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TERRY & TUB

Bath Towels

Frontgate Towel Alternatives, and What the Resort Spec Really Is

The Resort Collection towel is a genuine resort product sold through one catalog. Both halves of that sentence are reasons people go looking for something else.

By Janet H. · Published November 9, 2026

An oversized white resort bath sheet folded on a bench

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Quick picks

#ProductBest forKey specPrice
1
American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath Towel
American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath TowelBest overall substitute
The everyday workhorseWeight: 600 GSM
$44.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

2
White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath Towels
White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath TowelsClosest weight match
The plush end, honestly labeledWeight: 700 GSM
$49.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

3
Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel Set
Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel SetClosest to the resort hand
Egyptian cotton, plainly labeledFiber: Egyptian cotton pile
$45.00 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

4
American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath Sheet
American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath SheetBest oversized substitute
The default oversized towelSize: 35 x 70 in (89 x 178 cm)
$27.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

5
Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath Towel
Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath TowelPremium alternative that dries
Luxury that bought fiber, not weightFiber: Organic extra-long-staple Turkish (Aegean) cotton
$59.00 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

6
Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel Set
Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel SetBudget alternative
Short loops at a supermarket priceFiber: 100% Turkish cotton
$30.98 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

Rows link through to the full write-up. Prices open on the retailer's site.

The closest everyday substitute for a Frontgate Resort Collection towel is the American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish cotton set: the same fiber family and reinforced long edges, one weight band lighter, and sold four to a set through a marketplace you can order from tonight. If you want to match the 700 GSM density exactly, the White Classic 700 GSM combed cotton set does that. If what you really liked was the oversized resort bath sheet, the American Soft Linen 35 x 70 in XL sheet is the size substitute. What no cheaper towel reproduces is Frontgate's patented Spinsoft weave and its resort-laundry edge construction -- that part you are genuinely giving up.

Frontgate supplies resorts, and the Resort Collection is the retail version of that product. It is worth stating plainly what it is known for, because "alternative" lists usually skip straight to cheaper towels without saying what the original actually does.

Frontgate publishes a complete specification, which is rarer than it should be in this market: 100% fine-combed long-staple Turkish cotton at 700 GSM, woven by a patented Spinsoft process the brand credits for its thickness, softness, absorbency and durability, OEKO-TEX certified, made in Turkey, with double-stitched hems and reinforced edges. The bath towel is listed at 30 x 58 in and the line runs up to genuinely oversized bath sheets. The brand also says the towel carries around 10,000 five-star reviews and has been recommended by Wirecutter since 2017 -- that is Frontgate's own claim about third-party coverage, which we have not independently read. Our full review of the line works through the specification.

The three reasons people look for an alternative

1. Cost per bathroom. The Resort Collection is priced as a resort product, and Frontgate does not pretend otherwise. One towel is a reasonable purchase; eight towels plus hand towels and a mat is a different conversation. This is the commonest reason people arrive at a page like this one.

2. Where to actually buy it. Frontgate sells through its own catalog and site. There is no Amazon listing, no supermarket shelf, and the line goes in and out of promotion. Google's own autocomplete for this brand is full of "where to buy" and "who sells" queries, which tells you how often the answer is simply "you can only get it from them". For some shoppers that alone is the reason to substitute.

3. 700 GSM in a bathroom that cannot dry it. This is the reason we think is most often underweighted. A 700 GSM towel -- particularly in a bath-sheet size -- holds a great deal of water and gives it up slowly. Reviewers who liked the towel have still called it impractical for daily home use for exactly this reason. A towel engineered for a resort's tunnel dryer and then hung on a hook in a windowless en-suite does not get to use its engineering. The GSM trade-off.

What a substitute has to get right

Four criteria, in the order they decide whether a cheaper towel is an alternative or just a cheaper towel.

  • Combed long-staple cotton, named. Combing mechanically removes the shortest fibers before spinning, which is why the Frontgate towel reads dense rather than fluffy and lints far less than an uncombed towel of the same weight. A substitute that does not name combing or long-staple cotton is not substituting the thing that matters.
  • A reinforced long edge. The hem fails first on almost every towel. Double-stitched hems, braided borders and woven edges are all real answers; a single-stitched folded hem is not.
  • A weight your bathroom can handle. Matching 700 GSM is easy and often wrong. Deciding honestly between 600 and 700 GSM is the single most useful thing on this page.
  • A size you can actually hang. Part of the Frontgate appeal is genuine oversizing. An oversized towel needs a full-length rail; folded double over a short rail it dries in two overlapping layers and stays damp in the middle.

