During the chaos that comes with a huge house renovation, things can get so stressful that you easily forget to take the time to be present and enjoy quality family time. I am very guilty of this, every time I promise myself I will spend an entire afternoon off my phone, I end up being flooded with calls about the new house: faucets, plumbing, deadlines, flooring questions and the most recent refrigerator drama we’ve been dealing with…but where I am headed with this, is that you NEED to take the time to just be with your family.

Quality time with your spouse or kids can be just the healing you need to calm that chaotic mind, to reassess everything and make amazing memories. We all need time to unwind, and my recent mommy & daughter staycation at the Four Seasons in Toronto with American Express Canada did just the trick!

You guys know I am such a fan of the Fine Hotels and Resorts program that we have access to as an American Express Platinum Cardmember. Because of it, we take advantage of staycations whenever we can! The Platinum Concierge team helped us book our favourite hotel, The Four Seasons Toronto, which was so helpful. Plus, with the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, we get early noon check-in, a complimentary room upgrade when available (and we’ve always been upgraded), complimentary breakfast for 2 each morning (breakfast in bed is ALWAYS a good idea), $100 to spend in the hotel (ahem, bring on the massage please) and late 4 pm check out…because sleeping in is always an option during a staycation!

For our latest staycation, I took Ella away for some girl-time, we started our day with some shopping. She wanted to pick out a new summer bathing suit and some sneakers. After that, we made our way to our hotel for early check-in, thanks Amex!

After a few hours of fun, Noah and my mother came to join us because we knew we could have tons of fun all together. We all got ready for dinner and headed out to a yummy family Italian restaurant called Buca in Yorkville that the Amex Platinum Concierge team booked for us. Talk about DELISH pizza for everyone. Our Concierge team even contacted the restaurant last minute to add a few people to our reservation so our friends could join us! It was such a fun night for everyone and we all slept so well after such a fun evening.

Both of the kids actually slept in!!! The Four Seasons Toronto has some prettttttty comfortable beds, let me tell you, it was like the kids and I were all cuddled in a cloud! We ordered our complimentary breakfasts and gobbled it all down in our matching Four Seasons robes, so cute now that the Four Seasons has kids robes and slippers to match mom & dad!!! I ordered the Ricotta Lemon pancakes for breakfast because they’ve been recommended to me SOOO many times, so amazing guys! If you enjoy a staycation at this property you MUST order them if you are a cheese-lover like me.

The kids enjoyed a nice bacon & eggs breaky and some silver dollar (adorable) pancakes…fresh whipped cream and natural maple syrup were in full force! After breakfast, Ella and I went for our pedicures since we had $100 to spend at the hotel during our visit. It was Ella’s first time ever getting a pedicure and if you watched our Instagram stories you will know that I was an emotional mess…probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen. She was SO polite and kind and SOOOO excited, her smile was ear to ear and I was just so proud of her manners and so excited to be sharing this fun girly experience with her. She picked out a pink nail polish for the both of us and she is still showing everyone her toes whenever we go anywhere. We also made sure to enjoy the gorgeous pool at this Four Seasons property, it is such a beautiful space.

Since we opted for the late check-out, which is another perk of the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, we made sure to relax in our comfies until the afternoon because, why not!?! We rented a movie after our swim and enjoyed room service for lunch, we are now addicted to the parmesan truffle fries, oh my!!! If you are looking for the perfect place in Toronto to spend a lovely staycation with your special someone or mini, I 100% recommend trying this out as an American Express Platinum Cardmember!

This post was made in collaboration with American Express Canada, all opinions are my own.

Images by Bettina Bogar