It has taken me much longer to write this than I anticipated, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re busy at home AND you have a hundred photos to go through after an amazing time away! So I’ll likely be breaking it into two parts so I don’t lose ya in a 20 minute long post to read. ; )
Before I get into any details, I have to give an enormous thank you to Vikki and all of the kind people at Turning Stone Resort, who so graciously extended the offer for us to come and visit for a night. The offer was originally given last year at this time, but since I was enormously pregnant at that point, I knew it just wasn’t the best time…so I’m sure you can imagine how glad I was that it all worked out this year!
Jay and I left on Friday morning and arrived at the resort shortly before noon. We had accommodations at The Lodge, which is Turning Stone’s award-winning all suite Adirondack-style luxury hotel. As soon as we pulled up, I knew we were going to be in for a treat.
The Lodge was absolutely beautiful, and every single staff member we encountered was incredibly kind and helpful. They’ve received several prestigious awards, including the Forbes Four-Star Award for two years, and it was easy to see why!
I mean, who couldn’t get used to this, right??
So if you followed along on Instagram over the weekend, then you probably already saw my Instagram stories from our trip, including the little tour of our suite.
It was a beautiful, spacious room, complete with a gorgeous balcony.
And the bathroom alone was one that I wouldn’t mind being able to use every single day.
I don’t know what it is about hotel bathrooms but I’m always so intrigued to see what they look like.
Shortly after we arrived and dropped our bags in our room, we headed back down to the lobby to meet with Vikki for a quick tour of the resort.
Truth be told, I honestly had NO idea that Turning Stone was much more than a casino with a hotel and a couple of restaurants. So I was completely shocked to learn that they actually have four hotels, more than 20 restaurants, two spas, five golf courses, and a ton of entertainment options…not to mention a recently renovated 125,000 square foot Las Vegas-style gaming floor. Crazy!!
One area I thought was just super cool was their Exit 33 entertainment complex. While we didn’t get the chance to visit them while they were open at night, I just loved how they each have a fun, unique theme.
The Tin Rooster sounded like it would be pretty entertaining.
But we both decided that The Gig would probably be the most likely venue to be up our alley. Whenever go back (because after this visit, I totally want to!) we’ll definitely have to check this place out.
Another spot I also want to hit up the next time we head back? Their adorable food hall. Word on the street is that there are some pretty delicious shakes to be had at Bun Heaven!
So once our tour with Vikki was complete, we headed over for some lunch at Upstate Tavern.
This restaurant was totally us. The menu looked amazing, they had a great variety of beer, and the atmosphere was super chill.
I hesitated hitting up the beer menu with lunch (since booze = snooze) but I figured I’d suck it up and deal with it. And I’m glad I did!
Jay and I shared a sampler and I wish I could remember the name of my favorite one. All I know is that it was the third one from the left pictured above. ; )
For lunch, I opted for their Upstate Farm Harvest salad with chicken, which came with the most incredible cornbread croutons.
Jay went with the Shaved Beef on Weck (which neither of us had ever heard of before) but it was also delicious AND they have some killer fries.
After lunch, we walked around a bit more until we juuuust so happened to wind up in front of Opals Confectionery.
I basically wanted one of everything because, well, just LOOK at it all.
But we eventually opted for some of their caramel and chocolate coated Oreos.
They. Were. Incredible. My only regret is that I didn’t go back to get more before we left!
A little while after we finished satisfying our sweet tooth (tooths? teeth?), we walked over for the next item on our itinerary, Skʌ:nʌ́: Spa.
Skʌ:nʌ́: Spa is also a Forbes Four-Star Award winner, and again, it was easy to see why. Ska:ná: is actually the Oneida word for peace, and the entire spa perfectly combines the American Indian cultural themes with modern amenities and services.
Jay and I were lucky enough to get to experience a couples massage, and it was easily one of THE best massages I have had in a long time. My masseuse was just incredible (thank you, Bobbi!) and Jay said his was just as great.
Unfortunately, we didn’t come totally prepared with bathing suits because, otherwise, we would have totally taken a dip in their mineral pool.
But since we didn’t want to scare off any other guests or get kicked out for going in our birthday suits (HA, sooo kidding), we decided to to just hang out and soak our feet in our robes for a bit.
Feeling totally refreshed and relaxed, we headed back to the room so we could get ready for a fun evening ahead.
Stay tuned for part 2!
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