Jim and I try to get away each Columbus Day weekend to celebrate our anniversary, which is 10/6. Last year we didn't get to go because, well, I'd just had a baby. This year, it would have taken a team of draft horses to keep us from going! My in-laws arrived on Friday and we left a trail of dust and Cheese Nips on Saturday morning as we sped away from the house. Hey, we just like Cheese Nips.
Anyway, we, and by we, I mean *I*, had researched resorts and inns in VT, NH, and the southern coast of Maine for months, and I found one that honestly had everything we wanted: scenic, private, outdoor & indoor hot tubs, spa pool, flatscreen TV & DVD player, balcony, horseback riding... you name it. The only bad part about it was their extra cheesy name: Nestlenook Resort. BWAH! I mean, really.
BUT... the place is awesome. Amazing. As in, we have found the place that we will be booking every year from now on, forever and ever AMEN. Unless, of course, we get the opportunity to go to Vegas again. :) That's a deal-breaker.
The room was outstanding. King sized four-poster bed, gas fireplace, mountain views from the French doors:
Privacy galore, and this tub in the bathroom:
Uh, yeah. It was that awesome.
We slept well (no 5:30 wake-up calls from the baby!), ate well (Filet Mignon medallions, anyone?), and submerged ourselves in hot bubbling water three times per day both Saturday and Sunday. Oh, and when I say it was private - well, imagine a gorgeous pool and outdoor stone jacuzzi with NO ONE else there... all weekend, no matter what time we went down. I don't know where the other guests were, and I don't care. It was all ours!
Here are some pics from their extensive "Victorian" grounds:
Yes, that is a swan peddle boat, and hell yeah, we did take a ride! I laughed my butt off while doing it... a couple on the shore even laughed and took our picture, and I didn't care. Screw 'em! Their loss. Swan peddle boats are da bomb!
The theme of the weekend was us waltzing in past crowds and getting seated at restaurants, etc. Here is Jim beckoning me to join him on the abandoned, uncrowded peddle boat. He was singing a song from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, if I remember. "Come with me, and you'll be... in a world of sweet imagination..." *sigh* He's a funny dude.
This had to have been the busiest tourist season in northern New Hampshire. There were mobs of people in North Conway (it took over an hour to drive the few miles through town!), but at Nestlenookie... it was peaceful. Quiet. Serene.
Sunday morning we went to a very popular (and thus, crowded) restaurant for their jazz breakfast buffet. In keeping with our theme, we were told the wait was 45 minutes unless we could find two barstools. We walked into the bar and found... two empty barstools! It was like there was a ray of sunshine following us all weekend! Divine! We had an outstanding brunch with the best Bloody Mary I've ever enjoyed, and best of all... the dining room was crowded with families and screaming kiddies, but the bar was adults-only and lovely. Huzzah!
Later that night, we saw a gorgeous sunset from our private balcony:
It was hard to leave the Nestlenookie Resort, I'll tell you. Just two short days and we felt pretty refreshed, as if we'd been on vacation for a week. Of course, maybe that's because we haven't been on a real week-long vacation in over 3 years. Ugh.
The ride home was excellent, too. We took the picturesque Kancamagus Highway over the White Mountains:
So, there you have it. This is why I'm dragging ass at work this week. I cannot believe it will be another year until I get to go back. I wonder how long I can get the in-laws to watch the kids next year.... :)