Jul

04 Jackson Hole: A Great Place to Just Chill Out

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After our anniversary at Sorrel River Ranch, the only other hotel we stayed at during our six-week road trip was in Wyoming. I had written about this placeSnake River Lodge Spabefore, and being a fan of all Rock Resorts properties (they own Heavenly, Northstar and Keystone, all spots we skied this winter), I really wanted to check it out firsthand. So we did just that.

The resort is situated in Teton Village, about 15 minutes outside of Jackson and right at the base of the gondola up to Jackson Hole Mountain. Why again did we not travel with our ski gear? If we had known the weather that awaited us, we surely would have!

Wide open fields filled with horses and flanked by wooden fences surrounded the resort. It was definitely unlike any other setting Id ever stayed in before.

Absolutely everything surrounding the resort was a postcard. Could the stagecoach been a more telling sign that we were in the West?

Even the reflections in the windows were spectacular.

Before we even checked into our rooms, SVV and I made for the 17,000-square-foot Avanyu Spa for 80-minute massages. You know whats even better than 50-minute massages? 80! After more than 3,000 miles of sitting cramped in a truck (by that point), it felt good to have someone work the kinks out of our necks and shoulders for us. I even splurged and tacked on a peppermint scalp treatment, well, because the girl told me it would just be an additional $12 and because it sounded like a good idea at the time. The womens facilities were gorgeous with a sauna and this amazing hot tub that could have easily fit 25 people. I wanted to take photos but was afraid Id freak out the other women in the locker room. After we had been properly pampered, all I wanted was to jump in this glassy indoor/outdoor pool on the ground level, but alas, it was far too cold for a dip!

Instead, I worked out. Several of you have asked me how I run/work out while traveling, and my dirty little secret isI dont! If Im traveling for work, there simply isnt the time. On this road trip, we had all these grand plans to run daily, but the weather didnt cooperate and, thus, I ran twice. So when I saw the Snake River Lodge had an awesome gym, I stopped by for some weights and cycling (all while watching that terrible 2010 rom-com Valentines Dayat least Taylor has a few cameos).

The rooms themselves felt very much like being in a ski lodge, only replace snow outside with rain.

To be honest, those two days we were there, we barely left the room. Hey, if we had to play victim to Mother Nature, at least we were in a really great place to escape her wrath!

I really loved the whimsical decor in the common areas at Snake River Lodge; while it was a luxury resort, there were still native elements like antlers that made up the furniture. (And before you freak out, as someone pointed out during my Jackson Hole post, the elk shed their antlers annually. No hunting going on here!)

And it took me awhile to notice the bear statues that were discreetly woven through the decor. How cute, right?

I would like to take this lamp home with me for my apartment!

At the same time, the rooms and hallways had a strong Native American influenceor as I like to call it, Native American chic (ha).

Because we were there during the shoulder season, the resort was blissfully empty. Our room was accessed by a side corridor, and it wasnt until we were checking out that we finally saw other guests. I like having a whole resort to myself!

That night, it was dinner date time with the most handsome guy I know. And no, Im not talking about the grizzly.

We took a table by the window at gamefish, the resorts amazing restaurant, where I drank some wine

sampled elk ravioli with cranberries and brie toast

and noshed on a big plate of mahi mahi with the creamiest risotto Ive ever sampled.

And then, before we knew it, our time of RR at Snake River Lodge was over and we returned to the world of Cadillac camping. Ah well, it was definitely fun while it lasted!

*****