A ROMANTIC STAY AT POCONO PALACE

    2022 is a special year because of my love for the number 22; as you all may know, the number 22 is very meaningful to me because it appears so often throughout my life. My birthday is on the 22nd of August, my mom's birthday is on the 22nd of July, and my oldest sister has a birthday on January 22nd.  On top of all of this, Dimitar and I had our first date on October 22nd.

*This post is not sponsored.

    Today's post isn't about birthdays though, but about a special surprise getaway that Dimitar planned for the two of us. He sure loves his surprises and made sure that I had nothing planned for that day. Can you guess what day it was? Tuesday, February 22, 2022. So on Monday afternoon - the day before - we both packed and I did my best to get as much information out of Dimitar as I could. The idea of not being prepared for a special moment really drives me crazy! All he told me though was this; bring nice clothes, a bathing suite, your pajamas, and anything girl related...

    After making sure the guinea pigs had plenty of hay and were comfortable - we'd be gone for a day after all - we hopped in the car and Dimitar turned on the GPS. Once I saw the directions, I realized that wherever we were going was about 4 hours away! I hadn't mentally prepared myself for a long trip, and yes I even complained a bit, but we both settled into the ride and began chatting about life. 

    Fast forwarding 4 hours later, it was about 9pm at night and we finally arrived in a small town in Pennsylvania called East Stroudsburg. We couldn't see much of our surroundings because it was so dark and foggy, but we drove down a private driveway where our destination was said to be. We came across a heart shaped sign that said, "You are now entering a land of love," which then led us to a resort looking place. Dimitar parked his car in front of the main building called Pocono Palace and said he had to take care of some paperwork before he disappeared into the building. 

Pocono Palace of Pennsylvania

    With the lights turned on, I saw we were in a two level suite. The ceiling itself was at least 20ft tall and there were Roman Pillars along the walls too that were equally as tall. Mirrors were lined against the right side of the room, opening the space up even more than it already was. In the center of the room, there was also a huge martini glass structure that connected to the second level of the suite, something I had no idea what was for. From the first floor I noticed a loft too; a feature I adored and secretly wanted in my next apartment or home. 

    The entire theme of the room was romantic with colors of red, pink, gold, and white. I absolutely loved it! There was also a retro vibe to the room too going from the furniture accents to the red carpets that had gold designs on them. Dimitar and I were both amazed by how beautiful the suite itself was - there was so much for us to take in that we both acted like little children who were just dropped off at the playground. 

Roman Tower Suite Pocono Palace Goodies

Red accents & roman features

View of loft above

    As we made our way up the stairs to the second floor, I nearly choked out of excitement; there was a room to our left with a pool inside of it! Not just any kind of pool either, but a heart shaped one! This completely explained the chlorine smell that I first noticed when I entered the room. At this point, I was too excited to focus on vlogging properly so I really hope the footage that I do have, is decent...If the heart shaped pool couldn't top it off, it turns out that right next to the pool, there was a sauna too!

Heart shaped pool

Rose petal covered stairs

    To the left of the stairs was the bathroom where majority of the bathroom amenities were gold plated. I really loved the retro vibe the bathroom gave off; it was like taking a dip back in time, something I wish I could do more of these days. Moving over to the loft area, the lighting was dim, but intentional. Above the circular bed was a reflective ceiling with led lighting inside of it to look like stars.

    The next day, since it was raining outside and our trip was only for one day, we decided to visit the Recreation Room. It turns out, we were actually at a couples retreat which made so much sense! Once at the main building, I realized the retreat had more to it than I thought; everything from an indoor pool, a gym, lounge area, bar, it's own restaurant and café, and a gift shop even. The resort also had plenty of activities to do outside too but with the weather being a bit wet, we weren't able to get to those; definitely next time though!

    Once we got to the recreation room, to our surprise, we had it all to ourselves!

Recreation Room

    After playing miniature golf, we then moved onto Ping Pong. We didn't keep track or anything like that, but we did set challenges for us to complete; for example, getting to 22 hits without dropping the ball. I don't think I've played Ping Pong much when I was little but I found that once you get into the momentum of it, it's quite relaxing, especially the sound of the ball hitting the paddles. 

    When we finished several rounds of Ping Pong, we then moved onto playing Pool. When I was little, I used to go to a Recreation Center that was part of our school and I remember playing pool often. Now, if I was good or not is a blur, but I do know I enjoyed playing it. I actually almost won my first round of Pool until I hit the eight ball. After that, Dimitar won and by the third game, I almost won again until I hit the eight ball... again...wow.

    Since the recreation room was connected to a basketball court, we shot a few hoops together afterwards to burn off steam from playing pool. I didn't want to sweat too much though so I left Dimitar to enjoy himself. We spent a good two hours there in total and before we left, we took photos inside a photo boot - something we had never done before. It made us both feel like we were in High School all over again!

Taking pictures

    After two hours or so, we both were hungry so we went back to the hotel room to freshen up. We had plans to get a massage afterwards but for some odd reason, they weren't taking appointments even though we had a voucher for one.  It was disappointing but we were still happy just to have a pool and sauna to ourselves.

    Before doing anything else though, Dimitar kept checking the time to make sure it wasn't 2:22pm yet. When it was close to it though, he finally told me that he wanted to give me something and asked me to hold out my hands. I did and just as I did, he placed a small red box in the center of my hands. I had no idea what to expect, so I opened the small red box, and saw a gold diamond ring. I was shocked!

    He helped me put the ring on and I was amazed by how beautiful it was - seeing a diamond up close is mesmerizing! The ring had a Rose Gold band that had an infinity loop on it. At exactly 2:22, Dimitar then pulled out a piece of paper and read to me an intimate letter that I will forever cherish and hold dear to me. Since it was an intimate moment between us, I wont share what the letter said, but it was the start of a new beginning for both of us.

    

Diamond ring by Diamondere

Infinity Loop Diamond Promise Ring

     We spent some time talking to one another where Dimitar opened up on how he spent months planning the entire trip. He then told me about the ring and how it was custom made for me - the diamond was his birthstone to symbolize a piece of him that would always be with me. I came to admire him so much more for his dedication to create such an amazing experience for both of us and it only made our trip so much more memorable. I also suck at surprises too so to see him so successful with each one is truly respectable. 

    We later went out to eat at Spooners Cafe and I of course could not stop eyeing my ring. I've always been nervous to wear pretty rings because I have always ended up losing them in the past. This time though I would be extra careful to make sure it was well looked after. We took our time eating and conversating because we really wanted to enjoy each moment. 

Our late lunch

    After we ate, we played a couple of rounds of backgammon before heading back to the Recreation Room to play some more pool. I still didn't win and once again, I managed to hit the eight ball! That eight ball was really out to get me... We went back to our hotel room and spent the remainder of the evening relaxing in the pool, the sauna, and the jacuzzi. Just thinking about leaving made me sad, but I knew we'd come back during the Spring time. 

     Even though our trip was just for a day, it was a day that I will forever remember. I think all couples should take time off to spend it with their significant other and resorts like the Poconos Palace really make it possible to do so. Whether you're a new couple, or a couple who has been together for quite some time, never skimp out on bonding with one another. I look forward to returning to the Pocono Palace and I highly recommend other couples' to visit as well!

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah