This past week, my wife and I just got back from a quick weekend getaway with two close friends. It was a cheese and potty-themed weekend: we dined in the Wisconsin Room while staying at the five-star American Club Hotel in Kohler, Wisconsin. Looking back, we spent A LOT on food and drinks, but we managed to get great QUALITY, ENJOYMENT, and BALANCE out of what we spent.
We had originally planned to take a week long trip to Fort Lauderdale the first week of July (would have cost ~$1500 with airfare, lodging, and planned entertainment), but Mrs. BD had to have hip surgery. She has a thing about running into stationary objects like curbs (hint: the curb won). The weekend trip to Wisconsin was sort of a mini-vacation, focused on food, drink, and relaxation – 3 things we enjoy and find value in.
It was cheaper than the planned trip to Florida – and for only 1 night. But we planned to splurge a little bit. A Sunday night for a single room at the American Club cost $317 plus fees and taxes. Friday and Saturday rates are even higher.
Overview of the Weekend Measured in Meals
Meal #1: Dinner at “Home” on Saturday
To further extend the getaway feel (and for 2 days of complimentary doggie daycare services), we first stayed with my parents for one night. My mom asked if we’d like to eat out or have macaroni and gravy at home. Side bar: we’re an Italian family (well, 4th generation), and gravy is something you put on macaroni. Not gravy on turkey, but red gravy.
And it’s not macaroni and cheese – it’s pasta. As we don’t get to have it too often, and because my mom’s recipe is a combination of both my late grandmothers’, my wife’s and my response was the same: “yes, please!”
Price: $0; priceless really (I love macaroni and gravy!)
Meal #2: Liquid Dessert on Saturday
After feeling comatosed from a delicious home-made meal with family, we also got to enjoy after dinner drinks out with some friends (including the couple we ventured with to cheese-head land). While out for drinks, we each had planned for just a single beer or cocktail.
Looking to continue the fun conversation though, we each ordered another drink. When the server brought our second round of the drinks to our table, he told us the drinks were on the house by a friend in California who used to work at the bar.
Perhaps feeling in a generous mood or a bit inebriated (or both), we also decided to a buy a round of drinks for a small bachelorette party seated a few tables over. An initially planned 1 hour outing turned into nearly 3 hours; we had to get on the road by 9:00 AM the next morning to make it up to Kohler in time for our brunch reservation.
Price: $54
Related: Nasty Nati: $2.50 Tacos & $77 Ubers
Meal #3: Brunch on Sunday
Brunch on Sunday in the Wisconsin Room at the American Club in Kohler was a buffet with quite a spread: lobster benedict, bacon, sausage, sorbets, waffle and omelette station, sushi and shrimp, oysters on the half shell, fruits and vegetables, cereal, cheese and meats, and an assortment of breads, muffins, and pasties. Wow.
I’m full just writing this looking back at how much I ate. Oh, and mimosas were included (I had 4 or 5… can’t recall because they kept refilling the glass before it ever got empty).
The only downside was the buffet was the only option. Despite it being delicious and great quality, if you weren’t that hungry, you might feel like you spent way too much on brunch. My wife felt bad; she wasn’t too hungry and only had a small plate and nothing to drink.
Price: $38 per person plus tax and tip.
Meal #4: Beer (Lunch / Supper?) on Sunday
Wisconsin has some great beers. New Glarus Brewing, located in New Glarus, Wisconsin, has some terrific items. One of their most popular, and my personal favorite thus far from their lineup, is the Spotted Cow – a farmhouse ale. Available only in Wisconsin, New Glarus has some really good stuff. We bought 2 six packs while our friends bought half a dozen 750 ml bottles of a few different beers from the terrific grocery store in Kohler.
After walking around for a bit and eager to eventually sample our drinks with energy, we decided to take a 3 hour nap; we rallied and met up in the inner courtyard of the American Club hotal for drinks before dinner around 6:00pm. We sat outside for a while until the rain drove us inside to the high-end lounge room with comfy over-sized leather sofas. Our plastic cups with the hotel emblem gave our grocery-bought beer and wine a casual nostalgia as we sat close to where John Philip Sousa conducted a concert nearly 98 years before.
It was also fun to see my friend make some of the staff smile – everyone on the staff was super formal and polite; my friend offered nearly everyone we encountered enthusiastic high-fives and compliments. While anything but disrespectful and rowdy, I think we made the staff scared initially but then genuinely delighted at our informality. Seeing the other patrons staying at the hotel and/or eating at the fine restaurant, I don’t think we were the type of guests the staff was used to seeing.
Price: around $25 for what we actually drank on the trip (disclosure: I’m currently sipping on one of the leftovers).
Meal # 5: Dinner on Sunday
At 7:40pm, a whole 20 minutes prior to our reservation, we decided to make our way to the Wisconsin Room. Only about 50 feet away, we weren’t too concerned about arriving tardy to the restaurant. “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. BD’s friends,” the hostess politely greeted us upon our arrival. Adorned with khaki pants and a tucked-in polo, I felt under-dressed when seeing the majority of gentlemen in sport coats or suits (although I didn’t see anyone in a three-piece suit or vest). Then again, there were less than 20 guests dining in the entire restaurant.
After taking our seats, our server introduced herself, asked us if we were enjoying ourselves, and was greeted by my friend with a “you know it! Thank you so much, ma’am.” Our server tried not to laugh as she was about to begin sharing some of the specials with us.
