Staycation

[skives]

The wife and I are on vacation starting November 1st. We don't plan on anything big like out of state but would like to get away for a night or two. I've checked a couple places. I have a hard time spending money as it is but do you guys feel it is reasonable to pay $150 to $239 and night to stay at a resort and casino? Would you spend that much. Our last vacation was March 2014 we went out of state and stayed with my parents at a condo they rented so we only had to pay for food. Am I being to tight with our money?

[pflyers85]

As long as your finances are in order and you aren't going into debt to go on vacation I don't see a problem. It's really not up to anyone on here to decide if it is worth it. If both you and your wife will have a fun and relaxing time then its probably worth it. This past year I went on a golfing vacation to Myrtle Beach. Some might not be into golf and for them the trip wouldn't be worth it. As an avid golfer I had a blast and the trip was worth every penny.

Are there better, more productive things money can be spent on than a vacation? Of course. But as long as your destination and accommodations are within reason of your budget its not going to significantly set you back. You don't have to be a complete tightwad with money to be frugal. Its healthy to occasionally indulge in some of life's pleasures.

[FLA]

Go for it. If it were me, I would check deal sites for last minute hotel stays, Travelzoo has done very well by me. Especially if you are not super set on exactly where you want to go. Try signing up soon, so you can see some emails with good deals or check the website, they may already have a deal for where you want to go. Or if your set on a casino resort, google for deals, call them directly, they often lower prices just for calling.

There would have to have been a death in the family far away enough to need a hotel, before I would ever pay rack rate, lol. Even then, I'd spend 1/2 an hour searching for something reasonable.

[disneysteve]

Our last vacation was March 2014

This would never work for us.
We vacation regularly. I'd rather take 4 cheap vacations per year than one expensive one. So far this year, as a family, we did a week in Richmond, VA in January, a weekend in Hershey, PA in June, and several days in New York City in August. My wife and I have done weekend trips to Northern NJ, Boston, and this coming weekend to Newark, DE (those are all to attend fundraising events but still count as vacation in my opinion). I also spent a weekend on my own in Richmond, VA. Next month, the two of us will head to Orlando for 2 weeks, partly for a convention and partly for vacation. These trips have ranged from free (using hotel reward points) to $220/night. One trip (family trip to Richmond) was in a rented condo through VRBO.com.

do you guys feel it is reasonable to pay $150 to $239 and night to stay at a resort and casino?

I don't think that is an unusual range of prices for a casino resort. Whether or not it is reasonable depends on your finances. If you can comfortably afford it, along with meals and other expenses, I see nothing at all wrong with it. Go and have a great time.

[snafu]

Who is 'driving' this vacation option? Are you set on that particular destination, resort, casino, accommodation? Is price of accommodation the only issue? You will also have costs for transportation, food, entertainment, resort fees and tips.

Would you be happy staying in a lower cost accommodation? Have you checked pricing via on-line booking like Expedia or Hotwire? VRBO, Airbnb?

Would you be happier staying home? Perhaps you could offer DW a wonderful 'staycation', by looking after household chores, making meals, creating pseudo spa days and going to local, entertainment events.

I'm in the reverse spot, DH wants to go to eastern Europe and I'm dragging my feet. I'm not feeling up to another adventure where language, culture and now terrified refugees are such enormous barriers.

[disneysteve]

would like to get away for a night or two.

Would you be happier staying home?

OP said they want to get away, so I don't know that staying home is the answer. The question is really how much they want to spend for those couple of days away.

OP, I'd say to come up with an amount you are both comfortable spending for your getaway and then build it around that. Are you okay spending $500? More? Less? Figure that out first and then work from there.

I'm not sure which casino resort you're heading to but most of them are cheaper during the week and more costly on the weekend. Keep that in mind as it might be considerably cheaper to go during the week.

[MonkeyMama]

Me personally? I would not pay that much. I think some of it is you get used to what you get used to.

To be fair, I just got back from a week stay in Maui for free.

If we have to pay for a room we would seek out a cheaper alternatives. For us, so many things we would rather spend our money on than one or two nights hotel. I'd say it depends how much money you have AND what your priorities are. If you aren't sure (since you asked the question, seems you aren't sure), and you have the money, I'd just go and see how it goes. You'll know from there if it was worth the money or if you regret it.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Depends. Even going cross country I was reluctant to spend more than $100/night. I am not the type to think $150 a deal like most of our friends.

