Direct flights from Sacramento to Boise were still not available in February of 2021 due to the pandemic so we had to transit through Las Vegas. My cappucino had a heart in the foam! Wow!
Our landing into Boise was tricky since it was white out conditions due to the snow. The airport was closed in the morning, and we were on the first flights to land that day around noon.
Boise was under a winter storm warning as we landed.
We rented a Jeep 4X4 for the rental for the crazy driving conditions.
We stayed in Twin Falls, ID the first night. This is a view of Shoshone Falls, which at its peak is known as the "Niagara of the west."
We enjoyed Valentine's Eve Dinner at Idaho Joes, serving up comfort foods including homebaked pies!
This year, we stayed at the Sun Valley Inn at the Sun Valley Resort.
I got some coffee from the Keurig in the room here to warm up.
Joy is posing by the clock tower at the inn.
The Sun Valley Inn is modeled after an Austrian Ski Village.
The luxury king room at the Inn has a coffee bar upon entry.
The luxury king room at the Sun Valley Inn usually goes for around $475-500 per night. Due to the pandemic, we paid a little less, but it was still pricey.
The marble bath was very classy.
The Sun Valley Inn had luxury shuttles to take us around the resort.
The rear seat warmers are a plus in the winter out in Sun Valley!
We are heading out to the Sun Valley Club for lunch in the shuttle. Masks are not needed in Idaho!
I love the views from the dining room at the Sun Valley Club.
The signature fresh baked cookie with ice cream and caramel sauce is a great way to finish lunch at the Sun Valley Club.
We needed that cookie to fuel up for some nordic skiing afterwards.
The nordic trails at the Sun Valley Resort are groomed well, and the views are amazing!
The SUV shuttle arrived promptly after our apres ski drink at the Sun Valley Club to take us back to the Sun Valley Inn.
There was a horse drawn sleigh outside the inn when we arrived.
The view of Mt. Baldy from the pool at the Sun Valley Inn was amazing at night.
Joy and I are by the fireplace in the lobby before dinner at the Ram which is located at the Sun Valley Inn also.
Prior to dinner, I enjoyed an Elijah Craig 18 year bourbon at the Ram Bar. This was $50, but it was super smooth!
Cheers!
For dinner, I went with the sea bass. It was served on a bed of forbidden rice.
The Ram had complimentary chocolate dipped strawberries for everyone since it was Valentine's Day. How Sweet!
We got the bread budding for dessert.
The Sun Valley Resort is all lit up nicely in winter!
I had a pool reservation the next morning at 8:00 AM.
I am enjoying the 100 degree water!
The coolest thing was that there were flurries falling down on me in the heated pool!
We had breakfast at Konditorei which is in the Sun Valley Village.
The coffee is amazing at this Austrian pastry shop.
I got the Nutella crepes.
We did some snowshoeing after breakfast.
The snowshoe trails at the nordic center are really scenic too.
The snow was coming down pretty heavy when we were wrapping up our snowshoeing.
For lunch, we went to Gretchen's at the Sun Valley Lodge.
The signature dish is the elk chili.
Celebrities love Sun Valley. Here is a picture of HH King Abdullah II and the Queen of Jordan.
The snow sculpture outside the Lodge is the same every year usually. That is the sun logo of Sun Valley.
For dinner, we went to Chandler's in Boise that night.
Cheers! I am having my Manhattan.
Joy enjoyed her mocktail.
The oysters were delicious! Chandler's flies them in daily.
I did surf and turf by adding a diver scallop to my filet mignon. The chimichurri sauce is the way to go.
The chocolate souffle cake had to be ordered thirty minutes in advance. The Grand Marnier chantilly cream goes inside the gooey mixture.
Valentine's Day was
in the middle of President's Day weekend in 2021! My wife and I
decide to keep our tradition going and head to Sun Valley, ID for our
usual trip during this time of year. Sun Valley is our winter
"happy place" so Joy and I look forward to this year every year to kick
off our year. We had to fly through Las Vegas again since direct
flights were still on available from Sacramento to Boise on
Southwest. As a result, we had to get on a plane at 6:30 AM to
head south before heading back up north. LOL. There was a
short transit time in Las Vegas so Joy and I had breakfast in the
Club@LAS. The breakfast menu was decent with parfaits and
cereal. The mimosa was not bad either. The cool thing was
the cappuccino they made for me ended up having a heart in it.
