Spring Break Getaway

Last week I was off from school since it was finally spring break. Usually during spring break I opt to stay at home, sleep until the afternoon and then watch Netflix all day; however, this year I wanted to get out of my sad routine and do something fun. So, this year myself and my three best friends, booked a mini weekend getaway for a little Spring Break fun. 

Because we are all broke college students, we wanted to look for something that we would enjoy but also that it was affordable. Originally, we wanted to rent a house somewhere and just spend the weekend but after spending hours and hours on Airbnb, we realized it would just be too expensive. So, we got the idea to go on Groupon and after a few tries we found a pretty sweet deal. We ended up booking a 3 day, 2 night stay at this little resort place in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. This place was great because it was like a mini resort: it had a pool, a spa, mini golf, peddle boats, a little private beach/lake area, and a gorgeous view. The deal on Groupon was amazing because it ended up being $79 per night which included a $25 credit per night (per room) as well! 

Overall, the resort was really nice. It was a little vintage looking in terms of decor but we really liked it. It had this sort of home-y feel and the people that worked there were all very lovely. 

Getting There

Because the place was only 2 hours and 50 minutes away from us, we decided to make it a road trip. So, the four of us hopped onto my friend Jose's car, packed a ton of snacks, blasted our favorite music (including some Broadway show tunes of course), and were on our way. The day was sunny and warm and absolutely beautiful. As soon as we got there, we fell in love with the view of the lake. We got there around 2 o'clock and although check in was at 4, the nice old man at the front desk said there were rooms ready for us and he would gladly check us in.

The Room 

We booked two different rooms; one for the boys and one for the girls. My friend and I decided to just get a King room because we didn't mind sharing a big bed, and as it turns out we made the right choice. Because we chose the King room, our room was pretty big. The boys' twin bed room was pretty big too but ours had a mini lounge area with a couch. Another plus was that ours had a gorgeous balcony with the view of the lake. The boys also had a nice balcony, except theirs faced the indoor pool, which wasn't that bad either.

The lighting in the bathroom was fabulous and perfect for us to do our makeup every morning

Im such an organized freak when it comes to traveling, so whenever I do, I tend to bring my own toiletries 

The beautiful view from our balcony. We were seriously OBSESSED!

Day 1

We were really excited to do some exploring on our first day and we actually got to do a lot of activities which included having our own little photoshoots of course. 

Because my friend Imaan and I had the biggest room, ours became the hangout room. We packed so many snacks to munch on during our stay for those times when we got hungry between breakfast, lunch, dinner. We also had mini parties every night where we would have a few drinks and played a few games we had brought such as Disney Trivia and Bop It. As soon as we got there, we unpacked our things, ate a few snacks and then got ready to explore. 

The first thing we did was take a walk around the resort to get familiar with the activities that were there. We really wanted to do Peddle boating; however because it's only April, it wasn't open yet. So, we just took a lot of fun pictures by the dock. The weather was absolutely beautiful so we got extremely lucky. After taking pictures by the dock, we decided to take a nice walk along side the lake. 

Love this kid!

Squad Goals

Model Status

I was clearly very excited to be here 

We then decided to play some mini golf. It was really nice because we were the only ones there so we got all the courses to ourselves. We got through all the courses just laughing and joking around while playing some music. We got to take the clubs and balls to our rooms in case we wanted to play again and not have to ask for them again. There was also this little arcade room with some really vintage looking games. We took a shot at playing the claw machine but we failed miserably.

We started to get hungry after hanging by the arcade room so we decided to go to the restaurant that was by the lake and was part of the hotel. We also decided to eat here because we could use our $25 dining credit. The place was really warm and cute. It had a bit of a country vibe which I really liked and it was refreshing to get a way from the modern city vibe. Because Imaan and I never finish our meals, we decided to share. We got a burger with fries and some mac and cheese for us both. The food was actually pretty delicious. The boys enjoyed their meal as well. 

After dinner, we heading back to mine and Imaan's room and had our mini party playing games and talking until we got tired and went to bed.

Day 2

We got up around 8 o'clock the next morning because we wanted to make it before breakfast at the little restaurant at the hotel was over. This place was really cute too with glass ceilings and walls that let the light in. I ordered some French toast, with eggs, hash browns, and bacon. To be honest the french toast wasn't that great but the rest was quite delicious. We decided to use our day's credit on our breakfast that morning. 

After breakfast, we rested a little bit and then headed down to the pool. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the pool but trust me it was pretty lovely. It was indoors but the ceiling was made of glass so the sun shined through and it made it feel like we were outside. There was also a hot tub but we didn't get a chance to go in it. We spent about an hour or so in the pool and then we went to shower and get ourselves ready. 

We decided to hang by the little private beach area by the lake to just enjoy the view. There was also this barn looking kiosk which was the boat house and it was a great background for pictures as well :)

Just enjoying the beautiful view that we don't get much in the city

Some of my favorite people ever!

My dance partner for life!

Spot the difference

Balcony view goals

On the second day, we decided to go to Friendly's for dinner. We had all heard of it but had never actually been to one, so when we saw there was one across the street from the hotel, we made it our goal to go there. The place reminded me of Johnny Rockets in a way but I really liked the feel of it. The staff was also really friendly which put me in a good mood. We really enjoyed our time there and the food was great. We also ordered a small ice cream dessert which was the perfect way to end our night.  

Day 3

We were so sad that it was our last day there, so we treated ourselves to a delicious and filling breakfast. We ended up going to Cracker Barrel and I absolutely loved it! This place had a vintage/old country feel as well and it just felt very home-y. Of course the food so yummy too. We all got different plates so we took a bit out of each other's food so we got to try different things. After breakfast we got back into the car and instead of going straight home, we decided to make a stop at the Martime Aquarium in Connecticut which was on our way :)

The aquarium was small compared to others I've been to but we still got to see a lot of animals and it made us feel like we were kids again. We got to see all the fish, sharks, and seals, and we even got to pet a few of them. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to touching animals but I got the courage to touch a jelly fish (even though I freaked out a little bit! lol). My friends were braver than I was and they were petting sting rays and little sharks. It was actually so much fun and we had a really good time!

Someone was really excited to go to the aquarium 

Can you spot Dory?

Best Friends 

Touching Jelly Fish!

This little guy was cute

Being kids again :) 

After the aquarium, we hung out for a little and sat by this lake right outside. After a while, we headed back to the car and began our journey home. We were all craving Buffalo Wild Wings though, so we made that our last stop before our little getaway came to an end. 

I had the absolute best time of my life going away for the weekend with the best people ever. I love these guys so much and they are my absolute best friends. It was really nice to just get away from my everyday routine and have a few days to relax and have fun. 

I would also highly recommend the Sturbridge Host, Hotel & Conference Center on Cedar Lake , especially if you are able to find the deal on Groupon again. Like I said, it is great because not only is it a lovely little place but it is also affordable. There are lots of activities to do and several great places to eat around the area as well.

I would definitely book another stay here!

-xoxo, Diana