Uncommon Boston with Mommy Niri

Luxury is such a luxury. I mean seriously. Focusing on essential amenities, you would be totally forgiven for forgoing a Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts’ experience, considering it to be over the top.

Well, that is until you have actually stayed in one. Having been in the Boston area for over 12 years, I had never spent a night in the city. Ever! So while the snow covered our pathways, the girls rolled their pink suitcases out for an adventure at Four Seasons in Boston. Unlike regular vacations we got to our destination quickly, much before any “Are we there yet?” moans could reach our ears.

As we pulled up to the front of the hotel, the warmth that exuded from everyone from the valet to the doorman left me feeling like a celebrity. Oh, I don’t mean the saccharin-like welcome. My three-year-old girl totally learned a few methods to high-five (including with her tiny knuckles).

The front desk already had a surprise for the kids; this was courtesy of a program called VIK (Very Important Kids). Any place that values kids already gets the thumbs-up in my book. Backpacks loaded with treats, scavenger hunt books, toys and more – all with a local theme – were given to kids. They also got to choose plush animals from a wagon loaded with them. All this before we could even get to our room.

Did I say room? I meant suite, and, boy, was it a sweet suite. There were two bedrooms and a lounge between. This meant it was perfect when we wanted to bond but also gave us space so as not to get on anyone’s nerves (you mean that does not happen on your vacation?). Our bedroom was beautiful; my kids really wanted my bed (no way!).

The lounge had a welcome treat from the pastry chef to welcome us – snowmen made from cupcakes and tastier than I imagined. Then I spied my Mommy Niri logo printed on a bottle of artesian water. A beautiful sight to this blogger’s eyes, while my kids drowned in the view of the Boston Common.

As we peeked into the kids’ bedroom, there were two gigantic bears dressed in Red Sox t-shirts. Then I looked closer. One of the bears had a “cast” on its arm. You see, before Christmas my little girl fractured her arm, and we had to postpone our trip to Four Seasons as I wanted to wait for her cast to be removed (and it was the day before we left). The attention to detail and remembering these things must be why Four Seasons is so loved. In fact I tweeted that moment and was told by a follower that is exactly what you would expect from Four Seasons.

There was no time to linger as the girls were already getting ready for the pool. In Boston you get to experience the winter that wouldn’t go away, so a pool is like an oasis. In fact, part of the package for the VIK includes tickets to local museums or attractions, but we decided we wanted to just soak up the hotel while we were there, and the pool got several visits that weekend.

To see the girls splashing around, I could see how essential this was to dealing with the cabin fever colder weather brings. They thought I was missing out in the water, but I was excited to lie back on the pool chairs and have some me-time, another essential.

Getting them out of the pool would have been a huge fiasco, but there was no way they were going to miss heading to the cookie-making class with pastry chef Tim Fonseca (recipe). I mean that one event is laced with all sweet ideas. Forget formidable, this chef was totally jovial and someone who, in spite of having a huge talent in pastry making and more, was comfortable with letting the girls do it their way. Quickly donning the chef aprons and the cutest hats, they were rolling, cutting and decorating. Of course, as much as I was mesmerized with my little darlings, I would have been blind not to notice the huge array of sweet dishes the rest of the staff were concocting in the kitchen.

Divine and decadent are not enough to describe those creations. I got to personally find out as I got to my room to be greeted by a beautiful cake. Using the word cake seems unfair to describe such a masterpiece. This time it was to wish us a happy anniversary. We had just celebrated our ninth year of marriage a few days ago, and it was clear that nothing slips past Four Seasons in way of beautiful surprises. Dinner was not just elegant but relaxing, words seldom used together. Sure we were eating gourmet (heaven in my mouth is the best description), but our kids were still comfortable with kid choice food and crayons. Might I add that these guys went beyond the regular coloring pages to actual books for kids to work on? When you think it could not get any better, the ice cream man visits your room.

A relaxing night ending with kids snoozing later than expected and us eating that cake. Yes, it was dreamy, in bed, watching movies. For the first time in a long time we watched an entire movie in one day. Next day greeted us with a hot continental breakfast, which was a feast in itself and one last dip in the pool before we bid Four Seasons adieu! We were well rested and content. I guess luxury is not just an indulgence, but an essential.

The opinions presented in this post are unedited, entirely the bloggers own, and are not influenced in any way by compensation, monetary or otherwise. The experiences in this post were provided to the blogger free of charge by Four Seasons for the sole purpose of review.