Peachhead™ Approved Vacations: Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa

After an amazingly beautiful drive, we arrive at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. I have to say the directions on their website were very easy to follow –a great way to start a vacation, when you can arrive stress-free from the drive!

The resort is beautiful. Very rustic, yet very upscale. They pay attention to every detail....rose petals and candles on the tables, fresh flowers in the room, kleenex displayed as a flower in the kleenex box. Our room itself was very nice. It had a desk and an internet outlet to plug in your computer for FREE internet service....how unusual and accommodating for a hotel not to charge. If you don’t have your laptop with you, no problem! There is a super-efficient business center available to guests, with free access to computers, fax, and printers...yes free. They also have another area with computers that the kids can use as well. How’s that for anticipating accommodating the whole family’s needs!

We quickly made our way to the pool. The lounge chairs are very comfy.. nice,thick cushions for relaxing. The resort has a pool and 2 jacuzzis. I was so surprised to see so many kids at the pool. They were all having a good time and my kids quickly made new friends (they take after their mom). The pool has 2 different menus...one for during the week and one for weekends when they actually bbq at the pool. From the pool you can venture out and walk down to the little beach by the lake. We walked down, put our feet in the water and quickly walked out (too cold for me)!

Our second morning was also spent at the pool...I was tempted to try out the water aerobics but since I already worked out in their fitness room, I didn't feel guilty just watching them...it looked like a great workout. I was fortunate enough to have some friends visiting Lake Arrowhead who have a boat so they picked us up at the resort dock (how convenient) and Amber attempted to jet ski for the first time (not much success but we will try again tomorrow). After relaxing at the pool for the rest of the day and enjoying my margaritas, Brian, the hotel entertainer, began his set, singing poolside and there was no pulling me away from the pool. My kids were having a blast and I was really enjoying the music. Brian has an amazing voice and is a wonderful performer. I finally had to pull my kids away from the pool so I could get them dinner.

At night we walked over to the Village. It is great for kids. They have a section for kids of all ages with race cars, merry go round, and an inflatable slide. There is also a Color Me Mine, Rocky Mountain Chocolates, Toy Store, Claires, and a McDonalds in the village. There are also outlet stores which we moms love. I took the girls to a restaurant for breakfast in the Village called the Belgian Waffle. I had the chocolate ice cream waffle sandwich....my parents use to make that for me when I was little and it brought back great memories...it was great to see Amber enjoying it as much as I did when I was younger. After breakfast Jasmine's foot was hurting because of a blister so I called the resort to see if they had a shuttle to pick us up and bring us back to the resort. They were so accommodating and immediately sent someone from security to pick us up. Very thoughtful consideration and service for their guests. The following evening we went back to the Village and the kids went on the inflatable slide for what seemed like an eternity, my girls were too tired to walk back to the resort so I called them and once again they happily picked us up on the golf cart.

Once back at the hotel my kids and I hung out in the lobby listening to Brian sing again and then we were met by Magic J, the strolling magician. He was absolutely incredible. My kids’ faces lit up like it was their birthday. I am still shaking my head at how he got a quarter with my initials on it into a can of coca cola. After my chocolate raspberry martini (which by the way was fantastic) my kids fell into their very comfortable beds and went right to sleep.

Luckily I was able to get my workouts in. The resort has a very nice spa with a steam and Jacuzzi and an incredible 12 shower head. The spa and fitness room are available for guests at no extra charge...that was a fantastic and welcome surprise. The fitness room has all new state of the art equipment with individual tv’s on each cardio machine. Below the fitness room is the yoga/class studio. It is beautiful. The fitness classes are also free for hotel guests.

I was also able to eat dinner at the hotel at Bin 189 one evening. What a beautiful restaurant. You can sit either inside the restaurant or outside on the patio with a lovely view. They have an excellent kids menu. Amber really enjoyed the soft tacos. I had the wine flight -- which is where they bring you 3 different glasses of wine to try. It comes in a beautiful wine glass holder. I have never seen anything like it before. Looked like a piece of art. My filet was incredible. It was as smooth as velvet...They even have a chocolate fondue...but not just any fondue, there were something like 12 different chocolate fondues to choose from. Each with its own unique taste...it was as exquisite as choosing a glass of wine. Terry, the manager of the restaurant was constantly circulating, graciously making sure everyone was satisfied. It was great to see a hotel restaurant manager so “hands-on” in his establishment, ensuring that all was well with his guests.

The day we were leaving they were going to have a campfire, which sounded like lots of fun. My kids were sad that they were going to miss it but I promised them we would return. Based on our wonderful and relaxing experience there, it will most likely be soon!

www.laresort.com 

- Linda Perry 
Peachhead2@aol.com
peachheadfamiles.com
August 2007