Back from Paradise

Hello, my dears…

I just returned from the BEST weekend I’ve had in a long time.  I went back to my version of paradise, my home away from home….

Greetings from Montelucia!

Yes, Donna and I made another trip to the desert.  We usually try to go to Montelucia in the spring and then again in the fall.  It’s just what we do, and oh-my-goodness… what a wonderful time we had!

This trip, much has changed for the two of us.  For example, we both resigned from the same company over the past two months.  Yep, so weird that neither of us work there anymore.  Also, she’s a new homeowner and the owner of some new earrings that I am tremendously jealous of… I guess for me, I’m about the same as I was when we were there in November with the addition of a new job and appearing MUCH blonder!

Chilling at the Pool

Now, you might ask… why don’t we ever try a new spot?  I think that this was my fifth time to Montelucia, and Donna… well, she goes a LOT and doesn’t always mention it (to spare my feelings as great friends do!)  Needless to say, Montelucia has just become our place where we catch up a few times of year and work on our tans… we love it!

Gorgeous views of Camelback Mountain

This trip was like many of our others.  Lots of time spent at the pool… with me hiding under the umbrella to avoid burning and Donna basking in the sun.  I will also add that only one of us got pooped on by a bird… and it wasn’t the girl under the umbrella!!!

Oasis - The "Adult" Pool on Property

We are such creatures of habit when it comes to Montelucia.  We eat the same food, drink the same wine, and get the same services at the spa.  It’s just what we do.  However, we decided to bust out of the norm this trip and try a few new things.

Example: "The Vitamin C" - - A Signature Cocktail now available by the pitcher. Cheers!

A few months ago on a trip back from SLC, I actually stayed awake long enough on a flight to meet my neighbor on the plane.  Steve turned out to be a super-nice guy who I enjoyed chatting with and found out that he too had a fondness for Scottsdale.  And, it turned out Steve was also an owner of my new favorite restaurant in Scottsdale!

Renegade Canteen - Scottsdale, AZ

Steve encouraged me to reach out next time I was in Scottsdale to come to his beautiful restaurant for dinner.  What a treat Renegade Canteen was…. we had such a delightful meal.  It really was unlike anything I’d had in a long time!  Amongst my favorite items on the menu:  Citrus Basil Martini, Beet Salad, Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho (with Cucumber Ice!), and the “Candy Cap” Bread Pudding.  Everything was JUST so incredibly flavorful.  They also have portions figured out.  While we ate a lot of different things, we didn’t walk away filled to the brim or uncomfortable.  I like that about a restaurant!  If you’re ever in the greater Scottsdale area, check this place out… you won’t be sorry!

We also got our hair done at the "Blowout Bar" at the salon on property. Who wants to do their own hair on vacation? Not these girls...

We did spend one day at the Joya Spa which is my favorite spot in all of Montelucia… I opted for a 50-minute massage / 50-minute body scrub special they had going on.  And, honestly, for all my Colorado folks, you know how nice a body scrub can be to exfoliate the damage done by our super-dry climate.  So nice, and so luxurious.  Truly a treat.

When you have services scheduled, they let you enjoy the Joya rooftop pool. My favorite!

A little nook where I ate breakfast at Joya. Had the whole place to myself. Perfect!

Despite all the crazy food we ate while we were there… I did workout both days on this vacation.  Impressive, I know!

Not all the food was crazy... look at this beautiful dish of fresh watermelon we snacked on!

On Saturday morning, I got up and went to the gym to run my C25K intervals.  Now, I don’t know if they do this because it’s Arizona… but where is the air conditioning in the gym??  It certainly was not on!  While I had a gorgeous view to enjoy, I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of sweat that was pouring off of me.  Considering it was a vacation and I don’t like to be hot… I cut my run a little short to save my energy for the day (??)  Oh, the silly lies we tell ourselves…

I only took one pic of the view... you can see spin bikes ahead and then Camelback in the distance. Gorgeous!

On Sunday, I decided to try a Poolside Yoga class.  I’ve never done outdoor yoga, so this sounded fantastic!  And, the class was at 8:00am… another plus!  That way, it wouldn’t be too warm afterall.

The instructor gave us all mats to use and got us started quickly on this 75 minute class.  I chose to wear my new Lululemon yoga gear. Where better to try it out than Montelucia!  Or so I thought….

By the time we were about 10 minutes into class, it was about 90 degrees.  You might remember my yoga gear.  The cute black and charcoal grey look?  Yep… it was dripping by the time class was done.  The instructor’s session was more advanced than I was used to + the blazing sun.  This girl was TIRED when it was over.

Imagine Savasana for about 3-5 minutes… in the blazing sun.  Oy vey!

Please note that the mat was also dark grey... AKA sizzling hot

What I loved about the yoga… Being outdoors, hearing the water fountains nearby bubble, listening to birds sing, practicing my favorite rituals in my favorite place

What I didn’t love… being so hot, being encouraged to try Half Moon without a block (as if!), and sunscreeny-sweat rolling into my eyes

Even the hottest yoga class ever won’t keep me from enjoying Montelucia.  We seriously had a BLAST!  I love having time to unwind like that… and to spend time in the sun and in the desert.  Add in a good friend to laugh and chat with and you have a perfect weekend.

Cheers, Montelucia! See you in October! xoxo