Celebrating Romance is Different This Year

 

Sanctuary at Camelback

I know it’s been a while. I think it’s pretty obvious that I haven’t been doing much traveling. Like everyone else in the world, I’ve mostly been sheltering in place.

I did manage to get in two short, socially distant trips over the past six months that I will be posting soon. In the meantime, I thought I’d do a roundup of some ideas for those looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Romance deserves more than one day a year. February is the month that you’ll see most of the deals for it. That’s not different in this crazy time. What is different is the options to do things from a distance – if you’d like.

Here are some ideas from places I have been to and enjoyed.

Stay healthy. Wear your masks. I hope we’ll all be hitting the road in the near future.

Marcia Frost

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake? Of course!

The chocolate cake at Portillo’s is one of my favorites ever. In honor of Valentine’s Day,, they always have a heart-shaped one available. This year, they are partnering with No Kid Hungry to donate $5 for every cake sold.

If you are in Illinois, you can pick up a cake at Portillo’s or have it delivered from one of your local services (i.e. Grubhub, Door Dash). You can also order from their website to be shipped anywhere in the country.

Free Concerts

Nickelback at Ravinia

Ravinia Festival is normally three months of concerts in a relaxing Chicagoland atmosphere. Like many other events, they’ve had to adapt die to the pandemic.

Chicagoland’s loss is the world’s gain as Ravinia Festival is broadcasting a concert series on WFMT.com. The shows will continue through March 11^th, on Thursday nights.

 

Don’t forget the donuts

Stan’s Donuts always gets creative with flavors for holidays and Valentine’s Day is mo different. My mouth is watering just thinking About how good their Peanut Butter Pocket is!

For February,  they are offering Beignet, Birthday Cake, and Lemon Pistachio. You can also order Stan’s Donuts for nationwide shipping through their website.

 

 

We Love Friends

On my last trip before Covid-19 hit the U.S, I was in Chicago. One of the things we did was to visit the Friends anniversary celebration at the AT&T store. It was a fun experience for any fan of the show, and we are.

The Friends Experience is coming back to Chicago, as well as New York. It will once again include displays with actual pieces from the sets, as well as interact opportunities. Visit the website for details.

A Romantic Inn

If you are ready to get away, Hotel Saugatuck in Michigan is a great place for romance. My stay was too short, but long enough to enjoy the spacious suite with jacuzzi, homemade dessert brought to our room in the evening, and delicious breakfast delivered in the morning.

If you are looking for the ultimate romantic getaway, check out the Hotel Saugatuck Proposal Package. It’s available through March 31^st. They have rooms at the inn as well as cottages. 

Head to Titletown

Lodge Kohler Lobby

Green Bay, Wisconsin, is not only home to the Packers, it’s the location of Titletown, an outdoor complex of fun. From ice skating to tubing (free February 18^th), you can bring your children or relive your childhood.

You can stay right there at Lodge Kohler, which has a full-service spa and  full-service spa and two great restaurants, Taverne in the Sky with its farm to table food and great views,  and the Leaps and Bounds Café (try the popovers).

 

Something Warmer

I’ve been to Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Arizona twice. The scenery is stunning and the spa is filled with unique and rejuvenating procedures. The resort also offers plenty of private casitas so you can easily socially distance.

With the warmer weather you can also find your own space at the pool, on the tennis court, or hiking. Check out all the specials they arecurrently running. 

Spa and Casita Living at Sanctuary at Camelback

The weather was starting to warm up a bit in the Phoenix area of Arizona. Susan Campbell, a friend and fellow travel writer, and I were happy to keep the car parked while we enjoyed the scenery and learned more about the Sanctuary at Camelback.

We were supposed to go on a hike in the morning, but my cold had turned into a sinus infection and walking steady was not my strong point. Susan did take off for a while and examine the breathtaking grounds of the property. I was not at a total loss as you didn’t have to walk far at the Sanctuary at Camelback to be blown away by the views.

Breakfast was in the Elements restaurant, which is full of windows so we didn’t miss a moment of the mountains. The menu ranged from healthy, gluten-free and vegetarian, to slightly indulgent. Susan went for the eggs and bacon with an Arizona Sunrise Smoothie, while I had a decadent Brioche French Toast, with cherries, almonds and whipped mascarpone.

After breakfast she headed to the pool and I met with the spa director and operations manager to learn more about Sanctuary at Camelback and what they offer.  I was told the spa is focused more on “wellness” than “pampering,” though I found the personal attention from the moment you walk in to be one of the most pampering I’ve received (thanks again to Daphne for taking such good care of me). They are also said working with guests to plan customized experiences in advance, whether you want to train for a marathon, get in better shape, or find yourself through guided imagery and meditation.

