the traveling cupcake: restaurants

Showing posts with label restaurants. Show all posts

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Lake Austin Spa - A Mini Getaway

To say that we have had a stressful and hectic first quarter of 2012 would be an understatement. And the rest of the year looks to be just as crazy, if not more so once the little one gets here and flips our lives upside down (in a good way, of course). We had been dying to getaway, to go on vacation. We didn't want to stare at the piles of boxes and things needing to be unpacked. We didn't want to have to go to Home Depot again. We didn't want to have to deal with buying any more baby-related thing (how much does an infant really need??)

We wanted - no, no, better yet - needed a break.

Enter Lake Austin Spa.

I often find that the best recommendations come from people you know. That's how we found this little gem. One of Brian's coworkers recommended it as a place to go "if you really want to relax and not have to worry about a thing." SOLD. Sign us up!

We spent three nights at this oasis in the Hill Country of Western Texas. I did a little bit of research before getting there but not much - most of my research included perusing the spa menu and making our appointments! The resort has 40 cabins which means that their maximum occupancy is never more than around 80 guests. They were pretty full while we were there but you wouldn't have known it - we were always able to get a lounge chair by the pool, had a choice of tables for dinner and plenty of peace and quiet.

Perhaps the best thing about the Lake Austin Spa is that everything is included in the room rate - I mean everything. Well - everything except spa appointments. Close enough. They have a full schedule of work out classes, hikes and classes every day and you are free to enjoy as many as you like - or as many as you can pack into your day! Since I'm about to burst I wasn't able to enjoy many of the fitness classes that they had on offer but Brian was able to take a few each day. We went on boat tour of the lake on afternoon and I even went to a cooking demonstration lead by the head chef at the resort. In addition to all of the scheduled activities you also have access to kayaks, water bikes and paddle boards should you want to take to the open water on your own.

If you wanted to take a more relaxing approach to your stay you had plenty of options there too. The resort features two pools - one on the main resort and one at the spa. The spa menu includes anything and everything that you can imagine, from massages to facials to body scrubs and everything in between. There are hammocks set up by the lake, begging you to spend your afternoon in them reading a book. Or perhaps you would rather take a leisurely stroll through the resorts gardens - where fresh herbs, flowers and vegetables are all in full bloom. The garden is also the place where the chefs get most of their vegetables and herbs for the days menu. There is every kind of herb you can imagine in full bloom, vegetable plants, fruit trees and plenty more growing bountifully getting ready to be picked for that days lunch or dinner. It doesn't get much fresher than that.

Which brings me to the food. Their website mentions that the seasonal menu includes fat grams and calories posted next to each item in case you are watching your weight. Any of the dishes can be made to accommodate your dietary needs - whether it be vegan, gluten free, sugar free, nut free - or any other ailment that you might have! As much as they can the pick the herbs and produce from their own gardens, and everything else is sourced as locally as possible. It feels good knowing that what you are eating is fresh, organic and truly good for you.

Now, I do have to mention, since this is a health spa the portions are TINY. An appetiser of fried olives included only five olives. Five. I could - and did - eat five olives in 10 seconds flat. Luckily, our super nice waitress let us know ahead of time about the teeny tiny portions and let us order as much food as we wanted. Six appetisers, two salads, three entrees and three desserts later we were happy and full. And every bite of each one of those plates was amazing. We didn't have one single complaint about the food the entire time we were there. You can have your meals in the main dining room, outside on the patio, in the Spa cafe or even brought straight to your room, should you be too tired from the days activities to venture outside (although the staff full encourages you to wear your bathrobe to the dining room whenever you like). And remember - all of the food is included in your rate, no mater where you chose to enjoy it.

We each had a massage appointment at the spa and boy did we ever need it. I was able to get a Mama-To-Be massage and it was just what the doctor ordered. My therapist was super friendly and knew all the tricks to relieving pregnancy pains. The staff encourages you to hang out in the Blue Room (where you can relax and catch up on your reading - or take a cat nap!) and to use the steam room, sauna and pools before or after your appointment. It only takes a few moments to feel the tension in your shoulders and the furrow in your brow melt away once you are here. I should mention that Lake Austin Spa has recently (and is frequently) named the #1 Destination Spa by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine amongst many other top rated awards. With accolades like this it's a good idea to book early!

