This past weekend, my husband surprised me w/ a weekend getaway to the Ritz Carlton. Wow... what a nice hotel! I've been there before for meetings and such, but never had the priviledge of staying in one of the rooms.
The first thing that really impressed me was the friendliness of all the hotel staff. No one had something better to do if you had a question and they let you know real quick that they were there to take care of your every need. Sometimes, depending on the place, you call tell that ppl are just working for the tip but whoever the mgmt. co. is for the Ritz... they are takin' care of business!
aaaahhhh... the room. It was so plush. We had a view of the pool and the sea, which was really quite beautiful. There was a flat screen TV for our viewing enjoyment and the bed had the best linens and a feather pillow (is that what they're called??!) covering the entire bed.... it made ya feel like you were sleeping on a cloud. I've got to get one of these for our bed at home!! The pillows were really nice - feather pillows - but they always give me a headache and it happened again this weekend. We have feather pillows at home but I've given them up because of such headaches... seems like the little cheap BD1.500 pillows suit me a whole lot better!
The bathroom in this room was really something. The one thing that I really loved was the shower head! Yeah, I'm impressed by the little things. :) I so miss shower heads from the States and this one was very similar -- altho, it was the largest shower head I've ever seen! You stand under it and your whole body is covered in water.... not like the little ones where you have to maneuver yourself to get your face wet and then turn around to get your back wet.... this baby was so big that you didn't have to worry about any of that. It was splendid!!! I loved it. And they had all the amenities for your bathroom enjoyment.. which was good because I forgot our toothbrushes!
Oddly enough, this room was so cozy and welcoming it didn't feel like a hotel room really. I felt like I was staying at someone's house... it was really nice.
That night we went out and walked the grounds... there were four tennis courts, a playground for children, volleyball area, the HUGE pool, the long stretch of sandy beach, private island w/ beach across the way, huge jogging trail, and something that really caught my eyes were the lights under all the palm trees. They created this spectacular glow up the sides of the palm trees... it was sorta magical... and so so pretty. There was an outside lake area and a running brook which was very peaceful. There was an indoor pool, workout facilities... everything a guest could ask for. And this doesn't take into account all the restaurants.
It was actually very quiet outside... and it didn't feel like we were in Bahrain. We walked around for a while and then went back inside where a pianist was playing.
The next day we went down for breakfast and then out to the pool. There are tons of lounge chairs so you don't have to worry about finding a spot... and at some point, I made my way to the outdoor bathroom... and seeing that I've been to lots of outside bathrooms at pools, I wasn't expecting a lot. Well... to my amazement, the bathroom was decked out in the best accessories. It was air conditioned and smelled really nice. I was really impressed - all of that for a poolside bathroom!
I love to ppl watch and there were tons of ppl to gaze at. I always find it amusing how some men wear speedos, no matter their size. And this year, the young and old alike were wearing itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis! The pool was packed from morning until night. As the day went on, there wasn't a chair to be had... we went in after a couple of hours cuz I don't do well in extreme heat... but we could still gaze from our room. There was this one couple who had been out there from about 10 a.m., and they were both sporting dark tans... well, I think at about 4 p.m. that afternoon, I looked outside and they were still there... cooking. Some ppl let their skin get so dark it looks like leather - I've never understood it. But, I can't tan worth a darn, which I get from my father's side. My mother is part American Indian - so am I - and she always tanned and it looked so beautiful, but not me. I burn, then peel, burn, then peel, and wind up getting severe headaches... so it's just not worth it to me. But, I could tell that some of those ppl out there totally worshipped the sun... I wonder if they will in some 10 to 20 odd years?!
We went down and listened to the violinist, flutist, and pianist that night at the coffee shop and had some wonderful flavored tea and desert... I had double chocolate fudge cake w/ ice cream and the hubby had apple pie w/ ice cream. The crust on his apple pie looked delicious altho he said it was a bit soft... but it looked fabulous. I make crust but it never looks like that! I'm just glad it didn't taste better than mine! ;) Or so he said.... lucky him! ;) ;)
Both deserts were sooooooo delicious... and huge. Neither of us could finish... so we sat, feeling quite fat and listened to the wonderful music. They do some good business there... not sure if everyone is staying at the hotel, but the place stays pretty crowded. No wonder though, the food is really good and the entertainment is very pleasing to the ears.
After a while, we decided to go and relax for the evening. We stopped by the little desert shop on the way up to check out the prices on the tea we just had... phew!!!!! the tea was BD20.000, so we decided to pass on buying some. Maybe one day because it was rather delicious.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast, walked around the hotel for a while, checked out the indoor pool, watched some TV and then did an early checkout... it was time to head BACK TO REALITY.
