Days like yesterday simultaneously make me incredibly happy and also rather sad. Being surrounded by three of my very best girlfriends – three friends I’ve had since second and third grade – means that I’m laughing non-stop but also struggling a bit with the lingering feeling in the back of my mind that our time together is fleeting and I won’t have another weekend like this for months.
Oh how I wish we all lived within walking distance of each other again!
From the moment I picked Carrie, Michaela and Leah up at the airport on Friday night, we picked up right where we left off and our little foursome fell right back into our familiar groove.
On Friday evening, I picked them up at the Tampa airport a little after 10 p.m. and after nearly an hour drive, we arrived at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota where we’re staying through Tuesday morning.
Leah found the hotel online and right when I saw pictures I immediately recognized it as the place where everyone stayed for Merri and Pete’s wedding last October. (Ryan and I stayed with my in-laws.) The location is perfect – walkable to downtown Sarasota and lots of shops and restaurants – and our view is beautiful. We actually saw a manatee right outside our window this morning!
The four of us are sharing one room and spent the first day of our four-day trip lounging at the hotel pool with mojitos and magazines. The pool is gorgeous (zero-entry!) with a waterfall, bar, poolside food service and comfortable lounging chairs.
And I’ll never complain about complimentary freezer pops!
Before pool time, we walked to The Toasted Mango, a local restaurant I’ve visited once before with Ryan, his dad and his dad’s girlfriend.
Coffee cheers!
I ordered a veggie omelet with peppers, onions, broccoli and cheese with a side of the fresh fruit and a lightly buttered English muffin. It started the day off on the right note!
After brunch, we walked back to the hotel to hang out by the pool and soak up the sun before it was time to shower and get ready for a night out. Getting ready with my girlfriends took me right back to high school and random vacations we’ve had with each other over the past few years. We popped open a bottle of wine, did our hair and makeup and had fun just enjoying each other!
After asking the hotel concierge whether or not there was a Mexican restaurant within walking distance of our hotel, we were directed to Two Senoritas for dinner and sangria.
The food was good but not overly impressive. (I ordered the portabella fajitas.) The company was better! We ended up lingering at our table and sipping our sangria for a few hours which was perfect.
Around 11 p.m., we started the walk back to our hotel and chose a route along the water.
It was a gorgeous night with a slight breeze and once we got back to our hotel, we sipped on some more wine and enjoyed just being together until it was bedtime. It was the perfect kickoff to our time together!
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I immediately thought of the movie Bridesmaids when I saw you went for Mexican food….not a good outcome! Hope you’re having a blast today!
Sounds like fun! Enjoy the rest of your time together! 🙂
Looks like you had a great time! I’m currently in college and living with some of my best friends and I can imagine how much I’m going to miss getting ready with them for nights out. It’s something I take for granted way too often- I need to savor these moments!
All of you look gorgeous! Have a great Sunday 🙂
Time with friends is the best! I love that huge sailor statue. So adorable!!
1) Everything sounds like so much fun!
2) Why don’t all pools offer free freezer pops?!
I don’t know but they should!!
Freezer pops are the best!! That definitely takes me back to my childhood…and college 😉
That is too funny, I was just there last night and I’ll be at that hotel tonight too! Can’t wait to sit by the pool. 🙂
Looks like you’re having a great time so far!
I love this post!! I am from Sarasota and live in Ohio now….memories!! Thank goodness I get to fix my craving for Florida end of this month with a visit to my moms. Enjoy your girls…and Sarasota!
my girl friends and i have been thinking of doing a girl’s weekend for the longest time now! a weekend getaway at a nearby town sounds perfect!!
I could go for a freezer pop right about now!
Looks like so much fun!! I felt the EXACT SAME WAY you described in the first paragraph, when I saw my best high school friend a while ago – it’s bittersweet! Enjoy every moment! 🙂
Girls weekends are the best!
One of the girls in our group moved to Miami last summer, and another is moving to Raleigh, NC this summer. The rest of us are still in Chicago. Aw, makes me sad, but at least we can go on fun trips to visit each other.
Sounds like such a fun girls weekend! I have taken a picture with that sailor statue too, it is hard to miss when you are driving by!
Aww…looks like you had such a fun time. Girls weekends are the best! I also like going on vacation with my GBF (gay best friend). It’s just like a girls weekend!
Sounds like fun! Love the freeze pops at the pool : )
Sounds like so much fun! I know that feeling well, I have it every time I get together with my college friends too!
What a fun weekend! Few things are better than girls weekends 🙂
Sounds like you had a blast! Awesome that you have those close knit girl friends, even if it is few and far between that you get to see them! I’m missing those ties now that we are all grown and scattered about.
Huge Sarasota, fan! Have you been to Longboat Key? LOVE!
Only three sangrias for four people? looks suspicious!!! 🙂
Aww so fun!!! Oh my stars, that resort and the water and the pool and everything has me seriously wishing I lived closer to something like that! Have so much fun with your girlfriends!! Such special memories!!
What does “zero entry” mean?
I was just going to ask the same question! 🙂
I think it’s where you can just walk into the pool gradually, instead of going down steps. Like here: http://destinwestproperties.com/Amenities/prop9312_51442.jpg
Ah, I love Sarasota! My family has a house down there, it’s the perfect vacation spot! You should go shopping at St Armands Circle!
So excited that you went to Sarasota over the weekend. I grew up in Sarasota/Bradenton. Seeing your pics really brought me back. Hope the rest of the weekend was a blast!
My hometown! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I was in town this weekend as well, and am actually moving back there next weekend! Wasn’t the weather perfect?!
If you guys ever come back and need any recommendations of where to go, let me know!
I’m jealous and in desperate need of a girls weekend, now!
Looks like a wonderful time! I would pick the red/orange Ditty Tote! They are all so cute!
With 3 of my best friends from my sorority graduating in May I”ve been really sad about the changes to come. All of your blog posts of get-togethers with your sorority sisters and like this one from school shows me that we can all still meet up and have a great time together as we all go our separate ways. It won’t be as often as we like or are used to now, but it’s possible!
This makes me want to plan a getaway with my girlfriends – seriously, so fun!!!
Have fun with your friends! This looks like such a blast!
I can’t wait for summer and freezer pops!!
I love the seashell mesh bag. Are any bags waterproof? They should consider it if not – hate to get my phone & magazines wet at the beach.
I will be visiting Sarasota in June. I would love to have a beach bag to carry to Lido Beach and all around the circle. Sounds like lots of fun. Can’t wait!
Eek! That manatee spotting is so neat! Looks like a great weekend. I hope the rest of your time in Sarasota was just as fun!
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How fun. It looks like you had a blast! 🙂