Q: negative

A: As an anniversary gift for our 2 year anniversary, my parents booked my husband and I a room at Talking Stick. I have been to the spa multiple times and was excited to make a weekend out of it. We made reservations at the spa, as well as at Orange Sky for our anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, neither my parents or myself realized that while my mom had used her credit card to secure the room, the card had not actually been charged yet. Once we tried to check in, we were told that the hotel would need a signed authorization form from my mom to process payment. Well...that would not have been a huge deal but for the fact that my parents had headed up north for the weekend with no access to email or fax. Ok, no problem right? What are the other options? Well we could use our own credit card. As luck would have it, my credit card has my maiden name on it. Yes it is ridiculous that two years later, I have not ordered a new card. I get that. But in 2 years it has literally not once been a problem. So the situation is certainly deteriorating. The name on my card matches the name on a bunch of other cards in my wallet but not my license. So the manager says she under no circumstances can take my card or my mom's card. How about cash? Seriously, how about we pay for the ENTIRE 500$ room charge in cash? Well, if we want to pay in cash, then instead of the regular 50$ deposit for incidentals, Talking Stick requires another $500.00. Absolutely absurd and I clearly do not have 1,000 dollars in cash. So my mom is on the phone, I'm starting to lose my marbles, and yet still, this resort will not budge on any policy to help us remedy this unfortunate situation. We cant use my mom's card, she cannot come in the following day, upon her return, to authorize, we can't use the card we have due to my maiden name, and we can't pay in cash. So sadly, we turned around, got our car, and headed back home. Now, I am not trying to be unreasonable and I absolutely understand the motivation behind each one of these policies. I really do. However there are times when flexibility will benefit the business far more than staunch adherence to strict policies. I feel that this is one of those times. I am sure that these policies have saved Talking Stick from being left holding the bag on certain occasions. But does it make up for this situation? My whole family goes to Talking Stick a few times a year. My mom, sisters, and I go to the spa regularly for girl bonding time. Both of my sisters have taken multiple weekend getaways at the resort with their spouses and friends. We have all given and received Talking Stick gift cards for various holidays. But after my anniversary was such a disaster, none of us will go again simply due to the complete lack of understanding, and inability to apply any principles of empathy to their policies. So, yeah, I am saying that they should have made the exception. Even though the situation was partially my fault and their policies are their policies, an establishment with superior customer service would have taken pity on the now crying lady in the lobby and worked something out. Incidentally, the resort with just that kind of customer service was The Boulders, the resort we ended up at and are thankful we did because the service was great, and no one made me cry.

Q: positive

A: I wasn't a fan of spray tanning until my friend told me about this place. They do a great job and make everything super easy and fast. Scheduling appointments is easy because you can do everything online and as far in advance as you want. And they will send you a reminder via text a day or so before your appointment. Tehy also remember what tanning level you like so you get a consistent tan each time you go. You are in and out in 15 minutes.

Q: positive

A: The first stop on my birthday extravaganza was Bouchon. 3 adults and 2 children. It is beautiful inside of Bouchon. Their big windows make it a warm and inviting place to enjoy brunch. The part that stood out most for this brunch was the word: SPILL. I heard it yelled behind me, in slow motion almost. I looked forward and saw grape-fruit juice all over the table, I turned back around and saw people coming from all around with towels prepared, and still heard the calls of: "Spill, she spilled!" My 21 year old clumsy sister spilled her juice all over the table. I'm giving Bouchon an extra-star for their quick table change which showed their service. It was quite embarrassing, but undoubtedly the funniest part of the meal. I still get a good chuckle thinking about it. ANYWAYS: The FOOD! I REALLY wanted to love Bouchon. I've dreamed about dining here (but mostly The French Laundry, which I WILL one day...) forever now, and finally I did..... I ordered the Croque Madame, which was good! Don't get me wrong, I highly enjoyed the sandwich and their fritas are tasty too! My daughter munched most of mine. I just didn't get that WOW factor I had been expecting, maybe I ordered the wrong item? The only time I did have a melting-in-my-seat experience from yumminess was when I tried their pastries! MMmmm. We ordered 2 croissants, a banana-nut muffin for the little ones, and a nummy pecan sticky bun. Go try them, NOW! I will go back, probably for dinner before brunch again.

Q: negative

A:
The falafel here was a Big Fat Greek disappointment. They were dry and flavorless and the pita lacked any real frills. We were here with a large group which they accommodated quite well and our split checks did have a 18% auto grad on them. The menu has many meat free options, but I felt it was my duty to review every falafel in town, and at $7 with salad or fries it was one of the better values on the menu. My plate came with three large falafel patties inside a peta (its not pita here) with a side of taziki and a small "Greek" salad on the side. While the falafel was large, it was hard to eat with out breaking it up, and it was terribly dry and devoid of much flavor. In summary go somewhere else unless you have a large group and need consistent mediocrity of a big chain.