Luxury Escapes - The People You Don't Meet

[Renato1]

I think the person you were responding to here was on the right track.

As a rough rule, people staying in the 5 star places are more likely to be seeking a more private, discrete and formal experience.

At the opposite extreme is the cheap and cheerful places where you find the party animal types that want to be everyones new bestie.

And of course most places are somewhere in between.

Not a hard and fast rule, but a reasonable guideline.

Well, many certainly seem to hand over their sociability at the check-in of the five star places.
I hope they remember to get it back when they check out.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[offshore171]

Well, many certainly seem to hand over their sociability at the check-in of the five star places.

Kind of the point I was making. Often people choose that type of accomodation for the specific reason that it allows them more peace and serenity. Many such guests don’t want or expect strangers to engage them in unsolicited conversation

Whereas at a budget resort in say Fiji everyone is chatterboxing with each other. Both are valid ways to vacation.

Main thing is to ‘read the room’. If you keep trying to start up unsolicited conversations with strangers and get strange looks or minimal response, then accept those cues and avoid pushing it.

That person you are trying to engage may be trying to unwind from working 70 hour weeks for months on end in a client facing job.

There’s a similarity with hotels and airline cabins.

Compare an F cabin on a plane to say Zurich, with the back row of a Jetstar flight to Bali.

One is extremely quiet and very private, the other Is basically a neighbourhood party.


That’s the far ends of the travel spectrum and not a criticism of either, just an observation. As mentioned, it’s an important social skill to read the room.

 

[drron]

I often have been working long hours and sometimes quite stressful.but my work means that you talk to people and need to do that in a way that gets them to open up and tell you everything.Possibly why I haven't found it hard to talk to others in a 5 star place.

 

[Jurahn]

I can be friendly and say good morning/evening but dont expect much more out of me. Im in my 50s, I dont want to make friends with randoms while Im trying to wind down and relax. Especially if booze is involved.

Same attitude and same age here too @Denali . I work in a call centre, and deal with people hour after hour, day after day, the last thing I feel like when going on holidays is spending half my time talking - or listening - to someone!

One of the joys of holidays for me is that I can choose (for the most part) how and when I interact with other people. Neither Mr J nor myself are particularly "social" people, we're quite happy just to spend time with each other. The ultimate luxury for me is to go away by myself and stay somewhere quiet - usually good quality self-contained accommodation - where I don't have to be with people at all unless I choose to - absolute bliss . I can quite happily go for a week or more without talking to anyone.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

There may also be a retirement factor at play.

Generalising of course, but those that are retired often have more time on their hands and are more willing/wanting to talk more, and are somewhat less rushed. Holidays may be longer, and more often or even all year!

 

[Bad Seed]

For me, I work in a profession that makes me a professional listener and spend my whole day making empathic connections. I love it but it requires me to be very switched on to others all day. Because its such an intuitive art and skill, I do it all the time and I find on holidays, I just want to switch off as people work out very quickly I am a good listener and I don't want to "work" on holidays. especially when the dreaded "what do you do" question comes up. So, I crave no talking on holidays. even on a cruise, I always change my table allocation from group to table for two.

 

[Renato1]

I think the person you were responding to here was on the right track.

As a rough rule, people staying in the 5 star places are more likely to be seeking a more private, discrete and formal experience.

At the opposite extreme is the cheap and cheerful places where you find the party animal types that want to be everyones new bestie.

And of course most places are somewhere in between.

Not a hard and fast rule, but a reasonable guideline.

Thanks for your contribution.
I think from responses in this thread that is a majority concensus.
Regards,
Renato

 

[serfty]

[MODERATOR HAT]

Some recent posts have been moved to a more appropriate place as they had little relevance to this thread's topic.​

[/MODERATOR HAT]

 

[Renato1]

Main thing is to ‘read the room’. If you keep trying to start up unsolicited conversations with strangers and get strange looks or minimal response, then accept those cues and avoid pushing it.

I don't think it's that. Want to talk? - fine. Don't want to talk? - that's fine too.
What I'm finding weird is the inbetween responses - want to talk and want to run away as well, and repeat that. I don't routinely strike that in regular life,
Cheers,
Renato

I often have been working long hours and sometimes quite stressful.but my work means that you talk to people and need to do that in a way that gets them to open up and tell you everything.Possibly why I haven't found it hard to talk to others in a 5 star place.

