Birthday Staycation
Every year when my birthday comes around I am excited but I am not really someone who plans ahead. I had no plans for my birthday the week before but as the week progressed I had some ideas and knew that I wanted to actually do something to celebrate. I have always seen the word staycation occasionally and thought to myself that it would be fun to not have all my friends over at my house but at a hotel that is centrally located downtown close to all of the bars and nightlife.
Growing up in Reno I knew that I wouldn’t want to do this in a hotel that was also a casino. Since the Reno Renaissance hotel opened its doors that has been my go to recommendation for friends and family who want to know where to stay when they come to the Reno area. So naturally I decided that I wanted to do it there. Once that was decided we got into contact with the ‘navigator’ for the hotel, he was so helpful and really tailored our experience around our celebration.
Seeing that I wanted to have the biggest and the best I ended up getting a suite on the 9th floor (highest floor in the building) looking out onto the river. The room itself had an open layout with a sofa, dining area and kitchenette.
They left us not one but two bottles of Champagne for the celebration along with an extravagant cheese board big enough for 6 people.
Upon our arrival there was a warm welcome from all of the mirrors in the room, which exclaimed a happy birthday to me. There were balloons strewn across the room.
The thought and detail was carried out in not only the gesture of decorating the room but also through the genuine handwritten notes that were left in the room. The hotel itself went above and beyond to really make this a special stay for the celebrations.
When we got to the room we were surprised by all of the decorations our 'navigator' and I almost did not follow through with using the decorations I bought for the night. I had ordered 36 inch balloons on amazon, not realizing how much helium I might need to fill up just one of those balloons. I ended up having my sister pick up a helium tank to fill more balloons for the photos that I wanted to take later that night.
I had a vision of how I wanted the photos to be and they turned out surprisingly well. We set up a fun photo booth area in the room where all of our friends gathered to take photos throughout the night.
I had such a memorable night that was made memorable with the people and the ease of the location of the hotel. After we went to dinner we headed back to the hotel for some obligatory birthday drinks, they have an awesome bar with bocce ball courts and more arcade games surrounding it. The bar has a great atmosphere and good snack food available too!
After a night full of Champagne, laughs and photos we called it a night. In the morning we ordered room service, the food was exceptional. The restaurant located in the hotel provides all of the food to the rooms, we had a brioche french toast with berries, a side of breakfast potatoes which was more like whole serving size, a side Benedict, and a fruit bowl. The food was fresh and flavorful and delivered promptly to the room. And for those who love to sleep in, don’t worry breakfast is served until 2pm.
All in all this was one of the best experiences Ive had at a hotel, which made sure to make a special effort to wish me a happy birthday. I would recommend anyone to try this staycation type of night in your hometown next time they are celebrating or want to just get away without getting away!
