Before our honeymoon, my husband, Mark, and I treated both families to a luxurious Bora Bora trip. We booked spacious overwater bungalows for everyone. My parents were so grateful for that! While we took the only available 4,000 sq. ft. villa — a dream place with a sauna, outdoor tub, pool, and ocean slide.

Within 24 hours, chaos erupted. At dinner, my cousin mentioned our ocean slide. My in-laws overheard, saw pictures of our villa, and lost it.

MIL (gasping): “Wait… THIS is your place?!” FIL (fuming): “And we’re stuck in a bungalow?!” Then came the demand.

MIL (dramatic sigh): “We’re the elders! We shouldn’t live like peasants while our children enjoy luxury!”

Peasants? In Bora Bora? I calmly explained there was only one villa, and giving it to them would be unfair to my parents.

MIL: “If your parents wanna live like peasants, then it’s their problem!”

This made me sick. Mark looked shocked. He looked at me and nodded, giving me the green light to act. The next morning, they yelled at the phone: “HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO US?!”

I took a deep breath and responded calmly. “How dare I do what? Treat you to a five-star resort? Give you an all-expenses-paid trip? Show generosity, even when you clearly don’t appreciate it?”

That shut them up for a moment. Then MIL shrieked, “You knew we would want the villa! You’re selfish for keeping it!”

I refused to engage in a shouting match and simply replied, “We are on our honeymoon. You are our guests. If this is so unacceptable, feel free to check into another resort at your own expense.”

Mark stepped in, his voice firm. “Mom, Dad, we love you, but this entitlement has to stop. You’re acting like we owe you something when we’ve already done so much. Be grateful, or don’t be here.”

They sputtered in protest, but I hung up before they could continue their tantrum. They didn’t talk to us for the rest of the day. The next morning, they tried the guilt trip route.

MIL: “I can’t believe my own son would treat me like this! I carried you for nine months! I sacrificed for you! And now you cast us aside like trash?!”

Mark sighed. “Mom, you’re in a luxury bungalow in Bora Bora. Stop acting like you’re in a shack. If you can’t enjoy yourself, that’s on you.”

FIL grumbled, “This is how you repay us for raising you.”

I smiled sweetly. “Oh, we can make it up to you. Would you like us to cancel your bungalow and book you a tent on the beach instead?”

That shut them up fast.

By day three, they finally seemed to accept their fate. But that didn’t mean they were done with the drama.

On the fourth day, we woke up to find my MIL and FIL sitting in our villa’s private pool area, sipping drinks as if they owned the place. I was stunned. They had somehow convinced hotel staff to let them in.

Mark was furious. “What are you doing here?”

MIL shrugged. “We figured since you were out last night, you wouldn’t mind if we enjoyed it for a bit.”

I crossed my arms. “So you just… invited yourselves in? Without asking?”

FIL smirked. “It’s just for a little while. You have this whole place, and we barely have anything!”

That was it. I walked to the front desk and had them immediately remove my in-laws from our villa access list. I also informed them that if they tried sneaking in again, they’d be downgraded to a standard hotel room.

When MIL found out, she wailed. “You’re treating us like criminals!”

I deadpanned. “Well, you did break into our villa.”

From then on, they stayed in their bungalow, sulking. The trip continued peacefully—for us at least—while they stewed in their own bitterness.

On the last day, my FIL mumbled, “This could’ve been a nice trip if you weren’t so stubborn.”

Mark laughed. “No, Dad. This could’ve been a nice trip if you had been grateful.”

Moral of the story? Entitlement ruins everything. Gratitude makes life better.

We all have choices: to appreciate what we have or to be miserable chasing what isn’t ours. My in-laws chose misery. But Mark and I? We chose happiness.

If you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to like and share! Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever dealt with entitled family members!