by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)
Todays topic is more of a review and the tale of our stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Oklahoma called Echo Canyon. It is located in Sulphur Oklahoma just outside of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. In driving terms it’s about an hour north of WinStar Casino (off the Texas/Oklahoma border).
Me and the wife went there last weekend for her birthday. She heard about the place from one of the people she went to school with. Sometimes my wife will get some idea in her head and will not rest until she has done it. This was one of those things. We planned this weeks back and headed out last Saturday morning.
We live about an hour South of WinStar so we set out in the morning so we could get at WinStar for an early lunch and some gambling. As you read in Chris’ Duran Duran post I was only at the casino for a little bit before he showed up and we went to the show so I didn’t get to do much gambling so this was a chance for me to loose some real money. We played for about an hour and a half (after eating) and somehow I only managed to leave out of there about thirty dollars down. I don’t know HOW that happened.
Anyway we drove up 35 and got to the resort at about 3. I noticed that Oklahoma is pretty dull and boring until you get about 35 or 40 miles into it then the scenery changes to some nice rolling hills and dare I even say… small mountains. It’s the whole Arbuckle Mountain range. The resort is hidden right next to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area (basically the Native American version of a State Park).
Echo Canyon is comprised of two buildings with rooms of varying size and price. Our room was furnished with some very nice antique furniture including a massive and comfy bed with ornate frame. The ceiling was wood paneled giving the fairly modern construction room that cabin feel. The room also had a jacuzzi tub (apart from the sizable restroom with shower and separate toilet closet). There is also a small fridge and coffee maker. Over in the main building the kitchen is always open with a fridge filled with drinks and some snacks too. A nice size flat screen TV completed the room (and gave me something to do while the wife was at the spa). The room also has a balcony where you can sit facing Echo Canyon. Our room was the Merlot room, by the way.
My wife went to the spa (located within a hundred feet of our room) where she got a massage but you can also get any number of spa-like treatments. Some group of ladies must have been having a good time getting pedicures cause my wife said you could hear them giggling the whole time.
We reserved a table at the resort for dinner as well as reserved a spot for the jacuzzi. There is one located just outside the main building. It is a five or six person one that is in one of those buildings made for jacuzzis. Did I mention their water supply is mineral water? That is the way the whole area is. We spent the thirty minutes in the jacuzzi then out for dinner.
The restaurant in Echo Canyon is called the Baron of Beef. The owner’s family used to own a restaurant with the same name for many years in Texas where many famous people would eat. The food was excellent. The salad was top notch with a dressing that compliments everything so nicely. I got three main courses: duck, fillet mignon, and shrimp scampi. My wife got flounder. Everything was cooked perfect and tasted fantastic.
In the morning we ate breakfast (which is included in the price of the stay). As with everything else is was really good. We took our time and checked out just before 11AM. Overall I was very satisfied with our stay at Echo Canyon. My wife says she really want to go again.
This is one of those things that comes with being married I guess. At some point the wife is going to want to stay at a Bed and Breakfast and I suspect most are nice. This one was really great because it was embellished with the typical old furnishings and such but was actually a modern hotel with all the conviences of such newness.