It feels like forever since I last sat down to write a new post on One Frugal Girl and I’m happy to be back in front of my big screen monitor. I’m also happy to report that our fabulous four day vacation actually cost less than I initially expected.
Our breakdown is roughly as follows:
- Food: $240+
- Lodging: $1,225+
- Transportation: $365+
- Gifts & Souvenirs: $240+
The lodging costs were quite large and certainly dwarfed all of our other expenses. I should note that the total in this category includes room rates, parking and food related expenses at hotel run restaurants. I would’ve categorized these items but I can’t find the detailed receipts.
All of the hotels we stayed in were absolutely amazing and paying more for an oceanfront room was definitely worth the additional cost. We sat out on the balconies of our hotel rooms quite a bit. We brushed our teeth, snacked on leftovers, snuggled, ate leftovers, drank beer, stared out at the water and listened to the waves out there. Thanks to all of my readers who convinced me to splurge a little. The rooms were so romantic I felt like we were on a second honeymoon.
I booked a room with a view of the city on the last night of our trip, but after some billing discrepancies the hotel offered to upgrade our room at no additional cost. They also provided us with a complimentary late checkout, which allowed us to swim around the hotel pool for an additional two hours. It was the perfect way to end our vacation.
I have no regrets on the money we spent for this trip. We didn’t intend to spend so much money on gifts and souvenirs, but with the holidays only a few days away we spent quite a bit of money shopping for Christmas. We also ran into a few incidentals including the need for suntan lotion, bottled water and baseball caps (to keep out the sun during our long drives).
All in all it was an amazing trip that ended too quickly. I’m thankful and grateful for the time I spent with my husband and I can’t wait to plan another vacation.
Glad to hear you had a great time. I take between 3-5 vacations a year with DH and have never regretted any of the $$ spent. I live to take vacations! LOL.