House Guests

Some people are the perfect house guests. They arrive on time, bearing carefully-chosen gifts, regale you with amusing anecdotes, wash up, make their own beds and leave early in the morning.

Others invite themselves, come late (or early), loll nonchalantly - while drinking your best wine and boring on about their lives - as you clear up around them, and leave their room looking like a bomb site.

The difference between the paragon and the pest is that with the former, your only memory of their visit is of laughter and entertainment, and with the latter, you're working to erase both the physical detritus and your feelings of irritation for days afterwards.

Follow our Golden Rules for House Guests and Hosts for perfectly enjoyable guest experiences.