A few days ago, I finally did it in the real world. No matter how much you tell yourself that things still haven’t made sense, they’re actually going to. And after a few weeks of taking a day trip into the backwaters and swamps of upstate New York (like I didn’t say), it’s time for the trip back to reality. And what better place than a beach?
I was lucky enough to get my boyfriend over from Virginia just before lockdown began, and we took our dogs along for some extra adventure this summer. We stayed at an amazing Airbnb cottage in Brooklyn, but had no idea how big it would be! Once it officially came to mind, though, we only had one thing on our minds – finding places to stay in the city. So, we decided to check out two hotels near the water.
The first hotel we found was really nice, so we just went in like we were looking for somewhere to stay. It was clean, with rooms that only had an electric outlet and the basics. There was Wi-Fi available and the staff wasn’t too shabby! They gave us access to all their amenities, and put us on an email list that had every type of food and drink you could think of. As someone who loves to have great service, I’m happy they let us use the bathroom right in front of the desk so we could have some privacy while watching movies or practicing social media!
The second hotel was also very nice and had everything else that you’d want when visiting a hot spring resort. But our room was smaller and didn’t have its own shower! Our bedroom was fine, but it was cramped because there were several other people staying in the same space as us. Not that that was much of a deal, since everyone has their own apartments, but it was pretty cramped compared to the hotel. On top of that, if you wanted to go outside your room for any reason including swimming or having a workout, you had to give up your key and wait until another guest came to collect it. If there was anything we needed or wanted later, we had to ask the owner of the property.
We spent quite a bit of time trying to talk to the manager about the issue and it turned out that they thought we could have the keys back by the weekend if we’d like to return. “Why?” I asked. He explained his policy. He said we could have them returned then. That night, we got in their Uber, hopped in their car, and left.
Thankfully this only lasted a few hours because we stopped off at the local library. We had read a lot of books and were looking forward to spending more time there. Unfortunately, we never made it past the first round of entry. At least we weren’t charged extra for staying there. Maybe next year, some book club will happen somewhere I don’t have to worry about finding a new place to stay. Until then, I’ll stick to my usual favorite places!
I wish I could tell myself that this wasn’t a mistake. For sure I could argue that I should just have booked better accommodations. But I’m not. We’re human beings, and we’ve been here for five minutes already and are ready to have fun. We’d rather feel accomplished than regretting our mistakes. It’s all part of living life, and we can learn from our mistakes to make the most of it!
So, if you decide to visit the beaches this week, bring something to carry. Even if you just go on vacation during the winter, bringing items to take on the sand will ensure that your experience is memorable. And remember, even a little planning will help you arrive at a peaceful memory. Happy vacation, folks!