The six, side by side

Specifications as published by each brand or listing. "Not published" means no figure is stated; it is not an estimate of ours.
TowelWeightFiberEdge and size
Frontgate Resort Collection (the original)700 GSMFine-combed long-staple Turkish cotton, Spinsoft weaveDouble-stitched hems, reinforced edges, bath towel 30 x 58 in
American Soft Linen 600 GSM600 GSMTurkish cottonDouble-stitched long sides, 27 x 54 in, 4-piece set
White Classic 700 GSM700 GSMLong-staple combed cottonStitched hem, 27 x 54 in, set of 4
Superior Egyptian plushNot published -- the listing says heavyweightEgyptian cotton pileBraided woven border, hanging loop, 30 x 55 in, pair
American Soft Linen XL bath sheet600 GSMTurkish cottonDouble-stitched long sides, 35 x 70 in, single
Boll & Branch Turkish RibbedNot published -- the brand calls it midweightOrganic extra-long-staple Aegean Turkish cottonChanneled rib, 30 x 58 in, single
Classic Turkish Towels ribbedNot published (listing figure is a typo)Turkish cottonDouble-stitched hem, 27 x 54 in, pair

Six substitutes, ordered by how many people each one answers. Live prices and the date read sit on every card, and every card names who should skip it.

American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath Towel

The everyday workhorse

American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath Towel

A 600 GSM Turkish-cotton towel with double-stitched long edges, sitting in the weight band that stays absorbent without taking all day to dry.

$44.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath Towels

The plush end, honestly labeled

White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath Towels

700 GSM long-staple combed cotton -- a genuinely dense, spa-weight towel, with the dry time that necessarily comes with it.

$49.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel Set

Egyptian cotton, plainly labeled

Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel Set

A heavyweight Egyptian-cotton terry towel with a braided border and a hanging loop -- the dense, plush end of long-staple cotton, sold without a story attached.

$45.00 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath Sheet

The default oversized towel

American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath Sheet

600 GSM Turkish cotton at 35 x 70 in with double-stitched long sides -- the same practical weight band as the brand's standard towel, in the size people actually mean when they say they want a bigger towel.

$27.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath Towel

Luxury that bought fiber, not weight

Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath Towel

Extra-long-staple organic Aegean Turkish cotton in a channeled ribbed weave -- a luxury brand that spent the money on fiber and airflow instead of grams.

$59.00 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel Set

Short loops at a supermarket price

Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel Set

Turkish cotton in a jacquard rib with a double-stitched hem -- the low-snag, quick-drying construction, at roughly a third of what the boutique brands charge for the same idea.

$30.98 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

Best overall substitute: American Soft Linen 600 GSM

Four Turkish cotton towels at a published 600 GSM with double-stitched long sides and an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 claim. Two of the three things the Frontgate towel is built on -- long-staple Turkish cotton and a reinforced long edge -- are here on a listing you can order from any evening, at a set price rather than a per-towel price.

The deliberate difference is the weight. 600 GSM rather than 700 GSM is one band lighter, and in most domestic bathrooms that is an upgrade disguised as a downgrade: the towel is dry again by the next shower, which is the single biggest determinant of how long a towel stays pleasant. Dampness, not wear, is what ends most towels.

What you give up: the combing is not named on the listing, the towel is 27 x 54 in rather than 30 x 58 in, and the edges are double-stitched rather than reinforced to resort spec. Replacing one towel means buying four, because it sells as a set.

Closest weight match: White Classic 700 GSM

A set of four at a published 700 GSM in long-staple combed cotton. If you want the same density and the same combed long-staple fiber story, this is the row that matches the original on paper most closely -- combing named, weight published, four towels to a set.

It also inherits the original's one practical problem. 700 GSM dries slowly, holds a lot of water and loads a small washing machine hard; in a windowless bathroom with two people showering it will still be damp at bedtime. Buy it if your bathroom has a window, an extractor that runs or a heated rail. If it does not, the row above is the better towel for your house even though it matches the spec less well.

Closest to the resort hand: Superior Egyptian cotton plush

A pair of 30 x 55 in heavyweight Egyptian cotton towels with a braided border and a hanging loop. Two things make it the closest thing here to the resort feel: Egyptian cotton pile is long-staple, and a braided border is a woven edge rather than a folded hem -- the same idea as reinforcing an edge, achieved in the weave, and woven edges fray later than folded ones.

