I did what I never thought I'd do. I gave John a free pass on Valentine's Day. Let me first apologize to all my ex-boyfriends for the hell I put you through on one of my favorite holidays. The constant demands, high expectations, whining and begging only to be followed by dirty looks — John didn't get a scent of it. Instead, I asked him if we could go to a nice restaurant on a different day in the hopes we'd get better service. He agreed and we set our V-day for Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Unbeknownst to me, he had other plans. John's first V-day present as a husband was a surprise. Last Sunday afternoon he told me to clear my schedule from Tuesday afternoon - Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. Despite two days of guessing, I didn't find out until Tuesday that he had reserved a cabin up at the Mount Charleston Lodge, a legendary Vegas attraction I'd been talking about going to for years.
I was so excited. He had teased me by saying he bought a 2-night package on Expedia, but that was all a rouge. This was the perfect way to leave Vegas without leaving Vegas. It was just barely an hour from our apt near the Palms, and that included late afternoon traffic. Just 30 minutes out and we were away from most of the sea of track-housing which Vegas has become. (there's still just a little before you turn on Hwy 157)
John was expecting the cabins to be dilapidated rustic lodging with bad 70s furniture. So, we were pleasantly surprised that it was nothing of the sort. Instead they were comfortable, and very clean. There was a king sized bed, double spa tub, our own balcony, gas fireplace, and no internet or cable whether we wanted it or not. We rented a couple videos/DVDs from the office. Before watching Star Wars (I owed him) we had dinner and drinks at the lodge's restaurant and played some Chinese poker.
It was the perfect escape from Vegas and John was already talking about coming back before we even left. We knew I'd love it, but I think he even surprised himself with how much he enjoyed it. So, make plans to join us in the mountains sometimes. Here are the details.
DETAILS:
Mount Charleston Lodge
Cost: Sunday - Thursday, $144.45, Fri - Sat, $214 (Family cabins are more)
Directions: 95 North, Left at Hwy 157
Phone: (702) 872-5408 or (800) 955-1314.
What a sweet Valentine's Day! John is such a good planner.
Posted by: Jenn C. | February 26, 2008 at 10:03 PM