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Dear Crabby, how can I pull off a romantic getaway?

Monday, January 14, 2013

Dear Crabby, I want to surprise my wife with a weekend getaway for two, but I don't have much money to work with. Any ideas of what we can do?
Rusty N. Romance
Dear Rusty,
It is my belief that a getaway is simply intended to help one or a few people get away from normal life for a bit. It seems that our normal lives get us into a rut and it requires a change of scenery in order to allow our brains to unwind and look at things from a different perspective.
Most of the time this works regardless of where you go, but I do remember a time when it failed for me. The missus and I went up north for a much needed getaway. We heard about this nice little hotel that supposedly had a room for $75 per night. So when I got to the hotel, I asked if I could see the room. They looked at me oddly and told me no. When we asked what the room was like, the lady told us it was "cozy."
After I told them we would take it, she proceeded to charge me $150 for the room. I objected, "No, we were told it was only $75!" The lady kindly explained that the deal had expired a few moments ago, and it was now $150, take it or leave it. I agreed to the new price and paid the bill.
As we made our way to the room and unlocked the door, the first thing I noticed is that the door would not open all the way -- it was hitting the bed. This "cozy" little room had a bed, a nightstand, and a sink against the wall and no room to walk in between.
We managed to make it through the weekend and had a good laugh once or twice, but we will probably never forget how "cozy" that was. So I guess my advice is to just get out and try something different. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.
Sincerely, Dear Crabby