The honest cons are significant. The listing publishes no GSM at all, only the word heavyweight, so you are buying a description. Heavyweight Egyptian cotton is the slowest-drying combination in this entire category -- slower than the towel you are replacing. And it is a pair, so it is a two-towel decision. Whether Egyptian cotton is worth it is the page to read first if the fiber is the appeal.

Best oversized substitute: American Soft Linen 35 x 70 in XL

Frontgate's oversizing is genuine rather than nominal, and for a lot of buyers that -- not the GSM -- is the thing they are trying to replace. A 35 x 70 in bath sheet at a published 600 GSM in Turkish cotton with double-stitched long sides is the substitute: the resort footprint at a practical weight.

Two cautions. It is a single towel, so per piece of cloth it is the dearest row here. And a sheet this size needs somewhere to hang properly; two of them is a full domestic wash load with nothing else in the drum. Bath sheet versus bath towel covers sizing and the rail problem, and the bath sheet roundup covers the alternatives in that size.

Premium alternative that dries: Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed

Organic extra-long-staple Aegean Turkish cotton in a channeled ribbed weave, at the same 30 x 58 in as the Frontgate bath towel. This is the alternative for somebody who wants to keep spending premium money but wants the premium spent on fiber and airflow rather than on grams: the rib leaves air channels through the pile, so it dries far faster than a flat terry towel of the same hand.

It publishes no GSM, which is a real gap at this price, and it is sold as single towels, so a full rail costs what a full rail costs. The rib also reads crisp rather than plush -- the opposite of the resort feel, deliberately. If you are weighing it against the other premium option, Brooklinen towel alternatives puts the same towel against a different original.

Budget alternative: Classic Turkish Towels ribbed

A pair of Turkish cotton towels in a jacquard rib with a double-stitched hem, and the cheapest way on this page to buy the two construction details that decide a towel's life: short loops that do not snag and a reinforced long edge.

It is not a resort towel and does not pretend to be. No usable published weight, structured rather than plush, two towels rather than a bathroom's worth. If the budget is the whole reason you are here, the best towels under $50 lays out the bracket properly, with pack sizes attached.

What no substitute reproduces

The Spinsoft weave. It is patented, which means by definition nothing else has it. Whether the weave is worth the premium is a judgment; whether you can buy it elsewhere is not.

Edge construction specified for commercial laundering. Reinforced edges plus double-stitched hems is a step beyond what marketplace towels do, and the hem is where towels die. This is the most defensible part of the price.

One stable line you can top up for years. A resort supplier keeps colors in production. Marketplace sets are reissued constantly and dye lots drift, so matching a towel bought two years ago is a gamble.

When to just buy the Frontgate

If your bathroom has real ventilation or a heated rail, and you are buying for a guest bathroom or a household that is not washing towels every other day, the Resort Collection is a defensible purchase and close to buy-once. Guest bathrooms in particular suit it: occasional use, days to dry, and the towel is the thing people notice.

Substitute when you are equipping a whole bathroom at once, when you want to buy tonight from a retailer you already use, or when your bathroom cannot dry a dense towel. And if what you were really after was the crisp mid-weight towel most people mean by "hotel quality", that is a different product from a resort towel -- the hotel-quality picks are the right page for it.

The one-line verdict

Substitute on practicality with the American Soft Linen 600 GSM set; match the spec with the White Classic 700 GSM set; keep the resort footprint with the 35 x 70 in XL bath sheet; and accept that the patented weave and the resort-laundry edges are the part of the price you cannot buy a copy of.

The picks in full

Best overall substitute

American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath Towel

American Soft Linen

American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath Towel

A 600 GSM Turkish-cotton towel with double-stitched long edges, sitting in the weight band that stays absorbent without taking all day to dry.

Published specifications for American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish Cotton Bath Towel
Weight600 GSM
Fiber100% Turkish cotton
Size27 x 54 in (69 x 137 cm)
ConstructionTerry, double-stitched long sides
CertificationOEKO-TEX Standard 100
$44.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

What we like

  • 600 GSM is the weight band that balances absorbency against dry time
  • Double-stitched long edges are the seam that usually fails first
  • Sold in 4- and 6-piece sets, so replacing a whole rail at once is cheap

What we do not

  • 27 x 54 in is a standard towel, not a bath sheet -- tall adults will want more
  • Sold as sets, so buying a single replacement is awkward

How it holds up

The two things that decide whether a mid-price terry towel survives is the edge stitching and the fiber length. This has long-staple Turkish cotton and double-stitched long sides, which is the right pair of answers. Expect the hem to outlive the pile.

