Woodloch

For the second time, I was invited by my office to a little retreat-style conference. Last time, it was in New York at the Mohonk Mountain House. That place had a truly spooky vibe and reminded me of The Shining. Since my coworker, L, was organizing the whole thing, I went and quizzed her about this new place, Woodloch, and she told me it had more of a Kellerman's vibe and I was immediately buzzed and excited. And you know what? It totally did remind me of Kellerman's. (If you don't get that reference, it's because I guess you're not a Dirty Dancing fan. I honestly expected Johnny to walk around the corner and it made me really want to carry a watermelon.)

We had a bit more free time this year and we were invited to drive up early on Sunday so I took advantage of that and toted my camera along.

Unfortunately, because the weather was so crummy, I didn't quite do as much outdoorsy activities as I had imagined.

Here's what I packed:

The drive up was v. quaint and picturesque. I only wish the weather had been nicer, as a blue sky would have been the ultimate backdrop to the pine trees and blooming cherry blossoms.

At a certain point, my GPS directed me off of major roads onto narrow, in-need-of-a-facelift roads and eventually, I arrived at Woodloch.

Guest registration is in its own building. Then, there's a separate building with a bunch of lake-facing hotel rooms and suites. And then a bit farther away, there are a bunch of houses. I heard the houses were v. nice, but the rooms were not soundproof so some loud snoring might have gotten in the way of restful sleep for some.

I was put in a suite, which had a kitchen, a large living area, and a bedroom with two double beds. The balcony looked out onto the lake. It was pretty awesome.

I actually loved these Pharmacopia toiletries. They were nice and the pastel bottles were adorable.

On Sunday, we were invited to come early so we could take advantage of the facilities and amenities. However, because of the rain, I didn't get to do the hike that I wanted to. But, I still did a short walk. As I was leaving the building, I stumbled upon a squirrel making a banquet of the rubbish bin. Honestly, that was probably the most eventful use of my free time.

one man's rubbish bin is a squirrel's seafood buffet

A video posted by ra¢h 💋 (@racheerachh) on May 1, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT

Obviously, we were there for work, so every morning, I got up bright and early, got ready in my business casual outfit, and headed to breakfast and then a day of lectures.

There was an open bar until 1AM every evening, but being the old lady that I am, I only managed to stay until about 10 or 11. However, it was still a bit of work trying to get up and attempting to look fresh and awake every morning.

But, the fresh air and the views certainly helped. There was a thick, dense fog over the lake every morning but by our afternoon break, it was always cleared up and spectacular looking once again.

We managed to get a glimpse of the sun one afternoon so I took my nap on my balcony that day. I still had to be wrapped up in blankets though. I mean, is this even springtime?

We had plenty of free time but I didn't really get to take advantage of the facilities, which was a bummer. However, this place is beautiful and I might come back on my own (and perhaps take advantage of the spa) when the sun's out.

My drive home was equally rainy and uneventful as my drive up. But, it was still just as quaint and picturesque.

I did appreciate seeing pink blossoms everywhere though. I might've missed DC this year, but at least I finally got to see some cherry blossoms.

xoxo.