There's something enchanting and yes, exotic, about the idea of hotel living in a foreign country. I'm sure that with a different title, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel would not have been such a huge hit.
When Bruce and I began our expat journey twelve years ago, it was because of a hotel. Our son-in-law had this property that had been in his family for years, although no one had done anything with it.
He and my daughter invested their resources, he did the work and finally it was ready. They only lacked a trusted manager. Enter her dad, the most trusted manager imaginable. The full story of this enterprising adventure is told in my book, We Burned Our Boats.
This is the hotel. Who would not want to live here? Located near Lake Atitlan in the Guatemala highlands, where tourists come from all over the world, the area is known for its perfect weather year-round.
This photo shows the second and third floor, where the rooms are. The first floor is entry, lobby, and a small kitchen at the back.
We lived in the hotel for a couple months. My husband didn't enjoy it since he hated living where he worked, feeling unable to get away and relax. Also, the rooms were quite small for a big guy accustomed to a large family home in America. He liked working in his little office up front but not living upstairs.
He was not enchanted by this exotic opportunity.
Beautiful hotel!! I always thought it would be fun to live in a hotel . . .but after our house burned, we lived in one for a little over two weeks and we were ready to have more space. I might enjoy it more in a situation like yours!
ReplyDeleteI really liked our hotel living, not having to clean or even cook really, as we ate our dinners out and then leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day. What wasn't good about it was my husband's bad mood the entire time. Completely unlike him, poor guy.
DeleteThe worst hotel I ever stayed in (and perhaps betrayed the pampered American in me) was in Catania, Sicily. It was dreadful and dreary and called La Cucaracha. Spanish for "The Cockroach."
ReplyDeleteEven though it was Spanish in Sicily, that tracks.
Why on earth would someone name a hotel La Cucaracha. Welcoming bugs, driving away people. But your best hotel sounds nice, especially if it wasn't too expensive, being small and charming rather than big and fancy.
DeleteI swear that's what it was called. It was beyond dreadful. Which is why, after one night, I took my guys to the Navy base at Sigonella and got us rooms at the Navy Lodge.
DeleteOh, the BEST hotel I ever stayed in was the Fort George Radisson in Belize City. It was a charming little place. That had a bar.
ReplyDeleteI get not wanting to work where you live but yeah, that place is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful hotel! But I understand your husband not liking to live where he worked. You are on duty 24/7.
ReplyDeleteWhile the idea of living in a hotel with housekeeping, breakfast buffet and other benefits sounds nice, in the long run it would have to be an executive suite for me to not feel confined.
ReplyDeleteAh, well that move makes sense. It's always a job that starts it, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteit looks like a beautiful hotel, but i couldn't live where i worked either. if i lived where i worked i'd never get any work done...at least when i physically go from my home to where i work, i get there and it's like well, what else is there? but if i was at home, theres a lot of things besides work to do, and i'd do those.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting chapter of your adventures.
ReplyDeleteI do understand how hubby feels about living where he works, but I would love hotel living for a while. I think it would be refreshing and fun.
ReplyDelete