$375 a night and NO FREE WIFI? What the heck?

7/16/2012

I will not name names, but the picture to your left is an actual picture of the offending lodge. As you are all quite aware, my laptop and the ability to access the internet at will is like my Lord of The Rings Precious...PRECIOUS (*See video below* I react pretty much this exact way).

So when I arrived at this lodge, tucked into the majestic mountainside near Yosemite National Park, I reached for my welcome packet, searching for the free WIFI code and low and behold...NOT FREE!! There would be a daily usage fee should I choose to access it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm willing to pay for internet when I must, but my beef occurs when I'm already paying a pretty penny to stay at the hotel/lodge anyway. This was no cheap stay. So give me free internet. Screw the shower cap. Even Motel 6 offers free internet. Come on!

So after settling down from my near panic attack and realizing that I won't implode from internet access denial, I learned to actually enjoy my family vacation. Yeah, really.

Maybe THE LODGE (that's what we'll call it to protect its identity) was actually onto something--force people to stop using the internet and start interacting with their family (I was planning to interact with my family...just not as much). I hiked. I went on open-air tram rides. I even went swimming with my kids in the pool (yeah, the one in the picture PLUS the inside pool as well). I allowed my children to nearly drown me. I was an EXCELLENT parent. I even took really long naps on my big comfy lodge bed. Had I been able to access the internet, I wouldn't have done half those things. I'd be busy trying to get my novel ready for the August 15th release. I would be writing blog posts and checking email--all while sitting at the pool side. Relaxing without my laptop perched on my legs is something I'm not used to doing.

All in all I had an excellent time and my kids got their mom--not the writer--for vacation.

How about you? Do you freak out a little when denied internet access? How do you cope?

9 Comments

Zantippy Skiphop link

7/16/2012 05:01:17 am

To quote Fifty Shades - "Whoa!" It's almost inconceivable that any hotel, let alone a really nice one, wouldn't have free wifi! Maybe it's their way of saying that they don't NEED to say they have it in order to get costumers.

I was without unlimited access... last week? You may have run into my endless posted complaints about this on facebook. It. Was. HORRIBLE!!!

Angela Scott link

7/18/2012 12:42:17 am

WHOA indeed! No internet is HORRIBLE! Glad yours is up and running now :)

C.E. Schwilk link

7/16/2012 05:10:07 am

I'm too much an Internet junkie to go without - and having to pay extra after that bill?!? Well, I'm too cheap either! Then again, I do have (rare) moments where I want to unplug! I make up for it, though - driving my poor hubby CRAZY. ;)

7/18/2012 12:44:17 am

I'm cheap too. Normally we don't pay that much for a hotel but due to short notice and circumstances we had no choice. So to fork out additional money for internet just about sent me over the edge. It floored me that they would ask even more money. But...the place was packed, so I guess they could get away with it.

Charlotte Rains Dixon link

7/17/2012 03:04:31 am

I get anxious, terribly, terribly anxious. I feel like everything, including my life is happening without me. Then when I finally get to log on, I realize that I didn't miss much at all. But that doesn't seem to help my anxiety.

7/18/2012 12:45:36 am

Charlotte, I feel the EXACT same way! I carry my iphone with me everywhere and when I can't check it (say while getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist) I get ansy. It's bad really.

michelle birbeck link

7/17/2012 07:03:48 am

I love my internet! Of course, I don't tend to go on family holidays, and when I do it's normally somehwere that i don't take my laptop, so I don't miss it so much. But if I went somehwere as pretty as that picture, I'd be taking my laptop, and I'd want internet.
It does seem to be a thing where the cheaper places give internet away and then expensive ones charge people for it, which is strange.
Still sometimes I like having no internet, because it pushes me to do more writing wihtout the distraction of twitter and stuffs.

7/18/2012 12:47:15 am

I'm horribly addicted to the internet. It's bad. So not having it for this trip turned out to be a good thing--for me and for my family. I needed to decompress. It worked out great. (But I'm home now and with my internet and happy too).

Kristin

7/22/2012 03:00:42 am

I went $30 in the hole on phone usage data because the Motel I was in didn't have free internet not good when on a budget lol.

$375 a night and NO FREE WIFI? What the heck?

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