This is the place: The Villa Roma in Calicoon, NY. Catskill mountains... paradise? Almost. Jared and I don't mind the winter weather. We did go to college in Rexburg, ID after all.
Maybe I'm easy to please, but I loved it there. This place was my kind of place. Lots of things to do on site, little to no charge to do them, and no need to leave the premises. It was definitely off season, so it was quiet. Most activities were best that way, except karaoke night. A crowd would have made that more fun.
Our first day we explored the place to see what it had to offer. We couldn't resist the free pool tables, and came back many times during the week. Turns out we suck at billiards, but had tons of fun. We both won to each other, but we both lost the 3 Ball Challenge and $.50 to the 15-year-old winner. Let's just say we contributed to his college fund....
Behind me is the shuffleboard court, kids playground and ball pit. If only the kiddos had been there.
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| I love this guy.... |
Every night there was late night entertainment in the lounge. The first night this self-proclaimed diva sang for us. I enjoyed her entertaining combination of voice, stories, and "dance," but it got weird when she pretended to sing sexy love songs to the giggly tween boys in the room. Just joking around of course, but Jared and I agreed: weird.
Outdoor ice skating was free in the middle of the week.
All we needed was 20 minutes of skating to reminisce and then we were done. Our first date (six years ago on March 1) was outdoor ice skating on a mild, snowy day. The make-shift Rexburg rink back then was simple and covered in freshly fallen snow. So was this one. :) Jared even offered to grab the snow shovel we saw to clear a path for me like he actually cleared six years ago. Oh, such a gentlemen.
Who doesn't love bowling!? I was so happy to see a bowling alley on the premises. Not free, but cheap enough for us. I'm happy to report I won by 4 pins.
Unlimited volleyball, basketball, tennis, swimming, walleyball, racquetball, weights, basketball.... I'm sure there's more. It was a lot of fun!
Villa Roma means Roman Village. I thought the Roman-style statues were ridiculous. So we made this one our friend.
In the middle of the week there was free snow tubing, and we went twice. The guy who took this picture asked if we were on our honeymoon because we were so cute. Thank you! We've still got it!!
The photographer also looked exactly like MONK, the TV character. He was just about as quirky too. He went up on "stage" and took up close pictures of the performers when they were singing. Sometimes he was more entertaining than the entertainment.
I seriously loved the snow tubing. I don't think I have ever gone before this. I didn't realize that there was a cool lift to take you and your tube back up the hill. That was as much of a ride for me as going down hill. Loved it! I hooted and hollered almost all the way down. I giggled like a little girl.
They also ran the ski lift and hills on the weekends. We planned to try skiing at 4 pm on Friday, when the prices dropped by over half for lift and equipment. That day, however, the wind chill and sub-zero temperatures caused them to close early. I have never even skied so I didn't even know if I'd like it anyway, so with those conditions we went exploring the town shops instead.
We played oodles of games. We discovered the joy of bocce ball, and I learned it is a favorite of my dad's. I undeniably am better than Jared at this game, but he whipped me many more times in pool. He is so sexy when he wins pool by a landslide!
If only the kids had been there, there was so much for them to enjoy too.
So, it was extraordinarily cold at times. A beautiful stream ran through the center of the resort, but it froze over by the end of the week.
This folding chair in the middle of a sizable lake surprised me! There was evidence beyond this that many locals go ice fishing here at this time of year. How fun! Especially on an ice cold metal folding chair!
"I didn't know deer could do... 'that.'" Movie trivia, folks?!?!? Do you know?
Oh, the food. It was a strange week for food. Jared is competing in a "Biggest Loser" contest at work. He is doing well now, but wasn't on point that week. We tried. We started the week with days of homemade fruit and veggie juices, light nut snacks, and little else. But Wednesday we indulged in pizza, canolli's, and ice cream.
Thursday was "Caesar Night" in the formal dining hall. We could not resist a 7-course meal. But we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into.....
There were SIX appetizers and we tried them all. It was the same price whether we did or not!
First, squid and conch salad....
followed by fresh seasonal melon with prosciutto...
... and baked capucella with bread crumbs. We didn't know what capucella was until the server educated us: LAMB'S HEAD. Delish. Jared was daring, ordered it, and even ate some including the eye. I was not so brave.
The rest of the dinner included sausage and peppers, pork spare ribs, breaded mushrooms, ravioli, caesar's salad, prime rib, and stuffed chicken breast. Oh, and assorted Italian pastries, grapes and provolone for dessert. Needless to say, Jared did not win biggest loser the first week of the contest.
On a different night he just ordered the $5 special: Wednesday Wings.
This rustic log cabin restaurant delighted me. I asked why there were dollar bills fastened to the ceiling? To remind patrons that it is cash only? The server liked that reason, but it was just a game that the patrons play and then the money is donated to a charity. Pretty cool.
Last but not least, I loved a couple of the shops in the surrounding towns. Super eclectic, like me, with a lot of locally made creations like these frames and vest made with men's ties. I couldn't resist supporting such a creative woman, who made both these beauties. I bought a vest and am going to make a mirror like this!
This vacation was incredible. Not only was it fun, but it was healing. Jared and I set goals, created our family constitution, studied together, and reconnected. We left our phones behind. Disconnect so you can reconnect. On the way home Jared called it the "best.vacation.ever."
Thank you Grandma Bev for watching our precious beebs so that all this was possible. THANK YOU!!!
