Well, I bought towels for a couple of people this year and I didn't care for the fake feeling of the bamboo towels but I tend to be a cotton lover anyways. I was actually really impressed with the BHG brand at Walmart. They were 100% cotton, had a nice soft feel to them and didn't feel flimsy. I felt quality wise, they were better than the ones I ended up getting from JCP. The only reason I bought the ones I did from JCP (which was their mid line brand) is because the colors were exactly what my daughter had requested and that was a priority to her. I was less then thrilled with the quality and urged her to consider an exchange for nicer ones. The Royal Velvet brand at Bed Bath and Beyond were a little heavy for my taste but they two were 100% cotton and had a good soft feel to them, nice colors too. The weight of them would really hug you if you know what I mean. Pricing for all the towels I considered was very similar.

The last ones I bought were from Pottery Barn on sale. They are wonderful.

When I had my bathroom remodeled I splurged on some really good towels from Watermark, which I bought at Bloomingdales. Honestly, I don't like them all that much. They are not as absorbent as I like and too thick. They are almost too smooth, if you know what I mean.

I like more average sorts of towels -- average weight so that they are absorbent. I have some called "Christy" from Bloomingdales that are just right.

I also bought a pile of white towels from TJ Maxx. They are thinner. I'm not crazy about them although they are good for wrapping around your head after a shampoo and they dry quickly.

I would not go too cheap with towels because it has been my experience that they shrink and pull, especially along any kind of decorative stitching.

Someone once gave me some bath "sheets" that I guess were supposed to be extra luxurious. They were a total pain -- too big to use easily. Now I use them as beach towels, although they don't dry very quickly and are heavy to tote to the beach.

I don't like anything made of bamboo, except floors. I had bamboo underwear (!) and they were awful. I don't like the feel of bamboo towels and I sure wouldn't buy bamboo sheets.

After years of buying towels from places like BB&B and never being happy with them (didn't last, always frayed easily), a few years ago I bought towels from Restoration Hardware. I bought them on sale so they were not crazy expensive, although more expensive than BB&B. They were so worth it. I am still using them every day and they look as good as the day I bought them. I'll never buy towels anywhere else again.

I use all white towels and washcloths. I also like the Walmart better quality ones - I think they are the BHG.

They are just the right thickness - not too thick.

I hate thick washcloths.

Another vote for Restoration Hardware turkish towels - They last forever!

They usually run sales Jan & July

I swear by Restoration Hardware, too. We got RH towels as wedding gifts back in 2002 and are still using them. The hand towels are frayed and need to be retired, and the washcloths have developed some pulls (probably from the washer), but I love them still. I should probably get new ones on sale in 2012.

My mom has some towels that are very fluffy and loopy, but they don't seem to be very absorbent. I don't know the make or the composition, but I would tend to stay away from those.

I swear by Lands' End bath sheets... last forever, absorb well, dry quickly.

I discovered after I inherited my mother in law's towels that the use of a lot of fabric softener renders towels non-absorbent. I washed and washed and washed her towels before I got all the Downey out of them. Then we could use them.

(By the way, I bought bamboo socks once and they are my absolute favorite. I need to buy some more.)

I love Sferra Bros. towels. They are expensive, but they feel wonderful and last a long time. The colors are true and don't get that "washed out," tired look. We're phasing out colored towels in our house, though, and going to all white so they are interchangeable in each bathroom.

My daughter bought bamboo sheets because they felt very soft, and ended up returning them because they ripped to shreds in the washer in less than a month. I would be afraid to try bamboo towels for the same reason.

I think some bamboo is the same as rayon. The cellulose fibres are processed to make the fabric. Very strong when dry, but shreds when wet.

When we bought our towels, I really wanted absorbency above all else. I bought hand towels from a few lines that looked good. I took them home, washed them and used them for a week. I went back and bought a full set of the ones I liked the best. I really couldn't tell without trying first and, for me, it was just too big a purchase to leave to chance.

