This post is a paid partnership with Sarah Bernard Realty Team. As always, all opinions are our own.

This year, like last, has proved to be more challenging than expected. I think that’s why we’re all craving down time with family even more than usual. We returned this year to Innsbrook to stay in one of Sarah Bernard’s stunning chalets, and this time, wanted to share our experience with you. Sarah’s Innsbrook properties are a short 45 minute drive from St. Louis. Although the drive is short, it’s so secluded and tucked in the woods that you really feel like you’re far from home and the big city. The short drive was ideal for our toddler. We didn’t even have to bust out the coloring books on this ride! (Unlike the multitude of entertainment options for the way down to Florida!)

As we pulled up to the chalet, we ooed and ahhed over the stunning property, surrounded by the vibrant colors of fall. The property faces a small private lake, which we walked down to immediately upon arrival. It was beautiful and so quiet.

Around the other side of the chalet was a fire pit, which is the perfect place to gather with friends and family for marshmallow roasting.

We stayed in the beautiful Waterside Cottage, one of Sarah Bernard’s premier lakefront chalets in Innsbrook. It was clearly redone recently, with a stone fireplace, open floor plan, granite finishes, and views for days. The A-frame architecture allowed tons of natural light to pour in. The patio featured a beautiful view over our little lake. The whole place was impeccably clean.

This particular chalet had tons of space. Downstairs, there was a spacious kitchen, expansive living and dining space overlooking the lake, and a bedroom with its own private bathroom.

Upstairs opened to a kids area with two sets of bunk beds and another full bathroom. How fun is this space?

Down the hall is the master bedroom, with its own private balcony and large full bathroom. The views from this room were stunning. We can’t stress how quiet it was. Even at night, we didn’t hear a thing outside, which allowed for lots of rest and relaxation.

During our time at Innsbrook, we spent our days exploring all the area has to offer. We went on (short, toddler-tolerable) hikes, visited the playground every day, saw the horses at the stables, and spent time by the many lakes in the area.

After a day of exploring, we’d come home and enjoy time as a family in our beautiful kitchen! As you all know, the kitchen is our favorite place to be in the home. The kitchen in this chalet was fully equipped and ready for us to cook some delicious food. There is one restaurant a short drive from this chalet, but if you’re going to stay for any amount of time, it’s essential to think ahead about what you’re going to make. We recommend planning ahead and cooking in the chalet. For breakfasts, we had what we normally do at home: eggs, toast, fruit, cereal, etc. Easy peasy. Lunches were either peanut butter sandwiches, or leftovers from what we cooked the night before. Happy hour essentials (hey, gotta have happy hour on vacation!) included frozen apps that we brought along from Trader Joe’s.

Dinner time, just like at home, was our favorite time of day. We put on our favorite music and made some delicious meals. The first night we were there, we got there later in the day and had less time to cook, so we brought along an easy bagged salad to fix alongside chicken parmesan. Neil breaded and sautéed chicken breasts, and finished them in the oven topped with parmesan and mozzarella.

While he was cooking, we were visited by several deer outside that kitchen window. Maybe they could smell how delicious dinner was going to be.

The next night, we decided to embrace the cozy time of year and make dishes that mimicked the best foodie holiday of the year: Thanksgiving! Neil roasted a turkey breast, made buttery whipped mashed potatoes topped with crispy shallots, roasted brussels sprouts, and even made a homemade gravy.

It was really nice to know we could make such a nice meal in our chalet kitchen and didn’t have to leave and travel elsewhere to eat. Holiday cooking is essential to our family and it was nice to know that it’s possible to make a memorable holiday meal while staying in the chalet.

This food might be nice to look at, but our eyes were fixed out the window the whole meal. We watched the leaves swirl down into the lake below, birds soaring above, and even more deer walking by. Talk about dinner with a view!

Our two-year-old loves baking alongside mama, and she was super excited that we could do that on vacation in our chalet! Chalet baking pro-tip: measure out the ingredients you need for your baking recipes ahead of time so you don’t need to lug the flour, the sugar, etc. all along your trip.

For these classic Nestle Toll House cookies, we measured out the flour, baking soda, and salt in one bag, and the sugars in the other, since they are combined in different steps according to the recipe.

The chalet had the hand mixer, bowls, measuring spoons, baking sheet- everything we needed. All we had to do was show up and bake in this beautiful sunlit space.

Evenings in the chalet couldn’t be more cozy. We sipped hot chocolate and cider by the fire while enjoying our warm chocolate chip cookies. We snuggled under cozy cable knit blankets while watching our favorite shows on the TV programmed with apps we could log in (Disney+, Netflix, etc.) and stayed up late playing board games and just talking as the fire dwindled away.

Another comforting dish we made during our stay was mac and cheese. We were bringing milk along anyway, and had cheese around for snacks during the week, so this was a really convenient yet comforting dish to make. Neil even topped the mac with breadcrumbs he had brought for the chicken parmesan night. We brought along a cast iron pan for cooking for the week, because it’s our tried and true kitchen must-have, but you could also use a baking dish for this one.

With Sarah Bernard, it’s the little touches that count. From the binder of suggested things to do in the area, to the bundled firewood, to the personalized water bottles, everything had that special extra touch that makes us want to book our chalet with them again.

One feature we really enjoyed was their new Dack app. Prior to our arrival, we downloaded this handy app that helped us with our check-in code, provided information about the chalet and our stay, and helped us feel connected and close to all the information we needed for an enjoyable week.

If you’re looking to book a cozy fall getaway with your family, we cannot sing louder praises to Sarah Bernard chalets. Their staff was responsive, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed prior to our arrival at the chalet. The space was cozy, inviting, relaxing, and not to mention, incredibly pristine. We made precious memories at the chalet this fall, and it was just what our family needed to relax and reconnect in such a busy season of life. To book your getaway, browse Sarah Bernard’s properties here.