Birthday Getaway: Poconos - New Hope

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. 

We got some pizza for the stay, because I was not interested in the dining options provided. I can get higher quality french cuisine at better pricing in the city. On the night before my birthday arrived I went to Mount Airy Casino just to check it out and it was pretty much another night of drinks and spending time with the boyfriend.

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! 

Pennsylvania: Poconos - New Hope Travel Video

Winter away to Hunter Mountain

The time has come

I've accomplished to avoid bike riding, however I decided to compromise with my boyfriend on the activities we do together, thus I agreed to go skiing. As someone with the blood of the desert and tropics, heading into near freezing temperature is suicide. However, for the sake of trying something new, crossing something off my bucket list, and as a bonding activity with someone I love. I decided to try skiing. If you are new to skiing like I am, maybe you had some of the following thoughts:

• Does my insurance cover out of state accidents?
• Is it expensive to rent ski equipment? 
• Is it expensive to get lift tickets?
• Can I fall off the ski lift? What happens if I miss getting off?
• Are lessons expensive?
• What will I do is someone crashes into me?
• Can I do this alone without having an emotional break down? Will I have an emotional break down?
• Am I sane?

I do have some answers to those questions. First off, at Hunter Mountain the hours of operations are from 9 am to 4 pm. The cost of an adult lift ticket is for one day mid-week 70$ and weekend 80$. Click here for additional rates. As for lessons there are various packages that include lift and rental fees. For an adult group lesson without rental is 35$ + tax, Click here for packages. I opted to rent my ski equipment from The Pro Ski and Ride shop, I paid about 47$ for two days worth of rental. The rental rates do vary, so I suggest to look at the rental list.

After all of that, I was ready to hit the slopes. I lasted less than 20 minutes in my lesson, due to the fact that I started to lose all circulation in my legs. I found out that the size of my ski boots were to small because my feet are wide and my calves are bigger then than the average female. When I tried on the boot, they were fine. However, moving around for a long period of time did not stand the test. It resulted in giving up for the day, yet the next day I tackled the Bunny Hill and mastered it. I'm not the type of person to give up. I had so much fun even though it was really strenuous for me. It made me realized I need to be more consistent with my workouts.

With a long day in the snow and being away from home, the decision on where to stay was in contemplation. Originally, I was going to stay at Hunter Inn but I found out they do not open until December 16. Luckily, I was able to find a new location which ended up to be Hotel Vienna. This hotel is located in Windham, about a 15 minute drive from the mountain. I really did not want to drive that far, however the price for the night was reasonable (121 with tax for the night) at last minutes. Other locations were running at the 200+ per night. I was really surprised at the location, I did not expect much. The lobby was small, yet well kept. The room was larger than I expected and the tub was able to fit about 2 people. I could not hear other people through the walls and the facility was so clean. The one downside is that the pool and hot tub are located in another building in which you have to walk to. But hey, the cold can wake you up. I would come back to the hotel again.

For my second night at Hunter, I ended up staying at Villa Vosilla which was 100 + tax. The facility does have it's own bar, nightclub, restaurant, pool/hot tub, game room, and sauna. Having a plethora of amenities, it was so poorly kept.  The room was small, yet thinking about the price and what you get it's a bang for your buck. Plus, it's only a 10 minutes drive from the mountain. The next day when I was time to get back I wanted to check out Tannersville, a town with cafes and antique shops. It's a small town, but has a rich community with all the small shops and friendliness I enjoyed.

The trip I had was the first it's kind and I have a feeling I may come back again, better prepared though.

To snow, Hunter Mountain Area