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 Anita, Ian and Karina Cameron. |
My wife and I had not been away from the children in quite some time.
We have five children and run our own business. Between the two we have very little time left over for us.
Recently we decided to invest in a little quality adult time and booked a getaway package at the Mineral Spa in Moose Jaw, SK.
Living in Regina we had heard good things about the spa, but had not yet taken the opportunity to check it out.
We arrived not knowing what to expect, but hopeful that we would find the time together worth the trip, whether the facilities were any good or not. It was one of the best decisions we have made in terms of us.
The spa is very well equipped and suited to helping stressed-out people relax. The mineral water hot springs are clean and comforting. The spa's in-house facilities are geared to pampering yourself.
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The package that we had booked also included some money for the casino and tickets to local tourist attractions. Having this all in one place and price takes the guess work out of what to do and how much will it cost.
On Saturday we visited the "Tunnels of Moose Jaw," a local attraction that brings to life the hardships of early Chinese immigrants to Canada and the local legend of Al Capone using Moose Jaw as a hideout from American authorities during the prohibition. Both tours were very well done using local people as actors to enhance the telling of the stories. They were educational and entertaining -- not a combination found very often in the tourist world.
The spa's in-house restaurant is rated as a four star and has some excellent menu choices, many of which are in keeping with those selecting a healthy lifestyle.
The Sunday morning brunch buffet was my favourite meal of the trip: lots of fresh fruit, a made-to-order omelette bar, salads and everything else you could hope for in one place for a reasonable price.
After our prime rib dinner we decided to check out the casino. Having coupons in hand, it didn't feel like we were being penny-pinched every step of the way. The casino is not the largest around, but it is clean and smoke free, which for us was a big plus.
Neither my wife nor I are adept at the games, but we managed to find a few that struck our fancy and we played for several hours on the money we had allotted. Comparing winning streaks and figuring out the quirks of the various games was half the fun, mostly because we were doing it together.
At the end of the evening we retired with a bottle of wine to a quiet place and talked for several more hours. There weren't any noisy parties or other things that took away from our experience. Even waking up on Sunday to snow was not enough to dampen our enthusiasm for a morning swim in the mineral waters and the fantastic Sunday brunch.
We all watch our spending money these days and I find myself less and less able to say that I truly receive good value for my dollar. In this case, I have no qualms about it at all. We pampered ourselves, made the schedules fit our timeframe, ate well, took in some activities and generally had a very relaxing time.
Just what the doctor ordered to rejuvenate our weary spirits.