Hotels | Savvy Sassy Moms

Cheese. What’s not to LOVE about cheese!?

I recently went to the Cracker Barrel Cheese headquarters in Chicago to learn more about the wonderful world of cheese and take an incredible food tour of Chicago. I literally ate and drank my way through Chicago for three days and came back 5 lbs heavier, but it was worth every heavenly bite. This trip was about getting up close and personal with cheese, it’s rich history and exploring the Chicago food scene. Our group was made up of some pretty savvy food and style bloggers that will be working with Cracker Barrel Cheese over the next few months to create some mouth watering content you won’t want to miss!

Getting cheese savvy with Cracker Barrel Cheese

We were treated to award winning cheeses, exceptional dining, tasty wine pairings, decadent chocolates and were even given a lesson in food styling. The first day we were imerssed into the Cracker Barrel Cheese brand by sampling a variety of cheeses, learning how cheese is made and shown how cheese is properly tasted and graded by an official cheese judge. Cracker Barrel Cheese has been making award winning cheese for 60 years and their Sharp Cheddar just recently won best in class at the U.S. Champion Cheese Contest and they were also awarded second runner up in the entire competition. It’s really some fantastic cheese. Trust me, I ate an obscene amount of it.

I’ve already been putting my new cheese savviness to good use. Check out my
stylish hostess post on 3 Spring cheese pairings and how to set a beautiful table. These were a huge it at our friends Easter brunch.

Staying at the Public Hotel, Chicago

We stayed at the Public Hotel which has recently been renovated and is a very modern, sleek and minimal hotel. The rooms are simple in design but very comfortable. They have a great library and coffee bar to grab a small breakfast in the morning and a great place to get some work done. The Pump Room is the hotels restaurant and a hot spot in Chicago for dinner and cocktails. The library doubles as a place for cocktails and light bites at night. I highly suggest the Moscow Mule for a cocktail and one of the flat bread pizzas.

Dining with The Girl and The Goat

Dining at Little Goat was honestly one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. Top chef winner, Stephanie Izard prepared a six course meal that was out of this world. We were taken to a private dining room upstairs that was literally apart of her private kitchen. Little Goat is Stephanie’s second restaurant which is across the street from the original Girl and The Goat, which you’ll need to make a reservation for months in advance. You may want to call now.

While we dined we were hosted by an extremely knowledgable wine sommlier who presented us with a different wine that was carefully paired with each course. She shared entertaining stories about the fine art of wine and food. Listening to her while we tasted each bite and sipped each wine made the dining experience even more incredible.

Our very first course was this sweet onion soup, and it was insane. I could have taken a bath in it. Each course was tastier than the next. I loved the seared tuna paired with the rose wine, it melted in my mouth. The scallops were divine and the escargot ravioli was truly unique. We ended with a ridiculous chocolate cake that had a cheese sauce, which Stephanie likes to call a “cheez-it crunch”.

The entire meal was amazing and probably one of my favorite dinners ever. Everything from the intimate atmosphere, family-style dining table, food and wine presentation, right down to the people I shared this meal with, it was truly one-of-a-kind.

There’s so much more! Stay tuned for Part II and III coming next.

Disclosure: I am working as a brand ambassador for Cracker Barrel Cheese. This is a series of sponsored content. All my savvy thoughts and sassy opinions are my own. I share this with you because I love this cheese and tried every single one of them! I also love traveling and sharing al the best places to eat, blog and shop!

The Westin Los Cabos, Mexico

Last year I went to Mexico with Starwood Properties to review The Westin and The Sheraton. Both are fantastic properties but very different from one another. I definitely had a favorite. I was there to look at these properties from a Moms perspective. When reviewing hotels for families there is a lot to take into consideration, it’s a tall order to make the kids and the parents happy.

There is no doubt that the architecture of the The Westin, Los Cabos is stunning. You arrive a few floors up and can see straight to the ocean and the building looks as if it was partially built into the red rocks. When the sun is setting the buildings have a warm glow of reds, oranges and purples. The design of this hotel is also unique because every room has an ocean view.

The view of the ocean from my room was spectacular, not even branch from a palm tree blocked my view. I could also see straight down to the pools and white sandy beaches, I could not wait to put my feet in the sand. The heavenly bed was, well heavenly and I loved listening to the sound of the waves crashing all night long. I also liked that the bathroom had an opening with shutters so that even while in the bathroom or bathub I could still see the beautiful blue ocean.

Family Note:

The glass railing and wooden horizontal beam made me nervous and I have to say that if I brought my kids to stay here I would insist on a lower level room. My five year old monkey would have no problem climbing on the wooden railing thinking it was a place to sit.

The Pools

The infinity pools over looking the ocean were gorgeous. I felt the pool area was rather small and they did not have much room for both relaxing adults and kids to be splashing around. As a Mom I am always very conscious of other people trying to relax and enjoy the pool, I never want my kids to ruin someone’s perfect day in paradise. Through out the property there are many little pools and ponds, which I wasn’t sure if some of them were mini kids pools or if they were there strictly for decoration. I would imagine my kids would be thinking the same thing and jump right in! The property is a little tough to navigate, it needs a few more signs and arrows pointing you in the right direction.

The Spa

The Spa has 7 treatment rooms, swiss and vichy showers, along with sauna, steam room, tennis courts, and a fitness center. I was a little disappointed in the spa area, it felt a little like a doctor’s office instead of a relaxing atmosphere. The spa needs a lounge or special relaxation area to help make it feel more tranquil and get you in the spa mood.

The Food

They have a variety of restaurants and bars on the property. Arrecifies is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Sea of Cortez and has an upscale flair. It is also connected to On the Rocks Bar, which has 25 different flavored Martini’s. They also have themed buffet style restaurant for casual dining at La Cascada. Where some nights they project old movies onto the wall for you to watch while having dinner.

The Kids Club

The kids club is for ages 4 -12 yrs old. It is a nice, clean and safe area for kids to do crafts, watch TV and play games. They had smaller slides and climbing toys for toddlers but this equipment was too young for kids ages 4 and up. The kids club here is really meant to only drop off the kids for a couple of hours. I think it may have needed a little more to keep older kids entertained or I fear they would be bored after about two hours. They do have a miniature golf course which of course any kid would love!

I would recommend this property to young couples, honeymooners and for a girlfriends getaway. This is a lovely hotel, the service was great and my room was spectacular but I am not sure this would be my first choice for a family vacation.

This was first published for ChildMode and I have made some editorial changes.

Disclosure: This was an all expense paid press trip. All my savvy thoughts and sassy opinions are my own.

Category : Hotels

Eating and drinking my way through Chicago Part 1