As we departed for Boise, the captain said that there was a winter storm in the area, and the airport was still closed as we took off. However, the airport was plowing the runways, and we were expected to be on the first flights to land that day. Landing during white out conditions in Boise was interesting. As we landed, we could see all the snow on the ground! To keep us safe in the snow, Joy and I got a 4X4 SUV for our trip. Once we left the airport, we got a quick lunch at Twin Peaks in Boise. They had their usual Valentine's "lingerie theme" going. LOL. My wife is cool about that.
We departed for Twin Falls after lunch. This year, we decided to spend a night in Twin Falls so we could see Shoshone Falls, which is known as the "Niagra Falls" of the west. However, this time of year, the falls are a trickle. We got a jacuzzi suite at the Hampton Inn in Twin Falls, and although Twin Falls is a small city, they seemed to have all the major chains. Everything was "open" too there unlike California where lots of businesses are not back to pre-pandemic levels. For dinner, we enjoyed comfort food at Idaho Joe's. This place bakes their own pies, and I got their Tollhouse pie which tasted like a pizzokie.
The next day, we departed for Sun Valley. The one hour drive was scenic with all the recent snow fall. On the way, I saw that I was able to check in via text into the Sun Valley Inn, which is at the Sun Valley Resort. We decided to splurge and stay at the amazing resort this year. My only fear was if they were requiring masks for guests. With all the money we were spending, I wanted to "break free" like that old Queen song in the Norweigan Cruise commercials and not be subject to all these crazy pandemic regulations. Upon arrival at the resort, I was happy! The valet/bell man took our luggage and took care of the car. The front desk checked us in sans mask. That means without a mask. LOL. The bellman then took our luggage to the luxury king room. The room had a nice coffee bar with a Keurig as we entered. Afterwards, we checked out the rest of the beautiful room which had a marble bathroom.
Joy and I went out to the explore the beautiful grounds at the Sun Valley Inn after checking in which was modeled after an Austrian ski village. There was a slide made out of the snow and ice too! We walked around as I tried to warm up with some coffee. We had lunch reservations for noon at the Sun Valley Club. The resort had luxury SUVs that transported guests between the different buildings. The bellman drove us over in the Ford Expedition to the Nordic Center where the Sun Valley Club was. We were not forced to mask in the shuttle.
Upon arrival at the Sun Valley Club, we quickly signed up for our nordic ski passes and ski rentals before lunch. There was a mask "Karen" who came up to complain that folks were not masking downstairs by the equipment rental area. The staff did not seem to care too much about her complaint. It was Idaho after all! Joy was about ready to go chew out the mask "Karen" and tell her to go back to California. LOL. For lunch, I had the wagyu pot roast. It was actually not my favorite dish that I have had there, but the usual dessert made up for it. Their signature fresh baked cookie with ice cream and caramel sauce is so delicious!
Joy and I enjoyed our cross country skiing after lunch. The equipment rental person was super nice as usual. He did not require us to mask either. After getting our equipment, we headed out on the groomed trails. This year, I actually got the downhill part down! It was so fun being able to go down the hills and being able to stop! We spent the whole afternoon nordic skiing. The work out was great, but I enjoyed the thrill of the speed I was building up on the hills too.
We had our usual apres ski at the Sun Valley Club. The bar was not open this year however, but we were able to order drinks from the bar at a table. I had my usual Maker's and diet cola with the fresh baked cookie. Our usual bartender was working there still. He remembered us, and we made sure to say hi to him during lunch. The Sun Valley Inn sent the luxury shuttle over to get us when we finished up our apres ski.
At the Sun Valley Inn, I had an appointment to use the fitness center when we got back. The fitness center and pool were by appointment only due to the pandemic changes. After a nice work out, I was ready to relax a little in the room. The sheets were super soft! I am a big fan of soft sheets since Joy and I have very expensive linens at home. LOL.
For dinner on Valentine's Day, Joy and I headed down to the Ram Restaurant where we had reservations at 8:00 PM. We went early so we could grab a drink in the Ram Bar. After looking at their top shelf bourbon, I picked the Elijah Craig 18 year. This $50 a shot bourbon was super smooth! Yeah, life is good even during these "Covid times" for the Roys! Shortly after finishing up my cocktail, the hostess came to get us so we could be seated for dinner. The Ram was packed, and it was nice to be able to walk around with a mask.
