Cody and I went on a Halloween getaway which is something we were super stoked about! We have never done that before in the 13 years we’ve been together. Autumn is our most favorite time of the entire year. One of the reasons being that we started our relationship the very first week of fall in 2011 as two teenagers in high school. You can call us high school sweethearts for sure! Aside from this time of the year being special because of that specific reason, we just adore the autumnal season in all aspects. We are film fanatics so horror movies were definitely on repeat for the past two months. We’re coffee addicts, especially when there is pumpkin pie spice, s’mores, apple crisp, cinnamon French toast, or maple pecan added into it. We like hot and we like it iced even more if the weather is permitting. We admire nature and the foliage NEPA has to offer us. We adore fresh farmers markets along with cute and cozy pumpkin patches. We like adventuring into seasonal shops, stores, and boutiques to buy unique trinkets, or grocery items to try. Most of all, we love visiting The Hotel Hershey, which we’ve been aiming to make a tradition around this time every year regardless if we go for one day, or a few nights. We make the absolute most of the sites we love most! Therefore, we made the best of this unforgettable Villa vacation, so I wanted to take you all on look into our journey throughout our two night stay.
Come stay awhile, while I show you what we experienced during our stay in The Villas at the sweetest place on earth.
Let’s check in!
First thing was first! We had to check out the concierge lounge!
If you know me, you know I love luxury and feeling special, especially when you know you deserve to be wrapped in wonderfulness! When you check in as a guest in The Villas you are entitled to all of the amenities that a regular Hotel Hershey guest would have of course, AND much more! They really go above and beyond to make you feel like you never want to check out. Even weeks later, I’m still picturing myself walking around the grounds, trotting next to nature in the gardens, grabbing snacks from the lounge on my way back to our elite room, and dining in the most incredible fine dining restaurant in the Hotel. Then sadly, I have to snap myself back into reality! Aside from all that the hotel has to offer to an everyday guest, when you stay at The Villas you get endless access to the lounge from 7am-10pm. The day starts with a bountiful continental breakfast buffet filled with breads, bagels, pastries, granola, yogurt, and so many different kinds of fruits. There is truly something for everyone to begin their day with. From the very start, until the very end of the day you have the ability to snack and drink as much as your heart desires. Infused spa water with citrus, cucumber, and mint, soft drinks, tea, coffee, cookies, candy, nuts, and chips of all different crunch levels. In the evening, you are inclined to help yourself to the most astonishing appetizer buffet filled with cold food to kick off a noteworthy night out. Everything from fresh vegetables, to charcuterie items, and delectable dips to dive into. It was just perfect and without a doubt, my favorite part of the concierge lounge.
Let me show you just how immaculate this appetizer buffet really was!
I mean the colors alone make you want to dig right in!
- Cody went for the fresh pineapple and strawberries, hot capicola, all of the cheeses they had to offer since we are most definitely cheese people, and finished with some carrots & bell peppers.
- If you know me, you know I am not a picky eater and I LOVE variety, so I sampled a bit of everything they had on display. All the vegetables since I enjoy eating the rainbow, all of the meats, cheeses, and crackers! You know I had to try their ranch and hummus for dipping as well. A little sweet treat never heard either, especially since I truly believe that cheese and chocolate will always be a match made in heaven.
Time for dessert!
After the appetizers and cold food have been served, they clean all of that up for the night and end with the sweet stuff. Cookies with all of the greatest combinations, your favorite candy bars, plus homemade pastries. Let me just say the cookies were so nostalgic for me! If you used to visit Chocolate World in the early 2000’s, you know that there was a cookie counter as soon as you got off the chocolate tour ride. Their cookies were the actual size of a human head, but they were the most delicious sweet treat you’ll ever taste in your whole life. Unless, perhaps I just loved them so much considering all of the memories that followed indulging in that cookie. Every single visit without a doubt I would order a white chocolate peanut butter cup cookie. It was the ultimate cookie eating experience. This cookie was not exactly the same since it had chopped up peanuts inside along with milk chocolate chips, but it was dang near close enough to send me back in time!
Let me walk you through our Villa!
The first thing I do when I step into my room on vacation is to do a little set and refresh! I want to live in a life of luxury for however long I am staying. That requires having everything in a proper place and setting up stations around the room for certain occasions: such as this beverage bar and snack station we have arranged right below where the TV is located. The refrigerator is right underneath along with drawers for storage. Hence: the perfect place for this specific set up!
Let’s make our way into the bathroom! I love having all of my body and skincare in front of me whenever I need it in that moment, so I set up an area for my hair care and oral care. I also couldn’t get over the fact that there was a huge beautiful bathtub for me to take a nice, hot soak in. I also can’t leave out the fact that there was a TV inside of our bathroom, as well as our actual room with the fireplace across from the bed. The shower was a rain shower, which I’ve never experienced before! It was indeed lovely, as I thought it would be.
Let’s find our way to The Fitness Center.
