Thank you to Eagle Ridge Resort for the stay at your resort. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
After a long holiday season, I knew I wanted to set up something fun to celebrate Jason’s birthday. The holidays are always exhausting, but with everything else we had going on this year: our miscarriage over Christmas and New Year’s, tons of showings on our house, then selling it and finding our dream home, we were ready for some relaxation. And Eagle Ridge was the perfect escape for us!
Eagle Ridge is in Galena, IL and is only 90 minutes from the Quad Cities and the change of scenery is exactly what we needed. It’s so hilly and beautiful there, you wouldn’t believe you’re so close to home. Not only is Eagle Ridge the perfect place to get away, with the spa, their four golf courses and top-notch dining, it’s only 5-10 mins to downtown Galena where you can find more than 100 store fronts with anything you are looking for. From dining to shopping for food, kids, clothing or home decor, you can find it in downtown Galena.
We left around 3PM on Friday and were in our room and settled before 5PM. We stayed in a one bedroom Villa not too far from the resort and it couldn’t have been more cozy. The villa had wifi and smart TVs, so we could log into Netflix and binge-watch all of our favorite shows… because what else do you do when you’re kidless and don’t have to pause your show every 3 minutes when a toddler creeps into the living room because they “aren’t tired yet!”? We unpacked and headed over to dinner at the Woodlands Restaurant. Jason had French Onion Soup and said it was the BEST he has ever had. We had the house salad with their house Basil Buttermilk Dressing followed with scallops for Jason and a filet (butterflied, medium well) for me. And yes, I am a picky steak eater. Filet is my favorite and it must be butterflied. It’s the only way to get it cooked through without over cooking the outside of the steak and holy moly, did the Woodlands nail it! Jason’s scallops were delicious! We knew we would be stuffed, so we didn’t order dessert. But, Jack, the dining manager, told us we HAD to try their famous dessert. It is called Sinsinawa Mound Sinnablast and I will never be able to explain it the way he did. It tastes like the combination of a cinnamon roll, a waffle and a churro. And it was pure heaven! He told us it’s just as delicious in the morning, so of course we saved half to eat with our coffee for breakfast. And, surprise, he was right! We warmed it just for a few seconds and it was delicious! Speaking of coffee, they serve Starbucks in the General Store so it was amazing to get my Peppermint White Mocha only 2 minutes from our villa.
Saturday started with our trip to grab Starbucks from the General Store. Then we ate breakfast in our villa and headed downtown to shop and have lunch.
It was snowing while we were walking downtown and it couldn’t have been prettier! We settled on a pub for lunch and then did some more shopping before heading back to Eagle Ridge to change into comfy clothes for our Couples Swedish Massage. It was the perfect way to warm up after spending so much time out in the cold. Before our massages we hung out in the relaxation room. It was definitely relaxing! We had 60 minutes massages and it was definitely the best either of us has ever had. They started on our feet and let a heating pad lay over our neck, shoulders and back to loosen up our problem areas. So when it was time to work on them, it felt like she got out every knot possible! It was so relaxing! After the massages we hung out in the relaxation room for a bit before heading back to our room to relax before dinner.
We both felt like pizza for dinner so we headed back over to the resort where we had drinks in front of the fireplace before heading into the lounge for dinner. I had a black olive and sausage pizza that I still can’t stop thinking about! After dinner, we each decided to try a special holiday drink. The Bourbon Furnace for Jason and Cocoa with Friends for me! They were the perfect drinks to sip by the fireplace before heading back to our villa to finish up the latest season of Ozark. Yeah, we’re party animals! One of my favorite things was that we met so many nice people around the fireplace each night. Many of them are retired and have homes at Eagle Ridge so they all know each other and are so friendly to each other, plus anyone new they meet! They want you to love it there just as much as the staff does.
The weather called for lots of snow Sunday, so we knew we needed to get back to the Quad Cities by early afternoon. We had brunch at The Woodlands before heading back downtown to do a little more shopping. The brunch was phenomenal! (In addition to brunch they did also have a breakfast menu.) the French toast was my favorite!
Our weekend at Eagle Ridge was exactly what we needed. We left feeling relaxed and happy. The staff went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and taken care of. Every person we encountered was smiling ear to ear, not only staff but literally every person we ran in to. I think it’s hard not to smile when you’re in such a beautiful place full of positive people. In our villa there was a Journal for each person who has stayed in the room to leave a note, along with the dates they stayed. It was SO fun to read back through the entries.
You can find out more about Eagle Ridge on their website and you can also find them on Instagram and Facebook.
Do you like to do a staycation every once in awhile? Have you ever been to Galena, IL or Eagle Ridge?