Dan and I got away this weekend for the first time in 9 years….(gasp!). I know, we’re already kicking ourselves for waiting this long; we had our oldest child 9 years ago, and since then we’ve really not had an overnight getaway. We were so excited, as giddy as two little kids. We had some pretty awesome friends who also have a little boy, and they agreed to have a sleepover with our boys. Off we went on our mini kid-free vacation.
We had reserved our room in advance at the Hilton Promenade on the Branson Landing in Branson, MO. I’d actually reserved it using the HHonors App for the iPhone (also available for Android).
It was so quick and easy, and I could see every little detail right there on my phone. Amenities were listed, pricing, pictures, etc. I could also see that the hotel offered either self-serve parking for $8 or valet parking for $12. We decided, in advance, to go for the valet parking once down there (it would be added to our bill, which was awesome; all tips were also added in, so no need to fret if you don’t have cash on hand).
From the moment we arrived at the hotel, everyone was so friendly, conversational, nice, helpful, and kind. The hotel itself was beautiful, but the service made it even more so. We felt so special, as if we were living in the lap of luxury for the time being. We checked in within 5 minutes of our arrival and headed up to our room. The room included 2 Queen beds and had a large tiled bathroom with glass-enclosed shower AND a tub for soaking. 
Of course, the room also had many lamps (which provided ambient lighting with dimming/brightening knobs), a flat screen tv, large desk area, double door closet, and a view of downtown Branson. I noticed right away how quiet the room was; we couldn’t hear anything once inside our room, and that was fabulous! It made for much relaxation. If you want to see more pictures of our weekend getaway, check out my Intersect story here. Also, here’s a video….
The Hilton Promenade has a large heated pool and hot tub, as well as a fitness center equipped with the latest in fitness machines. Each treadmill had its own mini television, and headphones were provided at the front desk. There was also a business room where you could get online (though paid internet is available in the rooms, as well), along with fax, copy, and printing services. There was an ATM right inside the hotel also.
That evening we decided to go out to eat, so we chose the Level 2 SteakHouse which was right across the street at the Hilton Convention Center. Oh.my.word….the service was again fantastic, the food was fabulous, and we were just loving every second. Our waiter’s name was Kurt, and he was probably one of the best waiters we’ve ever had (no joke). He gave recommendations, conversed with us, and just really made sure that our dinner was everything we could want it to be. We had to laugh a little when he brought out a huge box of steak knives for us to choose from for our steak. The food servings were quite generous, a family-size meal so that we were able to only order one meal and still have leftovers to take with us. 
The atmosphere was very quiet, serene, romantic, quite gorgeous with lovely chandeliers and candle-lit tables. The food was delicious; though the prices were not what we’d normally pay, this was quite the special occasion, so we didn’t mind a bit.
After dark when it had cooled down, we enjoyed a nice, leisurely stroll around the Branson Landing, which is much like a small city with all kinds of shops and restaurants. Of course, there’s the Riverwalk too along Lake Taneycomo. Everything was well-lit, and it was just really romantic and beautiful. There was still quite a crowd out, even so close to closing time, but with summer, more and more people are vacationing and enjoying the warm summer nights on the Landing. We made our way to Starbucks for a late-night treat, and then since we were hungry again (having eaten so early in the evening), we decided to order a pizza from San Francisco Oven (right downstairs in our hotel). Don’t judge….it was both a late night snack and breakfast.:) Since the pizza was room service, the delivery guy brought it right in and set it all up for us (talk about luxury!). It was awesome! He was just talking away to Dan the whole time, while I sheepishly lay in bed in my pajamas browsing on my phone (where I’d been before he came). He asked us how our day had been and stayed for a couple minutes, then left us to enjoy our pizza.
All in all, we had a fabulous stay. We checked out this morning in all of 2 seconds over the phone, called down for our car, and loaded up. It was bittersweet because we were sad to be leaving, but we were also excited to get back to our boys. Thank you so much, Hilton Promenade, for making this such a sweet memory for my husband and I. We’ve both decided that this is going to be an annual tradition, just getting away the two of us overnight (maybe even 2 nights). We also decided while alone and able to just focus on each other, that date nights are a much needed thing….so it’s something I may be writing about in the future, sharing different ideas on how even you, my readers, can have a romantic date night with your loved one.
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(Disclosure: This hotel stay was part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias (http://collectivebias.com). Thank you so much, CB, for making this possible. All views/opinions remain solely my own and those of my husband’s. We are so grateful for this opportunity to get away together and just enjoy each other.)