That being said if it's your one vacation and you budget for it why not? I'd rather stay somewhere more basic and spend money on other things. Also if you follow DisneySteve's advice casinos probably have deals during the week and if it's a staycation why not go during the week?

[ua_guy]

The wife and I are on vacation starting November 1st. We don't plan on anything big like out of state but would like to get away for a night or two. I've checked a couple places. I have a hard time spending money as it is but do you guys feel it is reasonable to pay $150 to $239 and night to stay at a resort and casino? Would you spend that much. Our last vacation was March 2014 we went out of state and stayed with my parents at a condo they rented so we only had to pay for food. Am I being to tight with our money?

I think if you're able to spend it, and if this is something both of you want to do, then go and have a good time!

When you're disciplined with your money and have tight control over it, it's hard to watch it go out the door for something discretionary like a vacation stay. But, time away is important, so try to remember that the money isn't 'just' going to a hotel stay, but that you're doing it to relax, enjoy life, regain some personal sanity.

My only precaution would be the casino part...the best Saving Advice tips apply...know your limit, plan what you're going to spend in advance if you are into gambling. If you plan to gamble, see about having the room or your meals paid for.

[Jluke]

I do not travel much, but I believe that spending money on experiences (i.e. travelling) far outweighs spending your money on consumer items.

You will create lasting memories.

And, depending on your age, you could get a feel for what retirement might be like - maybe you'll want to retire sooner or not at all.

[disneysteve]

Even going cross country I was reluctant to spend more than $100/night. I am not the type to think $150 a deal like most of our friends.

We travel a fair amount (as I noted above) so I'm pretty well acquainted with this topic.

First, hotel prices have skyrocketed in recent years. Places that we used to get for $79 are now $129 on a good day.

Second, it really depends what you are looking for and where you are going. DW and I are going to Orlando in a few weeks. We will spend 11 nights there. The first four are costing $220/night. The next seven are costing $45/night. Why the drastic difference? The first four are at a large self-contained resort where we are attending a convention with 6,000 of our closest friends. We don't have to stay there but there's a huge hassle factor involved in staying elsewhere as well as a $200 surcharge tacked onto our convention registration if we don't stay onsite. The remainder of the trip we're staying in a timeshare rented through Skyauction.com where we will have a spacious 2-bedroom unit with all of the amenities for a fraction of the price. So it all depends on your needs (and your budget, of course).

[QuarterMillionMan]

The sense that I'm getting is that by asking for feedback about paying $150-$239 a night is quite a difficult pill to swallow. It might be better just staying at Motel 6 for half the cost. The only way I'd pay $150 a night is if I absolutely have no other choices. At this point in time you have lots of other choices to choose from.


If I were to take a wild guess, is the resort/casino located in Southern California? Those room rates are notoriously expensive because the nearest competitive motel might be a 1/2 hour drive away or more and the casinos can and will inflate their prices. Most people who stay at those inflated prices have comped rooms but I often wonder how much they lost to get the free room at which point I'd much rather pay for the room but I digress (lol).

[scfr]

Personally, I probably wouldn't spend that much. What about giving yourselves a couple choices, such as one night at the expensive place or two nights at a budget place? Keep the total vacation budget the same, and then decide what's more important to the two of you.

[disneysteve]

It might be better just staying at Motel 6 for half the cost.

It really depends on what/where/why you're going.

If you just need a place to crash and you plan to be out and about all day, go with the cheap motel. If, however, the hotel is your destination, then be prepared to pay the higher price.

At a casino, chances are the hotel is the destination, at least in part. Staying some distance away in a less costly motel kind of defeats the purpose. You can't take full advantage of all of the amenities of the resort if you are staying somewhere else. If you want to use the swimming pool, fitness center, room service, etc. you need to be a guest of the hotel. Does all of that make a difference to you? Only you can answer that.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I agree depends on where you are going and why. DS we've been traveling a lot as well and we've always managed to get decent hotels under $100. It's been tougher the last few years and the one exception has been Manhattan.

But overall it's been getting up to $100 and many are four stars. But part has been our flexibility in dates for staying and not booking far in advance.