This past weekend I did something I have never done before.
I went out of town.
Sans kids. With my mom and sister. For a
girl's only getaway.
That's right, folks. Mother's Day weekend I
picked up and headed out!
Not to say I
wasn't completely guilty....
because I was.
I've gone out of town before without the kiddos but it was for a funeral....
so that totally doesn't count.
This time it was all about spending girl time with my mom and sister.
My sister lives in Austin, which is about 3 hours away from my house. Believe it or not, my life stays a
teensy bit busy and I can't ever seem to make it to
Austin to visit.
Confession: this was my
first time seeing her house since she moved to
Austin...
oh, I'm guessing 5 years ago? Bad Sister Award...right here. Don't worry, she's barely ever
home anyway. Her work has her
crisscrossing the country all the time.
Excuses, excuses.
....and back to my story......
Friday I picked my mom up and we
hit the road and made it to
Austin in great time. Friday night we went out to eat downtown and enjoyed a fabulous Italian meal. Ending with Crème Brule....I was a Crème Brule
virgin so this was delicious. We stayed up late into the night laughing and
giggling like
teenagers.
You know how it is when you're so involved with your
little family and all of their
gazillion activities that you feel a
disconnect between the people who are most
important to you in life?
Yep. That's where I've been. We are running all the time and sometimes I take for granted that I still have my mom
.....when a lot of people aren't that lucky. This was a really great way to
reconnect with my mom and my sister as nothing else but
mom/daughter/sister. Sometimes having to be
The Mom takes away from the fact that
you were a daughter first.
Saturday morning we lazed around until lunchtime where hit up Red's Porch. If you are ever in
Austin....go to
Red's Porch. If it's pretty outside make sure to get a seat on the
patio or roof deck. A great
view! The weather was
perfect for a sunny lunch
outside. I had the chicken sandwich and I am
kicking myself for not remembering the
name of the sandwich because it was
amazeballs. My mom had the
Shrimp and Grits and I had a taste....
that sauce? Impeccable.
Fun fact about Red's Porch...there is a retro Airstream trailer parked on the patio that you can rent for the hour, day or week. Now, I don't know about you but renting that
bad boy out for an hour is not in
my future plans (bow-chicka-wow-wow), I mean, it's a
little.....
how do you say....PUBLIC. But fun, nonetheless.
Rolling ourselves back to the car we finally made it to our
luxurious spa getaway.....
Travaasa Resort Austin.
Y'all. This place is
crazy amazing.
You can find
Travaasa hidden in the
winding hill roads outside of
Austin, tucked away from the city and
surrounded by nature. Gorgeous
succulents greet you as you
enter the gates of this spa retreat.
You follow the
long and winding road up to the
Welcome Center....and if you're like me you
"oooo" and "ahhhh" at all of the
beautiful landscape on the way up. There is
so much room to spread out on this property that it is
completely possible for you to be
all alone or with others. It's up to you.
With an
unending amount of activities to take on you are
sure to stay busy. You can head to the
stables to interact with the
horses, take a
trail ride, maybe join a
wine tasting or even learn how to
play the harmonica. Or....you might just see the amazing pool and decide to plunk your lazy self down on a poolside chair, stretch out, soak up some sun and read your trashy romance novel. Not that I did that......
I don't know what it was about that
canyon view or that
infinity pool but we all had to open our arms and
welcome the sun. And yes, my sister totally looks like a
knock off of the
Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. The pool area also offered a
sauna and hot tub area with plenty of soft,
fluffy towels for you to enjoy. And thank you to my
handy dandy J. Crew cover up....you can look at these pictures and
not see my
cellulite or
muffin top. You're welcome.
And by the way....
how amazing does my mom look?? I won't tell you her age...
because I would like to remain alive and kicking....but I will tell you that she
may be over 50....and looking
fabulous, right?!
This view really is spectacular and the cool thing about
Travaasa is that you find hidden
little nooks and crannies throughout the property as well as the
surprising views around every turn. We found a few places where there were
hammocks strung on trees in the quietest places.
While I was there I just couldn't stop thinking about what a great getaway it would be for my husband and I. Imagine....relaxing in a hammock without a child trying to swing you as high as possible?!
Craziness.
Our
Casita was beautiful.....located directly across from
the spa (and pool....yes!). With a
front porch and a back balcony we were in
love. The room was
open and
airy with beautiful décor,
plush bedding and plenty of places to store your
crap luggage. The
reading lamps on the headboard worked out perfect for us...
a family of readers. The balcony gave way to
spectacular views of nature and what
would have been a gorgeous
sunrise (if I had woken up in time).
The bathroom was huge....a modern feel with plenty of rustic touches. The
shower might have been my
favorite part of the whole room.
By the way...that
picture of my mom peeking out of the door?
I love it. It's become a new
favorite of mine.
The spa was directly across from us....
But we'll get back to the spa later.....
