Tell Me The Truth, Do You Think I'm Pretty?

I'm sick.

No, not that kind, I've got a cold. Who the heck gets a cold days before spring?! I'm blaming it on the little girl with the sniffles at storytime when I tool my daughter to the library last week.

I hate being sick. I really do.

I've been wanting to do a little bit on all the things you can find at a hotel, and I guess this is as good a time as any. So, what if you are staying at a hotel, or more likely, a motel, and you get a cold? What to do?

Well, you'd be surprised at what those people have behind their desks up there at the front desk. Most clerks will have little packs of Tylenol or even Alka Seltzer, and that might get you through a night, or at least through a day long enough to get to a pharm to pick up something a little more potent.

But here's my few tips for helping out in the hotel room when you are feeling bad. Most rooms have coffee pots in them, or hot water in a lounge, which will really help sooth a sore throat. Stuffed up nose? Open up that little picnic pack they give you with a fork and spoon. Get the salt out and mix that with some warm water. It works pretty well as a decongestant. Aches and pains will melt a little in a really warm shower, but I wouldn't recommend a bath. Oh, a bath would be good, but you really don't know who's feet have been in there before you. You're already sick enough.

I always liked to think about little tricks and tips while I travel. I've become pretty good at packing well, but if you forget stuff, it's kinda fun to go see what you can find. Most places have a cheap toothbrush and toothpaste. But bring your own razor. The ones most hotels keep are probably good for bloodletting, but not for my chin. They are, however, pretty good at removing pill and fuzz from sweaters.

Once, my wife and I were heading out for a fancy dinner in some cosmopolitan city we were visiting, and I wanted to tame a vicious cowlick so I didn't look like Dennis the Menace. Mixing a packet of sugar in some water makes a pretty nice hair gel.

At least the bees thought so.

You stayed WHERE?!

Once I was married, I learned quickly to spend the money on a decent hotel. Oddly, my wife was more of the cheaper, it's just a bed and shower, kind of person. I was somewhat keen on a decent place to stay, later a nice place, but I always wanted a good location. My idea of a good room was that I could sleep in a hammock, wake up, fall out and land on the beach.
I have stayed at a few less than hospitable places, and it seems like quite often they centered around trips to Las Vegas. Go figure. Our first trip we spent the night at the Bun Boy Motel, cause we just couldn't make it all the way there in one day. Windy and hot, it was 99 degrees at midnight, I saw a leaf scuttling in the wind outside our room. Wait, nope, that's a mouse. Inside the air conditioning wasn't turned on, and the heat had killed a roach in the bathroom.
Other trips included a stay in Barstow, at a cheap room. It turned out that clean sheets were extra. We slept in sleeping bags. I thought of sleeping in the tub, but figured it wouldn't be any cleaner. I would have complained, but I didn't want to see the innkeeper in her nightgown again.
So we spend the money.

On our second trip to Carolina Beach, we stayed at the old Beacon House B&B. It has that nice and cozy look to it, just what you expect from an old beach house. The rooms were a little small, but it was in a nice little quiet end of the island. We were able to get up and walk right out to the beach. Plus, someone cooked breakfast for us.

Nowadays, it's less of an option. B&Bs sometimes aren't as suitable for families, and with dietary concerns, it's tough to get someone else to cook for us. Still it was a groovy little place.

We had stayed at The Golden Sands before, and really liked that place, but they not only pushed their rates up just too much, but they have some weird minimum stay thing, where we had to spend three nights there, for a weekend. Once again, good location, but I just figured we can do better. 

I write this mostly as a reminder for myself. I'm planning a new trip down to that area this spring. And I was thinking of sleeping in a tent, since it was just going to be a quick photo trip. 

Spend the money, Joe. Spend the money.