SEC-S18W4 | My worst holiday travel memory | [Everything is not always as it seems]

Christmas and it was my daughter's eighteenth birthday. She was spoiled as Santa brought her a BIG gift: a trip to Thailand.
Yip! I spoiled her. It was high time that mother and daughter did some overseas traveling. My husband called it an “undercover” shopping trip.

My brother is a resident of Thailand, but right from the beginning, I planned for us to stay in a hotel in Bangkok and not with him. I wanted some “us” time with coming and going like we wanted to.

We left South Africa the day after with only a small backpack, each with just the basics. I rented a locker for us at the airport for all our purchases. Boy, oh boy, did we have a ball! We shopped until well after midnight every night. We even shopped for suitcases. The night markets are just incredible. When our locker was filled to the brim, it was time to relax.

We were in love with Bangkok.

We planned a trip to Pattaya to say goodbye to the year and welcome the new one. My brother decided to go with us. He was invited to one of the posh hotels for a stay-over as he wanted to feature them in their next edition. I, on the other hand, found the cutest little self-catering unit on Bookings.com. Just the perfect place we were looking for.

During our stay in Bangkok, my brother arranged for his taxi driver to drive us. It was time to call him and book him for the trip. The drive to Pattaya is supposed to take about two hours, but that was not the case with us. It took us nearly double the time, as we wanted to stop everywhere so that we could enjoy the culture of the country with big smiles.

We had so much fun, and our spirits were high.

Upon our arrival in Pattaya, we could not believe the number of people who gathered for the New Year celebrations. We dropped my brother off at his hotel and arranged to meet with him later that night for supper.

The driver took us straight to the apartment I'd booked and paid for.

The outside did not look bad at all. We took our suitcases out of the car, asked our driver to take a photo of us, and said our goodbyes. When the door of the establishment opened, our jaws dropped! What a disappointment! Gone were those joyful high spirits, and we definitely did not join with big smiles.

It was clear that appearances on the website of an online travel agency are not always what they seem. If I had to tell you that the accommodations were much smaller, more dated, and less well-maintained than advertised, it would be an understatement. The level of cleanliness, service, and overall quality fell way short of expectations. It was a disaster! Where to now?

I immediately called our driver and told him to come back. After driving around Pattaya, with plenty of phone calls, and after numerous stops, we eventually found a hotel in an area that looked busy, but the hotel itself did not look that bad. I could stay there for two nights, but not for longer. I paid, and eventually, we could say goodbye to our driver for the second time.

When the night started to creep in, I noticed from the window that they were busy closing the street. Vendors were arriving with their little carts, putting up food and other stalls. Okay, this looks nice. At least we will have some fun. It was then that the neon light next to our window went on. Oh no! We were staying in the heart of the red district of Pattaya. Words cannot describe how I felt.

There was no way that I could stay there with my daughter. For the second time, I found myself looking for accommodation. This time, the only room I could find was in one of the 5-star hotels on the beachfront. I had no option but to take it. To make things worse this time, we had to walk as no taxi was allowed in the street.

The “cool” season, as they call it in Thailand, is supposed to be from November to February. It was not cool. It was hot and humid, with a temperature way above 30°. It felt like the longest walk I’ve ever had in my life.

At least this time, the hotel lived up to expectations. I, however, had enough of Pattaya, and I didn’t even feel like leaving the air-conditioned room. After all, did I not just pay nearly 1200 STEEM per night for our stay?

If it were not for my brother, who literally dragged me out of the hotel room, I don’t think I would have experienced the beautiful sunset, the nightlife, the New Year fireworks display, the friendly people, the good food, or the traditional Thai dances.

I’ve learned my lesson. I now always carefully do my research and read reviews to make sure that I don’t get unpleasant surprises, as… everything is not always as it seems.

I invite @artist1111 @digi-me and @jahangeerkhanday to participate in this contest

Thank you to @fajrulakmal99 who invited me to this contest](https://steemit.com/hive-188972/@travelingsteem/sec-s18w4-or-my-worst-holiday-travel-memory)

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