It doesn’t take a lot of convincing to get me on a girls weekend away, but it sure is an easier sell when it’s a place I’ve not only heard only good things about, but that it’s a place I’ve been to before and loved!
A few years ago my husband and I were looking to travel to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a relaxing weekend, and I heard so many good things online and from friends about White Oaks Resort & Spa that we decided to check it out on our own.
The biggest takeaway from that weekend away was a moment I remembered eating an amazing breakfast on their terrace. I remember exactly how content and relaxed I was in that moment, and so when I was asked about returning to the resort that image was in my head when I said “absolutely!”.
Another road trip with Zeba, Eleni and Jenelle brought an immediate thought of “how the heck are we going to fit all of our luggage into one vehicle again?”. Seriously, if we could bring a trailer of luggage with us we would, but because I can’t park a trailer we all piled into my little SUV and we were on our way!
With me being in Whitby it was a stroke of luck that each girl was literally on my way to the resort – it made picking everyone up so easy.
We were at the resort in no time – we arrived literally onto a red carpet and checked my SUV into valet parking. And yes, we sure were eyeing up the Outlet Collection at Niagara as we rolled into the resort. They are right next door to each other, and the outlets were calling our names throughout our whole stay. I did worry about where we would put all of our amazing outlet-finds in my car once we bought them, but we would figure that later.
Our room was perfect! I always wanted a canopy bed with curtains, and finally my bedroom décor dream was coming true! The room was spacious, had a cute little fireplace and a marble bathroom with lots of space for all of our clothing and gear.
Our room was equipped with snacks – like A LOT of snacks for a fun movie night ahead so I was basically in heaven. Chips and chocolate heaven to be exact. There were also some really sweet goodies left for us from the spa, and I definitely let out a good squeal when I opened a gift card to the Outlet Collection at Niagara AND the Saks OFF 5TH store!
Speaking of shopping, the reason we pack so many clothes on our weekends away is because we are so busy doing all kinds of fun excursions that need outfit changes! On our drive up and for most of the weekend I was wearing my new Skechers shoes because they were comfy, and they went with almost all of my outfits for the weekend.
The resort arranged for us to enjoy one of their private wine tours which are offered to guests that stay at White Oaks Resort& Spa. We were whisked off in an SUV to Peller Estates Winery & Restaurant to do some wine tasting, and experience their Below10 Lounge. I had never been to an ice lounge before so I was a little excited!
We went on a tour of the winery and tasted a few of their different wines and ice wines. Part of the tour was outdoors, and then we headed inside to their cellars.
We threw on our matching parka’s and headed into this very cool space where we were served Peller’s Ice Wine, and we hung out in the chilly temps. It was such a fun experience, and a great way to end our tour at Peller.
Next up we headed to Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery where we had a chance to eat and drink on their outdoor patio, and then skate! I headed to this winery last month to skate with my husband and son which we loved – I was so excited to go back.
We had a few cocktails, food, and some hot chocolate laced with Gretzky whiskey (well, Jenelle and I maybe had about four each of those hot chocolates – they were SO good!), and then teetered onto the ice. Skaters we are not, but we were able to get around the ice a few times, minus a few falls and some wobbling. Jenelle and I took home some Whisky for our guys at home as well, although if it were up to us I think we would have taken another of those hot chocolate’s with us!
After our day of adventure we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our dinner at the resort! We were off to LIV Restaurant for dinner, but first we needed a bit of primping! You’d think four girls sharing one bathroom would be hard, but it’s actually really fun to get ready together as a group. We shared gossip, tips, and products which obviously made our journey of getting ready take longer than it should have, but it was fun!
My fine hair hates looking full and always seems to lack volume unless I enlist some product help! I tried out GLISS Extra Volume Lift-Up Spray for the first time on my roots, and it gave my hair a bit more a boost than it already had!
My hair tends to fall a little flat, but it doesn’t love products that leave it heavy. The spray was easy to control and was very lightweight, and it’s formula has the ability to repair hair damage with it’s collagen complex. An awesome bonus!
Dinner. Wow. Like really, LIV Restaurant has some amazing food. I started with the LIV Caprese Salad and the portion was huge! Wait, we started with champagne, and that’s really how every meal should start! For dinner I had the grilled 12 oz Wellington County beef striploin and it was so good it actually hurt. Like as in my stomach hurt because I was so full, yet I continued eating until it was all gone.
After our long day I was ready to put my PJ’s on and veg. Doesn’t it feel so amazing after a big day to put on comfy clothes?
The only thing better thank comfy PJ’s is taking off all of your makeup, and I ended up using No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes on my trip. I’ve actually been using them ever since that weekend, and they are so gentle that I haven’t had a single breakout using them! Yes, my skin is THAT sensitive that sometimes makeup wipes make me break out. These wipes are gentle and they feel amazing when wipe off everything you had on your face! Throwing wipes like these into your suitcase is an easy way to travel with a makeup remover that will even remove waterproof mascara.
Waking up the next day at a resort can be hard because you start to think about packing up and going home, but we were distracted by having a spa appointment first-thing!
We walked down to the spa in our robes and slippers, and checked into our manicures and pedicures. Here’s where it got amazing – they took our Starbucks orders! Yes, there is a Starbucks in the resort, and I started the day with my regular Venti hot chocolate. It MADE my day. We laughed our way through our manicures and pedicures, and believe it or not it was Eleni’s first pedicure EVER! It was a great place to have one for your first time.
I also loved that we were able to take our full sized polish home with us after our service! I chose a pretty white OPI colour, and once my manicure was done I was given the rest of the bottle to take home with me. That has never happened to me at another spa.
Next up we headed to brunch (in our robes and slippers mind you – totally acceptable at the resort!) and we had some lovely mimosa’s (yes this day just keeps getting better!), and I had the eggs benedict with smoked salmon.
It’s tough to pack up and leave such an amazing resort, but we had to do it. The only thing keeping us going was we still had one last stop to make – The Outlet Collection at Niagara! I picked up the most AMAZING find – a pair of Saint Laurent espadrilles! Aren’t they so pretty?
An ultimate girls weekend to me includes fun excursions, good food, relaxing at the spa, and mimosa’s – I think everything was checked off my list! From the moment we arrived and I handed my keys off to the valet we felt taken care of. Our bags were brought to our room, we were whisked away for a couple of lovely wine tours where we didn’t spend a moment waiting, we had an incredible dinner and brunch with amazing food and service, and finally, we were treated to some relaxing spa treatments that sent us home relaxed and happy. We even fit in some shopping, so we were a happy group!
White Oaks Resort & Spa are offering YOU the chance at spending your own girls weekend at the resort! Starting March 1st you can enter to win your own getaway at the resort – check out their Instagram account here for details!
Thank you so much to White Oaks Resort & Spa for hosting us for our amazing girls weekend!
Items in this post may have been provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own. This post contains affiliate links.
