Lovely Day

Blondie and I try to get together every several months for some girl time and to catch up with one another in person. We don't live that far from each other, she is in SD, but it's enough distance to make regular short visits difficult. Lately, our usual haunt has been South Coast Plaza, where we meet in the late morning and hang out shopping, talking and eating until well after dinner. We had been planning to get together this past Saturday, but neither of us were in the mood to run around the mall.

Instead, I suggested a day spa. We could spend the day relaxing and hanging out without having to roam the mall, pretending to shop in the process. I found out later this would be Blondie's first time at a spa and I was excited to show her how wondeful spas can be!

Through the wonders of Google, I discovered the spa at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point. A day pass was only $35 and it included use of the spa, fitness center and the hotel pool all day. We planned to meet up in the late morning, get in a workout and then just relax the rest of the day.

Right as I'm pulling off the freeway, Blondie calls, says she is right around the corner and then informs me "Well, I'm stupid." Um, no, but what's up? Come to find out, her sister Sporty, lives just 5 minutes up the road. It didn't dawn on her until she was getting off the freeway. Blondie left a message for her sis to see if she wanted to meet up with us (the short version is yes, she'd be there in a bit).

Once we got our cars taken care of -- valet is free with a spa validation -- we made our way to the front desk to check in. The first thing that I noticed was the receptionist's friendly and welcoming demeanor. She filled us in on the spa, lunch options and local discounts while getting our information into the system and then another staff member came out to give us a tour.

The place isn't huge, but it's good-sized, made even larger with the small number of guests using the facility. The decor is beach chic with lots of light colored furnishings and splashes of blue, green and yellow. Perfect for their location right next to the ocean. The common room had a fireplace and complimentary snacks, such as muffins, crudite, mixed nuts, dried fruit, etc, throughout the day. It looked like a great place to relax and hang out. Blondie and I were quite impressed.

We stayed true to our original plan and walked on the treadmill for about an hour while catching up with wedding plans for her sister and our bestie Vino. Then it was time to hang out by the pool and grab some lunch. After ordering food with the spa front desk, it was brought to us in the pool area about 30 minutes later. I opted for the crab and shrimp salad while Blondie went for the club sandwich, both of which were delicious. Around that time, Sporty joined us and we headed over to the lounge chairs to get some sun (for everyone but me) and hang out.

Have I mentioned yet that Saturday had the most perfect weather at the beach?! I think it was in the 90s with a great ocean breeze. Sporty even said that we couldn't have picked a better day to hang out by the pool.

The snack bar next to the pool served fun cocktails and Sporty treated us to one (thanks dear!), which we enjoyed while cooling off in the pool. Aside from the random guys that tried to hit on us (alright girls, raise your left hands) it was fantastic. Some time in the whirlpool and more chatting while hanging out on the chaise lounges and then we headed back inside to get ready.

The showers at this place are heaven! 14 different showerheads so you're completely surrounded by water the entire time. Total and utter heaven. We were all like wet noodles afterwards and Blondie said that we definitely have to make a return visit. Absolutely!

Before Blondie and I headed off for dinner, we stopped by Sporty's new house (they just moved in a few months ago) so I could see it and so we could get a good idea of how to arrange everything for her bridal shower in a few weeks. It's a gorgeous home and I'm green with envy (in the nicest way possible) over their kitchen. I think I might have even started drooling when I stepped inside. I'm helping Blondie with the food for the shower so to say I'm excited to be able to cook and prep in that kitchen would be a major understatement! ;)

Once we said our goodbyes, Blondie and I headed to dinner. Originally, we were gonna just get Golden Spoon, but upon seeing a pizza shop right next door, I suddenly thought we should get both. They totally hit the spot.

By then, it was after 9pm and we both needed to get home. I had so much fun catching up and hanging out with Blondie and her sister. Saturday really felt like a resort vacation without all the crazy traveling and hotel costs and I can't wait to do it again soon!