Tucson bucket list: Sedona getaway

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? Did you do anything fun? Anyone else going crazy over the basketball games? My bracket is officially busted for the most part, and I lost the battle I had going with the Pilot. (If I won, I was going to get to sleep until 10am as my prize. Maybe he’ll still let me?) I’d love to hear what you were up to!

Friday, we had a lot of fun celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

The girls dressed for St Paddy's Day

After I picked Liv up from school, we headed straight to the Tucson St. Patrick’s Day festival at Armory park. As I was putting P into her stroller, I could hear the Celtic music playing, and we had arrived just in time to watch the dancers. I figured the girls would like it, but I had no idea how much. They were ENTRANCED. After the dance performance, the girls jumped their hearts out in the jumping castles (and Liv went down the giant slide like 4 times), and then we sat in the shade eating shaved ice while listening to live music. (<— I like to get the wedding cake flavor to share with the girls because it tastes amazing and zero food dyes.)

As we were packing up to leave, we called the fam (many of them were getting off work), and met up at madre’s for a St. Patrick’s Day feast. She made corned beef, carrots, potatoes, soda bread, and we enjoyed an awesome meal and then played music while the girls danced around the living room. They were cracking us up, and I have to say that their jigs were pretty spot-on after watching the Irish dancers earlier that afternoon.

Saturday morning, I caught an early Orangetheory class, and we we packed up for a Sedona road trip. We’re cranking through our Tucson bucket list as quickly as possible, especially since it turns out that we’ll be heading to Georgia in early April. (I’ve been in denial this entire time and was telling myself it would be the end of April.. turns out that’s not the case at all hahaha.)

We stopped to grab lunch at Chipotle on the way,

P running around

(and the girls could shake out their legs)

and before we knew it, we were checking into the exquisite L’Auberge de Sedona. I stayed at L’Auberge a couple of years ago for the Sedona Yoga Festival, and have wanted to take the fam ever since. L’Auberge kindly offered a media rate for our stay in one of their gorgeous creekside cabins.

Sedona

Cabin

Creek

Our room

Mini bar and Keurig

fresh flowers

bathroom

gift bag

Tom and me in Arizona gear

(There was no doubt about who we were cheering for on Saturday! Jeans are here; they’re my current fave.)

The cabins have a full patio with creekside views -so you can hear the ripple of the water and birds chirping- plus an outdoor cedar shower. When I first took a shower outside, I was wondering if it would be awkward, but turns out that no, it’s super peaceful. The Pilot and I have a random list of life goals, and we added outdoor cedar shower to the mental list.

outdoor cedar shower

The entire time we were at L’Auberge, Liv was saying, “THIS IS AMAZING!” and she told me she wanted to live there. Me too, girl. Me too
 Liv under a trellis

Sedona beauty

We changed for dinner, then enjoyed a meal at Etch, which is their casual outdoor restaurant.

It has a beautiful view of Oak Creek and offers tapas-style dining, entrees featuring local produce, plus handcrafted cocktails. The Pilot had a pomegranate margarita, I enjoyed a glass of Petite Syrah, 

wine

and we shared the wedge fries and hummus plate. Livi loved the mac n’ cheese, P went crazy for the chicken, and the Pilot enjoyed the filet. I was so excited to try the cauliflower steak and egg with shishito vinaigrette, maple apples, and pistachio. 

cauliflower steak and egg with shishito vinaigrette, maple apples, and pistachio

The cauliflower was perfectly-seasoned, and I loved unexpected sweet apple slices. I’m definitely going to try and recreate it at home!

After dinner, we headed down to the pool for a nighttime swim. P was getting snoozy, so she cuddled in my lap as I put my feet in the water, while Liv and the Pilot splashed and played. The pool was heated to 80+ degrees and saltwater, which I LOVE. We went back to the cabin to start a fire and get the girls ready for bed.

relaxation note

Usually when we stay in a hotel, the Pilot and I will put the girls to bed, then try to stay up and watch a movie or sit on the patio with some wine. Most of the time we’re so tired from having to pretend we’re asleep while the girls fall asleep, we end up crashing early. It ended up being a wise choice because they were up early, and ready to feed some ducks. 