On the other hand, some people are just far more affable than others - "Simpatico" in Italian.
Perhaps you have that quality?
Cheers,
Renato

There may also be a retirement factor at play.

Generalising of course, but those that are retired often have more time on their hands and are more willing/wanting to talk more, and are somewhat less rushed. Holidays may be longer, and more often or even all year!

I don't know.
Every day is a vacation for me, and I interact with plenty of people not retired.
Some may not want to talk, some may.
But this talk briefly and runaway, talk briefly and runaway again, and again business I find unusual in non 5 Star life.
Cheers,
Renato

For me, I work in a profession that makes me a professional listener and spend my whole day making empathic connections. I love it but it requires me to be very switched on to others all day. Because its such an intuitive art and skill, I do it all the time and I find on holidays, I just want to switch off as people work out very quickly I am a good listener and I don't want to "work" on holidays. especially when the dreaded "what do you do" question comes up. So, I crave no talking on holidays. even on a cruise, I always change my table allocation from group to table for two.

Fair enough. If you don't want to talk there is no requiremnt to do so.
Plenty of people I don't want to talk to either.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[offshore171]

I don't know.
Every day is a vacation for me, and I interact with plenty of people not retired.
Some may not want to talk, some may.
But this talk briefly and runaway, talk briefly and runaway again, and again business I find unusual in

What you’re seeing there is people trying to politely extricate themselves from an unsolicited conversation.

 

[Renato1]

What you’re seeing there is people trying to politely extricate themselves from an unsolicited conversation.

But they often started the conversation!
On multiple occasions.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[zenyattamondatta]

But they often started the conversation!
On multiple occasions.

Fair enough to back away once you find out what you've got yourself into.

 

[Renato1]

Fair enough to back away once you find out what you've got yourself into.

Several couples repeated the exercise ( coming to us, three minute talk, then get away quick) every morning at breakfast.
What are they backing away from?
Why not just stay away?
Regards,
Renato

 

[zenyattamondatta]

Several couples repeated the exercise ( coming to us, three minute talk, then get away quick) every morning at breakfast.
What are they backing away from?
Why not just stay away?
Regards,
Renato

(backs away)

 

[TomCC]

Fair enough to back away once you find out what you've got yourself into.

Based on the posts I have read in various threads here I strongly suspect this to be the case.

 

[Renato1]

Well, I've booked another Luxury Escape at Port Douglas for later in the year.

Before booking, I made sure that it wasn't a five star place.
This place met my new criterion at four and a half stars.
Regards,
Renato

 

[SpudOz]

My husband and I have booked LE in the past...coughet - staying at the Marriott and Broome - staying at Cable Beach. I do like a convo with people but I'm in my comfort zone lazing around a pool and reading. My husband, however, is Mr Have A Chat. I do join in after awhile. The best places to start a chat is around the hotel pool and its bar and also in the pool. When also do an annual trip to Bali and another to Penang. I swear my husband will talk the leg off a chair in both those places..

 

[mandolino]

I like the idea of those pampering places but I get bored out of my skull after two, max three, days.

 

[robtemt]

We typically go to 5* places to be alone, together.

My job is very high stress (as are a lot of yours I imagine), and when we get away, I want to make up for time lost with my +1 due to long hours and commute, and his several days away at a time as a FA.

We are happy to have a "Good morning", or "Where are you guys from", but typically, we just want to relax, enjoy a swim together, have a massage, enjoy some nice quiet meals, and talk about where we want to go next.

Our next trip is a combination of group time with several couples in a private Villa, as well as alone time at a 5/6* resort.

 

[Pushka]

We typically go to 5* places to be alone, together.

My job is very high stress (as are a lot of yours I imagine), and when we get away, I want to make up for time lost with my +1 due to long hours and commute, and his several days away at a time as a FA.

We are happy to have a "Good morning", or "Where are you guys from", but typically, we just want to relax, enjoy a swim together, have a massage, enjoy some nice quiet meals, and talk about where we want to go next.

Our next trip is a combination of group time with several couples in a private Villa, as well as alone time at a 5/6* resort.

My kind of perfect week get away! On longer trips I’m ready to get to know others but would still be selective. And of course, some TO from the partner - gym for him, me? Pretty much anything else!