I ordered their take on a old fashioned called a "New Fashion" to start out dinner. We also got the warmed beet salad with goat cheese to start out dinner. I ordered their sea bass for dinner. Joy got the grilled octopus. Since it was Valentine's Day, they brought everyone complimentary chocolate dipped strawberries to end the meal. We also got their bread pudding too.
The next morning, I had a pool appointment at 8:00 AM. There were light snow flurries too as I headed out to the outdoor heated pool in the bathrobe from the room. The water in the pool was over 100 degrees. It felt great to swim around in the warm water with the snow flurries falling down on me. Life is good! The steam from the hot water just made the pool experience even more memorable. Joy and I enjoyed breakfast at the Austrian pastry shop called Konditorei. I could not resist getting the nutella crepes! Their coffee was super good too.
We headed over to the Sun Valley Nordic Center next to do some snowshoeing. As we went along the amazing snowshoe trails, the snow was coming down harder. We saw a weird four legged animal as we were finishing up. At first, we were super afraid that it was a wolf, but a couple in front of us thought it was a grey tailed fox which are harmless for humans.
For lunch, Joy and I had reservations at Gretchen's at the Sun Valley Lodge. I loved their elk chili! Sun Valley is just such an amazing resort! We returned to Boise after lunch. That evening, we had dinner reservations at Chandler's in downtown Boise. This place flies in their seafood daily. I started out with a Manhattan as the fresh oysters arrived. For dinner, I did surf and turf by adding a diver scallop to my filet mignon. I also got their chimichurri sauce to pair with my steak. The food was really good! For dessert, we ordered their chocolate souffle cake which took thirty minutes to prepare. The waiter finished it at our table by cutting out the middle and putting the Grand Marnier Chantilly cream inside. Another amazing fine dining experience in Boise came to an end as the valet brought up the rental car!
Joy and I enjoyed some sushi for lunch the next morning before we took off for the airport. They had some snow on Tuesday as well. Our flight had us routed through Las Vegas again so we got home in the evening.
As we departed for Boise, the captain said that there was a winter storm in the area, and the airport was still closed as we took off. However, the airport was plowing the runways, and we were expected to be on the first flights to land that day. Landing during white out conditions in Boise was interesting. As we landed, we could see all the snow on the ground! To keep us safe in the snow, Joy and I got a 4X4 SUV for our trip. Once we left the airport, we got a quick lunch at Twin Peaks in Boise. They had their usual Valentine's "lingerie theme" going. LOL. My wife is cool about that.
We departed for Twin Falls after lunch. This year, we decided to spend a night in Twin Falls so we could see Shoshone Falls, which is known as the "Niagra Falls" of the west. However, this time of year, the falls are a trickle. We got a jacuzzi suite at the Hampton Inn in Twin Falls, and although Twin Falls is a small city, they seemed to have all the major chains. Everything was "open" too there unlike California where lots of businesses are not back to pre-pandemic levels. For dinner, we enjoyed comfort food at Idaho Joe's. This place bakes their own pies, and I got their Tollhouse pie which tasted like a pizzokie.
The next day, we departed for Sun Valley. The one hour drive was scenic with all the recent snow fall. On the way, I saw that I was able to check in via text into the Sun Valley Inn, which is at the Sun Valley Resort. We decided to splurge and stay at the amazing resort this year. My only fear was if they were requiring masks for guests. With all the money we were spending, I wanted to "break free" like that old Queen song in the Norweigan Cruise commercials and not be subject to all these crazy pandemic regulations. Upon arrival at the resort, I was happy! The valet/bell man took our luggage and took care of the car. The front desk checked us in sans mask. That means without a mask. LOL. The bellman then took our luggage to the luxury king room. The room had a nice coffee bar with a Keurig as we entered. Afterwards, we checked out the rest of the beautiful room which had a marble bathroom.
Joy and I went out to the explore the beautiful grounds at the Sun Valley Inn after checking in which was modeled after an Austrian ski village. There was a slide made out of the snow and ice too! We walked around as I tried to warm up with some coffee. We had lunch reservations for noon at the Sun Valley Club. The resort had luxury SUVs that transported guests between the different buildings. The bellman drove us over in the Ford Expedition to the Nordic Center where the Sun Valley Club was. We were not forced to mask in the shuttle.
