Prima donna

I consider myself pretty simple. So the following story made me feel like a prima donna which is most certainly not who I am.

My husband surprised me with a weekend getaway, just the two of us. So, off we go up the California coast for a spontaneous, no plans, grab a hotel, fly by the seat of our pants kind of weekend. We find ourselves at the Marriott and the only thing they have available is a room with two full beds. So we leave in search for a hotel that can accommodate our king size bed necessity. It turns out there is some sort of convention and finding a place is pretty difficult. We pull into a Best Western which doesn’t necessarily scream relaxing, luxurious weekend hotel. But hey, I can adapt right? I’m not a prima donna, right? I don’t need to be one of those - hundreds of dollars on one night at a hotel – kind of people right? Wrong!

We check in and I’m thinking…ummm…okay no room service, but at least a full breakfast and not a continental breakfast…then we get to our room. The room has one full size bed, which was supposed to be a queen, with two DINKY pillows, covered in one of those ugly, flowered, polyester whatchamacallit bedspreads. There is a wall partition separating the room from the bathroom area, a shower smaller than ours at home (and ours is pretty small), a television that is considerably smaller than the small dresser it is sitting on, no in room movies, and that breathtaking aroma of antiseptic room freshener. Can you say – Uh… I don’t think so?!? – Of course hubby grabbing the remote to turn on wrestling and plopping on the bed did not help. He catches the look on my face, while still standing, and kindly says, “What’s wrong?” I reply, “What’s wrong? Are you joking? Did you see that shower? It’s smaller than ours? We are supposed to be pampering ourselves.” His considerate and how do I make the wife happy reply, “Do you want to leave and go back to the Marriott?” I say, “That’s just ridiculous. We can’t leave, we already paid.” After a few wide eyed, peering around, thoughts of – I’m not going to feel pampered, and not wanting to touch anything moments – I say, “Okay I can’t do it. Please go to the front desk and find out if we can leave without paying.” He dutifully gets up and goes down to the front lobby. The desk clerk shows up a few moments later to check out the room, just in case we ransacked the place, and releases us from the obligation of payment. Thank God!! We find our way back to the Marriott and grab the room with the two full size beds. We enter the fourth floor room at the Marriott – It has a rainshower showerhead and tub, two HUGE full size beds with down comforters and four massive down pillows on each bed, a gold velour throw folded neatly across the bottom of each bed, an armoire holding the television and coffee maker, a writing desk, a wingback armchair in the corner with reading lamp, and a window across the whole back of the room overlooking the courtyard, pool, and jacuzzi. The difference in the price of rooms for two nights was a little over $100.

You can call me Prima from now on!