Living Cheap at a Resort

Spending 5 times your budget for a night may sound extravagant - until you translate the style that you will get if you convert the cost back to your home town. For example this beautiful pool was ours for the top price of US$120 / night in Vietnam - and room wasn't half bad either! That price which included a breakfast spread which made lunch an optional extra.

I generally choose to be at a nice resort or historic hotel for the ambience and amenities of the location and for quiet good service, a comfy bed and excellent water pressure in the shower and a sparkling clean pool. I can often get a good deal last minute on a hotel consolidator site or direct with the property. However having well and truly blown the budget I do then an economize on the stuff that doesn't matter.

Having arrived at the said resort there are a few tricks which i find helps with the price.

• Don't buy anything from the mini-bar - bring your own supplies especially alcohol - remove their supplies and store carefully and replace at the end of your stay.
• Don't buy anything from the shop - though they are sometimes handy to establish what the local price should definitely be less than.
• Try not to be held hostage to their transport to town system - tricky on an island especially. It's important to be able to walk away and flag a local cab. Or ask the staff to arrange a local shared taxi to pick you up - they will be surprised but probably cooperate!
• Eat out - the restaurant may be good for one night but eating there everyday is going to seriously kill your budget.
• Laundry - if you take it off site you will probably be paying the same price per kilo that you would pay for a single shirt at the resort!