The spa at the Sanctuary is very comforting. I spent the rest of the afternoon there, reading between the eucalyptus steam baths, Jacuzzi and a Sabai Foot treatment. Sabai is the Thai word for relax and I’m not sure that I found it overly relaxing, but my feet never felt so soft and the day had certainly been relaxing.

Susan was thrilled with her Swedish massage and we were both ready to continue the relaxation into the evening with drinks on the patio of the Jade Bar. We got a cheese platter and I had a Moscow Mule (Ultimat Vodka, house made ginger syrup and ginger beer) and she sipped her beer while the sun went down. We then walked over to the Elements restaurant, where we had the same table with a view as breakfast.

Dinner was even better than breakfast thanks to some helpful hints from our waiter, Mark. My Potato Leek Soup was very good and I continued the vegetarian evening with an excellent Carrot & Millet Ravioli, surrounded by sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms and Yuku mint chimici. Susan had the duck, which came with forbidden rice (my first time trying this treat) and was in a boy choy black bean sauce. We also had side of roasted Brussels sprouts and Truffled Macaroni and Cheese, both of which were great.

It’s a rare night that I don’t at least sample some dessert, but even the thought of the PB Bomb (peanut butter mousse and dark chocolate ganache in a crispy Nutella base) could not make room in my stomach. We instead went back to the room and retired early. A full day at the Sanctuary at Camelback left us rested, relaxed and ready to fall into deep sleep. It was a good thing because the next day was a full one as we headed to The Boulders.

Finding Sanctuary at Camelback

It was still a bit cold and rainy in Phoenix and my cold was lingering, but I was not going to let any of this keep me down. I started the day with a little yoga and some breakfast in the Executive Lounge at the Arizona Biltmore, and lots of positive thoughts.

My friend and fellow travel writer Susan Campbell and I had planned this Arizona getaway to include three hotels. On day three, we left Arizona Biltmore and headed out to the Sanctuary at Camelback.  We made a stop first at the Homewood Phoenix Biltmore. It was a hotel we were going to also stay at, but in the end there weren’t enough nights. We toured there for a bit and found it to be even more comforting than many other Homewood properties I have stayed in.

We arrived at the Sanctuary at Camelback at about 2:30 in the afternoon and were instantly impressed. The main building was very contemporary, with lots of glass and wonderful mountain views. Our Casita also had great views from the balconies, and a cute little kitchen that was supplied with everything we could need.

I decided to head down to the spa to (literally) clear my head. The spa was on the other side of a welcoming pool. I was hoping the temperature would improve for the next day so I could use it. Daphne was one of the attendants there and she went out of her way to be accommodating. She put the eucalyptus in the steam room for me, made sure I had fresh water to drink, and came to check on me to see if there was anything else I needed.

After the spa, I changed quickly for the evening. I met with a friend (also named Susan) for cocktails at the Jade Bar, where the views of the mountains are as spectacular as the drinks. I had a Dragon’s Tonic, an interesting combination of Bombay Sapphire Gin, blueberries, tarragon and tonic water.

Dinner was at El Chorro Lodge with Doug McKenzie of the Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was only about a mile from the hotel and looked like a Mexican villa. We took a tour of the grounds and buildings with one of the owners, Christine Moore. The property used to have rooms and cottages to rent. Many famous people came through here, in fact, Clark Gable was a frequent visitor to one of the bungalows. There were mountain views from all angles which looked especially beautiful during sunset.

The restaurant was rather large and had both indoor and outdoor seating.  We sat inside and started with some of their specialty cocktails. The Orchard drinks sounded great, but had a bit too much citrus for me. Susan enjoyed it. I had a tasty Bachelor in Paradise, with Maker’s Mark, Amaretto and cranberry juice.

While there was no doubt that the décor and property looked Mexican, the food was an international blend that started with the most amazing sticky buns instead of bread (the remaining would end up returning with us for breakfast).

For an appetizer, we shared some of the Pom Frites (little fried potato balls) and Grilled Cheese Bites, which came with three distinctly different types of mini sandwiches. They were all good, but the cheddar on cranberry bread was my favorite.

I ate a fabulous Polenta Napoleon for dinner that had some quinoa in one of the layers. It also came with a Carrot Pasta that had a bit of brown sugar and was a nice treat. Susan and I also split a twice-baked potato which was full of cheese and bacon. She really enjoyed her pork tenderloin.

The desserts arrived and I went for the Sweetheart Cake. It was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had, with lots of chocolate and a delicious cream that wasn’t too rich or sweet. It actually reminded me of a ring ding, but it was clear this didn’t come from a package.

We were back at the room early enough for a good night’s sleep and dreams about the positive weather forecast to come for our full day at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain.