back to many times.
We were grateful to the guest who changed the light fixture in S’s bedroom (where the guest slept). He also treated us to breakfast one morning.
Other guests have generally treated us to one or more meals. When I visit, I bring lots of edibles and coffee from HI as a hostess gift and buy groceries and treat to a meal. I am sensitive to scents, so prefer floral arrangements that have no scent or will enjoy them far from my bedroom. None of our guests have gifted towels of any sort nor flowers.
I have done a Penzy’s spice box, wine wapped in dish towel, Craft beers in a basket with pretzels and different mustards if I know they enjoy them, a gift basket with pretty summer paper plates, napkins, citronella candle if they like to have appetizers outside. So may different ideas!