18 Hotel Stays That Went Off-Script in the Most Unforgettable Ways

When choosing a hotel for a trip, we dream of a carefree getaway where we can unwind and let go of all worries. However, sometimes reality presents a real-life adventure that even the most daring thrill-seekers couldn’t imagine. Here is a collection of stories from people who encountered the unexpected. Spoiler: sometimes it’s a real nightmare, and other times it’s generosity that takes your breath away.

• I still remember when my husband and I managed to go on a vacation to another country for the first time in our lives. We flew to Egypt, took some tour as our friends suggested. Oh my goodness, I loved everything, from the flight and the airport to the hotel and the surroundings!
  I couldn’t let go of my phone, photographing everything to remember, and kept asking my husband every minute: “Take a picture, take a picture, take a picture!” By the end of our 2-week vacation, he stopped responding to the name “Sven” because he became “Take a picture.” © Mamdarinka / VK
• We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel. And so the vacation comes to an end, we’re waiting for the transfer in the lobby. Then an employee asks me to open my suitcase.
  I was just stunned. And he chuckles and says, “Well, you know. Men often take toilet paper, and women usually take the towels.”
• My mother instilled in me a love for experiences. She always said, “Your home is the foundation; everything else is experiences. No clothes, car, or watch will be remembered like traveling.”
  My first vivid impression was a trip to the Dominican Republic. Mom chose a hotel with flamingos. And there’s the beach, the ocean, me, and these birds are walking around freely! We didn’t stay long, but it forever convinced me that nothing material can replace experiences. © Overheard / Ideer

This was left for me by the hotel management as a welcome gesture when I checked in.

• A 25-year-old guy. He was dating a girl for a couple of months, and they decided to take a week-long trip to the sea. Since they didn’t know each other that well yet, he wasn’t ready to cover all the expenses, and she didn’t mind splitting the tickets and hotel 50/50.
  Everything was great at the hotel, except that during a romantic evening, they ruined the windowsill in the room with candles. Upon checkout, they were asked to pay $1,000 for the damage. He said he’d pay 500, and told her she needed to cover the other half. She got upset, and now they broke up. © Overheard / Ideer
• We once vacationed abroad in China on Hainan Island. Stayed in a 5-star hotel with a balcony overlooking the sea. We were having a great time for 10 days until the first typhoon hit. The wind from the sea blew and blew, like in the song. I’d never seen a wall of rain like that.
  Naturally, the balcony filled with water, which, thanks to poor door sealing, poured into our room. The locals didn’t help as they were busy saving others. I put a towel down, wedged it with the door, then bailed out 20 buckets, and we were saved! © Overheard / Ideer
• We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel in Thailand. At checkout, the staff demanded that a woman open her suitcase, suspecting she might have stolen something. The lady wouldn’t budge. I asked, “Did you really take something?” She denied it.
  She eventually opened it, and we were stunned. There were just durians and mangos. Well, it was quite impressive, but it was unclear what she was so afraid of.
• I was staying in a hotel in a small town during winter. The hotel had about 10 rooms, slightly away from the center. It turned out I was the only guest — there was no breakfast, the administration worked from 8 to 5, and security stayed in their lodge. It was a bit scary being alone in the huge 3-story house.
  One evening, when I returned to the hotel, I was met on the porch by her — the cat. It made things feel a bit better, at least there was some living soul around. © MelantoMania / ADME