L’Auberge has duck feedings each morning, and they supply the kiddos with their own duck food. Needless to say, it was a huge hit. The girls liked it, too. 😉

Liv and me feeding ducks

Feeding ducks with the girls at L’Auberge de Sedona

Tom and Liv feeding ducks at L’Auberge de Sedona

ducks in the creek

The girls and me feeding ducks at L’Auberge de Sedona

Liv feeding ducks

Tom and P by the creek

After feeding the quackers, we headed to the restaurant for breakfast. It was an amazing feast of eggs, pancakes, yogurt parfait, and fresh berries -I’ve never seen P eat so many blackberries in my life, and Liv crushed her pancakes- and I had a fresh green juice with my eggs and oatmeal.

We packed up our stuff for check-out,

Me in my maxi dress

(Dress is on sale here)

and made a quick stop in the spa for a candle + a bottle of my beloved Quiet Mind spray. The spa offerings at L’Auberge are truly unique, as they use local ingredients to craft body care ingredients, and interact with the environment to creating earthing-inspired spa treatments. I posted about my last spa experience at L’Apothecary Spa here and about forest bathing here. Their sleep treatment was incredibly relaxing, and I got to create my own body custom body scrub.

L’Apothecary Spa

After checking out, we headed to the nearby Tlaquepaque village to explore the shops. 

Tom and Liv at Tlaquepaque village

Liv and me with a statue

They have a toy store upstairs, which ended up being a gamechanger. It was a little tricky to entertain P on the car ride up to Sedona -we got stuck in traffic for an hour- and this toy ended up keeping her busy for the ENTIRE ride back. She’s really into taking things apart and putting them back together, and was completely content figuring out this board. If you have any other similar tricks or ideas to keep her entertained on our upcoming plane trip to Atlanta, I would appreciate them so much!! I’m already planning on buying her a seat and bringing her carseat. (Otherwise, she’ll want to be climb and run all over the plane…Halp meeeeeeeee)

After a lunchtime stop at Whole Foods in Phoenix, we were back to the pups! (They had a sleepover at my madre’s.)

It’s funny because when we were back at the house, I told the Pilot that even though we were back home, it doesn’t really feel like *home.* It’s been such a temporary thing, I think we still feel like we’re at a hotel, and definitely haven’t completely settled. I think that short-lived stay has really encouraged me to just enjoy the present and enjoy these random adventures with the fam. Maybe one day we’ll be in one place for more than a couple of years, but for now, it’s going to be awesome sharing fun memories all over the place with these little nuggets.

P and Liv

I hope you have a wonderful day!

See ya in the morning with your spring fitness plan, plus more details about our upcoming barre bootcamp. 🙂

xoxo

Gina

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24 Comments

  1. Amanda P. on March 20, 2017 at 5:47 am

    Hi. I’ve wanted to visit Sedona for a long time now…..really Arizona in general! If I did, would you recommend Tuscon or Sedona? Or both? How long is the drive between the two? Also, what brand are the sandals that you are wearing with your jeans?
    Thanks so much!

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:48 am

      i would do both if you could!! the drive is 3.5 hours, so if you’re going to stay for a while, it would be worth escaping to sedona for a little while.
      the sandals are from nordstrom rack (i’m not sure of the brand but i bought them recently)

  2. Reenie on March 20, 2017 at 7:39 am

    What a beautiful placed. Loved all the photos ~ your girls are absolutely adorable.

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:47 am

      thank you so much! <3

  3. Jessica @ Semi-Sweet Tooth on March 20, 2017 at 7:39 am

    Wow – this looks incredible! With AZ being so close to Denver (compared to my previous stops in Chicago and Cincinnati), I definitely need to make the trip. My last time out there was to Canyon Ranch – swoon! – but this looks like a much better place for the whole family!

