In honor of THE STAYCATIONERS’ very first birthday (is that a wrinkle?*), the crew teamed up with Made Real Vodka, Birchbox, and Sixty Hotels to throw the most badass bash (and staycation) a girl could ask for. Boozy cupcakes were served (holla Prohibition Bakery), actual booze was sipped (thanks to cocktail queen @xxgastronomista), and a grand old time was had before retiring to the suite where room service and fuzzy socks awaited. Here’s how it all went down.

*But seriously Birchbox, we’ll be swinging by again for some anti-aging cream.

THE SPOT: Sixty SoHo | 60 Thompson Street

THE STATS: 97 rooms, killer restaurant, lounge/bar/private event space, fitness center, seasonal rooftop haunt

PERFECT FOR: Celebratory staycays for the aesthetically inclined.

All aboard the beauty express: THE STAYCATIONERS trekked around the corner for a serious beauty sesh at Birchbox’s sunny SoHo brick and mortar. Where else can you B.Y.O.B…ox of goodies and get a blowout slash mani slash makeover in one shot? Tell ‘em we sent you.

Babes and booze go together like coupes and champagne. Meet Gastronomista, the embodiment of boozy babeliness, who graced this staycation/party hybrid with her cocktail prowess and killer lip. Check the recipes:

NO VACANCY by Gastronomista

2oz Made Real Vodka

.25oz La Quintinye Vermouth Royal

.25oz Copper & Kings Vapor Distilled Lavender Absinthe Superior

Stir all ingredients together with ice; strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.

DO NOT DISTURB by Gastronomista

2oz Made Real Vodka

1oz fresh grapefruit juice

1oz sage simple syrup

Soda

2 dashes celery bitters

Build in a highball with ice; top with soda. Garnish with fresh sage.

Now that they’d tested out the concoctions for good measure, the crew headed down to The Gordon Bar for the birthday bonanza of a staycationer’s wildest dreams. Cupcakes chased cocktails, disappearing one after the other around a florabrook tropical centerpiece, the fireplace crackling nearby sandwiched between two pillars full of BirchBoxes plucked from their perch as guests filtered out toward the end of the night. Cheers to one year and many more — until next time.

THE STAYCATIONERS would like to thank our guests, brand partners, and readers, who together made the celebration of our first year a success. It is because of your support that we have made it this far.

Keep up with THE STAYCATIONERS as they take over a new hotel each month. This extra special round made possible by Made Real Vodka, Birchbox, florabrook, Prohibition Bakery, Mara Hoffman, Anarosa Trotta, Emily Arden Wells (AKA Gastronomista), Waterford Crystal, and last but certainly not least, Sixty Hotels and The Gordon Bar. 

Photography by Vanessa Granda and Eliane Awada for THE STAYCATIONERS.