Who should skip it

Skip it if you want a bath sheet or if your bathroom has no airflow -- 600 GSM needs a real drying rail, not a hook behind a door.

Specifications from American Soft Linen 600 GSM bath towel set listing (Amazon).

Closest weight match

White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath Towels

White Classic

White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath Towels

700 GSM long-staple combed cotton -- a genuinely dense, spa-weight towel, with the dry time that necessarily comes with it.

Published specifications for White Classic Luxury 700 GSM Bath Towels
Weight700 GSM
FiberLong-staple combed cotton
ConstructionTerry
$49.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

What we like

  • Combed cotton removes the short fibers that cause lint, so it sheds less than budget terry
  • Dense enough that it still reads as luxurious after the first-year loft loss

What we do not

  • Heavy towels dry slowly -- this is physics, not a flaw in the product
  • Puts a real load on a small washing machine when wet

How it holds up

Combed, long-staple cotton is the specification that matters for the long run: fewer short fiber ends means less lint, less pilling, and less thinning at the fold lines. The weight is what you notice on day one; the comb is what you notice in year three.

Who should skip it

Skip it in a family bathroom, a bathroom without a window, or anywhere towels have to dry on a hook. At 700 GSM they will still be damp at bedtime.

Specifications from White Classic 700 GSM towels, cited in the 2026 bath towel guide roundup.

Closest to the resort hand

Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel Set

Superior

Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel Set

A heavyweight Egyptian-cotton terry towel with a braided border and a hanging loop -- the dense, plush end of long-staple cotton, sold without a story attached.

Published specifications for Superior Egyptian Cotton Plush Bath Towel Set
FiberEgyptian cotton pile
ConstructionTerry loop, braided border, hanging loop
Size30 x 55 in (76 x 140 cm)
CertificationOEKO-TEX certified
WeightNot published (the listing calls it heavyweight)
$45.00 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

What we like

  • Egyptian cotton pile, which is the whole reason to buy an Egyptian cotton towel
  • A braided border is a woven edge rather than a folded hem, and woven edges fray later
  • The hanging loop is a small thing that decides whether the towel gets hung or dropped

What we do not

  • No published GSM -- the listing says heavyweight and leaves it there
  • Heavyweight Egyptian cotton is the slowest-drying combination in this category
  • Sold in pairs, so it is a two-towel decision

How it holds up

Egyptian cotton's staple length is real, and it is what makes this towel lint less and thin more slowly than unlabeled cotton. The caveat is the one that applies to every dense towel: it only lasts if the bathroom can dry it, because damp is what ends towels long before wear does.

Who should skip it

Skip it for a small, unventilated bathroom, and skip it if you want a towel that is dry again by the next shower.

Specifications from Superior Egyptian cotton plush bath towel set listing (Amazon).

Best oversized substitute

American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath Sheet

American Soft Linen

American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath Sheet

600 GSM Turkish cotton at 35 x 70 in with double-stitched long sides -- the same practical weight band as the brand's standard towel, in the size people actually mean when they say they want a bigger towel.

Published specifications for American Soft Linen 35x70 XL Bath Sheet
Size35 x 70 in (89 x 178 cm)
Weight600 GSM
Fiber100% Turkish cotton
ConstructionTerry, double-stitched long sides
CertificationOEKO-TEX Standard 100
$27.99 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

What we like

  • 600 GSM is light enough that the extra surface area does not become a dry-time problem
  • Double-stitched long edges on a sheet that gets wrung and dragged more than a towel does
  • Sold singly and in pairs, so you can replace one without rebuying a set

What we do not

  • 35 x 70 in is a lot of cloth in a domestic washer -- two is a full load with nothing else
  • The color range is enormous, and dye lots drift between reorders

How it holds up

A bath sheet fails at the hem before the pile, because it gets grabbed, twisted and hung by its edges far more than a standard towel does. Double-stitched long sides plus long-staple Turkish cotton is the pair of answers that matters here, and this has both.

Who should skip it

Skip it if your only drying spot is a single over-door hook. A 600 GSM sheet on a hook stays damp in the folds.

Specifications from American Soft Linen 35x70 600 GSM Turkish cotton bath sheet listing (Amazon).

Premium alternative that dries

Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath Towel

Boll & Branch

Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath Towel

Extra-long-staple organic Aegean Turkish cotton in a channeled ribbed weave -- a luxury brand that spent the money on fiber and airflow instead of grams.

