Hiking - The French Manor Inn and Spa
During the week in which my birthday falls on I traveled to Pennsylvania, the plan was a relaxing getaway. The choice of lodging was The French Manor Inn and Spa hidden in the Pocono region, about 20 minutes from the Shawnee/Tourist spot of the region. I booked the place a month in advance after searching for a place to stay that met the little fantasy in my head. I'm into french style locations because the style carries a sophisticated weight with an average person friendliness or in other words, carefree feel in the tasteful sense. Before reaching my destination I stopped by Martins Creek Environmental Preserve to get some exercise in and to enjoy the winter weather. The trail is about 5 miles with some really nice sites and beautiful wildlife. I saw a couple of plump hawks cuddling up to each other which was very pleasant to watch and I found a stone path that was from a storybook.
At the lodging location I intended to stay for two nights which was a little pricey, but worth the aesthetic of the room. I stayed at the Carriage House which houses two different rooms. I opted for Suite Genevieve because of the openness of the room and dark feel it brought in which I tend to gravitate to. When I booked the room I got the breakfast package, the manor advertises it as a gourmet breakfast however I thought it was mediocre because the meal was cold and the worse part was the discovery of hair in my food. On a positive note, the presentation was lovely. Yet I was still disappointed on the service provided. Also, though I was the one who was paying for the getaway. Most of the attention was given to my male companion. When it comes to serving a couple, the rule of thumb is to make the female feel welcomed and attention placed on to her because she is the one who will have a greater influence on the stay than the male. Especially, if it's her time. As a person who works with human behavior and has an understanding of customer service. A happy female can influence a great deal when it comes to service for we tend to be more opinionated in the quality and services of an establishment.
The room came with a decanter of Sherry which was refilled everyday and I had turn down service when the night came. There is an option to have breakfast in bed for an additional 10$ and they have spa services. Depending on the month you stay there are various on location events. For other activities that are off campus such a horseback riding and winter activities such as skiing, you need to travel a bit and there are options to purchase necessary passes at the manor at discounted pricing. I was suppose to go skiing but my health took the turn to the negative route, so I opted to on another long winter walk. About 15 minutes from the location is Tobyhanna State Park. The state park offers camping, boating, and long trails. Camping is closed during the winter season. On the other hand, the large frozen lake and ability to take on a 5 mile hike it's worth the visit because the view was so relaxing.
After that I came back to my room, turned on the fireplace, poured myself something to drink, and
prepared the jacuzzi. I bundled up with my boyfriend and relaxed for most of the night.
New Hope
On the day of my birthday, we checked out and visited New Hope. A town that is open welcoming the crafts and LGBTQ community. I always enjoy this town because of the shops, food, and wine bars. I did not go to Nektar Wine Bar that I adore which offers flights of wine and wonderful tapas with the perfect view overlooking the bridge and river. This time I went to the Triumph Brewing Company of New Hope and I know there is another location in Princeton, NJ. The food was amazing and the drinks as well. I got adobo pulled pork nachos, grilled chicken sandwich topped with chorizo, flight of beer (8 glasses at 6oz of their in house brewed beer), and whiskey sour (Menu). The meal was so glorious, I have to say it was the best meal of 2016.
The large meal was followed by a walk around the town, which you can see in the video below.
Overall, it was nice change to how I celebrated my Birthday. Last year it was a rager, pretty much partied for a week straight in the city to techno, trance, psytrance, deep house, and house music with lots of tequila in the system. As time goes I want to travel to different locations for my birthday. It maybe the same experience, but the site of a different location does have some meaning to myself.
Leaving on that little note, I hope you have a great New Year!
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