Cranwell - A World Away

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I'm finally here at Cranwell on vacation, and ready for my spa treatments!

Yesterday, we left around eleven for a relatively short drive up through the Berkshires. It was a great day for driving because it was overcast, and the mountains in the background were really beautiful. The drive was reminding me of the trip up to my alma mater, Hamilton College. Just off the exit, we decided to stop for lunch and a little shopping at Prime Outlets, a little outlet mall. I was excited to have my first real piece of pizza since being back from India, and that provided me with enough sustenance to shop for the afternoon. Prime Outlets wasn't nearly as crowded as Woodbury Commons, the outlet mall closer to home, so it was enjoyable to walk around and browse in various stores. And yes, even do a little bit of shopping!

Then we took the short drive into Lenox, MA. We first passed through the town of Lee, which looks really cute, with lots of B&B's and little stores. Eventually we came upon Cranwell, with sweeping grounds up to the main house, which definitely resembles a mansion. I was feeling better already. Turning into the driveway, we parked by the main registration house (it seems to be made up of a number of different buildings, housing different sets of rooms, the spa, etc.) and here we found our first example of the kids that they promised us. Apparently, since it's a school holiday, it gets quite busy with kids here, although it doesn't seem to be an overly kid-friendly place, with a focus on the spa and golfing. But I suppose with all the skiing around here, that attracts more kids in the winter. We're hoping that if we spend enough time in the spa (where it's 16 and over only), we won't even notice the kids!

The registration building was beautiful, with the only real indication of commercialism being the Resort gift shop in the lobby. It smelled delicious, with a roaring fire going flanked by two oversized, plush red armchairs. This morning, I can already picture heading over there to curl up with a book. As soon as I mentioned my name at the check in desk, they knew who we were, and the check in process was painless and pleasant. We were directed via a map to our building, Beecher's Cottage. We struggled to get our bags out of the car a little, but managed to trudge up to the huge main door and inside. Each of the cottages seem to feel as though they have an old mansion feel to them - so alas, no elevators. We dragged our bags upstairs and found our room easily.

I'm surprised at how big it is, with two large queen beds, three night stands, a little sitting area with two arm chairs, and a table, and a decent-sized bathroom with the crowning feature - a very deep bathtub! (I promise, pictures will follow in my next post!) Our view is of the golf course, which, at this time of year, is extremely quiet save for a few cross country skiiers. There is quite a bit of snow up here, at least eight or ten inches, so that blankets the noise as well. You can't hear the traffic, or people outside, so it's quite peaceful, except for infrequent interruptions by the other guests in the hallway congratulating themselves for taking a shower or arriving back after a long day of skiing.

After resting for a while, and watching old episodes of America's Next Top Model, which I realized was taking place in locations I had visited in Bangkok, we decided to stay on property for dinner and go to Sloane's Tavern. Overlooking the golf course, the Tavern is a homey ode to golf clubs, with a family friendly atmosphere and a yummy menu. I had a chicken caesar wrap with crispy french fries, which filled me up and made me ready for bed. And a rather comfortable bed at that.

Today, we have a full day. As part of our spa package, we are able to go to four fitness classes - yay fitness - and have certain spa treatments. So we are planning to take part in the acqua mix class this morning at ten, have a quick spa lunch, and then enjoy a facial and rejuvenating herbal bath. Hopefully we won't be too relaxed after that to go to dinner!

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Comments

[Liz]

Living Vicariously through you
Wow, Lins I am really enjoying reading about you adventures!! Also, I love the way you write, it makes me feel like you are talking to me and reminds me that I miss you!