Most of my family lives on the west coast and have met Sawyer, however I have my mom, aunt, and uncle who lives in Texas, havent been able to meet Sawyer. So, when Jason got the opportunity to take a business trip to Dallas, we jumped at the opportunity for Sawyer and I to tag along. This ensured that we could finally introduce my mom, aunt and uncle, to Sawyer for the first time. 

Where did we stay:

The day we arrived in Dallas we were hosted at the gorgeous Westin Dallas Downtown. When we arrived we were greeted by the concierge for the valet parking. He was very kind, he created conversation and was very friendly. He unloaded all of our bags and took them to our room. 

 To check-in we took the escalator up to the second floor, which– by the way– is beautiful, the lobby has multiple seating areas, from comfy sectional couches to leather chairs and high top tables and chairs for guests to relax. The area is bright, modern, and inviting. I didn’t have a chance but I liked that if I was kid-free I would also be able to order drinks from the bar to take back to the seating area of my choice to hangout. The check in process was easy and Danielle (the Executive Assistant) , kindly left a gift bag for myself and my mom. We chatted with the front desk about the Unwind Wednesday event that the Westin puts on every Wednesday from 4:30-6:30. You can sample cocktails and small bites. They even had live music! When the opportunity came for us to experience Unwind Wednesday, Sawyer was exhausted and we had to view the event from outside. However, it looked like the perfect way to — you guessed it — Unwind after a long day of travel.

 We joined the concierge and our bags on the elevator to the 31st floor, Opened the door to our suite and we were blown away by how much room we had; how clean the room was; and (my favorite part) the teepee that Danielle had set up for Sawyer. It meant a lot for a hotel to go out of their way for him. Sawyer loved the teepee and the room! He thought everything was his and was running around like the little monkey he is!

The suite has two queen-size beds, a couch, a mini table with chairs, a fridge, a coffeemaker, and a TV. I loved the wallpaper that the room has, its one of my favorite colors and the way it was textured gave the room a lot of depth and felt very warm and cozy. After admiring the view of Downtown Dallas, I headed to check out the bathroom and I couldn’t believe how much room there was. There was a walk-in closet with a full-length mirror, a vanity with a mirror, a full vanity with a sink and light up mirror, and the shower and bathtub were very spacious. The bathroom was stocked — with White Tea soaps, cotton balls and Q-tip packs, a shower cap, and a sewing kit — just in case you forgot anything. Not only that but the shower had more shampoo, conditioner, and body wash so we never had to do without.

Before heading to dinner we took Sawyer swimming to get some of his energy out. The pool is an indoor pool on the penthouse level! There are floor to ceiling windows so you can enjoy the city views while you cool off from that Dallas heat. The walls are lined with benches and lounge chairs for you to layout on if you want to relax, but one of my favorite things about the pool is the ramp. Instead of stairs it had a ramp all the way down making it accessible for everyone! Sawyer enjoyed being able to walk straight into the water instead of us having to carry him in. Even though the water was a bit chillier than we are used to, he had a blast splashing around and falling off the edge of the pool into the water! 

  The view of downtown Dallas was breathtaking, especially at night (if you like city views. Sawyer loved that there was a giant window with a ledge. Of course, he wanted in the ledge so he could look out, then he would flap his arms and fall for us to catch him. 

The beds were so comfortable, it felt like I was laying on a cloud and there were SO M A N Y pillows. I was thankful because Sawyer and I cosleep, and I used all the extra pillows to build a wall since daddy wasn’t staying with us that night. Sawyer also loved that there was a mini decor pillow. He grabbed it, laid his head down and for the first time said: “I tired.“ Needless to say, we slept very well that night. It was so quiet that I forgot we were in a hotel room! 

We woke up the next morning and (sadly) had to check out. We made sure to put Sawyer in the ledge of the window so that he could take a look at the views, flap his arms, and fall for us to catch him one more time. He ran to the teepee and laid on the beanbag while my mom and I packed up and headed downstairs. 

Where did we eat:

Grill & Vine 

We ate at the fabulous Grill & Vine inside the Westin, on the 2nd floor. It is a modern version of a classic Bar + Grill with American cuisine and windows at (almost) every table. Grill & Vine is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The night of check-in, we had reservations at Grill & Vine and we were so excited! Of course, I did what I always do and stalked the menu before going, and it was such a hard decision on what to order because they have different options that all sounded amazing. I had my heart set on the Classic Cobb salad and Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!! My mom ordered the Smoked Chicken Breast with Apple Slaw and Potatoes. Just looking at her plate made my mouth water! Both of our meals were delicious. 

 The staff was very friendly. We had three different people continuously check-in and see how we were doing. They all made sure to talk to and pay attention to Sawyer. They made our time at dinner more personal by asking questions and getting to know us. We werent just another table for them.

Amenities offered: 

– Valet Parking 

– Concierge to take your bags to your room 

– Gym: If you like to work out on vacation, you can call down to the front desk and give them your sizes and they’ll loan you New balance work out gear! 

– Pool – catered to everyone with the ramp to get into the pool 

– Kid-friendly- The Grill & Vine has a kid menu; bathtubs in the rooms; kid channels on tv and the swimming pool.

– NOLA Brasserie, while we didn’t eat here it is on property 

– 10 minute walk to the Dallas World Aquarium 

– Many fast food restaurants across the street in the Renaissance Tower. 

– And so many more! You can check out everything the Westin Dallas Downtown has to offer here. 

The next time we go to Dallas I hope to stay at the Westin again and if you have a trip to Dallas I highly recommend staying at the Westin Dallas Downtown! You will not be disappointed! 

What did we do: 

Dallas World Aquarium: I have to say, I have heard many good things about the Dallas World Aquarium from multiple people, but I was still blown away when we got there! They have SO many animals! Not only do they have an array of animals but not all of them are in “cages.”For the ones that are enclosed, the enviroments are more like what they would have if they were living in the wild! 

 We saw: a stork that was at the edge of the enclosure with his wings out and standing tall; an ocelot; a tank full of rays (which were Sawyer’s favorite); so many different birds; and the list goes on! It is definitely the best aquarium I have been to! 

Dallas Zoo: I have been to the Dallas Zoo one other time, and I remember loving it! Our first goal when we got there was to find the hippos. They recently had a baby and I couldn’t wait to see her! We walked past lemurs, and a flamingo exhibit where you could pet the flamingo. Then we were finally at the hippos. Mom and baby were fast asleep in the water. We only got to see the baby stick her nose out of the water for air, but it was still cool to witness a baby hippo! After that, we finished walking around “The Wilds of Africa” section of the zoo that included: gorillas; elephants (they have a large elephant enclosure); giraffes (we fed the giraffes for the first time); cheetahs; gorillas; and so many more! They also have a “Zoo North” section that included: birds, tortoise, giant anteater, flamingos, otters, and tigers.

The zoo also had a dinosaur exhibit going which was fun to walk through. They had some of the dinos making noises and shooting water. Sawyer really enjoyed this part of the Zoo. Overall, it was a great trip!