I definitely should not be in charge of designing a vacation resort. I suspect that few would want to go to the kind of place that would be nirvana for me. Unlike so many people I am not a fan of spending time anywhere that attracts crowds of people. I’ve never been on a cruise and really don’t want to try one unless it is one that takes me to the wilds of Alaska or floats down the Danube with the sole purpose of dropping me off to explore different cities and towns by myself. Leave me out of anything that has even a hint of party time. 

I’ve been to Las Vegas and I’m happy that I have seen it but nothing there has the power to lure me back. Gambling to me is like flushing money down the toilet. Those big buffets leave me cold. If I want to see a big show I don’t have to travel far from my city of Houston where all kinds of entertainment is available in normal times. 

I had a great deal of fun at an all inclusive resort in Cancun but I spent most of my time sitting quietly on the balcony of my room just watching the waves and enjoying the tropical breezes. The dining was exceptional but I mostly went to eat at the slowest time of day to ensure that the atmosphere would be quiet. The crowds around the pool did nothing for me but I enjoyed strolling through the nearby sights. 

Getting away means just that for me. I want quiet, nature, solitude. The most incredible moments of my travels have always been those when I found a spot where it felt as though only God and I were present. A less traveled area of Yosemite did that for me as I walked with my grandson through ancient trees. A seaside town in northern England where I gazed from the bay toward the North Sea was so wonderful that I wanted to linger there forever. A Pacific Ocean view in Washington State on a drizzly day made me feel as though I was discovering a place where no one had walked before. Mountain views in Colorado and a cloudy prairies in Wyoming were exhilarating. I felt as one with something more powerful and wonderful than myself. 

My resort would offer such opportunities to people like myself be they introverts or just persons who need to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It would have to be set in a beautiful area perhaps with little cabins far enough removed from one another that there would be no signs of other people. The rooms would look out on vistas of mountains or oceans or forests. Nature would be the main attraction and walking would be the only exercise. Trails would lead to incredible views or interesting habitats for flora or fauna.

There would be fire pits stocked with enough wood for stays of many nights. Bookshelves would hold volumes based on the interests of the guests staying there. Meals would be quietly delivered without need to sit in a dining room filled with other people. Perhaps there would be a hot tub and a nice selection of wine in each room. I might even stock each cabin with a telescope for gazing at the stars and the planets at night and a pair of binoculars for watching the wildlife. The whole idea would be to kick back and totally relax. 

In the event that there are actually other souls like me who might enjoy such a calm adventure I would eventually create locales all over the world in remote locations. I call them The Last Resort. Of course given that most of humanity has been in a state of forced isolation for many months due to COVID 19 I suspect that very few people will be even remotely interested in my ideas for a resort. I mean who is actually in need of a quiet place with no people right now? Sadly my idea may have been a hit a couple of years ago but my timing is off at the moment which is nothing unusual for me. 

I always laugh because I am so much like my grandfather. He used to get an amused expression on his face whenever he spoke of the how he just missed making a killing with an idea or a piece of property. He said that if he had found exactly the right moment for hawking his business acumen he would have been a millionaire many times over. I suspect that the difference between the mega rich and those of us who are ordinary is often about knowing when to hold em and when to fold em. Like Grandpa I always appear to be just a bit too early or too late in my attempts to sell a concept. It is no doubt a very good thing that I never even considered a career in sales. I’ll leave that sort of thing to better souls who are more charming and persuasive than I am.

In some ways I wish there were indeed a resort like the one I have described. Who knows? Maybe there actually is and I just don’t know about it. I’d like to go there right now. I need a reprieve from all of the craziness of the last many years. I want to just enjoy a week or a couple of days without knowing the latest news or having to be perky when I don’t feel like being so. Nature has always been a panacea for me and the farther away from the madding crowd it is the better. I think I’ll go find someplace like that right now.