Saturday, May 14, 2011

Arrrh, Mateys This Be The Place - Pirate's Cove & Pirate Cake



Ahoy mateys, I had to whip up a little 5 Minute
Chocolate Mug Cake to celebrate going to the most
amazing vacation spot

PIRATE'S COVE

right outside of Las Vegas, overlooking Lake Mead.
It is almost always Summer Time down in Las Vegas.

I also have to celebrate,
this is my 200th post!  Next week is
my one year anniversary too (and to think that I told Joni
that I didn't want to be committed to something!!!)  I will put them
together and have a nice giveaway next week.


Pirate's Cove is a private residence 
built by Craig Tilletson that can be rented out.
You can watch a YouTube video with the manager talking about
the property by going to this spot.



Imagine taking Nevada desert and transforming it into
a five home oasis with multiple pools and hot tubs -
ending up looking like 


this


and this



and especially this.  Talk about a metamorphosis!  This is really
the most amazing place.

This is one of three main pools.  This one is a
shipwrecked ship.  You travel down through this ship on a
mega slide, part of it in the dark, whipping around a 
wild corner or two and listening to the music
from Pirates of the Caribbean.  
This is like living in the Disney ride.



All pirates end up by splashing into this pool.

Everywhere you look is a place you can jump from.

(Son in law and granddaughter.)

(Rachel's son)
Swing on the rope swing
into the pool, watch out for pirates below.


For the daredevils,
you can jump off the huge masts into the same pool.

(My youngest son)

(My grandson)

For lesser daredevils you can also
 jump off the rock waterfall.

Quick, jump before that octopus gets you!
You really can't take in all the details in this place.
I think there were some parts of the property
 we didn't even see.


Unlike many pools, you are encouraged to jump,
it is a jumper's heaven!


Here's another wonderful pool with a beach edge.
There is a swimup bar under the arches.
This pool has a milder slide leading into it.

(Daughter and grandson)

This slide was great for the little ones.

The water was so warm it was like bath water.

(Daughter in law and granddaughter)

Everyone posed for pictures in this pool!

(Left to right - Emily's daughter, my granddaughter,
 Rachel's daughter, my granddaughter)
Even these mermaids stopped for a photo!

(My granddaughter)

(Daughter in law and granddaughter)

(Friend's daughters)

Mermaids were willing to pose in the other pool too


(Two granddaughters, daughter in law and me)

and in the hot tub overlooking Lake Mead.
(Thank you to my dear friend Emily
for taking this photo of us mermaids and 
a few of the other shots I used.)


This hot tub is up by the third pool where you can watch
an outdoor movie at night while swimming or indulge 
in soft serve ice cream or slushies.
( Can't believe we didn't get any photos of us eating
the cones or slushies - too busy pigging out I guess!)


This little grandson was not that into photos - too busy,
but he sure liked the swimming, sliding and ice cream.


This isn't called Pirate's Cove for nothing.  Life size pirates
 are everywhere.


The captain waves to you from his balcony,


while a wench watches over the shipwreck pool.


Alas, this poor wench is being forced
to walk the plank.


Just like Disney's Pirates, this prisoner is motion activated.  
He begins shaking his keys
to try and get the dog's attention.


At night, the torches and fire pits get turned on.  It just gets
more and more beautiful.


(I couldn't get over all of the landscaped waterfalls.)


This is the newest "house" at Pirate's Cove.  I love
the rooftop gazebo at night all lit up. 

In all there are 20 bedrooms.
Each house has a kitchen and gathering area - 3 main
houses with a casita, a massive workout gym, theater
room and a raquetball court - huge!


Isn't the color of the shipwreck pool and adjoining
hot tub gorgeous at night?


The rooms are all gorgeously appointed and unique.


There is so much here, you just can't capture it all.



This is the Voodoo bedroom.  Our little kids didn't want
to sleep here, but it was fun to look at.


There's even a Captain's table to sit down at when you
come to the end of a long, fun-filled day,


and pirate mugs to make some of our chocolate cake in.


I ordered the chocolate cake at the Blue Bayou in
Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean and it comes with
this great gum paste mast and sail that is edible.




I just had to bring it home and make my own cake to
go with it.  You could make any cake, but I decided
to make the Chocolate Mug Cake and frost it 
with Nutella. 

Chocolate Mug Cake

In bowl whisk together
1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar
2 T. cocoa powder

In another bowl whisk
1 egg
3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. milk

Mix the two together with a whisk and stir in 3 T.
semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Pour into a microwave
safe mug (or dish) that has been sprayed with baking Pam.
Place in microwave 3 minutes depending on your mug
size or less if you are baking it in a shallow dish like mine-
mine was cooked in just 2 minutes.
Remove and frost as desired.

I love this for a perfect made-for-one treat, quick as can be.

Shiver me timbers, it tastes great and soooo quick -
5 minutes total!
We also made another one and put caramel on it while
it was hot. Yum!



Yes, we found the party!