Published specifications for Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed Bath Towel
FiberOrganic extra-long-staple Turkish (Aegean) cotton
ConstructionRibbed channeled weave, airloomed double-spun yarn
Size30 x 58 in (76 x 147 cm)
WeightNot published -- the brand calls it midweight
$59.00 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

What we like

  • Extra-long-staple Aegean cotton is the fiber that decides how a towel ages, and this is where the price went
  • The channeled rib leaves air gaps through the pile, so it dries far faster than a flat terry towel of the same hand
  • Short, structured loops have very little to catch on a ring or a clasp

What we do not

  • No published GSM, which is a gap at this price -- midweight is a description, not a specification
  • Sold as a single towel, so a full rail costs what a full rail costs
  • Ribbed texture reads as structured rather than plush

How it holds up

This is the rare luxury towel whose specification sheet points the same way its price does: long fiber, moderate weight, a weave that lets the towel dry. Those are the three things that decide whether a towel is still good in five years, and the only one missing is a number for the second.

Who should skip it

Skip it if you want to sink into a towel. The rib is deliberately crisp, and nobody should pay this much for a texture they do not like.

Specifications from Boll & Branch Turkish Ribbed bath towel listing (Amazon).

Budget alternative

Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel Set

Classic Turkish Towels

Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel Set

Turkish cotton in a jacquard rib with a double-stitched hem -- the low-snag, quick-drying construction, at roughly a third of what the boutique brands charge for the same idea.

Published specifications for Classic Turkish Towels Luxury Ribbed Bath Towel Set
Fiber100% Turkish cotton
ConstructionJacquard rib, double-stitched hem
Size27 x 54 in (69 x 137 cm)
CertificationOEKO-TEX certified
WeightNot published -- the figure in the listing is a typo
$30.98 - View on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of November 9, 2026

What we like

  • The ribbed jacquard keeps the loops short, and short loops are what stop a pulled thread running across a towel
  • Double-stitched hem: the seam that fails first on most towels, reinforced here
  • Sold as a pair at a price where replacing a rail is not a decision

What we do not

  • The listing's own weight figure is mistyped, so there is no usable GSM for it
  • 27 x 54 in is a standard towel, not a bath sheet
  • Structured rather than plush -- it will not read as a hotel towel

How it holds up

Short-loop construction is quietly the best durability decision available in a towel: long loops are what catch, pull and eventually thin it, and a ribbed loop has much less to give. Pair that with a double-stitched hem and the two commonest failures are both addressed at this price.

Who should skip it

Skip it if you want plush, and skip it if a published GSM is part of how you buy -- this listing does not give you one.

Specifications from Classic Turkish Towels luxury ribbed bath towel set listing (Amazon).

Frequently asked questions

What is a good alternative to Frontgate Resort Collection towels?

The American Soft Linen 600 GSM Turkish cotton set for most households -- same fiber family, reinforced long edges, one weight band lighter, sold four to a set. The White Classic 700 GSM combed cotton set if you want to match the density exactly, and the American Soft Linen 35 x 70 in XL bath sheet if the oversized size was the appeal.

What are Frontgate towels known for?

The Resort Collection: 100% fine-combed long-staple Turkish cotton at 700 GSM in a patented Spinsoft weave, OEKO-TEX certified and made in Turkey, with double-stitched hems and reinforced edges specified for commercial laundering, in sizes up to genuinely oversized bath sheets.

Where can you buy Frontgate towels?

From Frontgate's own catalog and website. The Resort Collection is not sold through Amazon or general retail, which is why so many searches for the brand are about where to buy it. If buying from a retailer you already use matters to you, that is a reason to substitute rather than a flaw in the towel.

Are Frontgate towels too heavy for home use?

In some bathrooms, yes. At 700 GSM, and especially in a bath-sheet size, the towel holds a lot of water and dries slowly; reviewers who liked it have still called it impractical for daily home use. In a ventilated bathroom or a guest bathroom it is excellent. In a small windowless room a 600 GSM towel will last longer and smell better.

Is 700 GSM better than 600 GSM?

Not automatically. 700 GSM feels denser and plusher; 600 GSM dries reliably between showers. Because dampness rather than wear ends most towels, the lighter towel often lasts longer in a domestic bathroom. Choose on your ventilation, not on the bigger number.

Are Frontgate towels the same as hotel towels?

No. They are resort towels, heavier than the 500-700 GSM towels most business hotels use. The crisp medium-weight towel people usually mean by hotel quality is a different product, and it is cheaper.

Sources