A British couple ended up buying a hotel in Sri Lanka during their three-week honeymoon after having some drinks with the staff. Gina Lyons and Mark Lee celebrated their recent marriage by going on a backpacking trip around the world and decided to spend a few nights at a rustic, beachfront hotel in Sri Lanka.
While they were chatting with the staff, they learned the hotel's lease was about to expire, and after 12 glasses of rum, came to an agreement to buy the hotel.
"After finding out that it was [$13,200] a year, myself and Mark thought that it would be a brilliant idea to buy it, because we were so drunk,” Lyons told The Daily Mirror.
The couple needed help from locals to translate their conversation as they negotiated a fair price with the hotel owners. The pair said they "didn't understand most of the conversation" so they kept drinking until a deal was finally reached.
“After some bartering, we finally agreed that we would pay [$39,576] for the three year lease and pay [$19,788] in the first year and the other half by March 2019.”
When they got home, their family was shocked at their impromptu purchase and questioned whether it was a smart decision considering that the couple has a child on the way.
"I felt like I was already a bad mother because I felt guilty that I'd wasted all of this money buying a business that might not work. I was plagued with feeling irresponsible, but it was either sink or swim — so we decided we'd have to make it work,” Lyons said.
The couple invested $8,000 to upgrade the seven-bedroom bed and breakfast in the hopes of making it profitable. Their investment paid off, and the couple has seen a steady influx of customers since they re-opened in July.
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