It was a pleasant February afternoon as I drove into the gates of the Taj property. With Covid dissipating, my wife and I had decided to splurge and spend a few days at the beach resort not far from where we lived in Chennai. Having lived through lockdowns, movement restrictions, restaurant closures and all the other tensions that went with the Covid first wave, we decided it would be good to take a break and just chill out for a few days away from the city.

Thanks to the downturn in the hotel business, many 5-star hotels and resorts were offering specials with massive discounts in an effort to woo customers back in. We got a great deal for a private cottage with a small private pool. At less than 50% the usual price and with breakfast thrown in, the discount offer was too good to resist. The only catch was full payment upfront with no refunds for cancellations.