Since the next few trips we take will involve me working – a lot – I decided to take my husband on a sort of impromptu getaway this past weekend. And I mean getaway. No computers, minimal phones, just occasional social media talking about the cool stuff we were going to do, that’s it. And boy, did we ever succeed! I think we set a new bar for awesome weekends!
I found the Chalet of Canandaigua through the How About We program – you may have heard me rave about their deals for couples previously – and honestly, up until the great offer they posted, I’d only peripherally heard about New York’s lovely Finger Lakes region. I have a friend at the office who’s from the area and a friend from the track team back in the day who’s from nearby Rochester, but other than that, I couldn’t have told you anything about the area. I couldn’t have told you about the stunningly beautiful landscapes, the pristine lakes, the delicious dining, the wonderful recreation, the shopping, and all the other things I discovered. Seriously, we loved the region so much, that before we left, the hubs was on Zillow looking at property values. Once we renovate and sell the Hawaii townhouse, I think we’re going to seriously be looking for a vacation home at Canandaigua!
But let’s start with the Chalet itself. Owned and operated by Margaret and Pattie who greet you at the door like family coming to visit, it’s nestled in the woods just outside the town of Canandaigua, within easy distance of the lake itself, multiple wineries, and all the amenities but far enough away that when you nestle in to sleep, all you hear is the sounds of the wildlife and the surrounding wood. Let me show you a few pictures.
The lovely Lee Suite, where we stayed
I. Want. This. Tub.
Our welcome basket, filled with delicious local products
Scott’s made himself at home
The back porch, where we spent a good amount of time chilling out with a nice glass of local wine and having our meals
The nearby pond at dusk
Before I go far afield, let’s talk about the food. When we were getting settled, Pattie said they were all about food, and they weren’t joking! Seriously, if they don’t publish a Chalet cookbook soon, I’m going to have to go back there and make them do it! The food was amazing. Not only was it brilliant from a gourmet standpoint, from presentation to preparation, but it was prepared from the freshest of local produce and using products from local businesses in the area. Here’s a sampling of what we tried – and if I could have taken this kitchen with me, I would have!
The beautiful Chalet kitchen
Eggs benedict on local grain bread with sweet potato medallions
Beef medallions in bearnaise sauce with local vegetables
Bananas foster waffles and (to DIE for) maple bacon
Seriously, this food is as delicious as it is beautiful! It’s a good incentive for me to work on my food photography – I’m trying to bribe them into making a Chalet cookbook and to let me take photos! I think it would be a wonderful souvenir for them to sell. Try their wonderful food, buy the recipes, get the pictures as a memory, and make a few things at home – with the local products from their partner businesses that you buy in town! Or maybe just an excuse for me to buy the book and go buy the local products 
We didn’t just eat while we were out at Canandaigua. We did do some hiking in the nearby woods, some serious wine tasting, a lot of shopping, and touring of the local area – and I’ll admit that included the New York Wine and Culinary Institute, an offshoot of the Culinary Institute of America. We also managed to fit in a balloon tour of the area!
Canandaigua waterfront
Dinner at the Culinary Institute
Date night – heading out for the Culinary Institute
Wine tasting
Lunch at Bristol Harbour – and a husband photobomb
Bristol Harbour
Turns out we inadvertently crashed a wedding out at Bristol Harbour
We tasted {a lot of} really good wine
There were baby foxes at the Chalet – we saw these kits twice when we came back
We rode the Remax balloon
Saying cheese from the basket
Annnd…we’re floating!
Yeah, we’re really up there!
An amazing view from the balloon
I’m still going through all the other photos we took for good hiking photos and other photos to edit and post in my portfolio, but I’ve also got a number of photos in there of architecture we love {we’re saving ideas for our forever house} and slowly I’m seeing properties for sale creeping into the photo albums, too. I seriously think this is an area we would love to come back to, and if nothing else, we’re definitely planning a return visit to the lake itself, Liberty Balloon Company, Heron Hill and Hazlitt’s Red Cat Wineries, the Wine and Culinary Center, and the Chalet of Canandaigua.
Even though we had a marvelous time and discovered an area that we both love, I think the most important thing Scott and I discovered during this trip was that we need that time together, not just time working in the same home office, not just time where we’re doing our daily stuff, but real quality time. That is, after all, a primary love language for both of us 
