ATX

A few weekends ago I headed down to Austin with Southern Vogue. Those of you that follow me on Facebook know I entered a Four Seasons Pinterest contest and thanks to your support and that of family and friends I was lucky enough to win second place! My prize included one night at the Four Seasons Austin along with a $100 gift card to Uchi. It was hard to pick just one friend to invite along, but since Melissa had also entered the contest we made a pact to take each other regardless of who won. It worked out perfectly and we had such an enjoyable vacation!

 On the way down to Austin we stopped at the Czech Stop for kolaches and cookies. YUM!

 Right after we checked in to the hotel there was a knock on our door. The hotel spoiled us with a tray of sweets!

 The dark chocolate brittle and chocolate covered nuts were my very favorites.

 Well, let me tell you that we sure had a wild night each and every night in ATX. The first evening in Austin consisted of hitting up Lilly Pulitzer at The Domain (we have to get our fix since we no longer have a store) and then dinner before tucking in early while watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. 

 We got up Saturday morning and ordered room service before heading down to the pool. I can only take about an hour at a pool in Texas during the summer and thankfully Melissa is the same. We lasted not much longer than that before we were ready to call it a day and headed into TRIO for lunch. I really like Trio and frequent it when in Austin. They have great food and service and I enjoy the views and atmosphere. One of my favorite things about TRIO is their iced tea with tea ice cubes. No watery tea here!

 I am also sort of obsessed with their fries. They are to die for when dipped in ranch. If you are ever in ATX be sure to pop in and try both these items!

 

There were lots of sugary goodies consumed over the weekend. Hey, we were on a mini vacation after all so calories did not count, right?

 On Saturday night we went to Uchi for dinner. Those of you familiar with Top Chef may have heard of it. It is extremely trendy and hip. Since I am not much of a sushi eater I told Melissa to go to town and order whatever sounded good. The rock shrimp was my favorite item on the menu and their green tea was as fresh as green tea gets. 

 I won a one night stay as my Pinterest prize, but ATX is a tad far to travel for the night to Melissa and I decided to extend our stay and stay two additional nights. Our stay turned into a mini-vacation and we were again treated to some sugary sweets courtesy of the Four Seasons on our second evening.  Again, Saturday night was much like Friday complete with some Missy Franklin and Ryan Lochte cheering. Team USA!

 We enjoyed brunch at Bess Bistro on Sunday and then took a quick trip to San Marcos (I must note that neither of us bought a single thing!) before heading back to FS for tea. I had tea with Beantown Prepster there the first time we ever met and could not pass up the opportunity for tea with my other Melissa. It was just as delicious as I remembered!

 There was lots of lounging on Sunday afternoon after tea.

Lot of lounging while enjoying our beautiful view.

On Monday morning we woke up and hit the pool one last time before making a final eatery stop at P Terry's. I had never been, but thanks to Melissa I am now slightly obsessed. It reminded me of my beloved Convention Grill in MN. I had such a good meal that I may have even left with a t-shirt

Our mini vacation to Austin was everything a vacation should be.We enjoyed good food, relaxed and explored the city (...mainly through restaurants, but still). It was a true vacation in my opinion. 

A huge thank you to all who voted for both Southern Vogue and I in the Four Seasons Pinterest contest. Be sure to like The Four Seasons Austin on Facebook as they have lots of fun contests you can enter. You just might be the next lucky winner of a stay!!