I am really into wellness and fitness, especially after an almost 100 pound weight loss over the past year 1/2. I very much enjoy moving my body every single morning in some sort of aspect, even if it’s a yoga flow, or just cleaning on the weekends. However, I make sure to do at least a 30 minute weighted workout five days a week. When I got myself awake and in my workout clothes on the first full day of our stay, I made my way over to the Hotel gym. They have a very immaculately clean facility and have all of the equipment you could ever need to do an intense or not so intense full body workout. On this day, I focused on legs and cardio. This little area I have pictured with the free weights, kettlebells, medicine balls, and other useful strength training tools is my favorite space inside of the fitness center. I got all of my squats, lunges, RDL’s, and swings done right in this area. I finished my workout off on one of their bikes where it looked as though I was riding through Costa Rica. I then ended off my stay at the gym with a refreshing glass of citrus water and an ice cold towel infused with eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils. I mean if that isn’t an impeccable way to kick off a day at the Hotel Hershey I don’t know what is!
An espresso on the porch!
After a relaxing rain shower, I cozied up in my complimentary robe and took my espresso outside, while I let my skin care soak into my face from the magnificent morning sunlight. If you are a morning person and a coffee lover, but you’ve never experienced a moment of peace like this, you must. Do yourself a favor, and schedule it in your calendar!
A cute and cozy fall vibe for a very special day of activities!
Everyone who knows me personally, and I’m sure even if you’ve been a Diamond for some time.. you know I love to get glam. You know I am such a fashion girly and am always on theme for everything! If I’m not, call the fashion police! Lol. No but seriously, it’s always been one of my passions. For this outfit; I wanted to give off “Hotel Hershey chic”. I wanted my outfit to feel like fall, while also showing my love for the hotel.
So, What was I wearing?!
- A brown sequin green leaf graphic tee from J.Crew.
- A green Hershey gardens zip-up hoodie with white embroidering and a red rose above the heart.
- A beige Hotel Hershey scarf with blue and tan accents of lettering and the outline of the shape of what the actual hotel looks like from the outside.
- A cream colored sweater maxi skirt from American Eagle.
- Red sweater boot socks from J.Crew.
- Black Lowmel Ugg sneakers.
- To finish off the outfit, I have a bedazzled wicked emerald city bow from Ulta Beauty, along with a red lip.
The breakfast buffet at The Circular:
My favorite meal is breakfast. Without a doubt, without question, it’s breakfast until the day I die. I definitely got that from my father since he loves it as much as I do. We could devour its deliciousness at any time of the day, even dinner! A buffet was always such a nostalgic love of mine because it reminds me of going out to eat as a kid since buffets were huge years ago. Therefore, nothing makes me happier than a big buffet full of breakfast goodies. I always need to try a little of everything, even if I’m not going to finish it. Here we have all of the breakfast meats and an English muffin with cream cheese topped with orange marmalade. If you have never had an English muffin with cream cheese you MUST! It’s wonderful and just down right glorious with a little sweetness from the jam on top. I do not do this when I normally make pancakes, however, whenever I attend the Circular for breakfast I always need to top my pancake with brown sugar. Butter comes naturally next to the sugar. Their chocolate chip banana bread is so moist that it’s actually unbelievable! Breakfast potatoes are a no brainer. Then, they have these little egg squares filled with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese. A tangy cheese in eggs is delightful! To drink, of course I have the holy trinity. Water for hydration, apple juice for fun, and coffee for energy. Not pictured is an extremely cheesy vegetable omelet.
The Formal Gardens:
If you’ve never visited The Hotel Hershey you wouldn’t know how large the grounds around the hotel actually are. When you exit the back doors, this is the beautiful view that you’re blessed with. There are trails and brown stone walkways to trot around the fountains on, which I love to do with a coffee in hand from The Chef’s Market. After breakfast we took a walk, soaked in the sunlight, and felt the cool crisp fall air on our faces while we let our food digest.
A stop at The Chef’s Market before making our way over to Hershey Gardens:
This little cafe is right in the main lobby of the hotel and it has everything you need regarding breakfast, lunch, snacks, refreshments, a coffee fix, and of course, a sweet treat. Their goodies are huge, super shareable, and insanely delicious. Since we already had breakfast, I just wanted to stop in to order a butterscotch pumpkin cheesecake frappe. Yes, it sounds like a lot, but I promise you it was phenomenal! I am definitely one of those coffee girls that is always concocting a new flavor combination. Actually, if you think of the butterscotch as a caramel substitute which is basically what I did, it’s totally sane!
Window shopping before heading out for the afternoon:
If you know me you know these jeans were screaming at me to take them home, but I didn’t pull the trigger. However, I am going back this weekend for a spa day with my family, so we’ll see, we’ll see! Anything can happen. I love them so much and I feel like I need to see this pretty pair hanging in my closet.
We made it to the Hershey Gardens!
Admissions to the gardens comes complimentary when you stay even one night at The Hotel and of course, that includes The Villas. We were lucky enough to catch the last glimpse of their pumpkin palooza. The Shining pumpkin was my absolute favorite, Such talent!
We walked along the Japanese and rock garden. Then, we finished off pretending to be kids in the children’s garden.
