Sleeping Lady

The Sleeping Lady is a mountain on Icicle Road in Leavenworth Washington....... and in her shadow is a resort named after her that is fast moving into the Top 10 list of "My Favourite Places in the world".

It is a unique place and a concept resort that works.  It is a series of rooms built in squares around ponds or fountains.  The rooms are very well done and comfortable.  It has all the comforts of a high end resort (like toweling robes, down comforters etc) but also manages a friendly "homey" feel.

It is built in a forest and I love the sound of the wind rustling the leaves and that added to the running river cuts all the human noise to a minimum.  Although the resort can serve alot of people it never feels crowded as the "pods" of rooms are so spread out.

The natural rock pools are lovely and even when there were several families there it accommodated everyone very well.  Once or twice we had the pools to ourselves including late one night where we sat and watched the stars shooting in the night sky. A special moment.

The food is world class and comes largely from their extensive organic garden.  The breakfast buffet is really fantastic and offers such an abundance of options including options for special diets and kids.  The dinner is pricey but again such excellent food and good service and largely organic and local.  There is a more casual option called the Grotto which offers Pizza and Tapas - a lovely patio for a relaxed evening.

At this point in our lives our kids prefer being busy and doing new things, as do we, but sometimes we like to slow down and relax and do a bit of nothing!  Although our kids love to read they do like to have something to do.  So 48 hours at this resort was long enough for them and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and could have stayed longer.  It was the slowdown I needed - I read, I worked out, I wandered in the gardens, I swam and sat in the sun, I ate too much, drank good wine........  It was just what I needed. 

We all had fun - the kids and Allan went horse riding at the ranch next door - a 4 mile trail ride along the river which they loved.

It was, in the end, a great end to the vacation and a wonderful place to celebrate David's 12th birthday.  The drive home was lovely too - I do so love the mountains.

It is good to be home although Allan brought a nasty cold home with him - such a miserable time to get sick!  But the party plans continue for the Byres End of Summer Backyard Bash tomorrow - so much food in the house!!  And the weather is perfect!

Not thinking about Tuesday.......