Someone said to me “that’s not a vacation, you’re 1 mile from home” Well guess what, I’m not cooking or cleaning, I’m not making the bed or feeding the dogs, I am laying by the pool for hours sipping adult beverages, I am indulging in spa treatments and ordering room service like it’s my job, I am spending quality time with my son and husband, rarely checking my e-mail, going out to eat for every meal and staying up past 8pm. So get over it, this is a vacation. We visited the Hyatt at Gainey Ranch this weekend for a little R&R and that’s exactly what we got. The staff at the Hyatt was so gracious from the margarita offered to us at check in to the crew that supplied the crib and baby amenities in our room. We indulged in a few of the 10 pools on the property, with my favorite being the mineral pool at the spa and JZ and James’ favorite, the sandy beach complete with a water slide, koi feeding area, and bean bag lounge chairs that provided a good 30 min. worth of climbing entertainment for our 14 month old. The active lobby featured native american hoop dancing the first evening and a live soul band the second. JZ was mesmerized by the hoop dancing and drumming- Nothing wrong with enhancing his cultural diversity now! The food of course was incredible- especially the tomato, avocado and chicken plate at the Avania spa. Speaking of the spa, the massage with Denny was one of the best I’ve ever had and I’m slightly a massage snob. There has to be the perfect balance of room temperature, dim lighting, soothing aroma, soft sheets, comfortable head rest, no talking, and thick walls. I don’t want to know what’s going on outside of my little massage cave. I especially smiled when I laid belly down and peeked through the head rest to see 2 little stones on the floor that read “Inspire strength”. I stared at these stones for a good 30 min contemplating what the stones were asking me to do. I decided they were a metaphor, therefore I skipped my work out this weekend. Overall, the entire stay was fantastic and I highly recommend a weekend getaway, no matter what your geographical proximity is to this resort. If you go, you must hit up the inhalation steam room at the spa, order a Brandy Alexander (made with real ice cream!) at the lobby bar, feed the koi at the secret koi pond located near the sandy beach (ask a pool staff member for koi food!), get serenaded on a moonlit gondola ride complete with an authentic Italian opera singer, and visit the pastry bar in the lobby. I’d suggest doing it like we did, night 1 JZ came, night 2 was mommy and daddy only. Both days were great in their own special way. Create memories, and like the stones at the spa said, inspire strength.
