This year we bypassed tradition and, for the first time, spent the Thanksgiving holiday at a hotel. Nestled downtown next to the Mississippi River and the famous Arch, the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis was such a treat. I didn’t quite know what to expect or how I would feel spending such a big holiday away from home and our extended family. It was just the three of us, but we made it our own… and honestly (sorry family), I loved it.

Let me just say that I am officially sold on spending Thanksgiving at not just a restaurant, but at a restaurant in a nice hotel. There’s no turkey to baste, no dishes to clean, and no jello salad to pretend to enjoy. Just straight up, over-the-top-deliciousness and a beautiful setting to boot. It probably helped tremendously that the particular restaurant where we ate was fabulous, as was our hotel experience. An elevator ride away from our room, the Cielo Restaurant is located in the five-diamond property and did not disappoint. There were different stations – from salad (sorry, no jello) to Asian (sushi on Thanksgiving? Yes, please!), and then an entire room devoted to the traditional goods. There were people carving all sorts of meat, sweet potatoes to hoard, and stuffing to stuff. Oh, and plenty of mimosas to down. We finished it all off with a trip (or five) to the dessert table, where each little dish was unique and delish.

All in all, if you are ever considering taking a break from tradition and spending a holiday in a new place, do it. One of my most memorable Christmases was back in 2003 when I went with my mom to New York City from Washington D.C. on the Chinatown bus. Over a decade later and I still think of it every year. I have a feeling it will be the same for this past Thanksgiving. If you ever find yourself in St. Louis (or perhaps with a holiday that you want to do something a little different), check out the events that the Four Seasons offer. We took a stroll on their roof-top deck after our meal and took in the view, which already made me start thinking… I bet that’s the perfect location for the 4th of July (sorry family).

Special thanks to the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis for hosting our stay and meal! While our experience was sponsored, all opinions are my own (and I can’t wait to go back).

You may have noticed that we’ve been traveling quite a bit this year. I haven’t tallied up just how many trips I’ve been on, but between work travel and family exploration, I’d be willing to bet that 2016 is my most adventurous year yet. Things haven’t slowed down now that it’s winter either. This past Thanksgiving weekend we road-tripped all the way to Chicago to simply explore the city.

The Loews Chicago Hotel hosted our stay and was the perfect home base to play tourist. We checked-in on Thanksgiving evening and were happy to see the lobby already decked out for the holidays. We made our way up to our room, where Iris was thrilled to find her very own tent and “campfire” set up to stay warm. As part of the Snowed Inn package, this also came with homemade cookies and hot chocolate delivered to our room for Iris and valet parking for me (in downtown Chicago that’s an amazing score).

We were in the Windy City for three nights and two full days, but the first morning was actually spent driving to Munster, Indiana. Yeah… You read that right – beautiful Munster! Turns out, it’s quite the destination for beer lovers and only about 45 minutes away from the hotel. Home of 3 Floyds Brewing, Todd stocked up on their famous Zombie Dust Pale Ale while we filled up on a surprisingly delicious meal at the restaurant side of the brewery.

After that random detour, we headed back over to the Loews where, thanks to the perfect-o location, we didn’t need to drive again during our stay. With our car safely tucked away in its valet spot, we walked nearly everywhere. We hoofed it to the Magnificent Mile for a little shopping, Navy Pier for a little Ferris Wheel riding, the Chicago Children’s Museum for a little exploring, the famous “Bean” for a little photo taking, and Maggie Daley Park for a little playing.

We also were able to walk to some incredible food and drinks around town: Pasta at Rosebud on Rush, Eataly for a nice little happy hour, and devoured Stan’s Donuts for breakfast. And it didn’t hurt that there was a Starbucks perfectly situated when we got of the hotel elevator every morning. On our last day we wanted to venture a little farther, so we took an Uber over to Willis Tower where we used our CityPasses and braved the SkyDeck. From there we Ubered even further over to the Wicker Park neighborhood where we ate pizza at Piece Pizza and got some treats from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Exploring made us exhausted each day, but coming “home” to the comfort of our hotel room was a treat all in itself. The beds were beyond comfy and the view was incredible. Looking out through the high-rises, we could see Lake Michigan and even the Ferris Wheel back at Navy Pier. We had quite the adventure in Chicago, but I would have been just as thrilled to have stayed in and relaxed all day. Maybe another trip is in order…