I’m a firm believer that no matter how thrifty or cheap a person wants to keep his or her travels, every once in awhile that person must treat herself or himself.
While it may be important to watch the cash flow, so the trip can last longer, it’s also important to remember that this is a trip abroad and should be lived to the fullest. So travelers should spend on themselves or something they really want to do on the road, because they can do nothing at home for a lot less money.
I’m a pretty good judge of when I’ve reached my limit and after two months of living in a six-bed dorm, I can say without a doubt that limit was reached. Between disagreements over the air-con, people coming in late at night every night (including myself) and sleeping in bunk beds, I was getting between two and four hours of sleep a night for a good few weeks and had to escape.
So I did what any smart woman would do. I checked into a hotel room. My own room, with no guests and nothing to do all day but lay around and pamper myself.
I booked the room on Orbitz after a really rough night where I achieved zero hours of sleep. The website offered a wide range of rooms costing $100 and up in the Port Douglas area. I selected Rydges on Davidson St., which was $115 for the night. A small price to pay for my sanity.
At that point anything would have been nice, but my room at Rydges was extra nice. It wasn’t just a room. It was a suite, with a kitchen, living area and bathtub with jets. Yea, jets!
Freaking out like a dog after someone mentions the word walk, I arrived an hour before check in. The room wasn’t ready so I spent that hour at the pool and laying around on couches in the common area. I already felt cleansed of all the germs I had picked up over my months living in a hostel.
Once I checked in, I discovered the place also had a washer and dryer, so I headed back to my hostel, where I was still checked in, grabbed all my laundry. Then it was straight to the bathroom where I exfoliated and masked my face then laid in the tub for a good hour. I did my nails, treated my hair even washed my feet.
Afterwards it was straight to bed, which was covered in pillows. There I watched a few episodes of my favorite two TV series at the moment, True Blood and Mad Men. I had saved a few planning to watch them all in bed, but I only made it through half an episode of True Blood before knocking out.
I slept the entire night through and even slept in, something I hadn’t done since I’ve been to Australia I believe.
My night at the hotel was so good I did it again the following week with a girl friend, which was just as relaxing, but a bit more fun and less money.
No matter what tickles your fancy, it’s important to invest in that every once in awhile. I think a hotel room is a great option because it can be cheaper than some spa services and lasts much longer.
Some tips to finding the cheapest rate:
