Mohonk
At about 3:30 on Sunday we pulled into Milton and officially ended our little vacation. We left on Thursday morning after dealing with a sick 15 month old and spent 3 nights and 4 days away, alone, at a mountain top resort. Couple of things.
- The trip was wonderful. When we were planning a vacation about 6 months ago I was lobbying for a beach vacation in Fort Lauderdale. Patti, knowing she was going to be 7 months pregnant, didn’t want to spend her days in a bathing suit on the beach. So we agreed on Mohonk. I turned out to be a good move. Fort Lauderdale is still digging out from the hurricane and all of Florida had bad weather last week. We had 4 days of clear blue skies with cold, brisk autumn weather.
- The hotel is expensive but the prices include three meals. They require guests to get dressed up for dinner and since it is kind of pricey in general, you get a fairly well behaved crowd. The hotel is a bit of a distance from anything that you would drive to so they have everything set up for you so that you don’t have to leave. They have activities during the day, afternoon tea, fitness rooms, a spa, pool, library, games room, etc.
- I did three things that I never thought I would do in my life. 1, I went to a spa. More on that later. 2, I did yoga. More on that later. And 3, I took a dance lesson. More on that later. We also spent long periods hiking in the woods, sitting in the sun on a large deck overlooking the lake reading, Patti took a meditation class, I worked out, we swam in the pool, sat in the room and read, went to a local winery and spent leisurely meals just talking. We were on a schedule but never felt rushed. We did what we wanted and had the right mix of activities, down time and time together/alone.
- The rooms that we have stayed in, including this trip, have a fireplace. They supply you with everything you need to make a fire and replenish the wood every day. We had a fire going every night and loved the smell of wood burning as we sat in the room and read. Every major common room and most public sitting rooms have a fire place that they keep going from morning till night. After walking outside in the cold all we had to do was walk in to the hotel, grab a cup of hot tea, and sit down next to a fire. Great feeling.
- There was no TV in our room, or any of the rooms, and only a couple of lounges with TVs. I will admit I missed it. But not terribly. Just a little. I could have used some news and maybe a bad movie. They play a movie in one of the larger parlors every night but I didn’t care to see The Incredibles or some old Charlie Chaplin movie. I used iTunes streaming radio to listen to music in the room, which had wireless intern access thank you very much.
- I ate more in those 4 days than I probably have in the past month. Since I have been living a healthier life I usually only have yogurt, granola and hot green tea for breakfast. Even when I am at a business breakfast. But they put out so much food, and all of it great, that I ate like I just escaped from fat camp. Lunches were the same. And dinners, while more elegant, were made up of 4 course meals with plenty of food. Good stuff. Now it’s back to running and eating healthier. Ugh.
I can’t say enough about this place. It is like nothing I have experienced before. We were there four years ago and it only got better this time. The halls are lined with rich dark wood and ornate carpentry. The rugs and fabric are rich and dark colors with intricate patterns. The staff treats you like you are special and the rooms feel like something out of classic novel. I loved it.
One more thing. I can’t express enough gratitude to Patti’s parents for watching the kids. 4 days and 3 nights with any children can be tough, but throw in our little Emily and it makes it the Iron Man competition. Ethan is pretty good but the two of them can be hard. But Jim and Pat did it and never expressed any frustration through the phone when we talked or in any other fashion when we got home. I know it was tough on them and while I am sure they would have rather spent 4 days away doing something else, it meant a lot to Patti and I. But I did wonder when Pat said this…
“We would definitely do it again…maybe…definitely possibly do it again…not speaking for Jim…but I might do it again definitely maybe some day…in a few years…definitely…the kids were fine…look at the time, I think we should get going.”
PS - Yes, I did make up that last paragraph. They helped out without a single complaint.