Valentine's Day weekend in Heber

February is a good time to plan a snow vacation in Arizona, though snow is not always guaranteed. But when you have a good group of friends and Valentine's Day falls on the long weekend, you have to at least give it a try. 

Flagstaff is a popular option for ski and snow vacations in Arizona and we have done day trips for skiing and weekend trips for snowboarding in February before, where it did snow. While I enjoy the drives through the snow filled pine trees in Flagstaff, the place itself is a bit too busy for my liking. I love vacations where you get to stay in peaceful and secluded cabins with beautiful views that allow you to immerse in Nature and not run into people every 2 minutes, while you take a walk absorbing the surroundings. And it seemed like my prayers were answered when I found this beautiful cabin on a 5-acre lot in a peaceful and secluded area in Heber. 

Heber is about 2.5 hours from Phoenix (same distance as Flagstaff but in a different direction), situated atop the Mogollon rim at an elevation of 6,600 feet, with a population less than 3,000. As we drove into Heber on Friday evening, both sides of the road were lined with pine trees and covered in snow, we could see the Mogollon rim at a distance, the sun was setting and it bathed the surroundings in beautiful shades of pink, and I instantly felt that Heber was my kind of place. And I was not wrong!

The cabin was just perfect. It had a lovely space for all of us to hang out, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the deck and the beautiful pine trees. The seating by the bay windows was very thoughtfully designed which allowed everyone to have a wonderful view of the surroundings. The master bedroom upstairs had its own private deck where you could read and write in a peaceful setting. There were several bedrooms in the basement and lots of space for everyone. The kitchen had everything you would need to make wonderful meals for a large group of friends and family. Overall, we couldn't have found a better cabin to spend a long weekend in!

The master bedroom deck where I read and wrote for a bit

We went for long walks in the cold mornings. We made amazing meals in the kitchen during the day. We did facials and discussed random topics in the afternoons. We sang songs, drank wine and played poker in the evenings. Some of us tried new stuff at night and hilarious laughter ensued. Some of us sang so horribly that it will be hard to forget for a long time to come. At night, as we switched off the lights and lied down on the floor in the living room singing and laughing, and the snow fell outside and shone in the moonlight, I felt blessed to have such a good group of friends, who you could laugh and be yourself with.

It snowed the night before Valentine's Day and we were greeted by a front yard full of fresh snow in the morning. It's amazing how snow transforms the landscape and adds so much charm to it. I sat alone on the fresh snow in the front yard early in the morning, mesmerized by the landscape around me and grateful for having experienced the magic of the snow. I don't often get to see snow and I treasure those moments when I do.

The deck was filled with snow and the views from the deck were gorgeous.

After a nice breakfast, M and I made these lovely macarons for Valentine's Day. We had chocolate, coffee and vanilla buttercream fillings and they were so good!

In the evening, we all got dressed up and danced to Bollywood music. After dinner, we played 'Truth or Dare' which was fun. 

It was a weekend well spent and a lot of memories made :)

The next morning, we packed up early and my husband and I decided to visit Petrified Forest National Park (1 hour away from Heber), which was quite interesting. You can read about it here.