    And I’m all for U of A this time around. While my bracket is (almost) a bust, I do have them winning it all. I’ll be cheering over them on… along with a lot of my family that went to U of A in the 90’s. Let’s go!

    XO, Jessica
    http://www.semisweettooth.com

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:47 am

      you would seriously LOVE it. it’s such a peaceful and magical place 🙂
      and YES for u of a! i’m nervous/pumped about the game this week <3

  4. Sam @ Hygge Wellness on March 20, 2017 at 8:02 am

    It looks so beautiful there!! Especially that mini-bar setup ; )

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:44 am

      right?! liv kept wanting to raid all the snacks hahaha

  5. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious on March 20, 2017 at 8:16 am

    I keep meaning to get up to Sedona. I’ll have to checkout the resort you stayed at. So pretty!

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:44 am

      it’s a short drive for you, too! you would love it <3

  6. Christina @ montessoriishmom.com on March 20, 2017 at 8:44 am

    I didn’t know much about Sedona, but I’m definitely adding it to the (endless) list of places we must visit! It looks like such a beautiful, relaxing, and family friendly spot. Thanks for sharing!

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:43 am

      yes, it’s like the best of all worlds 🙂 you would love it!

  7. Ashley @ A Lady Goes West on March 20, 2017 at 8:56 am

    Hi Gina! Oh that place looks DREAMY! Good food, quiet scenery, so relaxing. LOVE IT! And your Mara shirtdress is beautiful! I may have to pick that one up. I’d love to go to Sedona one day! It’s on the list. 🙂

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:43 am

      it was beyond dreamy. you seriously have to go; it’s one of my all-time favorite places. you would LOVE it
      xo

  8. Amanda on March 20, 2017 at 9:18 am

    What a great getaway. I appreciated that you stopped at the Whole Foods in Phoenix. 😉 That’s a frequent stop when I visit my uncle and aunt in Scottsdale; I could live at that store! Good luck with your upcoming move. I will send you a separate email.

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2017 at 11:42 am

      i feel like WF is the best road trip stop; they have food ready to eat (no waiting) and something everyone will like 🙂

  9. LeeAnn on March 20, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    Looks like an amazing get away!! Absolutely gorgeous. I hear Sedona was some phenomenal mountain biking. Maybe I will have to try to convince the husband to venture that way 😉

  10. Courtney Bentley on March 20, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    woah! looks like you had blast! the place looks so relaxing! BTW, you had a pretty dress on 😉 I wish I was at the spa section lol

    Courtney Bentley || http://www.courtneyvioletbentley.com

  11. Danielle on March 21, 2017 at 6:24 am

    I recently honeymooned in Sedona last fall and it was wonderful! Looks like you had a great trip.

  12. Carrie this fit chick on March 21, 2017 at 6:33 am

    Ugh, Vegas and now Sedona! So jealous of all of your adventures!

  13. Julia @ Drops of Jules on March 21, 2017 at 7:10 am

    Ah Sedona is not that far away from SD… I foresee a weekend getaway when I can swing it. This sounds beautiful!!

  14. Taryn on March 21, 2017 at 8:18 am

    March Madness is in full swing in our house as well. I went to Kentucky, and the hubby to Kansas. Needless to say March is a VERY fun and competitive time in our house! The kids also enjoy taunting each of us by wearing the other team’s clothes 🙂

  15. Carrie on March 21, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    You have to get Melissa and Doug Water Wow books for your plane ride to Atlanta! They are reusable books you paint with water. When the pages dry, they can repaint the same page over and over again! These books amused my then 4 and 3 year olds for an entire 3 hour flight! You can find them on Amazon and at Target.

  16. Annie on March 22, 2017 at 6:40 am

    Oh my gosh it looks so beautiful there! And that cabin!!!

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