I can't wait to go back to the Lake Austin Spa after Baby C has arrived. It is an excellent place for a girlie weekend - in fact while we were there Brian was one of the only men that we saw during our whole stay. Of course that being said it is also a perfectly romantic place for couples to getaway from it all. Next time I am here I am looking forward to taking advantage of more fitness classes, a few deep tissue massages (I'll need them after lugging around a baby all the time, right?) and enjoying a glass of wine by the pool. It doesn't get much better than that.

Lake Austin Spa Resort
1705 South Quinian Park Road
Austin, Texas 78732

Friday, January 13, 2012

Hotel Mayr - Italy

Even though we don't even own our first house yet, we already know where we want to own our second house. Yes I realize I am putting the cart before the horse here, but stay with me. The first time we went to the Dolomites in October 2010 we fell in love. We fell in love hard. We had a full on affair with the Dolomites, returning there for Christmas 2010 and 2011. We would have gone back a few more times last year but we forced ourselves to explore new places.

Whats so magical about the Dolomites?

*read more*

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Glasgow, Scotland

Last week we took a long weekend trip up to Scotland. This was another Brian planned trip, so as usual, I didn't know any of the details. All I knew was that we were flying to Glasgow where we would spend the day, and then our friends would meet us in the afternoon and we would drive a couple of hours to our final destination. More on that bit of the trip to come, but first I wanted to share with you the time we spent in Glasgow.

I have to admit, I had absolutely no expectations for Glasgow. It's not that I thought ill of the small city, I just didn't know anything about it. I can happily say that I was pleasantly surprised by this charming city on the river. There are numerous ways to spend your time - shopping, museums, exhibits, churches...the list goes on and on.

We arrived very unprepared. I hadn't done any research or read any books before landing. We grabbed a map from the rent-a-car desk and made our way in to the center of town. After a quick caffeine boost we decided that we would wander over to the Necropolis. Actually, we thought we were headed someplace else, but when we finally rolled up to the Glasgow Cathedral and wandered over the bridge, I realized that we were not in Kansas anymore.

Err. Right, you know what I mean.

The Necropolis is one of the oldest burial grounds in the UK, and one of the most significant in all of Europe. It attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year, who come to visit the 50,000 tombs and wander the hilly grounds. The cemetery opened in 1833 as a non-denominational burial ground and contains the tombs and graves of some of the most important Glaswegian (yeah I had to look that up) members of society during the Victorian era.

The path from the bridge meanders and wanders over the hills up to the highest point which over looks the Glasgow Cathedral. There are some amazing tombs, gravestones and sculptures and you could spend hours researching and learning about the people who rest here.

After a quick peek inside the Cathedral we were feeling the effects of waking up at 4am and our tummys were rumbling. A quick twitter Q&A with Traveller magazine and we were on our way to one of Glasgow's favorite restaurants - Cafe Gandolfi.

Cafe Gandolfi has been around for decades and continues to be one of the most recommended, well known restaurants in Glasgow. And for good reason! The traditional Scottish dishes, laid back vibe and friendly staff make it hard not to like this place. Even though we steered clear of traditional Scottish dishes for lunch (haggis and black pudding are not really our thing...shocking, right?) we both devoured our meals. A pint of local, Scottish brew and a kick-butt lemon tart later and we were feelin' the love for this charming local favorite. Not to mention that the tables and chairs were some of the coolest I've seen in a long while. Made of thick, heavy wood and polished to give it a healthy, worn look (which might have occurred naturally after 30+ years on the scene!) we couldn't stop staring at them and commenting on how rad they were.

Before we knew it our day in Glasgow was over. We had to head back to the airport to pick up our friends. Then we were heading Northwest into the Scottish Highlands!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

A weekend in Paris...

(From the top: Lobster, mango and grapefruit salad; fresh raspberries and creme fraiche; Ferris wheel by the Louvre; Ferris wheel; inside Notre Dame (next three photos); Promenade Maurice Careme; inside Sainte Chapelle; marble sculpture at the Louvre; iron sculpture at the Louvre; wine at Willies Wine Bar; radishes and cherrys at les Halles market; menu of the day; Rue de Poitou; graffiti; falafel from L'As du Fallafel; bistro; Chocolate/White Chocolate/Caramel with sea salt glace; glace shop

Like what you see?