Saturday night after toasting ourselves by the pool for hours
being served by a super sweet Travaasa staff member....we decided
we might need to get dressed and head to dinner. The
sunset was beautiful and luckily we got a
table outside and we were able to enjoy the view until the
sun went down. The food is
upscale spa fare....not particularly my favorite but it was a
great experience and the staff was perfectly welcoming. The
pound cake for dessert....now that's my cup of tea.
It was delicious. Walking to
dinner at sunset, enjoying the
beauty of nature and the great choices in landscaping was a huge plus.
You don't feel rushed here like you might in other resorts. It's a very
laid back atmosphere where you direct yourself where you want to be or what you want to experience. Even though you are presented an itinerary and schedules, you can pick and choose to whatever you please.
Or you can choose to do nothing.
I have to say.....we were only here one night and it would have been the perfect weekend if we would have had two nights and two full days to soak it all in. We didn't arrive until 3pm on Saturday and then had to get going back home around 12.....it was Mother's Day, after all. I would love a full weekend to lay back and relax, enjoy the spa and more of the treatments there or maybe even take a few classes in something I love.
Like I mentioned before, the property is massive and everything is spread out in a way that it is easy to walk to yet not so close you feel crowded. Everything has a very Zen like atmosphere with rustic touches, appealing to all tastes.
The restaurant,
Jean's Kitchen, was beautiful and much bigger than I though it would be. We were told ahead of time that we would probably want to make reservations for dinner but when we arrived 15 minutes before our scheduled time the restaurant only had a few diners indoors yet all of the tables outside were spoken for except for a few. We snagged a
beautiful spot looking right out at the hills and
enjoyed the rest of the sunset. The food was very good but I would have liked more choices. The menu is
new everyday and the chef uses only the freshest ingredients. The
chef actually made his way out around 9pm to
chat with the diners and make sure everyone was enjoying their meal, a nice touch.
My tip: if you enjoy a laid back way of life like I do...I would eat an early lunch and then grab a sandwich from the pool's menu and eat al fresco!
After dinner we went back to
our room to pack up, rest and
get ready for our spa treatments the next day. We got to laughing so hard....
at who knows what......and could NOT stop. You know the kind of
giggle fit you get into where you don't even remember what started it all but you
literally can't stop laughing?
Yep, we were there.
I snagged two pics of us....trying not to laugh. The rest are hilarious and really my favorites but I was sworn to only use them for good not evil. Take note of our fabulously fancy schmancy robes....
The next morning we were pumped about our spa treatments! We all three were scheduled for a Swedish massage.
Is a massage not the greatest thing ever? I know there are people who don't enjoy massages and unless it's medically impossible to enjoy a massage...I don't understand you not liking it. But I am all about it. Oil me up and rub me down, baby. Too much?
The spa was brightly lit and welcoming at the entrance and had a beautiful boutique attached. The boutique offered everything from dog and cat toys to upscale resort wear. Gorgeous choices throughout the store....I really had to behave and look, not buy. The staff was amazing, so sweet and offering any help they could. They did not have my sister's size in the shoe she wanted and they were able to order it right there and ship it to her. So convenient.
I chose not to bring my cameras to the treatments section of the
spa out of respect for others and their peace and quiet. But I did snap a few of the locker room and adjoining areas. The colors of the walls, water features and the
sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows
created a calm and tranquil environment, preparing your mind to relax and let go of the stresses weighing on your mind. That massage was probably the best massage I have ever had.
Speaking of....I think I need to go back. Like, N-O-W....because the kids are totally punishing me for being away for a few days.
It was hard to leave.
Travaasa had
everything we could possibly need or want. But....I have children who need me and a
husband who loves me so it was home I had to go. I
enjoyed Travaasa immensely. The
staff, the
location,
the spa, the
resort way of life and
luxurious offerings Travaasa has is the reason why I would like to go back. I loved my
girl's escape but I wouldn't mind taking my
husband there for a little
romantic weekend for two.
Oh...the possibilities. This would make the perfect spot for so many things; a bachelorette weekend, Honeymoon
(that Canyon View room would be just right), Reunion
(no kiddos though!), the possibilities are
endless.
When I got home I first noticed the surprise under the carport. My dad and step mom had picked the kids up (sneaky, sneaky) on Sunday morning along with my empty flower pots (that may or may not have been empty for years) and filled them with beautiful flowers and succulents! Is that not the best idea?! I loved it. The painted pots have been around for a while....we painted them together one beautiful spring day and planted flowers....that died due to my black thumb disease. RIP pretty flowers. The urn I bought with the intent to have a beautiful display of succulents right at my door. The thought was nice but it only lasted a few weeks. Black Thumb strikes again. I'm hoping I can keep these alive. Other than my flowers I was greeted with a Scrabble board spelling out Happy Mother's Day and more. They know me so well. Nerdy and proud. B was cooking up his mouth watering steak fingers and even attempted to make squash...he succeeded and it was delish. My family is so good to me. Except for when they're not and I feel like screaming to the rooftops.....
Disclaimer:
We were provided a room and one spa treatment to review. As always, my reviews are my honest opinion. The good, the bad and the amazing.
