I have waited several months before writing this post....

Back in October, we went away for a week's holiday. We went to a place we've stayed at several times before. It's neither excessively expensive nor cheap - middle of the range prices. We had an apartment.

On my arrival, I did what I usually do, check the beds. I'm checking for clean sheets and pillows, no nasty stains on the mattresses, that sort of thing. All was pristine; indeed the apartments had clearly undergone facelifts since our last visit, the kitchen was new and very posh. We unpacked and settled down happily for our first night.

The next morning I noticed one or two tiny spots of blood on the white sheets. This wasn't especially unusual as both P and I have dry skin which we sometimes scratch until we bleed a little.

The following morning P got up early to photograph the dawn. I was dozing in bed in the early light and suddenly noticed a small insect crawling over the pillow. Instinctively i flicked it away, but I was unsettled. I then sat up and threw back the covers.

There were several bright red drops of blood plus some smears of a brownish colour. I checked my self and could see no raw spots, yet several of the blood spots were my side of the bed. Then I noticed another insect and trapped it under a waterglass. A memory stirred - watching a bit of a BBC TV show about bedbugs flashed into my mind - and I KNEW that was what I was seeing.

P returned, called a member of staff and he agreed it was probably a bedbug. He offered to move us to another unit and we agreed. Before we moved we washed every bit of our clothing, dried and ironed it. On the last morning with a horrible sense of deja-vu I saw blood on the sheets and a bloated bug on the headboard. Our drive home was very silent.

We unpacked in the garage, stripped off the clothes we were wearing into binbags and showered/washed our hair. Our luggage was sprayed with bug killer and stored in the garage. We sprayed and Hoovered the car. All clothes were washed and dried and ironed again.

Then I went online. Bedbugs are on the rise all over the world. If you bring them home they can infest your house and are really hard to eradicate. It doesn't matter where you stay - top hotels all over the world have become homes to bedbugs. They can go a year without feeding and breed really fast. Some people have terrible reactions to the bites, others don't.

For several months after returning home, I woke up many times a night, compelled to check the bed. I was a nervous wreck. I cannot describe the horror of fearing YOUR OWN BED, your sanctuary, being infested with biting insects. Those brown smears? Bedbug excrement!

I am writing this to warn you. Most people don't admit to encounters with bedbugs. It fills you with shame and disgust and you feel dirty.You don't want to broadcast it. If you travel, I urge you to check your beds VERY carefully before you sleep in them. Pull off all bedding and examine the mattresses. Check in crevices and behind headboards - the internet has a number of sites with photos telling you what to look out for. Put luggage on stands and DON'T UNPACK until you are sure there are no bugs. I would advise putting clothes in ziplock bags for extra safety. If you find bugs I'd just leave. But make sure you tell the staff.

You DO NOT want to bring these creatures home with you. At the very least you'll face an expensive exterminator's fee - several visits will be necessary. You could find yourself having to replace beds, furniture and carpets/curtains.

You may never encounter a bedbug. I hope to God I never will again. My skin crawls at the thought of them and I'll never settle down in a strange bed again, without wondering if there is something else in there with me besides my husband!