Do you ever want to press PAUSE? Do you ever want to get away, but not too away because time??? Do you ever hold your breath, waiting to exhale and hoping that you can breathe out the chaos? We are a family which schedules downtime religiously but still we accidentally step into the rat race occasionally. So when The Hotel Concord asked me whether I would love to stay there, I said yes. They were an hour away from me, close enough to endure the backseat bickering, yet far enough to be “somewhere else”.
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The week was vacation week which should already be relaxed but also every family knows this is not true. Musical rehearsals, play dates (do we still call them play dates when they’re teens?), and car woes. The last one was the straw killing this camel. I would elaborate but I don’t want to relive painful memories and that is not the point. Focus Niri, focus! So we were down to the wire (ughhh, I loathe that term from my engineering days because everything is always down to the wire) before leaving and we ended up leaving late as we headed to the hotel.
The ride may have just been an hour long but the weight of the week made it seem longer and I was waiting to exhale. Stepping in the hotel room itself awakened my jaded self, it was a breath of fresh air. You know as you live closer to the city, space (mental and physical) is what you crave, and this room bathed in space. While I’m all for having furniture in a room that is necessary, quite often I miss the space in hotel rooms. When you share your room with your children, that space feels even smaller, all parents raise your hands if you know what I mean?!?
I already felt my shoulders relax when my teen called out to the fact that there was beautiful wooden flooring instead of carpet. Now I’m no germaphobe but carpets in hotels do make me wary and I insist on no bare feet for my family, so this was a treat. Already the hotel felt “different”
THE HOTEL
Located right in downtown it means you can step out to the local attractions and eateries and sneak back in for an afternoon nap. The parking was a cinch with it being attached to the building. Anyone who has ever stayed at a downtown hotel would know what you gain in accessibility you lose in parking.Image may be NSFW.
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Behind the hotel was a strip mall with a supermarket and other stores making it a pretty good location for short or longer stays. The attention to detail from their large windows to their signature bathroom hooks give a true boutique feel.Image may be NSFW.
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The lobby on every living level was for families or friends waiting for each other with comfy couches, charging stations, and a fireplace. While this is common in many hotels main lobby, this was a first to see huge ones on each level.
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Breakfast is included. This is sometimes a deal breaker for my travel as who wants to head out to forage for food so early in the morning! It was good to know simple breakfast was laid out in a brightly lit room where you could chat to each other or drown in the downtown people gazing.
THE TOWN
Quaint streets that made me feel I was far enough from home but close enough to know that a could be home in (almost) a jiffy.
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We spied bookstores that had , restaurants that covered the gamut from Thai to Mexican to Indian, so satisfying all your appetite wants and needs.Image may be NSFW.
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Near the hotel was a lovely bookstore Gibson Bookstore that that a lovely cafe with amazing coffee (and I mean amazing) and food. I relished in the old school bookstore which we sadly miss these days and my kids loved the novelty of it.Image may be NSFW.
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Speaking about coffee we found an eclectic coffee house called Revelstoke Coffee! My kids were baffled about the old school phonebooths but we loved the simple nostalgia!
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THE ENTERTAINMENT
We were treated to a movie at the Red River Theatres which is attached to the hotel. It was the weekend of The Oscars and they were going to be showing a screening party that night. While we did not stay for that event, being a grown up on a school night is rough, it was nice to know that this theater ran special events outside of just movies. We spied an upcoming event that paired a screening of a food documentary with a speaker panel from local experts. We ended up watching The Green Book which was nominated for an Oscar (and later we found out it won) and loved the old personal style movie theater. The touch red all over gave it a regal feel and the smaller theaters a more personal ambiance.
THE FOOD
I already covered the breakfast of the hotel and the several restaurants, but we had an amazing dinner at O Steaks and Seafood and I wanted to elaborate on that meal. I’m a foodie so I’m incredibly fussy about food. I was a bit anxious with my meal as you never know what to expect. My entire family are voracious foodies so we were eager to see the variety they offered.
The duck lolliops were incredibly moist and tasty.
That is a tough thing when you realize how lean duck meat is especially on the smaller bones.
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Chicken flatbreads with avocado slices adding the bit of freshness to your mouth.
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My 12 year old tried the lobster mac ‘n cheese because that to her is like a marriage made in heaven.
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Ahi tuna served on a bed of shrimp rice was my teen’s choice and she approved.
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True to form my husband choice the rack of lamb and I don’t think he spoke to me at all until he cleared every morsel of soft flesh from the bones.
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I’m biased but I think I chose the best meal of all with my scallops over garlic grits.
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I can never have too much garlic and those grits were perfect texture, which I think is tough thing to get. The scallops were melt in the mouth deliciousness. We loved our stay at this lovely boutique hotel and it was the perfect place to refill our zen and zest.
Disclosure: We were provided with the hotel stay, dinner at O Steaks and Seafood, and the movie screening at Red River Theatre. No other compensation was provided! All opinions are my own!