I've always used JCP, and the ones we have now we got on our registry 5 years ago. A couple of them have frayed, but most have held up very well. However, I'm not sure the quality is still there with JCP.

We don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets either.

I have found most luxury brands to be really soft but not very absorbant. Tried vinegar etc to try to get that finish off with no luck.

I like the Ikea brand that is textured. I have almost replaced all of our towels with these now. They have lasted several years with no wear showing and also lots of outdoor pool usage.

do you have a Costco close by? They have great towels!

I agree about Costco, love their towels - also their Supima cotton sheets

I bought Vera Wang from Kohls and really like them. They are just the right thickness, soft and absorbent. The only problem is they come in very few colors.

I just buy Walmart towels. I love the cream-colored ones with seashells on them. I first bought two and they wore out so quickly because we used them all the time. I found that the more I had, the less wear and tear. So each time I went to Walmart I got a couple more. Now I have a bunch and they are lasting.

Which Costco towels are y'all talking about? I looked on their Website and they've got like ten different ones. I'm in the market for new towels also. I like big, fluffy towels, and would like good absorbency too, but as most have said, the bigger, softer towels don't always dry very well. Also the main problem I have with towels is that they get stinky. Does this happen to anybody else?

I get the bath sheets from Costo. They are a good size and a good price. $11-$12. My kids don't like using a regular sized bath towel now that we use the bath sheets.

Regarding towels that get stinky--do you get them completely dry after washing and/or if you reuse towels, do you hang them so they can dry before the next use? We reuse towels but the don't get stinky between uses...even if they kids leave it on their bed where it's not hung to dry.

I was going to suggest Costco towels too! I bought mine in the store, so didn't pay attention to the name of the towels. But I'm very happy with them. Big and soft. And I remember being happy with the price -- about $5 cheaper than any I'd seen at Bed Bath Beyond.

Always 1 Step Behind, we do reuse our towels for a few days but ways fold them in half length wise and put them on a towel rack. So I'm not sure if they're getting completely dry or not, but I'm so tired of drying off and that stinky smell wafting up occasionally.

I'm going to check Costco online to see if they have them on there.

What is a good way to ensure the towels dry between uses? Should I pol them in the dryer for a few minutes after each use? I never noticed this until the last few years and I don't know what's changed to cause the stinky towels.

Please excuse my atrocious mistakes. Ack! I'm traveling and am limited to posting on my iPhone. Sometimes auto correct comes up with some doozies. :)

The main thing we find that helps keep our towels from not getting stinky is that we have to wash them in HOT on the heavy cycle. Anything else, they get stinky.

We do hang them up between uses. They are close to the heating vents so that may help.

Gssciencechick, I'll try washing them in hot water. Maybe that will make a difference. Also, the master bedroom at my current house was an add-on by previous owners years ago and it doesn't stay quite as warm and cool as the rest of the house, whatever the season may be. Maybe they're not drying out all the way.

I looked Costco again and still couldn't find the sheets and then I Googled Costco bath sheets and got a link to some reviews but it's not in stock now. Not sure if they're discontinued or can be found in the stores still. Apparently the bath sheets were part of the "hotel" collection.

I did four of the Restoration Hardware towels today and I'm anxious to try them. Who would think that finding a decent bath towel would be so hard.

I get Ralph Lauren towels from T J MAxx (to keep the price down); they come in so beautiful & a variety of colors, absorbent, soft and fresh looking ..

Regarding stinky towels: I tried using hot water and keeping them in the drier longer, but the only thing that worked for me was to switch from liquid detergents to a powder (I think I'm currently using Cheer powdered?) - no more stink!

The Costco towels I like are called Charisma.

Mine are Charisma also. Recently I have been line drying them outside - They are kind of scratchy, but really smell great. I also use Borax with detergent when washing.

I have the Costco bath sheets and really like them. I also had stinky towels, I switched to All Free & Clear Mighty for HE and started using less detergent. The load gets plenty clean using the smallest amount of detergent and my clothes actually seem cleaner. I think some of the stink may be tied to excess detergent buildup.