Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa is a top notch family-friendly resort located in the beautiful woodlands of Birmingham, Alabama. This fine hotel embodies royalty with a Scottish accent.
Earlier this month, we drove 3 ½ hours to Birmingham, Alabama to get away for a weekend and finally check out what the vibrant city had to offer. Before we left, I had asked local friends and Twitter followers their recommendations for hotels in the area. There was an overwhelming response that we should stay at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, or "Ross Bridge" as they called it.
We had been wanting to visit Birmingham ever since we moved to Mississippi 2 ½ years ago, but between moving twice and having a baby, we never found our chance until now. We had a GREAT time and cannot wait to visit again! The food and activities in the area will draw us back, and the Ross Bridge resort was amazing -- definitely a place we'll stay again!
You know that feeling when you first walk into your hotel room? You wonder if you're going to like it. Wonder if the room will be big enough, clean enough, pretty enough? Our room at Ross Bridge was plush and very comfortable for our family of four. They had a crib ready for Simon, and Judah felt like a big boy in his own queen bed.
The bathroom was quite large and extravagant, which was perfect for being able to lay out our swimsuits each day to dry. I liked that the shower was separate from the tub, and the toiletries were from Aveda.
Every room has a balcony with a spectacular view -- of the outdoor pool, the 4th longest golf course in the world, or the gorgeous European-styled homes in the Ross Bridge community. Just past those curtains above was our balcony overlooking the pool -- a perfectly fun view for us!
When we arrived at the hotel, it was already 7:30PM at night and we were tired from driving and it was bedtime for the boys. But, once we walked into our hotel room and stepped out onto our balcony, our energy quickly came back! We were all excited to see that the pool was right below our room and they were playing a movie ("Night at the Museum"). We quickly changed into our swim suits and ran down to the pool to catch the fun!
This year, Renaissance Ross Bridge introduced a summer full of activities through their "Summer at the Castle" series. All guests were welcome to participate in family friendly events each day, some with a Scottish theme like High Iced Tea, Highland Games on the Grassy Knoll, and Follow the Bagpiper.
The "Dive-in Movie" at the pool was one of these summer activities. That first night, after swimming for a bit and watching the movie, we headed up to the terrace to roast marshmallows and enjoy some S'mores! The hotel staff had everything set up and ready, and it was all FREE!
The next morning, we headed out to discover Birmingham a little, but returned quickly to the hotel so we could enjoy the pool some more. Check out the difference of the pool from the morning to the night! Both times of the day offer up a lot of fun! (This was the view from our balcony. See? Very cool!)
Both of the boys loved looking over the balcony!
We wanted to stay close for lunch, so ended up dining at one of the restaurant options at the hotel. We chose the Clubhouse Grill -- American food. Ben and I split the Clubhouse Sandwich with fries. More than enough for the two of us! The kids split the cheeseburger and fries from the Kids' Menu. All exceptional, fresh and great! The staff was super friendly, and even the hostess brought some rolls to us to keep Simon satisfied while waiting for our food. Although, I ate my fair share of those babies! YUM!
It was convenient to have such a great dining option at the hotel so that we could head back to the pool right away. Next time I want to try their "Macaroni & Pulled Pork" dish from their Local Favorites menu!
We spent so much time at the pool! Judah stuck with the water slide, sliding down it over and over and over. Simon loved the splash pad and the shallow children's pool area. There were plenty of lawn chairs to relax, and towels were provided. There was even live music playing during the afternoon.
That afternoon, one of the hotel's pastry chefs set up a table in the lobby with a free cupcake bar! I have to say this was one of my favorite activities. Because, cupcakes. 🙂 We each got to pick our kind of cake, frosting flavor and colors of sprinkles. And, guess what? The cupcakes were goooood! I think Ben mentioned how good they were about every 10 minutes that weekend. HA!
After some more fun at the pool, Simon took a nap in the hotel room and then we ventured out for dinner in Birmingham. There are other dining options at the hotel (Brock's Restaurant pictured above), but we also wanted to check out the Birmingham area and ended up at The Summit.
We got back to the hotel in time to follow the Bagpiper and listen to him play for a while on the Terrace. This is such a unique touch to the hotel and definitely adds that Scottish flair.
The evening was just beautiful! The weather was perfect, so we stayed outside for much of the night just relaxing and swimming, while watching another "dive-in" movie. The lights reflecting from the hotel balconies were so warming and made for such a spectacular view.
Ross Bridge, we cannot wait to visit you again!
Thank you to Renaissance Ross Bridge who supplied a room for us to stay over the weekend. I did not receive payment for this review. All opinions and content are mine.
