Way Outa My League...

Nicole had to go to a conference in Orlando and she and Justin invited me to go with them. I have never stayed at a "swanky" hotel/resort before, so this was a special treat - not to mention that I would have Baby Alex all week!!

The JWMariott at Grande Lakes in Orlando was huge. All around the outside driveway, there was a long line of black Lincolns, black Cadillacs, black Escalades and black Lexuses. These were just the taxis! Not a Checkered Cab to be seen. I don't think I saw any car over three years old, well, except for Brenda's. There were no trucks, either.

Inside the revolving doors, the lobby was a gigantic open space with a vaulted ceiling and a gigantic fountain. The hallways downstairs were at least 20 feet wide. Everything was posh, to say the least. The "poshness" only lived downstairs, though.

Our room was no different than any hotel I've ever stayed in, except for the bathroom, maybe. It was a lot larger than I've seen before. An oversized bathtub, a glass-walled shower and a large counter where the sink lived.

The part Justin, Alex and I were interested in was the pool area with it's lazy river, six pools and a couple of hot tubs. Nicole got to enjoy them after her conference each day. We always went back after dinner, and stayed until Alex got sleepy.

The lazy river wound around and emptied into each of the six pools. Most of the river was shaded from the hot sun by tall palm trees and huge ferns that hung over the water. Polynesian-styled music was playing all the time and kinda made you forget you were in Florida and not on some tropical island.

At first, I was super impressed with the hotel and the pools. Then I began seeing the extravagant prices - the price for a soft drink was $4. The cheapest breakfast was a small bowl of grits for $8. In most hotels, if you want a Coke or a little snack you head for the ice machine room. The drink machine and the candy bar/potato chip machine are both there, just waiting for your quarters. In this hotel the ice machine stands alone. No cold drink machine, no candy/potato chip/cookie machine. There weren't any snacks to be seen anywhere. That's when I began to notice people in the lobby, waiting for the pizza/KFC delivery men. There were some folks coming in the front door with bags of snacks from the not-so-nearby grocery store. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere so they've kinda got you where they want you (and your credit card).

That's also when I began noticing the excess of wealth some of these people had. Families with three or four children wearing all the "Mouse" attire they could possibly wear and still be able to walk, people coming out of the specialty shops after purchasing the expensive purse or sandals - (I really wanted the $170 flip flops that were encrusted with those crystals that look like diamonds! Seriously, I did!!) I know people can do what they want with their hard-earned money, but this is getting ridiculous. The restaurants were over-the-top expensive. As a silent protest, I decided to buy a loaf of bread, jelly and peanut butter.

I'm sad the wonderful vacation is over, but I'm glad to be back in the land of sanity. I know that I can buy a whole week's worth of groceries for what one meal for three costs.