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Dear Wellness Seekers,
Introducing Historic Alabama Grand Hotel & Spa as our stop off destination on our trip to our home in Tampa, Florida. Come along with Spanista on this Spa Travel Diary journey.
Having packed the car the night before, at exactly 4:15 a.m. we boarded our Audi Sport Convertible setting out to navigate a 900 mile day of driving. The stars were sparkling brightly in the deep dark morning sky as we said goodbye to Kansas City’s silhouette in the rear view mirror. The sun finally woke up 4 hours later (and us with it) when we got to St. Louis. The freeways around the city took us due south on into Mississippi then on into the southern tip on to Alabama. As we left St. Louis, it started to rain and continued to do so the entire 900 miles! Fortunately, the freeway was not very busy. In spite of the rain, Bob enjoyed driving a new route. We settled into a ‘groove’ for the duration. Spanista love’s visiting historical hotels of America with noteworthy Spas. I discovered the Grand Hotel & Spa of Point Clear, Alabama in the Marriott Historic Hotels directory and thought it looked like a unique place to restore and extend the holiday – just the two of us.
The Grand Hotel comes highly rated and told people go back again and again because they fall in love with the comfortable yet refined atmosphere. As you may recall I have a penchant for the south – its grace, traditions and charms.
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We cruzed comfortably in the Audi listening to our favorite music and chatting the time away. Darkness fell at 5:30 p.m. when we crossed the state line from Mississippi to Alabama. Suddenly we were on a very dark curvy two lane road looking for Mobile. With our patience dialed up, we took it at our own pace. Soon we reconnected to the freeway system going into downtown Mobile. The lights of the city were pretty and a welcome sight. Bob deftly navigated a few turns downtown to get us to an unexpected tunnel. Coming out of it we found ourselves crossing a long causeway bridge to the Peninsula. To the right I saw a very large naval base and a destroyer ship anchored to the shoreline and brightly lite. Impressive. Power and pride beam from it like beacons of freedom. Mobile is a large ship building reputation. Sadly, an attempt at a photo did not come out.
On the Peninsula we suddenly we came to a magical village dancing in white lights – Fairhope. I let out a shriek of delight that made Bob laugh. It was so unexpected and charming dressed to celebrate. The GPS said we had 4 miles to go so reluctantly we drove through the little town into more darkness. The journey was almost over for the day but I could almost hear Bob thinking – ‘Where is this place?’ He was feeling weary as we had hit the 900 mark in Mobile!
Then pretty lights appeared marking a gated entrance Introducing Historic Alabama Grand Hotel & Spa. A guard welcomed us warmly while guiding us to drive down a winding lane to registration. We both sighed, so thankful for having arrived safely. The hotel architecture looked historically southern. Bob pulled up and stepped out of the car to greet the doorman while I went into register. I so wanted him to feel the drive off the beaten path was worth it. And from first glance at the lobby we struck gold. We secured a room in the Marina Lodge.
Frankly, it was so misty we could not see the property layout but a bellman got us to the right place where this 5 ft. Santa greeted us. This lovely cozy room with a balcony and rocking chairs was our new home – so southern. Yes, we could be happy here for a couple of nights. Tomorrow, in the light of day we could see what was in store for this experience. Will Pharrell’s song ‘HAPPY’ popped to mind so I busted out in song!
Exhausted, Bob slams on the bed to stretch his body now formed tightly to the shape of car seat. I knew I would not get him to move again. He surely deserved a good night sleep after the long successful drive.
Tomorrow we would have a day to relax and explore what the Grand Hotel had to offer especially the Spa! I took a moment to read about the hotel’s rich history. All is well. Spanista looks to a New Year’s Eve of happy dreams.
More about Introducing Historic Alabama Grand Hotel & Spa tomorrow. Happy New Year’ Eve to you all where ever you are – 2015 is almost here and a chance for a fresh start to be a Spansita is a welcome thing!
May Your Self Care Journey to Joy Be Merry & Bright,
