“No Amount of Money”: Gent Spends Over R200K on Date, and Cape Town Woman Doesn’t Show
- A Cape Town woman shared a story about turning down an expensive trip to Italy after a man ignored her boundaries
- The Italian businessman spent over R200,000 on a weekend getaway for the both of them
- Social media users praised the woman for standing her ground and not compromising
Source: TikTok
A Cape Town woman has Mzansi talking after she shared the full story behind why she turned down an expensive vacation to Italy. @lisa_philander, who shares modelling content and fun videos on her TikTok page, posted a two-part video on 12 October 2025 explaining what happened. The video went viral, with over 16,000 views, but her caption stated:
"Please don't feel bad for him, he bought himself a Ferrari 12 Cilindri a couple of days after this."
The story started earlier in the year when Lisa went on a summer holiday to the south of France with her sister and a few of their girlfriends. At one of the parties they attended, an Italian businessman approached her and they hit it off.
After that, they started chatting almost every day. Their conversations were friendly. He threw in compliments here and there, but nothing that made her uncomfortable. Eventually, the man started suggesting they meet up in Portofino, but Lisa was more interested in focusing on her work. She politely turned down his invitations several times because she was busy with her career.
When his birthday came up, he asked her again about Portofino. Lisa thought she could move some things around in her schedule for a weekend trip. They decided to spend a weekend together on the Amalfi Coast, and he insisted on buying her tickets, which she thought was sweet.
But, before he bought the tickets, Lisa sent him a simple message stating she didn't want to feel uncomfortable or pressured to do anything on the trip. The man was not happy, and stated that maybe it was too early for them to go on holiday together. She agreed with no hard feelings, thinking it was better to be honest upfront.
Two days later, he messaged her, saying he couldn't stop thinking about her and wanted to make it work. He even agreed to her boundary. Lisa thought it was okay since she liked him and gave the trip another chance.
Three days before the trip, with only four days left until departure, TikToker @lisa_philander realised she hadn't received any information about accommodation or transport from the airport. When she asked him about it, his answer made her decide not to go.
He told her he'd booked a junior suite at the most expensive hotel on the Amalfi Coast, costing around €4,000 (about R80,000) per night. With that money, she said that he could have easily got two separate bedrooms, but he chose one suite instead. Lisa was upset because she'd made it clear from the start that she didn't want to be in any uncomfortable situation, and sharing a room with someone she barely knew would definitely make her uncomfortable.
He kept going on about how he couldn't get refunds and how it was all her fault. Lisa made it clear she would never put herself in an uncomfortable situation for his benefit. She didn't ask him to buy the tickets or book the accommodation. He did all that without including her in the decisions. She ended her story by sharing:
"So the moral of the story is that, no amount of money can make up for a man's poor character."
Source: TikTok
Netizens react to the date story
Social media users flooded the comments with support for Lisa's decision:
@sheis_hade wrote:
"Hi stranger, I'm impressed ❤️❤️❤️."
@Zaraah❤ Bapuji said:
"You are so beautiful ❤."
@saiyuree commented:
"He's dumb and was trying to corner you into agreeing with what he wanted. So glad you declined 🤍."
@tracey gushed:
"Proud of you... Boundaries chases the fakers away, or it reveals what's truly behind the facade. I admire your wisdom and principles 💕."
@Leah Abboy added:
"Great job, great morals, thanks for sharing."
Watch the TikTok clip below:
More SA relationship stories
- Briefly News reported on a Johannesburg man who surprised his partner with a romantic proposal at the Four Seasons Hotel.
- An American wife's video learning Afrikaans sayings from her South African husband warmed hearts online.
- A young South African couple's honeymoon video went viral after their Home Affairs wedding, with people loving their simple celebration.
Source: Briefly News
