After reading Monday's blog, what is your hotel style? I'm lucky, I live and travel with a self proclaimed hotel snob. Growing up my "hotel" stays often included a tent and a sleeping bag on the shores of various lakes. Some of my fondest childhood memories come from those camping trips, waking up with a chill in the air, drinking hot cocoa by the fire, then heading to the lake for a day of water skiing and tubing.
Being one who loves to travel- whether it's a campout with our 40 closest Boy Scout friends and family, being rocked to sleep by the waves on a 16 person yacht, or staying 60 floors up at the Wynn on the Las Vegas strip, picking a hotel is often one of the hardest decisions when staying away from home. Did I mention my husband is a hotel snob? The pressure is real! The first thing I think about is location. Being close to the action is important. Whether its staying on the strip, upgrading our cabin to not be by the engines of the yacht, or being able to steps to the water that is one thing that helps decide where to stay. Next I look at amenities. Will we be out walking through the streets of Rome all day and night? Then a hotel with a pool and restaurant isn't necessary, but a view of the Pantheon would be cool. Will we be staying on site at a resort? Then the numbers of different types of restaurants, pools, and amenities are a top priority. Will we have a car or rely on public transportation?
View from our room in Rome overlooking the Pantheon and Piazza della Rotunda
We are currently planning a wedding in Belize. The first venue was gorgeous. Very upscale, with 1-4 bedroom houses available for rent many with their own pools. Very luxurious, but the customer service wasn't working out. We settled on a smaller, more intimate setting. What we realized was that the smaller setting is what we wanted. The whole purpose of having a destination wedding was to spend time with family and friends. In this more intimate setting everyone would be able to comingle instead of being separated and in their own living areas.
Grand Majestic. Our suite was the main deck front window
Do you have a terrible hotel stay? I have too. The first one really wasn't for me at all, but the hotel snob threw a temper tantrum. We were spending 2 weeks in Hawaii. Our first week in Maui was amazing. Beautiful condo, amazing food, adventures around every corner, and the sea turtles. Loved it! Then we flew over to Oahu. My in-laws had fond memories of being here multiple times and it was important to them that we stay in Waikiki a few days. The first night, we checked into our hotel, went to a very local Ramen place for dinner and went back to our small studio apartment. It was big enough in my opinion, had a bedroom, kitchenette, and sofa bed for the kids. Everyone but my son and I went out later to get ice cream. Unbeknownst to me, that was the downfall of our hotel. Apparently their were "ladies of the night" following my family around. My husband decided we would NOT be staying there any longer. He was on the phone the next day trying to find somewhere else to stay, including checking into the Turtle Bay Resort early to the tune of $2500 a night for the only available rooms, which were suites. It didn't happen... We did end up moving to another hotel about 1/4 miles away and he was much happier.
Venice Italy- Hotel Bisanzio Apartment from the 15th century. Definitely haunted
My other disaster story involves a family reunion/ conference in Fresno California. Because my husband and brother in law wanted to participate in the conference activities we stayed at the conference location. Big mistake! As we were heading to the airport my daughter (hotel snob #2) was trying to convince us to switch hotels. We assured her it would be fine. How bad could it be, right? We were joking back and forth via text with family that had already arrived about the entire situation. Once we arrive we meet up and head to our room. My first impression was, wow, this place hasn't been updated since the 1970s. Short avocado green vanity, with a telephone in the bathroom, interesting. Then we walked into the kid's room. There was an odd, indescribable odor. Did I mention this was the first family trip my daughter's fiancé took with us? He must have been so impressed. My sister in law jokingly (maybe?) says yeah, if we don't get lice this weekend it'll be a miracle. So with that comment I walk over to the bed to check for bedbugs. Then, without saying a word, I walk into the bathroom and start gagging. Now, everyone in my family knows I'm a gagger. It doesn't take much. Once I compose myself I walk back out and say, "There is vomit on the wall".
My sister in law quickly misunderstands me and says no, it's just the pattern of the carpet. If only! I tell her to look behind the nightstand. The kicker to this story is, when we go back down to ask for a "Vomit- free room", the staff doesn't even blink an eye. Like that is a normal request?
Vacations are supposed to be fun and perfect. I will try my hardest to make that happen for you, but remember, those unexpected blips in your trip don't have to ruin everything. And they often make great stories! Share your hotel stories with us!
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