• My now ex-boyfriend is kind of frugal. We earn well, and I’m used to certain comforts; since we lived separately, I didn’t know the details.
  We agreed to fly on vacation, I’d get the tickets, he’d handle the hotel. I told him in advance I needed a decent hotel, and of course, he agreed. We flew business class to find a dump instead of a hotel! “What’s the deal? We’ll only sleep there; why need a proper shower, decent breakfast, and a comfortable bed?”
  I left immediately, found a decent hotel, and canceled his return ticket. So this fool first tried to move into my room and then was indignant he had to buy his own return ticket. I’m speechless. © Overheard / Ideer
• Many of my friends complain about their husbands, saying they don’t want to take them to the Maldives or somewhere else to relax on the islands. But I adore my husband because this year he took me out of the city, right into the forest by a lake where there was not a single soul! I love places like this where you can be alone with nature, listen to the birds singing, reconnect with the Earth.
  Only there can I truly relax, recharge, and be myself. I never liked resorts, polished hotels, or people dressed up to the nines. A tent in the woods, my beloved person, and silence are enough for me. © Mamdarinka / VK
• During college, my friend and I flew to Turkey on a last-minute deal to a 3-star hotel, taking little money, just enough for souvenirs. My friend went to wash her hair and broke the plastic shower head just above the hose joint! We panicked, afraid we’d be fined an amount we simply didn’t have, and ran to the store.
  We bought superglue, collected some palm fiber. We degreased the surface, wrapped the fiber around the shower, generously applied glue, and joined the parts. After our repair, the shower worked perfectly! We were happy and incredibly proud of our ingenuity! © Overheard / Ideer

Egyptian maids amazed us every day.

• Once, we went to Egypt for a vacation and checked into a hotel with a pool. I went swimming with my husband. I’m swimming, everything’s fine, the water is refreshing.
  I see a stick floating, thinking it’s strange since there’s no tree nearby. I swim toward it, and it grows whiskers, then little legs, and then it runs away from me. According to my husband, I ran out of the water. © Overheard / Ideer
• During a vacation, the boat broke down in the sea. There was me, my friend, and 2 guys. The boat was small, it was night, we’re in the open sea, can’t see a thing around, waves were splashing into the boat, and my friend was crying. I was never so scared!
  After an hour, the coast guard found us. It turned out they had been searching for us for 5 hours because the guys had rented the boat for an hour, and we were out there for half a day. In the morning, everyone in the hotel was staring at us.
  And I still have a phobia of small boats. It’s been 10 years. © Overheard / Ideer
• I planned a trip to the sea. Found a nice little hotel, checked the weather. Arrived: evening, weather’s great, fell asleep thinking about an unforgettable vacation.
  In the end, I woke up every day at 5 due to the neighbor’s kids, who were taken to the sea early and took 3 hours to get ready (asking them to be quieter didn’t help). 4 days of rain and thunderstorms followed. The sea was ice-cold. My period started right on the beach.
  Then sun, heat, the sea was full of seaweed. Not to mention a million huge jellyfish. Got sunburned, got heat stroke, and left. It was unforgettable. © Overheard / Ideer

• My boyfriend and I stayed at a fancy pants hotel this summer. The room was covered in mirrors. The toilet was in its own room, but the walls were also mirrors. Meaning, I had to make eye contact with myself while pooping. I think I would have preferred the glass walls. © airhornsman / Reddit
• I miss those days of kiddo me going with family to 5-star hotels. I was reaching for those drinks and snack in the refrigerator until I see the price tag next to them. At that moment, I learnt everything cost. © Yana_dice / Reddit
• Sometimes my boyfriend and I have weekends at a hotel. I don’t know, there’s a certain romance to it, just like in movies where couples stay in roadside motels, drink and eat something tasty, watch movies.
  We were recently in a big hotel, and I had a strange experience. I woke up at night to a weird noise in the hallway, went outside for some reason, didn’t find the source of the noise, but realized I couldn’t remember the room we were staying in.
  There were almost 20 rooms on the floor with identical doors, I tried to open about 10, but none of them gave way. I cried out of helplessness and sat in the hallway until morning, when my boyfriend came looking for me. It was stupid, but in a way, kind of romantic. © Not everyone will understand / VK

A vacation is always a lottery. You can meticulously study reviews and still encounter something completely unexpected, or you can accidentally have the best memory of your life. After all, that’s why we travel to distant lands.

And here are more vacation stories that are way more interesting than a postcard.