If you ever get a chance, visit Pirate's Cove.
I tried to find the website for renting,
I know it is really pricey, but couldn't find it.
They had a card in the room, but I didn't
bring one home.
Thanks James and Rachel for inviting us along!
(James is our good friend, neighbor, and the architect
and engineer for all of
Pirate's Cove, including the pools - great job James.)

I will be sailing over to post this at











31 comments:

  1. WOW..what a place to take a family..really awesome! :D

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  2. Looks like an amazing trip and one the kids won't ever forget! Thanks for sharing Jacqueline:@)

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  3. WOW!! What a vacation!! My grands would be in 7th Heaven at a place like that. How cool!
    I love the photo of your granddaughter posing on her tummy with the one foot in the air....so cute! She resembles my sweet Caroline, too.

    Thanks for telling & showing us this fabulous spot. Bookmarking it for the future.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your wonderful vacation spot. So fun, great to have the little ones to share it with. 5 minutes to a bake and eat a cake, dangerous!

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  5. Oh mygosh what a trip w/ everyone:) You all look so good..Treasure every moment~ The cake is adorable too:)

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  6. How much fun is that? I would love to stay there.

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  7. What a dream weekend! I showed Tyson hoping he would 'get it' a little more. Love the post! Arrrr Matey!

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  8. I can't believe I didn't "stow away" for this trip. It looks like a dream vacation. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. What a fun place this must be! Some of those jumping spots look really high! It does look like DisneyWorld but a lot less crowded, I'm sure.

    Love the pirate cake ship ;)

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  10. What a great place to getaway for the weekend! I don't think that I would ever get the kids out of the water though. Love all the little mermaids!

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  11. A GRAND's dream come true! Oh how I would LOVE to go there. If you find the info please let me know! Hope you have a wonderful weekend & thank you for sharing this. I want to try that cake! ADORABLE!
    Charlene

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  12. Oh my goodness - what a wonderful time you must have had!...a perfect place for fun with the grands. We'll be in Vegas at month end, but I don't think we'll see anything like this!

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  13. Jacqueline, this place looks fantastic! I would love to visit there one time. You have a beautiful family, and you, Mrs. Jacqueline, a cook and baker like you!, and you manage to stay in tip-top shape!!! Blessings to you and yours always, xo,

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  14. OMG, what an amazing spot. This is perfect for family gatherings. A little something for everyone.
    Now, I'm off for a bit of chocolate in my mug. ;-)
    ~ Sarah

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  15. What an amazing place. Definately falls into the would love to visit, but wouldn't want to live there category. I love all of the detail. Thanks for bringing your wonderful vacation to Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  16. What a lovely vacation spot! Oh my the eyes - there is soo much to see. Lovely family you have.. very blessed. Thanks so much for sharing this. How long where you there?

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  17. What a beautiful, fun day! I am so glad that you shared it with us!

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  18. What a blast! I'd love to take the whole family there(my son lives in Vegas)!

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  19. I just blogged about all of the fabulous things you miss if you don't visit your favorite blogs daily...this is the perfect example! What a wonderful place for a family to gather and have the time of their lives. Memories that would last a lifetime good! How exciting your friend James was a part of this great project! The pictures show it all so well, I am googling to read more...oh yes, the grandkids are precious, love the one of the mermaid pose...she has mini Jackie written all over that "loving life" pose! GREAT POST!

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  20. All I can say is wow and that I wish there were more pictures. What an amazing place to visit and how much fun it would have been to design and decorate this place. Love the little pirate boats too and the pic with the filmy turqoise background. Joni

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  21. Bonjour Jacqueline,
    A dream on this post
    I love this "page bonheur"
    I Imagine my little Dany
    with tre pirats..."He adore!"
    Thank you to share this wonderful time.
    Have a nice time
    Frieda

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  22. Wow...that place looks AWESOME!!! I need to add that to my places to visit!

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  23. that was exhilarating! looks like you had such a great time, fun fun fun and more fun!

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  24. What a wonderful place. My grandson would love it. And, it looks like all of you did, too.♥

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  25. That was so fun! I want to go again someday... :)

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  26. Looks like a really fun place to be in the summer! Hi Kylie!

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  27. What a fun, family-oriented destination!

    And thanks for the recipe...I made it tonight for my husband's birthday. He's very careful about what he eats and didn't want a large cake, so yours was the perfect size for the four of us to share a treat without worrying about the temptation of leftovers. I didn't tell him how little time the cake took to make!

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  28. The Pirate's Cove looks like a spectacular retreat!!! What a talented friend you have to design such a great place. Those pools are incredible with all the detail. Makes me want to go jump in and make a big splash!!! I know your family brought back a treasure chest full of great memories they will cherish. I was impressed by each one of the pics you posted.
    Hugs,
    Katherine S.

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  29. That looks like so much fun!

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  30. wow! The place looks otherworldly! And you're blessed with such a wonderful family!

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  31. Looks like you had a great time at Pirates' Cove. My bff is Craig's cousin, so they get to go annually...for free. Consider yourself a lucky duck! Did you see a pirate quilt somewhere? My bff made it for Craig and the house. Looking forward to your next adventure!

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