the ultimate girls getaway!

Hi, it’s Kerry here, and I want to share a WONDERFUL experience with you! This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend at Memories Manor; a scrapbooking bed and breakfast located in picturesque St. Clair, Michigan, along with my good friend, Allison.

In case you are not familiar with St. Clair (I wasn’t until I met the owners of Memories Manor at ScrapFest this past April in Kitchener, ON), it is located just over the border from Sarnia, ON and is the most charming little town filled with beautiful homes and quaint shops—all beside the lovely St.Clair River. St. Clair is also about 40 miles north of Detroit and a few miles south of Port Huron.

Memories Manor is an historic, Victorian 10,000 sq. ft. mansion that was built in 1880 and has been fully restored to its original period charm. Owned and operated by sisters Deanna and Jan (two of the nicest and most gracious hosts I have ever met), Memories Manor is a FABULOUS place to spend an ALL-INCLUSIVE weekend cropping, crafting, and chatting with a group of friends.

Here is a run down of a typical weekend:

Check in anywhere between 4 and 6 pm on Friday. A delicious dinner is served around 7 pm. Lots of cropping between 8 pm and 11 pm. At 11 pm, a midnight snack is served, followed by more cropping (I think we finally went to bed around 1:30 am, but you can stay up as long as you like). On Saturday, we awoke to mouth-watering aromas of sausages, and raspberry French toast – tasted as good as it sounds! We cropped all day (except for when we stopped to eat even more delicious meals). A massage therapist comes Saturday afternoons and is available to give ½ hour or full-hour massages—we both had one and it was fabulous! Appetizers were served around 5 pm and then another wonderful dinner at 7 pm. Midnight snack again at 11 pm. Are you starting to notice a trend? Yes, we ate like kings all weekend! It was wonderful! To aid in the digestion of all of this delicious food, on Saturday afternoon we took a beautiful walk down into the town of St. Clair and walked along the river (we also explored a few shops and supported the U.S. economy a little bit! LOL). Sunday arrived and we were up early to get in as much scrapping as we could before departure after another delicious brunch.

The weekend was full of comfort, relaxation, and indulgence. The crop areas were spacious, comfortable, well lit, and well appointed—there are lots of tools and supplies available (including a computer, printer, sewing machine, and a Cricut).

The bedrooms were even more lovely—each one with its own history, décor, and theme. When you book your stay, you are able to choose which room you would like to stay in based on online photos and descriptions. But, take it from me; every single room is absolutely beautiful and charming in its own right.

There were also a number of special little touches that took the weekend from great to amazing:

•    Bellboys are waiting outside to greet you upon arrival on Friday and carry all of your luggage and cropping supplies. They do the same on Sunday.
•    An organza bag of mints are waiting on your pillow on Friday night.
•    Run out of adhesive or need a piece of patterned paper? A well-stocked store exists on site for any supplies that you may have forgotten or have run out of.
•    Get hungry between meals? (This is highly unlikely let me tell you). Fruit, drinks, chips, and candy are always available to satisfy any cravings.
•    Jan and Deanna are extremely knowledgeable of the incredible history of Memories Manor—I highly recommend taking the ½ hour tour of the home that is offered on Friday evening—it is so interesting!
•    All of the food is lovingly prepared on the premises by Deanna and Jan—and, as an added bonus, an email containing all of the recipes from the weekend will be waiting in your inbox before you even get home on Sunday!
•    Take time to notice the table décor in the dining room—it changes for each and every meal to reflect the time of day, the theme of the meal, and the season.
•    Upon departure, each guest is given a small care package containing a bottle of water and some homemade cookies for the trip home.

So, I think you can tell that we had a wonderful weekend at Memories Manor and that I highly recommend this getaway to anyone looking for a fun-filled, indulgent, productive, and relaxing weekend away with friends. For more information, or to book your stay, visit www.memoriesmanor.com or call (810) 329-2800. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Kerry

Oh—I almost forgot! A new optional early check-in is available on Thursday anytime after 4 pm for groups of 10 or more (additional fees apply).

Already been to Memories Manor and loved it as much as I did? Become a fan on facebook!

Comments

[Jen]

I saw an add for this in last seasons issue and I have been wondering about it. I think I will be due for a getaway soon! Thanks for the review!

[Jing-Jing]

I saw this mansion in the Fall issue, I was intrigued, so I am glad you gave it a detailed word tour of the place. I will put it on the list of places to visit. It'll be a good meet-up place for friends who don't live in the same state as I do.

[Jackie]

What a beautiful place! I just want to live there!

[Sara]

Oh my goodness this place looks like a dream!!

[Victoria]

Oh my what a scrappers dream vacation. This is awesome. Thanks for the detailed post on all the goodies received. What a wonderful trip this must have been.

[Marissa]

I saw this at Scrapfest in Kitchener. It would make a lovely holiday gift for your favourite scrapper. Anyone want to let my husband know? LOL
I have heard from quite a few friends, and on a MB that it is a wonderful retreat.

[turtle ridge homes]

Memories Manor is an historic, Victorian 10,000 sq. ft. mansion that was built in 1880 and has been fully restored to its original period charm.