When I plan a girls’ getaway it includes (at least), a place to stay, a place to visit, and a place to eat. This is all usually things that first come to me as what I’d like to do with my best gal pals. Sometimes, the timing doesn’t match what’s on my mind, and a recent trip to Indianapolis is a perfect example, but what turned out to be “work,” became a whole lot of fun.

My assignment was to create and write about a romantic trip in Indianapolis. I was to stay at Sybaris Pool Suites, built for lovebirds, have dinner downtown at Spoke & Steele, and have breakfast the next morning and meet the owner at The Cake Bake Shop. It all sounded like a recipe for romance, but there was one major problem – I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time.

I wasn’t going to give up the opportunity to check these places out and I still wanted to do the story, so I asked my friend Cortney if she’d be willing to go on a “romantic” getaway with me. As the mother of twins, she’s always happy to have a night off so we picked a weekend and got in the car.

When I checked in at the Sybaris lobby, there was a selection of lotions, potions, flowers, and sparkling wines. We had already brought our own bottles of wine – and had no need for the rest – so we just got the key and headed to our Paradise Swimming Pool Suite.

We walked into the room and found a fireplace, a massage chair, a king-sized bed covered in rose petals. There was also a glass enclosed large room next to it that had a 15’ heated swimming pool, complete with whirlpool jets and a tropical waterfall. Within this enclosed area, there was also a steam room and a whirlpool tub, and there was a stereo system playing throughout.

We looked at each other in disbelief, then continued to laugh at the situation we were in while we got ready for dinner.

Spoke & Steele, in the Le Meridien Hotel in Indianapolis, was fantastic. Their seasonal menu highlighted fresh and local dishes, with a touch of comfort food. Small plates are the key here, as is cheese and charcuterie. The Hash Brown Casserole with cornflakes, the Short Ribs with broccoli puree and the Brussel sprouts with maple syrup were among my favorites.

The cocktails at Spoke & Steele were also creative, with old fashioned options such as a Manhattan, and originals like the barrel-aged Smoke Over Chicago (tequila blanco, del maguey mezcal, del maguey vida, hum liqueur and an absinthe rinse).

After dinner, we headed back to Sybaris Suites. We took a dip in the pool and enjoyed the jets with a couple of glasses of wine. We tried to find a movie to watch on television, but let’s just say the films were a bit too adult for us. I think we were giggling like school girls as we looked at the mirrors on the ceiling and brushed off the rose petals before we fell asleep.

In the morning, we took a ride to The Cake Bake Shop. Although my original story was on “romance,” this was most definitely a girls’ getaway spot. The only thing that impressed me more than the luscious cakes, cupcakes and coffees – and, yes, they tasted as good as they looked – was the owner.

We spent a long time talking to Gwendolyn Rogers about her very successful business. Her cakes have already been requested by Elton John and featured in Dumb and Dumber. The discussion actually spawned another story I’m working on about the cake maven.

Cortney and I returned to Sybaris Suites as we had requested a late afternoon checkout. We spent a few more hours relaxing and catching up in the pool, steam room, and whirlpool. It was then that we decided this romantic pool suite has been wasted on couples when it could be marketed as an ideal girls’ getaway.