TRAVEL DIARY: Park City, UT

I’ve been very fortunate in that press trips have become a pretty common part of my job these days. But I have to say this is one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. International travel is always great, but it was nice to explore the US for a change and visit am unexpected place in my own backyard. For this trip, I joined 3 other bloggers—Lisa, Rebecca and Ashley—at Utopian Luxury Vacation Homes property in Park City, UT.

I’ll be there first to admit, I never had any plan of every visiting Utah. It’s reputation kind of precedes it and doesn’t create much of a draw for the average person. But I also have to admit that I’m really glad I said yes to this opportunity, because there is so much more to the state than we give it credit for. Not only are the views amazing, but even the people are incredible nice.

Accommodations

There are traditional houses and then there are the type of homes you’d expect to see on an episode of MTV Cribs. This vacation home—managed by Utopian Luxury Vacation Homes—is the stuff of dreams. You walk in and you’re immediately impressed. With 6 bedrooms, 8 baths, 3 fireplaces, floor to ceiling windows in every room, heated floors, and a built-in speaker system that can play music throughout the entire house, everything about this house is grand!

I was lucky enough to have my name drawn for the master suite. Jackpot! In my room there was a walk-in closet, fireplace, a sit down tub and spa style shower accented with a balcony and a gorgeous view of the mountains.

I made sure to take full advantage of all the amenities my suite had to offer. I unpacked and made myself at home in the closet, I luxuriated in the tub and I made sure to have tea out on the balcony despite the nearly subzero temperatures. The view was totally worth it.

And that’s just the upstairs!

Downstairs there is an entertainment space with a flat screen television, pool table, pingpong table, Xbox system, a heated pool, jacuzzi and a small kitchen perfect for mixing up cocktails. It’s the perfect party pad! Definitely putting this on my list of possible venues for my future bachelorette party (scheduled for summer 2045).

If a family vacation is more your speed, don’t worry…it works for that, too. The home sleeps 22 people and even has bunkbeds in several of the rooms.

Activities

If you guys remember my trip to Finland, you know snowmobiling is my jam! Having grown up in the South and only seeing snow once before moving to NYC after college, you’d think I wouldn’t be a natural at something like driving around in several feet of snow…but as it turns out, I’m a woman of many hidden talents.

The guys over at Red Pine Adventures took us out on the most amazing trail. What I loved about the trail is that it wasn’t just flat snowy terrain. There were tons of hills and curves to feed my inner adrenaline junkie. There was even one hill that I may or may not have said a brief prayer before heading down. But I can neither confirm or deny that fact.

In addition to snowmobiling, we also went snowshoeing with All Seasons Adventures. This is another activity I did in Finland. While the trail in Finland was through the wilderness, the Park City trail was in the city, which made for amazing views and stunning photo opps.

After all of the very physical outdoor activities, we were treated to private in-home yoga session and deep tissue massages. Basically, everything about this trip just screamed luxury. I mean, if this is how the top 1% of the world lives on a regular basis, pass me the sign up sheet!

A special THANK YOU to Utopian Luxury Vacation Homes for this amazing experience and for giving me my first taste of winter ski vacation. Here’s to hoping it’s not my last!