‘How have you had a taste of the high life that you find it hard to forget?’ – 23 people ruined by experiences of grandeur they can’t normally afford

As we trudge through our tedious, plebeian little existences we are very occasionally given a taste of what life is like for people with money or fame or sophistication. But, because we don’t get to experience that kind of extravagance very often, our own day-to-day feels even more dreary when it’s gone.

They’ve been discussing this unfortunate phenomenon on the AskUK page after user FamSender posted this:

In what ways have you had ‘a taste of the high life’ that you find it hard to forget but can’t afford to indulge in regularly?

I was given complimentary access to The BA business lounge once, it was head and shoulders above lounges you need to pay into. Can’t actually afford to fly business class though so I doubt I’ll get to repeat the experience very often.

And lots of people who wish they’d been born into wealth and glamour chipped in with their own experiences, like these…

1.

‘Flew Business Class on Qatar this morning and it’s made the thought of going back to Ryanair even worse now.’
–Friendly_Features

2.

‘This is probably quite basic, but I went to Harrods and to the Mac counter and bought a full size lipstick. The wonderful woman behind the counter absolutely knew I didn’t have money like the customer previous, but she treated me like an absolute queen. It was a wonderful experience.’
–Deep_Sector_7047

3.

‘I went to a restaurant in Paris, recommended by Time Out, and I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt as I was flying out in a few hours, so wasn’t dressed for posh. And they were posh and discussed whether to let me in. So it was fucking posh and I loved it. I’ve tried to find it again and it doesn’t exist any more, damn it!

It had a glass wall overlooking the Seine, Notre Dame, etc. just the best view of Paris. Had a waiter for everything. One guy for cutlery, one to take your order, one to bring the food, etc etc. the Sommelier gave me the best Pouilly Fume I’ve ever tasted. It was half the bill, but fuck it was good. Food was incredible.

I’ve been to posh restaurants for work, but this one I decided to splurge on, last day of a quick jaunt (my own pocket, no work credit card!), was a massive cut above.’
–SnoopyLupus

4.

It’s a really small thing but we visited Manchester twice in a year, and paid the M6 toll. The traffic disappeared, there was nothing to concern me, just the wide open road, it was driving as I always dreamt it should be. I think I would go without a meal to ensure I could always take that route.

It felt like I’d thrown money to make a problem go away and the realisation that there were probably aspects of my life I could afford to do that in too, was eye-opening. I’ve never felt like I belonged to the ‘haves’ before, but it seemed so binary – pay and have the convenience, don’t pay, and stay with the masses.’
–ecapapollag

5.

‘Once went into an Aston Martin showroom because it was there and I had some time to kill. Salesman comes over and asks if I’m interested in buying a car. I said I was just killing time and that they were way out of my price range.

He said ‘they’re all unlocked, feel free to sit in any of them’. About ten minutes later he came over again and asked if I wanted to go for a ride in a demonstrator. Of course I said yes, and he drove it like he stole it. Afterwards let me rev the car a few times and gave me an Aston Martin keyring.

If I win the lottery, I’m going to that dealership and ordering a car.’
–gtrcar5

6.

‘Staying in a very fancy, non-chain hotel in Bristol. Splashed out for wifeys birthday, they had a piano player on a grand piano in a raised area above the bar, everything was glass and marble and everyone was superbly polite.

It was the kind of place where you could tell who had money (certainly wasn’t me after that weekend) and I’ve never felt so fancy. Won’t be able to do that for a long time. Maybe we’ll get a suite next time.’
–That_Northern_bloke

7.

‘A band I was in played at a day festival in the grounds of a posh private school. The ‘green room’ was the common room which was bigger than my entire house, where they’d laid on a 3-course buffet and unlimited drinks. I was handed a towel as I came off stage. There were loads of people with clipboards milling around backstage, I asked one where I could get some water and she went off and came back with an ice-cold 12-pack of bottled water.

After that it was back to the broom cupboard and a few cans of Red Stripe if you’re lucky…’
–levezvosskinnyfists7

8.

‘I went to a relatively posh school. My family are by no means ‘flush’, but they have done alright for themselves coming from where they did. I went to a friend’s house for a house party in like Year 11 and was chatting to his dad (who I later found out was a rather high-ranking judge) and leant against the wall. He said, ‘Careful, that’s an original Monet’. That’s the day I learnt how the other half live.’
–RainKingInChains

9.

‘Once a year we stay on a boat owned by someone my missus’ side, get fed, as much alcohol and cocktails as we can drink, kid is looked after and we just relax, swim and visit different islands for nearly two weeks. As it costs us nothing to stay on it we splash out on business class tickets to get there.

Then after that it’s back to the grind for another year.’
–Sh0D10N

10.

‘Mate. So I used to be a sugar baby, and the hotels. Omg, the hotels. It’s so hard to get used to a Premier Inn again when you’ve been in high end suites, and with dining and spa obviously.’
–MorganaLeFevre

11.

‘I stayed in a suite in Singapore once. I’m common so left my dirty washing in a pile in the corner. Next day the staff had folded up my dirty washing into a neater pile.’
–Ill-Trash-7085

12.

‘I had afternoon tea at The Ritz in Paris and then bought a pair of Louboutins in the original and first Christian Louboutin store. It was a treat for my 40th and for mum’s birthday too. Ordinarily, I would absolutely not be doing this on a regular basis!’
–Theres3ofMe