When it comes to vacations, we are the worst of the opportunists. We would look it up on the web, find maximize our minimalist requirements, make a reservation, and off we go. The reason we do it this way, is that we’re never happy. It’s either a rip-off, or a major disappointment. Let me explain. A few months ago when we decided to go down to Eilat (a wonderful resort town in southern Israel), we chose the best. Isrotel Royal Garden is the best self proclaimed family hotel in the country. Four nights, bed only (no breakfast or any other meal), NIS 6,000.00 (roughly $1,500.00). Rough calculation $400.00 per night for room only. Not a very hot deal for overcrowded swimming pools, and watching other people, obviously smarter ones, having their meals at the hotel cafeteria…
It felt like a rip off, it was a rip off. But one can’t complain about something one have chosen.
That was then. This time around, we looked up the Isrotel website and found this absolutely outstanding deal: Isrotel Riviera Club Hotel, four nights, bed only, for less than $700.00. Significantly less than $200.00 per night. With the 10% frequent flyer discount and the 5% web discount, it came down to slightly more that $100.00 per night. We felt that this time we have beaten the system. And then we started killing the mosquitos, and comparing the furniture to the furniture thrown away by cheap motels in the US following World War II. And of course, looking at the sun bathers by the pool, we have realized that we were in for an anthropological experience. We were not disappointed. Fortunately for us, the hotel manager understood that the mosquitos are not a phenomenon even frugal tourists should face in large numbers, and relocated us to a better wing and floor. But nice as he was, there was nothing he could do about the various inconsiderate people who went by our room at all hours of the night, screaming, yelling and making plans.
It felt like disappointment. It was a disappointment. But one can’t be disappointed with something one have chosen.
So is this our vacation destiny? To overpay and feel like we’ve been robbed, or underpay and be disappointed? And while I thought about this, I came up with a brilliant idea. The concept of Expensive Substitute. Of course, everyone knows that when you don’t want to overspend on a brand name, you get a cheap substitute. But figure this one out, you don’t want to use a common brand, or a free resource for that matter, so you get yourself an expensive substitute. Take the beach for example. Some beaches are open to the public free of charge. But those beaches sometimes are filthy, poorly maintained, and the population who frequent them are may be loud, inconsiderate, possibly violent. How do you avoid it? Expensive Substitute. If you choose a beach where you have to pay an entrance fee, you may benefit from cleanliness, better maintenance, and more considerate population. Usually the benefit of the payment outweighs the payment itself tenfold.
So we are changing our vacation strategy. We either go for an expensive hotel, or alternatively, if we can’t afford an expensive hotel, we stay home. Unless of course we find a good deal. Just kidding.
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