I'm away from Atlanta for a chorus retreat, and is usually the case with such events, we're stuck on a mountain miles from civilization, reliable cell phone service, and in the case of this property, night lighting of any kind.
Fortunately there is a Holiday Inn Express just off the mountain and I was able to find a 4-square-foot section of a deck to light up my bars on my phone and make a reservation.
I simply couldn't resign myself to the army-style twin beds, 45-degree interior, lack of internet and TV, and 2x2 shower that represented this property's "cozy cabins."
I think I've been spoiled over the last decade, especially during my stint at RockResorts, where "roughing it" meant you were isolated in geography but not in accouterments.
No doubt this property does a brisk business among the "retreat" crowd, and if I were yet 25, I might think of this as an adventure. At age 49, I just think of it as "been there, done that...and I have the means and desire to do it better."
I can spot others in the chorus who likely feel the same but who didn't take it to the extreme I did and actually book a real hotel nearby. This chorus seems almost resigned to the "well, we've been here 18 years, so it's obviously the only choice each year" philosophy.
I actually was able to get the Denver chorus to change from a similar "rustic" venue to Keystone Lodge a couple of years ago, and I believe they are still there for their annual retreats. Once you go "rustic with technology," you never go back, I suppose.
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