The pumpkin tree is the last thing you pass once you’ve traveled through acres and acres of plants, greenery, and history.
The Butterfly Atrium!
If you’ve never experienced being inside of a Butterfly atrium, you honestly have to. It is a magical and surreal experience. It is a hot and humid experience for sure, nevertheless a worth it experience! It’s usually crowded inside, but lucky for us we were the only two in there on this day, at this very moment. One of the intelligent Hershey Gardens employees brought out a really neat giant, bright green bug to interact with. Coming from someone who’s always been fearful of insects, I can tell you that I actually loved this acquaintance. It felt like a once in a life time experience and I’m all for putting myself in situations like that.
Dressed up for dinner at The Circular!
After a day with lots of walking, taking in serene sights and shopping, it is time to have a fantastic dining experience!
Our fabulous four course autumnal meal
- The bread service is a no brainer. It’s not even a question! The rolls are so soft and pillowy. The lavash was crispy, crunchy, and satisfying. The butter, oh gosh! The butter was a whipped brown butter topped with flakey salt and a dusting of cocoa powder. It was insanity in the best way possible. From a true foodie- what a great way to kick off the meal!
- We continued with the Pennsylvania farmstead cheese plate as our second course. Cody also had a bowl of lobster bisque that I did however try. Unfortunately, I did not get content of its gloriousness. Fortunately, the flavor was unmatched! Lobster bisque will forever be one of my all time favorite soups. Even if you’re not into seafood you have to give it a whirl. It will not disappoint.
- The main entrees: I had roasted chicken that was served with house made chicken sausage, fall farro with dried cranberries and sweet potatoes, baked Brussels, and au jus. Cody had Gochujang pork medallions served with pork belly, white rice, and bok choy. Garnished with leeks, kimchi, and a finishing sauce.
- For the final course we received complimentary chocolate covered strawberries since they knew we were celebrating an occasion, and they finish off every service with sea salt caramels.
Gazing out on to this sunset was the icing on the cake during our time dining at the Circular.
I mean what a view! Nights spent away sure don’t get better than this!
There’s nothing better than bathing in a big beautiful tub on vacation when the night turns dark! All that’s needed is a book and a movie playing in the background. Yes Diamonds, I can in fact read and watch a movie! Books and films are two of life’s most cherished luxuries.
We ended the night by going to the s’mores roast on the patio at the lounge.
We have come to our very last day in the Villa.
It is the morning of checkout day on Halloween, so I began the day by taking a very early morning jog along the Villa and sports complex sidewalks to take in the stunning sights one last time. The weather was perfect, so all I needed was a hoodie to cover up with and I was set! When I got back to the room I made sure I was all packed up and ready to go.
But first: Let’s head to the spa for a caramel kiss pedicure to finish off our visit with!
I soaked in every single minute while I was up at the spa. I had some coconut mango infused water, relaxed during my pedicure, got a lot of good reading in, sipped on half cocoa-half coffee (always a staple while I’m there) and let my toes dry while almost falling asleep in the aromatherapy room. I made my way back to the room after getting changed out of my unforgettable yellow robe and helped Cody check out of 4023!
THE HERSHEY PANTRY!
It is finally time for some brunch!
The best meal in the whole entire world. I love a little combination of breakfast and lunch, especially when it’s at the prettiest pantry ever! You’ll never believe me when I tell you Diamonds that I’ve been raving about how I wanted to come to this establishment for the past two years and have never gone until now. I know, UNREAL for how much I visit Hershey and how many times a year I check into the chocolate spa. It was a special occasion since we were on vacation and celebrating Halloween, so we figured what better time than right now before we head on home? I’ll tell you what though! If you ever come here, just prepare yourself for the biggest decision making process of your life because the menu is pure magic! I literally wanted to order every single item and take bits and bites of everything. It was all sounding so lovely!
A Peanut Butter S’mores Cold Brew!
First things first, coffee! Not just any coffee. The most impeccable mouth watering iced coffee I ever had out at a restaurant in my life. I can proudly state that for certainty! They had so many different beverages to choose from since they had an entire menu dedicated to drinks. However, it was a pretty quick choice for me when I thought of carrying the s’mores theme along since we indulged in some s’mores at the roast the night before. The peanut butter was actually an addition done by yours truly, and it was simply the best drink decision I ever made. The waitress even said that “your coffee smells and looks so good that just we might have to add the peanut butter in as a permanent item on the menu!”
The Everything Bagel Benedict!
This dish was a special of the day and it had my name written ALL over it. It was basically an open-faced bagel sandwich completely leveled up and dripping with hollandaise sauce! The top of the bagel was smothered with scallion green cheese, layered with bacon, marinated tomatoes, and finished with a poached egg. Chives to garnish and home fries because DUH! Cody got his usual steak and eggs, except with a twist! Steak and eggs Benedict over a huge hash brown! It looked awesome and he was happy with it! A side of scrapple completed our meal and that concludes our Villa vacation during our favorite season.
Deepfrieddiamonds 
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