Upon arrival at the Sun Valley Club, we quickly signed up for our nordic ski passes and ski rentals before lunch. There was a mask "Karen" who came up to complain that folks were not masking downstairs by the equipment rental area. The staff did not seem to care too much about her complaint. It was Idaho after all! Joy was about ready to go chew out the mask "Karen" and tell her to go back to California. LOL. For lunch, I had the wagyu pot roast. It was actually not my favorite dish that I have had there, but the usual dessert made up for it. Their signature fresh baked cookie with ice cream and caramel sauce is so delicious!
Joy and I enjoyed our cross country skiing after lunch. The equipment rental person was super nice as usual. He did not require us to mask either. After getting our equipment, we headed out on the groomed trails. This year, I actually got the downhill part down! It was so fun being able to go down the hills and being able to stop! We spent the whole afternoon nordic skiing. The work out was great, but I enjoyed the thrill of the speed I was building up on the hills too.
We had our usual apres ski at the Sun Valley Club. The bar was not open this year however, but we were able to order drinks from the bar at a table. I had my usual Maker's and diet cola with the fresh baked cookie. Our usual bartender was working there still. He remembered us, and we made sure to say hi to him during lunch. The Sun Valley Inn sent the luxury shuttle over to get us when we finished up our apres ski.
At the Sun Valley Inn, I had an appointment to use the fitness center when we got back. The fitness center and pool were by appointment only due to the pandemic changes. After a nice work out, I was ready to relax a little in the room. The sheets were super soft! I am a big fan of soft sheets since Joy and I have very expensive linens at home. LOL.
For dinner on Valentine's Day, Joy and I headed down to the Ram Restaurant where we had reservations at 8:00 PM. We went early so we could grab a drink in the Ram Bar. After looking at their top shelf bourbon, I picked the Elijah Craig 18 year. This $50 a shot bourbon was super smooth! Yeah, life is good even during these "Covid times" for the Roys! Shortly after finishing up my cocktail, the hostess came to get us so we could be seated for dinner. The Ram was packed, and it was nice to be able to walk around with a mask.
I ordered their take on a old fashioned called a "New Fashion" to start out dinner. We also got the warmed beet salad with goat cheese to start out dinner. I ordered their sea bass for dinner. Joy got the grilled octopus. Since it was Valentine's Day, they brought everyone complimentary chocolate dipped strawberries to end the meal. We also got their bread pudding too.
The next morning, I had a pool appointment at 8:00 AM. There were light snow flurries too as I headed out to the outdoor heated pool in the bathrobe from the room. The water in the pool was over 100 degrees. It felt great to swim around in the warm water with the snow flurries falling down on me. Life is good! The steam from the hot water just made the pool experience even more memorable. Joy and I enjoyed breakfast at the Austrian pastry shop called Konditorei. I could not resist getting the nutella crepes! Their coffee was super good too.
We headed over to the Sun Valley Nordic Center next to do some snowshoeing. As we went along the amazing snowshoe trails, the snow was coming down harder. We saw a weird four legged animal as we were finishing up. At first, we were super afraid that it was a wolf, but a couple in front of us thought it was a grey tailed fox which are harmless for humans.
For lunch, Joy and I had reservations at Gretchen's at the Sun Valley Lodge. I loved their elk chili! Sun Valley is just such an amazing resort! We returned to Boise after lunch. That evening, we had dinner reservations at Chandler's in downtown Boise. This place flies in their seafood daily. I started out with a Manhattan as the fresh oysters arrived. For dinner, I did surf and turf by adding a diver scallop to my filet mignon. I also got their chimichurri sauce to pair with my steak. The food was really good! For dessert, we ordered their chocolate souffle cake which took thirty minutes to prepare. The waiter finished it at our table by cutting out the middle and putting the Grand Marnier Chantilly cream inside. Another amazing fine dining experience in Boise came to an end as the valet brought up the rental car!
Joy and I enjoyed some sushi for lunch the next morning before we took off for the airport. They had some snow on Tuesday as well. Our flight had us routed through Las Vegas again so we got home in the evening.