When you think about traveling in the Northeast, one place that comes to mind that will set you back in time and allow you to relax at the same time with a little piece and quiet is the quaint town of Mystic Connecticut.
A small town made famous by Julia Roberts in the movie Mystic Pizza, it continues to host thousands of tourists each year and now they have a choice of the five diamond award winning property the Mystic Marriott, where you can stay and enjoy accommodations second to none in the area and treat yourself to one the best best spas found in the State of Connecticut, Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Spa.
When you first arrive you will see why this is not your normal Marriott. The amazing AAA 4 Diamond Service starts even before you check in at the front desk. We arrived on a very windy 25 degree day and the staff waiting to open your door outside and greeting with a warm hello was a pleasant surprise. It did not seem to matter what the temperature was outside, they were going to make sure you had a warm start to your stay.
Once at the front desk, guests can expect much of the same, as the staff is very friendly and ready for you to unwind as much as you probably are. The lobby area also offers a very friendly welcome with plush couches in the sitting area along with calm welcoming colors of brown, yellow and tan. The added Christmas decorations made it feel just like you would like your own living room.
After a speedy check in, most guests will look forward to lavish room amenities, which include a plush king or queen sized bed- in the bathroom and a sitting area large enough to have guests over without feeling cramped The bathroom has a huge marble top sink area and the Bath and Body Works soaps and lotions are a reward from the products found at most Marriott Hotels. The pictures on the walls of the room with maritime themes keep the coastline not far away and they also remind you that when you look at out your window, the view of the reservoir across the street is another way this hotel easily relaxes all guests.
What most guests will really enjoy is the dining the hotel has to offer. From the light fare of breakfast or lunch offered at Vines at Octagon to the AAA 4 Diamond dining experience of Octagon. We guarantee that you will find this to be one of the best dining experiences anywhere in New England. This is also one of the reasons that Octagon is the only AAA 4 Diamond winner in the State of Connecticut.
What most guests will like about Octagon is the ambience of the restaurant. The wine cellar in the middle of the dining area really is a nice conversation piece. It not only divides the room but is truly a cool thing to rest your eyes on. Being able to see the bottle of Cristal on the wall from your seat lets you know this place makes a statement for the high end dining customers.
Our dining experience chosen for the evening was the Jonathan Edwards Signature Four Course Dinner. This dining option which comes paired with the local and award winning wines by Jonathan Edwards. They definitely give Napa wines a run for the money.
For starters, seafood lovers will enjoy the Spicy Tempura Shrimp with Korean Clay Pot Chili & Garlic Sauce. Just the right amount of batter and a blast of flavor in each bite.
If you are a steak fan, then you will be in heaven once they bring the sliced eight ounce Certified Angus Beef tenderloin to your table as the main course. We had ours prepared medium and with every slice it was just like slicing into butter. With three selections of Kobe steak available, it would be tough to say there are many places that could match this quality and selection anywhere in the East. You would have to venture to Boston or New York to even find selections anywhere close.
You can’t leave New England without sampling some of Octagon’s fish combinations for the dinner.
We sampled the Seared Salmon with Red Wine Braised Shallots, Bacon Lardons, Purée of Tanned Salsify and Honey-Almond Glazed Carrots which is one of the choices offered in the Four Course dinner. Again this was done amazingly well and the Jonathan Edwards 2003 Shiraz was a great compliment to both the salmon and the steak.
For dessert, try either the Crème Brule or the Flourless Chocolate Decadence and you will see why this is an unbelievable and a perfect way to complete the evening.
While we have tried a few four and five course meals before that were not extremely filling, the Jonathan Edwards Four Course meal leaves you with no regrets, or should we say the only regret is that you might have eaten too much and have to hit the fitness area a bit harder before checking out.
Nothing beats a great dining experience than award winning spa services. With the Elizabeth Arden Red Door spa on site, the experience this hotel offers just continues to get better and better.
Before we even walked into the spa, the aroma that filled the hall was unbelievably relaxing. Whether this is a ploy to get guests to stop in or just plain good business, it will have you wanting one of everything they offer.
Our first service was the Elizabeth Arden Ultimate facial. The 80 minute process will leave your face feeling like new and many of the toxins will also be released from the skin during the service.
Using Arden’s premium skincare products, the facial included toning and exfoliation, then it spoils you with a warm stone upper body massage, a hand-softening treatment and a soothing cool stone facial massage. Following a refreshing eye contour treatment, a unique face and décolleté firming mask is applied. A relaxing scalp massage and lip or brow wax adds to the facial amazing experience. For females, a makeup application caps off what we thought was a mesmerizing spa experience.
If you enjoy a massage from time to time or weekly like some, we highly suggest the Elizabeth Arden Signature massage. The 80 minute process will work all of the muscles of the body and include an amazing shea butter application. Their professionals care about doing it right and making sure you come back with a proper combination of deep tissue and muscle working. The warm towels and eye pillows take relaxation to a whole different level.
After your service, try relaxing in their co-ed lounge area and sip on a nice glass of hot green tea or gingersnap cookies and enjoy every last minute of how well these services make you feel. The lounge creates a very cozy feeling with the deep chairs and comforting light brown walls.
Take advantage of the fitness area along with the pools and you will have everything you need to make any troubles just melt away.
The staff and service is amazing. They want to make sure you have everything you need and then some. We had no less than five employees help us at any given time to make sure you have just what you need.
Each person will receive an analysis of products used and the benefit of using them in your own home to recreate the same experience. The products will be the same, but the experience probably will not.
A full retail shop is available for gifts or just any item to pamper yourself at home. To schedule an appointment contact the spa at 860-446-2500.
If you are planning a meeting, birthday party or whatever requires a large amount of meeting space, the Mystic Marriott goes where no one else will. The 21 rooms and 20,927 square feet of all degrees of functionality is amazing. They can transform the space from having a corporate outing of 500 guests with a speaker to a small 50 person birthday all using the same areas that do not give the impression you are stuck in some small room.
If you are planning a get-away to the shores of Connecticut or just trying to find the ideal place that offers some of what you would expect at a JW Marriott or a Ritz Carlton, the Mystic Marriott delivers what no one else will in Connecticut.
Forget staying at a Casino Hotel that offers limited amounts of service and really lacks in a fine dining experience, try the Mystic Marriott, you will be glad you did, so glad your friends will all want to hear about it.
The Mystic Marriott is located 55 minutes from Downtown Hartford and 45 minutes from the Providence area, making it convenient for anyone traveling from both Airports.
The town of Mystic is just a short 4 miles from the hotel located in Groton and complimentary shuttle service is available from the Mystic Amtrak station. For anyone who would like to try the local area casinos, shuttle bus service is available by asking the front desk for the schedule.
If you’re looking for a weekend get-away or a great place to showcase your business to prospective clients, The Mystic Marriott has a lot to offer and has much more to offer than anywhere else in Connecticut.
To make a reservation at the Mystic Marriott contact the hotel directly at 860 446-2600 or visit the Marriott website at www.marriott.com
