A Star is Born!

The La Cantera area outside of San Antonio is beautiful. Known to be the home of Fiesta Texas and the Shops at La Cantera, this area has a new star. The Eilan Hotel Resort and Spa is brand new and will be having their grand opening celebration on June 7th. Luckily for me, I got to get a sneak peak during a girls weekend. The gorgeous grounds have a very European feel with fountains galore, gazebos, and blooming flowers. When you walk into the lobby, you are greeted with a cool color palette that immediately calms you, making you feel very much at home. The back patio overlooks the piazza below that will soon boast shops and restaurants, making it its own little piece of paradise.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted with a plate of edible art. These handcrafted truffles, peanut butter and chocolate, accompanied by chocolate covered strawberries were almost too beautiful to eat. But boy am I sure glad we did! They were creamy, melt in your mouth treats that were absolutely delicious. The hotel also provided some romantic comedies for our viewing pleasure and some keepsakes to bring home.

The hotel has a wonderful new restaurant called Sustenio, which puts a Southwestern twist on their dishes. We opted for appetizers that we could share so that we could try more of the menu. Don't get me wrong these were not two bite appetizers. They were well portioned and very filling. We were able to enjoy the tamale tart with crabmeat, sea scallops, Southwestern caesar salad, and poblano-asiago soup. In addition, there was a wonderful assortment of bread and a lobster bisque compliments of the chef. The perfect ending to this meal was "coffee and doughnuts", which was a espresso creme brulee and homemade baked doughnuts. This was truly an incredible meal and a must try restaurant if you are going to be in the area.

No girls weekend would be complete without a visit to the spa, which is always a real treat for me. I opted to go for a pedicure and ended up with "pink flamenco" toes. This was a huge spa with many different relaxation rooms, a patio, locker rooms, and of course the spa rooms. The calming water features and ambiance made time seem to stand still and I really got to enjoy the service. It seemed to not last long enough and was very relaxing.

The Eilan Hotel Resort and Spa is a fabulous place and should definitely be a place you stop into when you are in San Antonio. Whether you are looking for your own little piece of the European piazza or an incredible meal, this is the place. If you get a chance to stop in, come back and let me know how your experience was.

Oh Mother...

Hopefully you have looked at your calendar recently and seen that this Sunday is Mother's Day. I love my mom and am so appreciative for all that she has done for me, despite all the frustrations I have probably caused. I think back to the hand print cards and macaroni necklaces that I have given her and know that even back then it was difficult to make it just right. Now however, I always seem to have trouble when it comes to finding the perfect gift for her. I like to challenge myself and think of something outside the box. I know I always appreciated ideas, so I thought I would share some with you. Here are some of the things that I have done for her in the past and will keep in mind for next year.

1. Coupon Book: This is perfect because it can be personalized however you want to. I put things like doing laundry, ironing, making dinner, or taking her to lunch. It can be hand made or done on the computer. It is really up to you on how creative you want to be.

2. Photo collage or Scrapbook: Taking the time to sort through pictures back when they weren't digital usually ended up taking me awhile because I found myself getting lost in all the pictures. Now it is much easier. Thanks to technology, I can search pictures by faces or events and print them immediately. I know that scrapbooking can be a bit overwhelming at first, but let me assure you I am not a professional and I think mine turned out pretty well. You can include things like quotes or mementos, like tickets or programs in the book as well. This takes a bit more time then the coupon book, so make sure you leave yourself enough time to get in touch with your inner artist.

3. Hobby basket: Find something your mom likes to do in her "spare time" (I know, I know, no one has this anymore), and create your own gift basket filled with goodies just for her. Maybe she likes gardening, crafts, scrapbooking, or outdoor activities.

4. Spa day at home: I love going to the spa, but it isn't always in my budget. I have found that the internet is a great resource for at home spa treatments that can usually be with things on hand. I made a great exfoliating brown sugar body scrub. What's great about this is that you can create your own scents and you usually have enough to have more than one spa day. Try out the body scrub I made and let me know what you think.

Brown Sugar Scrub:
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil.


Mix all the ingredients together and store in a container with a lid. Make sure you do this in a tub or on a piece of plastic because it can get a little messy when you are using it.


Leave me a comment with some of your ideas and I wish you and your mother a wonderful day!