I just got back from a long weekend at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, and even though I’m halfway through the workday on a Monday the week of quarter end, I’m still smiling!

It was a perfect vacation – just the right mix of relaxing and exciting. We worked out in the fitness center, relaxed in the spa, walked on the beach, read by the pool, biked through the woods, and danced the night away. We enjoyed wonderful service, ate incredible food, and met lots of new people.

There were 12 ladies on this Bachelorette Getaway, and the organizer had thought of everything. Transportation was all arranged; goodie baskets were waiting for each one of us; special events like a lingerie shower and a sunset cruise were planned and paid for; and there was plenty of complimentary champagne each evening!

It was just fantastic. I paid $240 for 3 nights at The Ritz, $415 for my flight, $56 to board my dog, and $32 for cabs. Other than a couple of $20 breakfasts at the hotel, my food/dining expenses were barely out of the ordinary.

So what is the downside, you ask?

While it is such a blessing to have this luxurious experience etched into my memory, it will also serve as a benchmark against which I’ll be forced to measure all future vacations.

This was my first stay at a Ritz-Carlton, though not my first stay at a comparable luxury hotel. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that my standards or expectations have changed (yet), but this vacation hovers dangerously close to the tipping point – after which certain luxuries become my general travel preferences rather than unexpected delights.

At the Ritz and at a few other high end beach hotels I’ve visited they have towel pillows crafted by pool staff on my loungechair, welcome cocktails at check-in, and men poised at every door to swing it open for me at just the right moment so I never have to break my stride. Those luxuries are still infrequent enough that I am pleasantly startled by them.

But with enough repeat exposure, sooner or later I’ll cease to be surprised and come to anticipate those and other service gestures. Then my ability to be impressed will fade away to expectation – and even disappointment or irritation if those expectations aren’t met.

This doesn’t mean I can no longer appreciate the simpler things in life, but repeat exposure to anything “better” will always result in adaptation. Anything less will simply not be as pleasing. This goes not just for vacations but for food, bedding, footwear, live entertainment, sexual encounters, and even relationships.

Such is life I suppose. Which is why people who have and do more aren’t necessarily happier than anybody else.

While I was out of town this past weekend I authorized the concierge at my building to let in my new house cleaner (the term I’ve decided to go with after some thought). This way she could have all the time and space she wanted without me or my dog in her way, plus she could come absolutely any time she wanted. And as an added bonus I wouldn’t have to stress about how to interact with her, whether to leave or stay while she was there, the length of her visit, etc.

She had only come once before, and I ended up rushing her out because I had people over. She sounded relieved when I called her back to book a second visit because she said she wanted to give other areas some more attention, such as the baseboards (Baseboards! As if I’d ever have cleaned those myself).

When I arrived home exhausted and hungover from my whirlwind wedding weekend in New Orleans, I found my house as clean as a whistle and smelling fresh. Every floor and surface was actually shining, which I had forgotten (or perhaps never knew) they could do.

She’d washed my sheets and made my bed, cleaned all the floors thoroughly, scrubbed the bath and kitchen, and organized everything she found into neat little rows, piles, or stacks (all my rubber bands and bobby pins were in a little cup; my candles and coasters were neatly arranged, the various business cards strewn all over the counters and tables from when I clean out my purse were stacked in one place).

I am officially hooked. Like, for life. I left her a schedule to come every three weeks, conveniently all one weekends when I’ll be out of town over the next few months. I’ve decided to leave her $70 each time she comes, with extra bonuses around holidays or when I ask her to do something out of the ordinary like polish silver.

She’d requested $65 each visit when I first met her, but I’ve decided to give at least $70 because

• I know she charges my friend $65 (and has for years, without ever increasing her fee) and that my friend tips her very well.
• She was tentative when she quoted $65 and told me she was giving me a “deal” because of the woman who referred me. I have a feeling she’s increased her price for new clients over the years but still charges my friend her original lower fee.
• Women all too often undervalue/underprice their services and talent. If she’s happy with $65 that’s fine, but I want to show her how much I value her work so I’d probably give $5 over whatever price she’d quoted.
• She deserves it!

Over the course of a year if she comes every 3 weeks that is 17 visits which will cost me a total of $1190 – an average of $100 a month. Round up $10 or $11 a month for extra bonuses of course ($100 or $150 at Christmas?). That is completely and totally worth it to me – and although I can’t believe I’m officially the type of person who has a house cleaner, I am adjusting quickly!