A mom vacation at the Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa

Turning forty can be considered a milestone in a woman’s life. I see that number approaching at a fast pace myself, since next July, I will be celebrating my fortieth birthday. My husband recently asked me to give him a list of my expectations for this day. Do I want some expensive jewelry? Do I want to go away for a romantic adventure without the kids? Do I want to get away by myself? So, I’m currently pondering the answer to this difficult question.

As I started to think about it, I remembered my best friend’s fortieth birthday party that I attended last year at the Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa, located near Young Harris, in the North Georgia Mountains. Her DH organized this surprise birthday mom vacation, along with some of her girlfriends. All she had to was show up.

I flew in to Atlanta for this weekend celebration, leaving my husband behind with two kids for the first time. I was a little reluctant to go, since one of them had an pneumonia. And I did spend a part of the weekend on the phone with him, getting updates on her condition. He eventually told me to stop calling and start enjoying myself, because he was handling it.

Cottage Living Area

Our group of ten women drove about 70 miles north of Atlanta to the North Georgia Mountains on a rainy Friday afternoon in May. The weather didn’t look promising. Heavy rain showers throughout the weekend. We checked in to our rustic cottage, surrounded by mountains and nature trails. The Brasstown Valley resort offers 102 guest rooms located in the main lodge and 8 cottages with four bedrooms each. The size of the cottages is perfect to host your group of moms. Our cottage had a beautiful main living area with a wood-burning fireplace, a small kitchen and fantastic views. This was the perfect setting for our mom vacation.

My friend, who had never been away from her three kids, was estatic! She kept telling us that this was the best weekend of her life, even before the weekend started! Her joy was contagious and all the moms present made the best of it, despite the heavy rain.

On Friday night, we had dinner at the lodge’s Dining Room and had their famous Friday Evening Seafood buffet. There was an abundance of crab legs, salmon and shrimp, all very fresh and tasty. We ate to our heart’s content, talking late into the evening. Many of the moms didn’t know each other, since we came from different parts of my friend’s life. We all had one thing in common. The desire to enjoy our freedom away from our children. Many of us had never left our children for long periods of time. Others travelled for business, which is usually more stressful than staying home. After dinner, we all started to relax and let reality sink in. We didn’t have to wake up to take care of our kids the next day. So we just drank more wine!

Ranch views

We woke up to a very rainy Saturday. Some of us had planned to spend the day at the Equani Spa. But a large group of moms had booked a horsebackriding trek through the mountains. The Brasstown Resort has its own stables on the property and offers five miles of trails. I was one of the more adventurous moms who hopped on a horse and took a guided tour through the muddy trails in the pouring rain. It was cold and the view was obstructed by heavy fog. But we all had a great time stepping out of our comfort zone doing something we couldn’t normally do with our kids in tow.

Birthday cowgirl!

The equestrian moms joined the other moms at the spa for an afternoon of relaxation. The Equani Spa takes inspiration from the Cherokee people. The treatments boast an assortment of rituals designed to stimulate and resfresh the mind, body and soul. Moms lounged around in plush bathrobes in the waiting area. This area offers lounge chairs and a large fireplace. Light snacks can be ordered. An assortment of teas and fruit juices are also available.

Moms in our group were all very happy with their treatments and found the spa staff very professional. Popular treatments were the hot stone massage and the Simply Sugar Spa Manicure and Pedicure. This mani/pedi uses raw cane sugar to scrub away dead skin cells. My heels never looked so good! We left the spa feeling relaxed and with our toes painted various shades of red. Meanwhile our husbands were probalby scrubbing various shades of red markers from the walls! But that was far, far away in our mind.

We celebrated my friend’s birthday at the lodge Dining Room that evening. The restaurant offers A la Carte dining on Saturday night. The food was excellent, with choices ranging from filet mignon to fresh seafood. We all went back to our cottage, started a fire and watched a slide show of my friend’s first forty years, which her sister had put together as a surprise!

We left the Brasstown Valley Resort the next day feeling refreshed and ready to face the life we had left behind for a brief period. The sun did come out on Sunday and we got to see the beautiful mountain views the resort is known for. My friend said that this was the best birthday ever! As I reflect back on this weekend, maybe I will tell my husband I want a mom vacation for my fortieth birthday! To plan your mom vacation at the Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa, please fill out a Contact Form or call the Moms on Vacation Travel Club at (888) 802-7364.