I’ve never ever had a fancytown vacation, so when we were given the chance to stay here for 2 nights free last weekend, I was completely excited. It’s cheesy as hell (black swans! glowing fountains!) but the chance for some warm sunny days (and seeing family) was too good to pass up. So at 3am Friday morning, I was up and poking the Professor in the eye until he was awake enough to drive, and we zoomed down the coast. We hit the ocean as the sun rose, winding through green hills soaked in fog to see the sun coming over the sea. Bliss.
We stopped in Santa Barbara for breafast, in this insane cake of a pastry shop. The food was terrible, but the pseudo Italianate wonder of it all made up for it.
Sunrise in the desert is everything people say it is. I woke up super early every morning, this is taken from our room balcony.
Seeing snow on the mountains while we bake in 85 degree heat? LOVE IT.
From our balcony we could see this secret pool and cabana area.
This pool was closed but we snuck in for private sunbathing time. Seriously. I read Martha Stewart Destination Weddings and pretended I was someone else entirely. I should have spent about 20 more hours in the sun.
Washed out with CRAZY SUNSHINE & I can’t believe I’m putting myself online in a bikini, but here you go. I forgot my swimsuit and got this Betsey Johnson one at the hotel shop. Hotels are crazy. CRAZY. I want to order room service FOREVER and do nothing but lie around and call the concierge and ask for insane things. Yes please. I was born into the wrong life, for sure.
Spoiled massage & facial (my first!) on Saturday afternoon – total bliss. I need to go to spas more often – spend hours in a dry sauna. When I own a house, I’m building a dry sauna. Or a homemade one at the cabin. Dreamy. I hate wet saunas, but i loveeee dry saunas.
On Valentine’s Day, we woke up to prizes in bed -
My prizes for him. What is it? Yum.
His prizes for me! Aww, classic. It’s apparently the one key of the collection that’s actually a replica of the ones that locked the cabinets in NY shop. Which reminds me of being a little girl with my Nana in the city!
I didn’t want to come hommmeee. After a weekend being sybaritic, dealing with bills and taxes and stolen mail and rain and work and the cat having worms is NOT FUN. I guess that’s the difference: people who can afford resorts all the time hire other people to deal with that nonsense. So my shoulders are up around my ears again, but I soaked in some sun and rested a little. & it gave me a new perspective on a few things, for sure.
♥
How was your Valentine’s Day?
Maryah
5 months ago
My Valentine’s Day was pretty sweet – homemade and cozy . Taking turns baking and cooking – all the while laughing. Your looks just lovely and probably just what you needed. What a perfect blue box with a beautiful symbolic gift – sigh- <3
verhext
5 months ago
Yummmm. What did you bake!? Cooking together is seriously the sweetest thing.
Angeliska
5 months ago
So romantic! I am so glad y’all got to get away for a bit and find a place in the sun. Oh, and hello- those espadrilles! Girl! That bikini? Yee-ow! Hotcha Palm Desert kitten! Love it. Tiffany’s, what? Every girl deserves a bit of the dolce vita, esp. when having to deal w/ unpleasantness! Looking at this was a vicarious vacation, thank you darlin’! xoxo – A.
verhext
5 months ago
Ridiculous resort wear! At first it was fun and kitschy but then it started to wear on me, weird, no?
mlle ghoul
5 months ago
Oh, how fabulous for you! And I wouldn’t think that having to search out a last minute bit of swimwear would yield favourable results, but hot dang – you did it. V. lovely!
verhext
5 months ago
It was the ONLY one in the shop that was tolerable. There was a matching skirty bottom, too, but they only had a small, and a small bottom I AM NOT. So I got the matching plain one.
Windsor Grace
5 months ago
I am so jealous, that looks like a blast. I need a get away. I can’t even remember the last time I had a vacation. Or, a real day off for that matter.
verhext
5 months ago
Definitely recommend it!! I need about 4903859735823 more days off. Paid, please.
roxi
5 months ago
that all looks amazing. was the pastry shop on state street? i’ve admired it before; the treats do look good in the window. it is so sad when beautiful stuff doesn’t actually taste like much. you make the resort look really spectacular but somehow the word has yucky connotations to me. something like ‘cruise ship.’ that’s so great how you made it work for you though, & divinely.
we made french lentil soup & bruschetta & watched bright star, which was far too maudlin for us, but had nice visuals. oh & we had champagne mousse which was so wonderful. it snowed and we played video games and i made braxton a scarf with bulky yarn, so he can look extra professorial when he starts teaching in the fall
verhext
5 months ago
We watched Bright Star too! We definitely stayed in more than mingled with the resort riff raff, for sure. Even going to breakfast was painful as far as overhearing conversations/wanting to stab out eyes.
Nubiasnonsense
5 months ago
Looks like so much fun!! great photos
charlie
5 months ago
amazing. so jealous!