Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Lap of Luxury

Gearry and I arrived home this afternoon from our "romantic getaway" to West Baden, although I wouldn't have minded staying another day... or two... or ten. Alas, it's back to work tomorrow for both of us, so one day will have to suffice... for now.

West Baden was... amazing. I've been to some nice hotels, but this was hands down the nicest. It's 4 Diamond, and they are working on garnering 5 Stars. Every little detail is thought of, from embossing the toilet paper with the "WB" initals (yes, seriously) to soft slippers by the bed for turndown service to multiple flat screen TVs in each room. Luxurious is a fitting word. That, combined with the history and sheer beauty of the place, make it like no other. No wonder both French Lick and West Baden are doing so well, despite their location... kind of in the middle of nowhere. We got the chance to walk through French Lick before we left today, and I see why West Baden is definitely the more upscale of the two. But both are great pieces of history that I am so happy to see thriving.

We had dinner at Gearry's restaurant, Sinclair's, although I didn't get any pictures (didn't seem very appropriate to pull a camera out). The meal was fantastic, although we had so many courses that by the time I got my entree I was stuffed and took maybe two bites. It was super tasty, though. And everyone was excited that "Chef Gearry" was there as a customer. Comping is nice... the meal was free, although after our drinks, bottle of wine and $50 tip, we still ended up paying $118.00. But, hey, that's better than $210! And it was definitely worth it... a great dining experience that I recommend everyone check out!

The dome is so immense and ornate that it kind of takes your breath away the first time you see it. This was taken this morning, with lots of sunlight streaming in. I saw it for the first time last night, with the last of the evening sun coming through. It was gorgeous.


So beautiful. The room we stayed in was on the outside of the circle, overlooking the gardens rather than the atrium, but hopefully we'll get a chance to stay in one of the interior balcony rooms sometime.

No wonder it took them $500 million to renovate the resort. The details are amazing.

The indoor pool is soooooo nice! This morning right after we woke up, we headed down to swim some laps. The hotel is at low occupancy this time of year and during the week, so we had the place to ourselves. This picture doesn't do it much justice, but everything was so top-notch... the tile, the furnishings, the locker rooms, everything. We swam laps for about 25 minutes and then chilled in the hot tub for awhile.

Looking up from the pool.

Somehow every single one of the pictures I took of our room ended up blurry, except this picture of the shower... haha. It is a pretty sweet shower, though, so here you go.

Chilling on one of the sofas in the atrium... self-portrait, can you tell?

1 comment:

Sis said...

Stacey,
I had so much fun reading your blog, seeing your life, recounting Indiana and reliving recent events. You and Gearry look great.I like the condo and the fact that you are on L Monroe. How cool! Marriage agrees with you. I went in West Baden before it was restored and had hoped that it would be restored to its original grandeur. I wasn't disappointed. Your pictures are wonderful. It is such a great place. I can't wait to visit when I go back. Thank you for the prayers, both for Asa & Myself, and for sharing our story. Hugs to you and Gearry. Love, Shannon