It was such a nice getaway and such a nice surprise from my husband. We had such a good time. If he gets the pics downloaded from our digital in the next day or so, I'll put a few up here that we took from our room.
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9 comments:
I am green with envy ! :P Always wanted to have a short break there as a treat but never mange to do so ! It's a shame that you didn't try the Spa ! or was it not included ? cause I'm sure they do a treatment for couples which is supposed to be good ! :)
alfanan, yep, the money's going to the big cheese... like most places here in Bahrain! ;)
munther, didn't do the spa treatments, altho would have LOVED to! yeah, they do spa treatments for couples, but they're kinda pricey. one day, i'd liked to do that though. it was a really nice place... much better than i'd imagined.
Glad you had nice getaway.
I am looking forward to see pics.
Best wishes,
Puppy
Yayyyy, Tooners does a travelogue.
So glad you got away and lightened your spirits, you did so need it last week - so Alfanan, you are nice hubby to your wife :)
Tell you what, it hurts me to look at the tanned leather people :P
Their skin will NOT thank them in years to come. Bleurgh!
It also hurts me at the beginning of summer to see the chavvy English girls who slap on orange fake tan. Yucky.
It is possible you're allergic to feather pillows, I mean, you are sleeping on bird gunk. Also possible they don't give the right support. Whichever way, as long as you have pillows at home that make you happy. I love my springy latex foam pillow. It's even better than memory foam. I've never owned a pillow for so, long, having bought many over the years seeking the perfect one.
This hotel's bathrooms sound like the one I went to in Verona, La Gabbia d'Oro (Golden Cage).
I have never felt so un-scornful of hotel towels - I used these heartily as though they were my own. I walked barefoot all over the room. I wasn't afraid to breathe in the bed.
In the bathroom, they replenish the little toothbrush and toothpaste set every day, the shoe shine sponge, and loads of other things, oh yes the slippers.
And the shampoo, soap, lotion and perfumed water are designer and come in surprisingly big bottles. You couldn't finish them in a month. I have them with me as my friend doesn't go for scented things.
It sounds as though all you ate that weekend was dessert and then more dessert. Naughty!
Anyway, hope we will have a cheery Tooners with us this coming week.
I suppose I ought to tell you that the reason I am so much happier today is because last night, after hearing of my misery, my ex, yes my ex (we dated for a few months last year), told me to get dressed up - he took me for dinner and we tried for a drink but the bars were closing, and I got hugs to last a year - every time he saw a step he'd say "jump up" (he's 6'1") and he'd just hold me. *sigh*
Sounds like a dream. I love spontaenous getaways. And I know exactly what you mean about the showerheads.
Oh yea, forgot to say earlier, the shower head is called a Rainshower.
puppy, the hubby downloaded the pics yesterday, so i'll put some on this afternoon. got a real good pic from the window, one of the room and then a nice one of the bathroom.
olivia, hmmm, never thought about being allergic to the pillows, but that makes sense. that's very interesting because every single time i sleep on them, i get a headache. i've changed now to another pillow that's doing fine, but i think we need to get better ones cuz these cheap ones won't last long. this makes the 4th set we've tried... have a hard time finding a pillow that we both like. if it doesn't give me a headache, it gives my husband a headache. ;)
the hotel was wonderful, altho we didn't get slippers and no perfumed water... i would have loved that!! maybe the better rooms get those fabulous things. our bathroom wasn't as good as yours either... much smaller scale. we did get all the other items and they were replenished daily :) oooh, and i loved the towels too! i thought about bringing one home, but decided against it. :(
Rainshower! aaahhh, now only if we could install one of these at home! We have a little hand held shower... it is nothing in comparison!!
now... this is a story about the ex. sounds very romantic and sweet. you'll have to fill us in. it sounds very nice on his part to take you out to lift your spirits. any possible rekindling between you two?
loulou, hi! i love spontaneous things too... and this was a complete surprise, which made it all the better! he told me to pack my bags the day before and get things ready for two night getaway and i figured we'd go to Al Bandar or some place. I was not expecting the Ritz! It was very special.
great. We were thinking to do the same. But we came up with an other idea.
After 5 years of marriage we tought of doing it all over, here in Bahrain. At the Ritz maybe ;)
Oh....everyone who knows about last year is hoping the same thing...but...I don't know, I get lost in the minefield of dating. God I am so naive. I can never make first moves, never know what to do, what to say that would bring about any wanted result...
(P.S. He did kiss me briefly...)
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