ALONG COMES MARY

October is shaping up to be the busiest month of the year for Michael and me. Any day now, we will be moving into our new townhouse, yet, its been a bit of CHAOS since we agreed we found our new home sweet home. Buyers fees. Plumbing issues. HOA legalities. Escrow. Walk throughs. And so on! Given all this awesome craziness, a quick weekend getaway was in order. We headed out to San Diego and were treated to an overnight stay courtesy of The Cosmopolitan Hotel, on behalf of Along Comes Mary. I didn’t know what to expect but it was PERFECT!

The Cosmopolitan Hotel is right in the middle of Old Town San Diego, with old world general stores and Mexican cantinas all around. Built in 1868, this makes it one of the oldest operating hotels in California and they have done all they can to keep it just as charming as it was back when you would have arrived in your covered wagon decked out in your Sunday best. It’s a hotel fit for the well to-do; like The Olsen’s from Little House on the Prairie!

When you arrive, you simply check in at the hostess desk in front of their restaurant, you’re then escorted to your room. All rooms are on the 2nd floor, while the 1st not only boasts their restaurant, but also a beautiful outdoor patio perfect for a wedding reception or party. We were treated to get a glimpse at a reception going on, and could see the hustle and bustle below our bathroom window.

The room literally looked like we had stepped into Little House; remember the episodes when they move to Winoka?! This could easily be the hotel and restaurant The Ingalls ran. They have, of course, done some makeovers to make their guests feel more at home; Central AC/heat, hair dryer and  a walk-in shower are the only things that do remind you that you’re in the 21st century. Other than that, it’s all 1800s for you! No TV, wall phones or kitchen amenities. You know what? Even though we had our laptop on us, I loved the feeling of being somewhat ‘unplugged’. Instead of whipping out the phone book for the local pizza joint to get a pie delivered, and chilling out on the bed after a long day, we headed out to explore the shops that adorn Old Town, many with beautiful made on-site trinkets, and family run restaurants. We had hoped to find a Walgreens, but, none in site. We were in Walnut Grove! (I’m sorry, that will be my last Little House reference. I just love that era and for the first time felt apart of it at this hotel.)

After our stroll, we decided to dine at The Cosmopolitan’s restaurant. With a vast assortment of mouth-watering selections, Mike and I went with Fajitas off their Mexican Cuisine menu. I had shrimp and Mike beef. While Mike felt he has had better fajitas, I was really satisfied with my dinner; while the portions were indeed smaller than other restaurants, I found that a blessing as it was the perfect amount to not get a food coma. I left full, not sick. We also had a great Cabernet Sauvignon from a Mendocino vineyard titled “Saw Buck”; they boast a very large drink menu, many with fun, creative names.

Sunday morning was so lovely and peaceful. Something we both really loved was a journal on our night stand; previous guests have written about their life and/or stay, so, of course, we had to write in our 2 cents. It was such an added bonus to write about where we’re at in our journey as we enjoyed our continental breakfast from downstairs (Coffee, tea, juice, pastries, yogurt). Right outside our door, we had a view of Old Town and a table & chairs.

Overnight, the serenity was just what we needed as we rejuvenated after a long day at LEGOLAND (More on that next time!). The  Cosmopolitan is always a place with events and fun going on, so if you’re thinking about a trip to San Diego, I cannot recommend this hotel enough, but, check in advance for availability! Click here to learn more and I hope you take my advice for this wonderful getaway. xo

(A huge thank you to The Cosmopolitan Hotel for having me for this overnight stay on behalf of this feature. As always, all opinions are my own.)