Lava Hot Springs

This year it was unanimous. We have too much stuff. Nobody wanted or needed anything else for Christmas. We wanted time, time with those we love. So my dad took that to heart and started researching mini vacation get-aways. He wanted it close enough to feel easy to get to, but far enough to make it feel special.

Finally, he decided on Lava Hot Springs, a tiny town in Southern Idaho that nobody had ever been to. The town is tiny. But it has a handful of restaurants, quite a few hotels, and the glorious hot springs, open every day of the year.

We arrived around 1:00 pm on Sunday and were thrilled to see quite a few restaurants open. Everyone was freezing, the air temperature hovered right around 12 degrees. Luckily, our awesome hotel (it really was spectacular!) let us check in three hours early so we could change into suits.

Everyone was so excited to get soaking! And taking a vacation with my siblings and my dad and his fiancée is seriously the best. Everyone arrived happy and ready to play. We quickly changed, drove less than a mile from our hotel to the hot pots, and started our soak.

This was the first dip, and oh it was amazing!

All the pools are stone, some with a hard stone bottom, others with a loose stone bottom. And the water is crystal clear. Most beautiful water I've ever been in (this photo of my feet is looking down through the water!).

Some pools were hotter than others, but even the coolest pool was hardly cool. Everything felt amazing, and everyone was having a wonderful time. This is my sister in the hottest pool.

The water bubbles up all over town, so lots of hotels have their own private pools, and there are pools in the river you can explore, but these suited us just fine. We were all in heaven.

E and I remarked later at how happy the kids stayed. Splashing wasn't really allowed (we sneaked a few in!), and there wasn't slides or diving boards or anything. But for two days of soaking (three hours each day!) both kids just happily played, visited with family, and stayed generally happy.

After we were fully soaked we headed back to our hotel rooms for appetizers and wine. My dad surprised everyone with wine, cheese and fruit awaiting in our rooms when we returned. Then we gathered in a central room and ate a few more appetizers before heading to dinner.

The town is so tiny that it was easy to walk to dinner. Some small towns are closed down on Sunday, but we were happy that almost all restaurants were open. Even restaurants with tables for eleven (we were a big party).

The snow was gently falling, the town was so old fashioned and quaint and everyone remarked that it felt so magical and special. 

The next day we started with a diner breakfast and ended with more soaking. The mineral water made my skin feel amazing, and so soft. Nobody wanted to leave.

Part of our group. Tracie, my dad, Chandler, Jess, James, Brandon. Missing from this photo is Melissa and Witt, E and I, and Juliet.

The drive home was gorgeous and easy. Everyone agreed that it was an amazing trip and we need to go again next year. So my dad made reservations for Christmas 2015, can't wait!