As soon as we landed at GEG (Spokane) Airport, we could see all the snow on the ground! They had a winter storm warning in this area for the night we arrived.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn near Spokane Airport the first night so we did not have to drive to Idaho too late. Luckily, we had an AWD SUV rental for the icy roads!
The next morning, we drove to the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho!
The CDA was decorated so nicely for the holidays! Masks were NOT required in Idaho! We loved it!
The CDA has a really nice aquarium with Koi.
This amazing resort has outdoor igloos also by the lake!
The igloos are heated too!
After we checked in, it was time for lunch! Dockside at the resort has amazing desserts!
Our view of the lake from the table was amazing!
The menu is on an ipad at Dockside.
It is hard to resist ordering dessert after seeing that display! This cake was huge like all their desserts!
We got a nice view of the lake as we headed to our room. It was really cold however!
This was our overpriced room which varied from $469 to $269 per night. $469 was on the night of New Year's Eve.
The room was cold at first since someone forgot to turn the heat on. :(
The resort is so cool during the winter with all the lights!
I looked like Bond after I got dressed in my tuxedo for the Diamond Soiree NYE Party at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. We posed again in the lobby. The six course menu is displayed here too.
This was us posing near the water fountain with the musicial duo playing as the partygoers were arriving.
This was my setting at the table.
Joy and I are seated at our table. We had a couple older couple sit at our table too. They were super nice!
The party was pretty large. It was a black tie event too!
Here is our official photo booth picture from that evening at the party!
The first course was a trio of appetizers that included shrimp cocktail, a sweet and savory dill macaron with smoked salmon, and roasted beets.
Our third course after the salad course was a duck consome with wild morel mushrooms.
The intermezzo was a sorbet course to cleanse our pallets.
Our entree was filet de boeuf with lobster medallions.
The sixth course was a trio of desserts with a cookie too!
We went outside for the first fireworks show which was at 9:00 PM. Here is one of the many Holiday Lights at the Coeur d'Alene.
The place is so lit up during the holidays!
The first fireworks show was OK, but we looked forward to the second one at midnight.
They gave us our party favors after the first fireworks show.
I got a bourbon cocktail before the musicial comedy show.
Joy and I are posing by the fountain again. I had to change my pants. Those are not my original tuxedo pants. Long story. LOL.
The musical comedy show was cool!
The second fireworks show at midnight was really cool!
This is the main tower at the resort.
The next morning, I had my Huckleberry Americano in one of the heated igloos by the lake.
I reflected on the past year and had hopes of a better 2021 that was free of Covid!
Idaho is so awesome! It is Trump Country! The sushi place we went to for lunch had this flyer to invite people to the Stop The Steal Rally!
The sushi was pretty good for being inland! LOL.
I had a massage after lunch at the resort spa. There were so busy that I could only get a 25 minute appointment.
The relaxation room was great before the massage! I loved how the resort did not have any mask mandates!
The view from the relaxation room of the lake was so relaxing!
I am drinking my water after the massage back in the relaxation room.
Here's to the view and the good life!
The spa was really relaxing with all the waterfalls.
This is another part of the spa with a Christmas tree.
The waterfall from the ceiling at the spa was super neat!
Joy and I went for a hike on Tubbs Hill by the resort after my massage.
The snow made for some great snowballs, but I did not hit my wife with them since it would hurt.
Here is a picture of Joy and I by the lake.
Joy wanted to pose with Mudgy the Moose!
Joy is enjoying
Vault Coffee House after our hike!
This was an amazing latte that I had at Vault Coffee House. I loved how we could sit without masks inside a cafe unlike California!
We went to dinner at the floating Cedar's Restaurant which was not at the resort, but it was a part of the resort.
My wife is looking stunning as we sit at our table and enjoy INDOOR dining. If you can not tell, I am very bitter at the idiot Gov Newsom of California for shutting down indoor dining during this time!
The signature dessert was the mud pie! It was not good. JUST KIDDING!
The resort had complimentary shuttles to take us to and from the Cedars Restaurant. The vans were really nice!
Masks were not required in the shuttle either! I love Idaho!
We had to collect our nightly milk and cookies at the lobby since they only have the "Elves" deliver them for guests with children.
I loved my huckleberry pancakes the next morning at Dockside.
I love how the restaurants were at full capacity at the resort too!
Movie Theaters were open in Idaho! We saw Wonder Woman 1984 after brunch at the resort! No masks were required here also.
