Get Away to Come Closer

In the before times (i.e., before Covid-19), Drake and I had big travel plans (Didn't we all?). We've been fortunate enough to have explored many places together, and still have several more on our list. But with Covid-19 closing borders, changing our work schedules, and basically just kiboshing everything fun, we've had to get more creative with our getaways.

Testing out the Canmore jacuzzi the minute I walked in.

Back in November 2020, we booked two nights at a hotel in Canmore. Prices were low due to the lack of travel so we scored an incredible deal on a massive in-room jacuzzi suite. I mean massive; this suite had two sitting areas, a gas fireplace, a kitchenette, a king size bed, and a fancy, tiled-in jacuzzi! My mother-in-law watched our doggies and we spent the weekend soaking, ordering takeout, watching movies, hiking, and relaxing. It was awesome!

You may be thinking, "Haven't you two had enough time together with all the restrictions and lock downs?" This may surprise two out of the five people that read this blog, but Drake and I are both hardcore introverts. We tend to be loud and boisterous at social events (Hah. Remember those?); however, we both recharge by sitting next to each other without talking.

Drake's move to shift work has been a big adjustment in routine for both of us, my work has been stressful and challenging (see my other posts for information regarding my various redeployments), and we are both really feeling the Covid fatigue. Without doggies, chores, projects and all our normal responsibilities looming nearby, we could focus on just being together. On building up our resiliency by talking, teasing, soaking, and lounging.

February 2021 hit us hard in the cancelled travel feelings. We were supposed to go a ski trip with my brother-in-law and I had booked a whole week off work for a tropical vacation to celebrate Drake's 30th birthday. Of Course, none of these could happen. So instead, we booked another weekend getaway. Unfortunately, the amazing Canmore jacuzzi suite wasn't available for the dates we wanted and it turns out that in-room jacuzzi suites are a bit hard to find. Why are we so hung up on a room with a jacuzzi? One of things I miss most from the before times, is being able to soak in a hot tub. The builder-grade bathrooms in our house have these awful, shallow bathtubs that make it really difficult to get a good soak on. (Yes, they are on my list of future house projects). And with the current Covid restrictions, most of the hotel pools and hot tubs are closed. So apart from sneaking into someone's backyard hot tub, an in-room jacuzzi suite is our best bet.

Much less exciting Calgary jacuzzi

Drake was able to find a jacuzzi suite in a downtown hotel in Calgary. I'm sure we could have found an in-room jacuzzi suite in our home city, but we both feel that it's not a true getaway if you can be home within 30 minutes. This room wasn't nearly as breathtaking as the massive suite we had in Canmore, and it didn't match the luxury suite that their website photos boasted at all, but it had a tub that fit two people so it fit the bill. Again, my mother in-law watched our doggies and we spent the weekend soaking, watching the Mission Impossible movies, ordering takeout, and connecting.

Each time, we stayed two nights. I feel that this is the perfect amount of time for a weekend getaway, especially during Covid when the options for activities are so reduced. We had enough time to relax, but not so much time that we were bored. We also planned both mini getaways so that we had a full day at home before we had to start work again. This gave us time to do laundry, meal plan, and buy groceries for the week.

I highly recommend this type of mini getaway. A few of our friends have been doing mini vacations for years and I finally understand the appeal. We will definitely be booking more in the future. If you are late to the party like we were or just need a little help with planning, I've put together a list of things to bring to ensure you have the best time.

Packing List for a Super Awesome Jacuzzi Weekend During Covid-Times*

1. Cleaning Products - We've all been following @gocleanco's Instagram for cleaning tips and horror stories (If you're not, you should be!) The last thing I want is to soak in someone else's filth. I brought bathroom cleaning spray and a sponge. I know that water-bleach-tide is life, but I'm not bringing my whole cleaning caddie with me. We gave the tub a spray down, filled it up and ran the jets to dislodge any gunk, drained it, rinsed it, and then felt comfortable hopping in.

2. Bath Bombs - I'm sure the jacuzzi owner's manual would not recommend using bubble bath and bath bombs, but it's not my tub. And besides, if you don't have way too many bubbles and neon pink coloured water, why even bother? Seriously though, one of the bath bombs we got was VERY pink. So pink, that we turned the towels pink when we dried off. Thankfully, also not my towels.

3. Dishes and Cutlery - For us, a huge part of the fun of a weekend getaway, is ordering from restaurants we've never tried before; especially when you can have the food delivered directly to the door of your hotel room. However, the worst part of takeout is trying to eat out of a hot, soggy container with a flimsy plastic noodle posing as a fork. On our second mini-getaway, I packed two place settings from our camping dishes, a little container of soap, and dish towels. We got to use real dishes without fear of breaking them in transit and we just washed them on the sink and left them out for Jesus to dry on the desk. Note: In both of the places we stayed, the room service options were not available due to the Covid-19 restrictions at the time. Had room services been an option, we would have just asked the hotel for cutlery and dishes.

4. Wine Glasses - Another part of our weekend getaway fun is indulging a bit. But I am sure as hell not drinking wine (or any alcohol, really) out of the plastic wrapped paper cups the hotel provides. Again, had room service been available or if any of the hotel bars/restaurants been open, we likely could have just borrowed a set.

5. Liquor - I feel like this one needs no explanation. We usually try and grab some BC wine or beer from a local brewery.

6. Snacks - I stocked up on our favourite treats. The hotel staff likely thought we were moving in instead of staying two nights given the amount of bags we brought in. That being said, downtown hotel staff have absolutely seen worse than a thirty-something white lady with a reusable bag full of dishes, booze, and chips. I get snacky when indulging and I like to prepare for all possible cravings. With in-person dining and room service unavailable and continental breakfasts a thing of the past, cereal and milk was a welcome addition to the snack list. (Breakfast takeout isn't really a thing I'm interested in. Nothing that I want feels like it would travel well. And sugary cereal with full fat milk is one of my ultimate treats).

7. Cables and Streaming Device - There is no way I'm spending $45 to rent a movie I can stream for free on Netflix, Crave, Prime, or Disney+ (Yes, we subscribe to them all). Unfortunately, a Chromecast or Roku does not usually work in hotels because of the the login required wifi. What does work, as long as the TV has ports, is an HDMI cable plugged into your laptop or phone. We found a USB-C to HDMI cable that worked with Drake's Samsung Galaxy (one time we forgot the laptop).

*A lot of the things on this list become unnecessary as restrictions ease and when the world resumes some form of normalcy. But since that's clearly going to take some time, I'm listing all the things just in case.

I wish you all the days off, child/pet care, and funds required in order to have weekend getaways of your own!

(If I missed something on my packing list, let me know!)

Laura