The Side Dish :: A Girl's Trip to Red Mountain Resort
Well, hello there!
See that picture above? Nice, isn't it? Glorious is more like it. I can't stop looking at it. That was my view every morning for four straight days. I miss it. *sigh*
So, I've been back from my girl's trip to Utah a little over a week and I meant to publish this post last week, but my Back-From-Vacation To Do list {read: laundry} took over my life for a few days. I'm sure you all know what I mean.
Now that I'm caught up and can think straight again, I'm ready to get back to blogging. I missed my little space on the Internet, but it also felt good to take a break. I came back home with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for my blog now that I will be taking it in a new direction.
But first, I must tell you about my girl's trip!
I spent April 24th through the 27th at Red Mountain Resort with my childhood friend, Francesca. She read about the resort in a magazine a few years back and thought it was the perfect place for a relaxing girl's trip. We started planning our trip last December when I traveled back to my home state of Maryland for a visit. Shortly after I returned home, we booked our room and flights. And then the long wait to April began.
Francesca and I like to say that we've been friends since we've been born, which isn't too far from the truth. Our respective parents became friends before we were even born, when they all lived in the same apartment building. We grew up going to each other's birthday parties, sleeping over at each other's homes, going to the pool together in the summer, and attending the same high school together. Although we now live several states away and don't get to see each other very often, when we finally get together, we start talking as if we had just spoken yesterday. And you can't get us to stop talking. Just ask our family members. Ours is a very special friendship and I feel very blessed to have her in my life.
My favorite picture of us. We really knew how to rock the post-pool chlorinated hair!
Our families met up in Italy one summer. Lots of fun!
Our "tourist" photo.
Our stay at Red Mountain was nothing short of wonderful. We started to unwind as soon as our shuttle entered the property. Although the resort is only a short distance from downtown Saint George and several other neighboring towns, it feels like the resort is miles from civilization since the all the views around the property are of the nearby red rock cliffs, mountains in the distance and the expansive sky that seems to stretch on forever. We couldn't get enough of the views and spent most of our time outdoors. The weather was perfect: breezy, cool and mostly sunny.
Red Mountain is a wellness resort, so there are many activities, workshops and outdoor excursions geared towards living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This was one of the main reasons we chose to stay at Red Mountain {in addition to the incredible location}. When we were booking our stay, we noticed that guests can choose wellness "packages" tailored for a variety of experiences such as fitness, nutririon, weight loss, relaxation or overall wellness. As tempting as these retreat packages were, we didn't want to feel scheduled during our stay, so we opted to purchase our stay "a la carte", which included the room, free wireless and breakfast for every day of our stay. If we wanted to purchase additional extras, we just paid for them separately. This option was perfect for us since we wanted to focus on relaxing. But...we also wanted a bit of adventure too!
Enter Zion National Park.
Red Mountain Resort is only one hour away from one of our nation's most beautiful national parks and when Francesca and I were browsing the resort's website, we both agreed that if we did one excursion during our stay in Utah, this had to be the one. What an experience! The entire excursion is organized by the Adventure Concierge at the resort and is led by experienced guides employed by Red Mountain. Our excursion package included a lunch and snacks prepared by the resort's restaurant staff and transportation to and from the park. It was some of the best money Francesca and I have ever spent. The entire experience was well-organized, professional and a ton of fun. I discovered that I love hiking and that I have more stamina than I thought, so by the end of our excursion, I was already thinking of where to go hiking next. I've been bitten by the hiking bug!
Our fun, funny and incredible guides, Rhonda and John {John is in his early 70's--go John!}
Best friends at Canyon Overlook, Zion National Park
The day after our trip to Zion, Francesca and I did nothing but relax. We slept in, ate a late breakfast and splurged on massages at the spa. I treated myself to the Red Rock Hiker's massage, which included a warm mud pack applied to my calves and shins. I really needed it because my lower legs were screaming at me the day after the hike.
Francesca and I booked our massages at the same time so we were both finished around the same time. After our treatments, we met up in the spa's relaxation room where we lazed on the most comfortable lounge chairs, swaddled in the softest chenille bathrobes. We read the newspaper, chatted and sipped on hot tea. It was glorious and I wanted to ask the staff if I could move in. Our last full day at the resort couldn't have been more relaxing or perfect.
Since this is a food blog, I can't finish this post without telling you about the food at the resort. Delicious. Scruptious. Fabulous. Fantastic. I can't choose just one word, as you can see. All the meals were healthy, nutritious, flavorful and properly portioned. On our first evening at the resort, I ordered a grilled Jumbo shrimp dish that was outstanding. A complimentary salad bar and soup of the day were served every evening, and our server always offered the option of a bread basket {we always said yes}.
Unlike other resorts which have several dining options on their property, Red Mountain only has one. It's a restaurant that is open to all the guests as well as to the members of the local community. Because it is the only place to dine on the property, everyone has to make a reservation for dinner to ensure they get a table. It was actually fun having a reservation for dinner every night. It made our dining experience feel extra-special.
Blue skies, sunshine and red rocks on departure day.
Between the magnificent landscape, friendly staff, excellent service, delicious food, and relaxing atmosphere, Red Mountain Resort gave me and Francesca the experience we were looking for in our girl's trip get-away. We left feeling refreshed, invigorated and relaxed, as though someone pressed our internal "reset" buttons. On our way to the airport, we both agreed that we needed to make this girl's trip a tradition.
Thank you, Red Mountain Resort; we can't wait to come back!
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I've read so many wonderful things about Red Mountain Resort, so it's good to hear that it lives up to those reports. Lifelong friendships like yours and Francesca's are simply irreplaceable. My best friend and I have been bosom buddies since we were nine. The friendship is always evolving, but it remains comfortable and true. So glad you have that in your life, too!
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What a beautiful post! I have always loved that childhood picture of you and Francesca! How wonderful that you took this trip together and will make this a tradition!
Awesome trip! It all sounds great. What a beautiful friendship you two have.
Love the childhood pic of you and Francesca! Friendships like that are so special and don't come along every day. The Red Mountain Resort sounds amazing, and Zion National Park is simply gorgeous. So glad that you had such a great time!
The trip was just as wonderful as you describe! And thanks for the tribute to our friendship. It is special to me too! Traveling with you felt just like (probably better than!!) traveling with family. xxoo
Wow, that looks and sounds like you had a fabulous and relaxing trip. I could use one of those! And another reason you should live closer - I love hiking too and I live right next to a national park ;)