Phew! It’s been quite the past month for our little family! We’re definitely due for our final 2020 Wilkinson Update.
Closing out 2020, we spent November & December on the road!
Most of November we spent in Marysville & Tulalip between the La Quinta and Tulalip Resort. The resort had BEAUTIFUL suites and the Holiday Inn down the road has an open pool for the boys and free breakfast! The pool there is open by appointment but we never had a problem securing multiple a day. One family unit is welcome to use the pool at a time so it was really great quality family time to work on the boys swimming skills!
The Tulalip Resort has the most fun bathrooms out of any hotel/suite we’ve stayed in yet and the food at the restaurants downstairs is WONDERFUL! The customer service was FIVE STAR! For our first Holiday Season on the road, it was really fun enjoying all the wintery magic decor with the boys. Even for a day date, the Tulalip Resort is a great destination with restaurants, spa, and water features!
Our favorite attraction to the area? BLACK FRIDAY WEEKEND AT THE PREMIUM OUTLET MALL! The outlet mall between these two stays is worth the trip from anywhere. I have never seen so many high end outlets. Clynn and I went crazy for Theory. New favorite clothing brand for sure.
Don’t forget to stop at their Godiva and get a vanilla ice cream! I know you think you know what vanilla ice cream tastes like…but you really do not know what it CAN taste like until you’ve had vanilla ice cream by Godiva. They might call it Custard or something bougie like that. Go in looking for vanilla ice cream and you’ll find it.
In December we took to the road to Nevada!
Our first stay was at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. We might just make a tradition of visiting this resort during the holidays. They really go all out! The resort has a movie theater, skating rink, heated outdoor year round pool, individual gas fire places for families to make smores, and many restaurants (including Starbucks). We really had no reason to ever leave the resort while in Reno. Of all of our stays the last couple months, I recommend a family trip to Reno and the GSR! BRING THE KIDS! This place is so family friendly.
After a beautiful stay at the GSR, we kept heading south to Las Vegas! In Las Vegas we stayed at THIS simple and cozy Airbnb and a local hotel when we decided to stay longer. We spent allot of time in the Wynn where I accidentally bought an $18 drink I could have gotten for free. It was delicious none the less! Turns out if you go to the bar, they’re really expensive…but if you sit at a slot machine they’ll bring them to you for free. haha, I see you, Las Vegas.
If you are new to Airbnb, use THIS LINK for $65 off your first booking!
Honestly, we strongly considered renting a place in Las Vegas longer term. The sunshine was so hard to leave and the living costs are so low compared to the Seattle area! However, I don’t know that I could actually be happy in a land locked state. I need sun AND coast! haha I’m thinking southern Texas might be up our alley. We’ll find out!
We spent a sunny day in shorts on the strip with the boys! They loved The stores at the Venetian and giant ships in front of Treasure Island. Though, I think they’re favorite attraction of our entire adventures so far is the pools and escalators. We’ve spent an unusual amount of time on escalators.
An entire day and night was spent at Seven Magic Mountains. Most people just go read about the art, take a few photos, and leave. However, there is nothing stopping anyone from wandering into the desert! So we did. About a mile in where it was just us four all afternoon. The boys took off their shirts and we just played with sticks and rocks and soaked up the sun December 22, 2021. We left for food then came back late at night to see the stars!
On December 23rd, we hit the road to make it back home for the holidays!
Now, we’re at our favorite Airbnb yet, but that’s another story for another day. ♥
2020 Wilkinson Update
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