I don’t know about you, but mothering during Covid has really changed my perspective on life. From going out to eat, to taking your children on an outing, any time spent outside of my home feels like a luxury. Needless to say, a 24-hour staycation with a fellow mom friend Devin at Shinola Hotel was total bliss. Driving to the stylish hotel, we were as excited as a couple of gals heading off for a month-long luxury vaycay in the tropics.
We were in heaven with truffle pretzels, red wine, shopping, room service and especially sleeping in! Not waking up to a crying little one is really all I could have hoped for. We indulged, relaxed and reconnected with the part of our souls that miss vacations so much.
Chic, modern and fancy are how I would describe Shinola Hotel and a little bit classy because it has an art gallery. We booked a room called The Den, which was perfect for the two of us (although we were curious about the Attic Suite and Penthouse). At the 3 pm check-in time, we reported to the front desk for our mission of chilling out in full vacation mode.
The rooms are beautiful and spacious, and it was hard to leave so soon, but Parker’s Alley was calling us for some shopping. Fashion boutiques, flower shops, beauty bars (Hello, The Lip Bar!), homeware shops and perfumeries are all in a glamorous line that dented our credit cards more than a few times in just an hour. After our power shop, we discovered Twist, a pretzel vendor with a window in the alleyway. We ordered a decadent snack of hot truffle pretzels and spicy chili margaritas in a takeaway bag with a straw.
Twist Detroit opened last September, and the menu is so tempting. Here it is!
Twist Original Soft Pretzel
with sea salt -OR- cinnamon sugar -OR- sea salt-sesame
$6
Sauces – 1 Included | $1 Each Additional
Beer Cheese, Grain Mustard, Sweet & Sour Mustard, Veggie Cream Cheese
Twist Burger
Caramelized Onions and Boursin Cheese served with Parmesan Fries
$16
Twist Dog (all beef)
Chili, Cheese, and Bacon served with Parmesan fries
$16
Twist Chili
Sharp Cheddar & Sour Cream
$7
Parmesan Fries
$5
Beverages
Hot Chocolate $4
Bottled Water $2.5
To-Go Cocktails
$17 Each
Twist on an Old Fashioned
Old Forester 86 / Michigan Apple Cider / Tiki Bitters / Maraschino Liqueur
Holiday Spritz
3 Star Rum / Aperol / Pomegranate / Vanilla / Grapefruit Bitters / Cava
Coco Honey
Tequila / Coconut Milk / Honey
Beer To-Go
Ask to see our Beer List!
Back in our luxurious cocoon, we noticed everything in the room was for sale, even the clock, cups and speakers.
We ordered Italian from San Morello on Woodward Avenue, which is connected to the hotel. This was a treat because my husband isn’t fond of Italian cuisine. We loved the lemony cabbage and lamb meatball appetizers, black shells puttanesca and New York strip steak. The cheeky bottle of Prosecco perfected the meal.
As a thoughtful staycation bonus, the hotel was also offering three free on-demand movies due to Covid. It turned out to be a challenge as they all seemed very hipster and Sundance-esque. We settled on Parasite, which I’d seen, but Devin hadn’t. It’s a fantastic movie. I confess, in true bad mom’s fashion, we went to sleep as soon as the movie ended. What a great stay so far!
Many hours of blissful sleep later…
When you have kids a sleep in is as good as gold, diamonds or a big bit of Bitcoin. I arose well-rested at 7:15 am, knowing my kids had already climbed all over my hubby and had been messing up the house in a riot of fun for some time.
Gladly, not sadly, I was in The Den ordering room service and soon a breakfast of fresh waffles and chicken sausages with grapefruit juice appeared at the door. After a leisurely breakfast, I showered in the massive bathroom under two shower heads for way longer than usual.
For a weary Covid mama, even the morning routine was a highlight of the trip and worth mentioning. You mamas get it!
Check-out is at a gracious noon, but we hit the road a little earlier to avoid the checkout crowd, which is always a great travel trip but especially valuable during these pandemic times. I can’t wait to return, I am looking into rooms with soaking tubs to increase the level of relaxation needed these days!
We are planning regular staycations to recharge our batteries and are already researching excitedly for the next place we might go. Any ideas? Just drop me a line!
