My Stay at Crystal Springs Resort

This past Friday James and I took a day off of work for a much-needed mini “summer staycation”. Sure, we were only at the resort for about 20 hours and it only took us an hour to get there — but it’s still considered a vacation to me. We stayed at the Crystal Springs Resort, located in Northwestern NJ.

Crystal Springs Resort is acclaimed as the New York Metro area’s most unique four-season resort. Crystal Springs Resort offers so much to experience – 6 golf courses and ranges, 2 luxury spas, indoor and outdoor pools, multiple restaurants, an adventure center (hiking, fishing, and other activities), and more. The entire resort is over 4,000 acres and includes 3 upscale lodging properties. We stayed at the Grand Cascades Lodge, shown above, which is perfect place for staycations for families and staycations for couples.

The Food

We had vouchers for our meals, so we opted to eat at one of the restaurants located inside the resort: The Crystal Tavern. I’d recommend making reservations a few days ahead of time, since it got pretty busy around 8 pm and 10 am (they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner). Highlights of the meal were our appetizers: bacon and corn arancini and crudite (fresh from their garden located outside our room). For dinner, I was in a burger mood, so that’s what I ordered, and James took a risk on the blueberry risotto, which he loved. The drinks were also fantastic — a snap of James’ grapefruit and absinthe cocktail is shown below. For breakfast, I had a Bellini (our waitress said, “Good for you”, maybe ensuing that I shouldn’t be drinking at 8:30 am) and chocolate-chip waffles, and James had baked eggs with chorizo, avocado and the thickest bread I’ve ever seen.

The Room

We stayed in a one-bedroom suite in the Grand Cascades Lodge. I didn’t know what to expect for the inside, but it was just as beautiful and “lodge-y” as the outside. And huge. I feel in love with the spacious bathroom (so much room to do my hair and makeup!), the extremely comfortable bed, and how nicely everything was decorated. The view from our balcony was gorgeous and green.

The Fun

Since we were only there for a one day/night stay (check-in at 4 pm and check-out at 12 pm), we couldn’t really take advantage of any of the activities, like a spa appointment, a round of golf, or one of their famous wine cellar tours. However, we had fun roasting marshmallows, sipping drinks outside by the fire, and visiting the Candy Shop (so. much. chocolate.) I’m actually going back here in August for a bachelorette party to do a spa/pool day and night of painting and wine, so I’m excited to head back and see what else the resort has to offer!

Here are a few deals the resort is currently offering for Life Unsweetened readers:

• Stay 2 nights and receive the 2nd night at 50% off
• Stay 3 nights and receive the 3rd night free!
• Stay mid-week and enjoy up to $225 in resort-wide credit
• Stay one night at Grand Cascades or Minerals and receive $50 in resort credit
• Stay two nights at Grand Cascades or Minerals and receive $150 resort credit
• Stay three nights at Grand Cascades or Minerals and receive $225 in resort credit

Just reference that you saw this discount on my blog to redeem when calling to book your stay. Use this direct line: 844.826.4664. To keep up with more deals and promotions, follow Crystal Springs on  Facebook,  Instagram, &  Twitter.