My cousin Leah tied the knot early last month, but before she did, we had a girls’ getaway bachelorette weekend in Blue Mountain. I had heard a lot about Blue Mountain – it’s a particularly popular skiing destination in the winter – but had never been before. To my delight, Blue Mountain did not disappoint.

The maid of honor had booked a place for us to stay using the hosting site VRBO. Known as Bill’s Place, this popular home was the perfect base for us. Plus, it was incredibly gorgeous, and I spent the first 15 or so minutes walking in awe around the place, snapping pictures like crazy.

Each bedroom was themed, and as such, we gave them nicknames. For instance, this was The Pinterest Room:

And this was The Green Room:

The house had three upstairs bedrooms, and one downstairs bedroom, plus two seating areas. It was more than enough to house the seven of us comfortably.

The first night we arrived, we spent time chatting, drinking wine, and playing bachelorette games with Leah. My favorite of the games involved all of us – minus Leah – drawing three memories (one fake, two real) of times spent with Leah. Once they were all complete, she had to figure out which memory was associated with which person, and between the drawings themselves and the stories shared, we spent a lot of time laughing.

On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to head to the Scandinave Spa. My best advice is to go as early as possible. It is never too early to get there, trust me. Even arriving well before it opened, we were one of the last groups allowed to enter. Those who didn’t make the capacity cut were advised to return in a few hours, and had to sign their names on a call waiting list.

With arriving early, we spent a lot of time waiting outside in line, first until the place opened, and then as small groups of people were ushered in, to help keep a good flow in the entry area. As we stayed in line, dutifully moving a few steps forward every several minutes, we caught glimpses of what awaited us.

We weren’t allowed to bring electronics into the baths area, so all my photos are from waiting in line, or looking out through the lobby windows.

Upon entering the lobby, we paid our fee for the baths – you have to book months in advance if you want a massage, but if you are getting a massage also, you automatically are allowed early entry before your appointment time – and were given two complimentary towels and a locker key. The locker key was hooked onto a safety pin, which you then pinned to your bathing suit or towel to bring into the baths area with you. We inquired about the robes, however they are an added charge.

Our time at the baths was short but wonderful. The baths are 19+, and are designed for ultimate rejuvenation. First, you spend no more than 20 minutes in one of the hot baths or in their Eucalyptus steam room. This is meant to increase blood flow and help with removing toxins. Next, you take a quick dip in one of their cold pools – or, if visiting in winter, you can roll in the snow – which will help to close up pores. Not many people were keen on this stage, I noticed. After that, you can relax in a hammock, on a lounge chair, or in one of the solariums.

We spent a wonderful morning feeling relaxed and refreshed before we headed out and into Blue Mountain Village.

Blue Mountain Village is the type of place that is great to visit more than once. It’s open year-round with various activities and highlights, depending on the season. Various shops line the streets, and though they’re pricey, I’d say they’re worth looking into. My favorite purchase of the day was when the maid of honor bought a soothing sunburn spray, as we’d all managed to burn during our hour-long lunch on an outdoor patio. In April. Go figure.

Before lunch, though, we headed over to our pedicure appointment at Iwa Spa.

The interior of this spa was absolutely delightful and completely relaxing. The atmosphere was mellow and the technicians were warm and welcoming. I would highly recommend any type of service from this place!

After lunch, we wandered around almost aimlessly, ducking into stores and watching people climb the empty ski hill. Unfortunately, we were there just before the ski lift opened up for the summer season, otherwise I would have definitely taken a ride up to see the view.

Since we weren’t able to go up the ski lift, we instead decided to try a daring ride like none I have ever been on – the Blue Mountain Ridge Runner.

This was a completely crazy, totally thrilling wild ride, and I loved every second of it.

The cars are one-seaters (or two, if one of the riders is a child), and after being pulled up the hill by the mechanical chain, you’re left to your own devices. That means you control the speed of your own car along the track. You can’t go too fast or too slow, as you may impair the drivers in front or behind you, but you can still get going quite well. As you whip around sharp turns and zoom back down the mountain, you’re greeted with breath-taking views of the stunning scenery.

I wish I had been able to film it, but I didn’t have anywhere to securely keep my camera. Plus, you need both hands on the speed controls. Still, others have managed to capture videos, so if you want, you can enjoy this one. No matter what I write about this ride, it will never properly explain the experience.

If rollercoaster rides aren’t your cup of tea, never fear. They also have the ski lift as well as zip lining and aerial obstacle courses to meet your adventurous needs.

Our last stop before we headed back to freshen up and go out for dinner was a little frozen yogurt shop named Menchie’s.

This place was delightfully colorful and the frozen yogurt was delicious, but I ended up paying an arm and a leg because I wasn’t careful about how much I put in. Still, it was a perfect ending to our day in Blue Mountain Village.

Have you been to Blue Mountain? What did you experience?