To ring in the New Year, Joy and I decided to go to the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort in the panhandle of Northern Idaho! California was shut down by the idiot liberal Governor Newsom so there was nothing to do during the holidays and New Year's Eve in the state. Joy and I booked this trip before Newsom's illegal shutdown orders that were in effect around the beginning of December. We did have to fly out of Oakland International Airport since the direct flight options were better to Spokane from there. Coeur d'Alene is very close to Spokane. My company gave us the whole week off between Christmas Eve and New Year's weekend so I did not have to take any of my abundant PTO for this trip either!
After we arrived in Spokane, we saw that they were in a winter storm warning. I estimated between six to eight inches of snow on the ground as we landed at GEG. Once we got our luggage and our AWD SUV, we drove to the Hampton Inn by the airport in Spokane to spend the night. We drove on some pretty snow covered roads to get to the hotel. I enjoyed watching the snow plow late at night at the hotel clear the parking lot. LOL. That is what happens when one lives in California too long!
I was worried that Washington was going to be super strict on the Covid rules and masks. Although dine in was shut down in Washington like California, the hotel did not care if we masked or not. They also served a hot breakfast unlike other west coast Hampton Inn. We also got our snacks for my Diamond status. The guy working at breakfast said he was against all the stupid mask and Covid rules. The hotel pool was open, but the gym was closed.
We left for Coeur d'Alene, Idaho after I got my Starbucks. The roads were wet, but it was not a problem with the AWD. The snow stopped too. After arriving at the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort, the valet took the SUV, and our bellman got the luggage. We were able to check in pretty early. I loved how the property had no mask mandates! In fact, they had a disclaimer on the reservations email that warned maskers from harrasing anti-maskers basically! We checked in and experienced the warm and friendly service that the resort is known for. For lunch, we enjoyed a delicious meal at Dockside which had great views of the lake.
That night, we attended the annual Diamond Soiree NYE Party at the resort. The black tie affair had a six course dinner, musical comedy show, two fireworks shows, and a champagne toast! The party admission was included in our $469 room rate for that night. As we headed down to the party, I was playing the usual "Bond vs Oakenfold" that I play on my iPhone when I wear my tuxedo! LOL. I love to pretend that I am Bond, James Bond 007! The food was great, and we enjoyed the company of the other couple at our table. They were older, but like most of the guests they had money also. The musical comedy show was fun. Joy and I loved the food too! The resort was pretty packed for NYE!
On New Year's Day, I enjoyed the signature Huckleberry Americano from the lobby cafe. Afterwards, we had some delicious sushi in downtown Coeur d'Alene. My massage was right after lunch. The spa at the Coeur d'Alene was super nice, and the massage therapist did a great job! I loved how there were no mask mandates there too! In California, I had to wear a mask the last two times I was at my Massage Envy, which closed down again temporarily due to Newsom's dumb orders.
We checked out the world's longest floating boardwalk at the resort after my massage. That was really cool to take in the views of the lake up close too. Then, Joy and I enjoyed a hike on Tubb's Hill which overlooks the resort and the lake. The path was icy, but we had our snowboots since we took our snowshoe bag with us. Joy and I loved the views of the lake on our hike. The people in Idaho are so much nicer than California. People will stop and say hi and just be normal human beings instead of stuck up liberal pricks! We enjoyed a nice treat at Vault Coffee House in downtown after our hike!
Our second night package included a cruise to the "North Pole." Joy and I wore festive Santa and Elf hats as we took the cruise out to the other side of the lake to see "Santa's Workshop." They even had a cool Christmas tree lighting and fireworks during the cruise! What I thought was super cool was that they named all the kids on the cruise as "nice" for next year! That was a cool touch! The adults got access to a full bar!
For dinner, one of the resort shuttles took us to Cedars Floating Restaurant. This restaurant was off site, and it was on the Spokane River. The fine dining establishment is the top restaurant in the area. I loved my sea bass as well as the signature mudpie!
The next day, we enjoyed a delicious brunch at Dockside after my time in the jacuzzi and a nice workout. The huckleberry pancakes were calling me! We went to see an actual movie after brunch. Theaters were open in Idaho! No masks were required also! We saw Wonder Woman 1984. After a nice Chinese dinner in Coeur d'Alene, we drove back to Spokane to spend the night since our flight back was super early on Sunday!
Happy New Year! I hope 2021 will be free of the Covid madness of 2020! I will also miss President Trump! He helped my wife and I a lot, and we made a lot of money with the booming markets!