Since travelling has been off the table, we decided to become tourists in our own city for a staycation! It was seriously the best idea ever since we got to pack a suitcase and go stay in a hotel, it truly felt like a vacation. School has been insanely busy for me and work has been crazy busy for Logan, so we definitely needed a weekend to relax and decompress. If you're seeing this before March 26th, 2021, click HERE to enter the giveaway I'm doing on Instagram! I'm giving away 2 nights free at a Sandman Hotel, a $50 gift card to Moxies and a $50 gift card to Chop Steakhouse! Keep reading to hear how your staycation might go if you win!

Checking in at the Sandman Hotel

We stayed at the Sandman Hotel in the South of Calgary in a beautiful suite with a giant jacuzzi tub in it (executive king jacuzzi suite). We were also very happy to hear that the pool and hot tub were open at this Sandman Hotel by appointment. So, we got the whole pool and hot tub to ourselves for the whole hour; I thought that was so cool. We definitely took advantage of all of the amenities and had a great time.

Since Logan and I live in the North part of Calgary and this hotel was in the South, we decided to go on a beautiful walk that we wouldn't normally do since it's usually farther away! Only a 10-15min drive, we went to North Glenmore Park and did a beautiful 5km walk! Another great thing about Sandman Hotels is that they are pet-friendly! So, we got to bring our sweet Remi on our staycation with us! She settled in really fast, and I think she had a good time too!

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Dinner at Moxies

After our long walk, we went for dinner at Moxies which is connected to the hotel. This was so convenient! We had a couple of awesome drinks when we sat down; I got a peach bellini and Logan got a bulldog (those drinks look so cool!). Then, we ordered our main courses; I got the cheeseburger w/fries and Logan got a full rack of ribs! One thing that's really important that I mention about Moxies is that they were so accommodating with my nut allergy. The manager came to our table to let me know any possible cross contaminations and personally delivered the food when it came out. If you have a severe allergy, you know how important this is in making us feel safe at a restaurant! We also ordered an amazing dessert (white chocolate brownie), which I highly recommend and then went back up to our room for a soak in our jacuzzi tub!

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Sandman Hotel Amenities

As I said previously, the pool and hot tub were open by appointment. It was cool to have the whole space to ourselves! There is also a fitness centre that you could also make an appointment for. The appointments are in one-hour increments (which I found is more than enough time!). Since all of the public pools and spas have been closed due to Covid, I was extra excited to be able to enjoy it!

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Dinner at Chop Steakhouse

This was my very first time experiencing a Chop dining experience! When we got there, we both ordered drinks and chatted a while before we ordered our dinner. This is definitely a great date-night restaurant; the vibes were very romantic! When we ordered our food, I ordered the Prime Rib and Logan ordered the Filet Mignon! As you can tell from the pictures, the food was incredible. Miraculously, we ended up having a little bit of room for dessert; we ordered the cheesecake! This meal was overall amazing, we will for sure be coming back!

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Overall we were really impressed with our whole stay! If you're feeling down about not travelling, I highly recommend doing a little staycation like this one! It totally gave me all the travel feels, and was the perfect way to decompress and take a break from reality as a full time college student with two part time jobs! Life can get busy and it might feel too fast paced, make sure you take some time for yourself, it makes a huge difference!

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Book a stay with Sandman Hotels HERE

Book a table with Moxies HERE

Book a table with Chop Steakhouse HERE

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The hotel stay and dining experiences were sponsored, but my opinions are always my own.