Dinner in the Wisconsin Room was excellent. The service was formal but friendly (we brought a causal element to the place as well). The food was delicious. I had a mouth-watering 6-ounce bison steak (which seemed closer to 8 or 10 ounces); my friend had the same. My wife had a delicious salmon, while my friend’s wife had a good ole’, bread n’ butter filet mignon.
After dinner, we walked around the hotel for a while and came across a few hidden lounges and restaurants located in the basement of the hotel. The American Club is actually deceiving in its size. All below the inner courtyard of the hotel are a number of conference rooms or large spaced for receptions / banquets. We all ended up heading back to our room to have another drink before bed.
Price: Bison steak $55, salmon $35, plus cheese/meat platter, drinks (2 beers and a class of wine), and dessert for $X? – I don’t remember nor really care. The dinner total with tax and tip came to around $170 per couple. Mmmm bison steak.
Meal #6: Breakfast on Sunday
We met our friends outside their room around 9:15am for breakfast. Despite finding a couple other restaurants in the hotel the night before (although we didn’t know they’d be open in the morning anyways), we made our way downstairs to the Wisconsin Room. Dressed in our bathing suits (with cover-ups, of course), we were ready to enjoy the spa. But after what I intended to be a lighter breakfast compared to brunch the day prior. I was wrong.
The hotel had a full breakfast menu available, but our server mentioned that a “limited” buffet was also available: egg (vs. lobster the day prior) benedict, bacon, sausage, sorbets, waffle and omelette station, ,fruits and vegetables, cereal, and an assortment of breads, muffins, and pasties. They basically swapped our the seafood and some of the meats and cheese. But the price was only $24 a person. My friend and I were sold. Our wives opted for omelets from the menu. It was all very good.
Price: $36 per couple plus tax and tip.
Meal #7: Making Lemon Water with Lemons on Monday
Well not really a meal. But we drank a lot of lemon-flavored water which was covered as part of the $50 per person to get into the Kohler Waters Spa adjacent to the American Club hotel. Mrs. BD and my friend’s wife booked pedicures in advance, which cost $80 per person, but the cost of entry to the spa was included in the price of the pedicure.
The four of us hung out in a hot tub and pool area for a while until the ladies had their appointment; my friend and I just hung out reading and talking a bit; I passed out on a lounge chair for a little while, too.
Overall, I found the spa very relaxing, but I got bored after a few hours reading the paper. I’m more of an active relaxer, but I did enjoy it. I did find it very entertaining after my friend and I listened to one of the staff member’s tour of the facility. The staff member spoke in a very soothing, spa-like tone; my friend told him “you rock, dude! Keep it real” and gave the him a high-five. On our way out, the staff guys couldn’t help but trying not to grin.
Price: $130
Meal #8: Late-Night Snack on Monday
After the car and train rides back to our apartment, I still wasn’t hungry after last eating 10 hours earlier at breakfast. I had a small bowl of cereal purchased from Trader Joe’s the weekend before; Mrs. BD skipped dinner and had dessert (ice cream!).
Price: About $3.50 from weekly groceries
Looking Back & (More Importantly) Ahead
Overall, we spent around $800 for a 48 hour trip – something we’ve never done before. We had a lot of fun this weekend. More importantly, we enjoyed the experience and friends. Mrs. BD and my friend’s wife (who is also a great friend) have also become close. Here’s what I hope to remember when we get the opportunity to travel next time:
- Have fun and be humble – My friend could enjoy a meal at a top restaurant at a five-star hotel; he showed respect, humility, and little fun at the same time.
- Mix and Match – While we certainly spent a decent amount on food, we either ate as much as we pleased and ended up skipping entire meals, or enjoyed drinks that we purchased from the local grocer. Not every meal was exotic.
- Plan It Out – We ate at home most weeks leading up to the weekend with an occasional takeout night for fun. Mrs. BD and my friend’s wife also looked into spa services in advance; they spent only $30 more to get a 50 minute high-quality pedicure (leg massage, etc. as well). I was strongly considering getting a massage, but the cost seemed quite high for me personally; I’ll likely book an appointment at a chain massage place instead. Or I can also just do 60 minutes of what already do twice a day – foam roll!
- Spread it Out – We booked and paid for our hotel room (nearly 40% of the total cost) nearly 2 months before the trip; this made the trip less stressful when we actually began our stay.
- Spend On What You Love – We do spend a decent amount on dining and drinks, as we enjoy the experience and the occasional splurge.
- Be Flexible – We didn’t plan out every detail and hour of the trip. This provided a bit of time to adjust to how we were feeling during the trip. It also enabled us to not purchase too many items or things in advance that we potentially would have regretted doing or force ourselves to do when we didn’t really feel like doing it.
Readers, how do you travel or have fun?
Related:
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Thoroughly enjoyed this article and now know what you and Mrs. BD did on your weekend. But re-read the last paragraph.. it also enabled us to “know”or do you mean “not” purchase ….
Thank you! Meant to be “not”. Now updated.
we did both this year. 1 week cabin rental for 800 bucks where there is hardly a public place to spend money. then a couple of weeks ago a trip to new orleans in high season with a 3 night hotel stay (one night at friend’s house) and one fine dining lunch. that being said, i think 98% of what we ate and drank the rest of the year was at home. by the way, wine is expensive but i can’t quit it.
Hey Freddy,
Thanks for the comment. Your site’s tagline is awesome by the way!
Hope you enjoyed both your trips. It does help when you’re located away from things to spend on (but hey, if it makes you happy, go for it). We did basically the same – splurged a couple times but enjoyed “liquid meals” in between.
And indeed. Wine (or alcohol in general) is expensive. We just went to Costco on Sunday and 1/4 of our bill was on wine.
-Mike