Before having kids, my mom and I traveled together at least
once/year. Since having kids, we haven’t been able to get away. That changed this
year when we went on an amazing trip to Asheville. Here is the full review/trip
report.
Saturday:
Mom and I flew down to Charlotte and met up at the airport.
It worked out perfectly. We rented a car at the airport and made the 2 hour drive
to Asheville. It’s an easy drive, with not much to see along the way. (We did
stop at a Wendy’s, which for some reason had the yummiest fast food salads ever.)
We arrived in Asheville around 2pm and made our way to our amazing hotel, the Inn on Biltmore Estate.
The hotel was so beautiful. Very
fancy and perfect for a girls’ weekend. When we arrived, our room wasn’t ready
yet, so we caught the shuttle to Antler Hill to visit the winery and do some exploring.
The winery was so fun…they let you sample as many wines as
you want, recommending you taste at least 5-6. We loved it. We also walked
around the various stores, saw a few exhibits, etc. By that time, it was around
4pm, and our room was ready, so we took the shuttle back to the hotel. When we arrived at the room, I was stunned by the view. Definitely worth the extra
money. and I couldn’t get enough of looking out the window.
We relaxed in the hotel room for a while, taking a nap and then
getting ready for dinner. We took the shuttle back to Antler Hill and ate
dinner at The
Bistro and then got ice cream at The Creamery.
OMG, the ice cream was some of the best I have ever had. I’m still dreaming of the
cappuccino crunch. It was a perfect way to end the day.
Sunday:
My only real goals for this trip were to spend time with
mom, check Biltmore off my bucket list, sleep in, and take naps. We
accomplished all of those on Sunday. After getting a good night’s rest with no
little people waking me, we ate breakfast at the Inn (the breakfast buffet,
which was really good) sitting outside on the patio with the same view as our
room. Eating outside is pretty much my happy place, and this was perfect. After getting some caffeine, we boarded the shuttle to the
actual Biltmore House. It was so beautiful.
We started with the Upstairs, Downstairs tour, which was
very interesting. After that, we had about 3 hours before our house tour so we
explored the gardens, visited the various cute shops, ate lunch, and enjoyed
the gorgeous weather. A perfect way to spend a few hours.
We did the 2pm tour, which lasted 90 minutes. I loved seeing
the house. The tour guide did go a little fast at parts, but overall, I highly
recommend taking a tour rather than just doing the self-guided tour. There was
so much to see and learn. Absolutely fascinating. This was my favorite room…the
colors don’t pop as much in this picture but I seriously could have stared at
the gorgeous flowers and furniture for hours.
We also got to spend some time relaxing on the back “porch”
of the house, which also had stunning views.
By the time the tour was over, it was late in the afternoon,
so we took the shuttle back to the hotel for a nap. And then it was time for our
“fancy” dinner in the Dining
Room at the hotel. We had the best seat in the restaurant, right next to
the window. The food was delicious, and the setting was so nice.
After our big meal, we rolled ourselves back to the hotel
room and to bed.
Monday:
On Monday, we ate breakfast and then checked out of the Inn,
which was so sad.
I LOVED Biltmore. It was like the Disney World of girls’
weekends—beautiful hotel, shuttle service everywhere, yummy food, and we even
saw a big firework show from our hotel room from someone’s wedding. Thankfully,
our next hotel was really awesome too—The Grand Bohemian just a
mile up the road from Biltmore.
When we arrived, our room was ready. This hotel was very
different from the Inn but still super nice. Interesting lobby, big rooms,
comfy beds, gorgeous bathroom, etc. We unpacked a bit and then drove to
downtown Asheville. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain.
Everyone told me how “cute”
downtown Asheville is with stores and restaurants but we were seriously meh on
it. If I went back to Asheville, I could definitely skip downtown. The only
good part was the cute salon next to our parking garage where I decided on a whim
to get my hair cut.
After a few hours in the rain and sporting a new hairdo, we
headed back to the hotel. I napped for about 2 hours, and then the sun came
out, so we walked around the village near the hotel, which had some cute
restaurants.
We didn’t buy too much but it was just nice to be outside
with the sun out again. We came back to the hotel, and after a long debate over
where to eat and whether we wanted another big meal, we decided to head out to follow
our original plan and drive to the Inn at Grove Park. The place was also stunning.
We ate on the Sunset Terrace, and it might be my most favorite restaurant ever.
The food and drinks were amazing and the view was even
better. Just the overall atmosphere was wonderful. It was the perfect last
evening of our trip.
We headed back to the hotel and packed up for the night—sad that
our vacation was ending.
Tuesday:
Our final day together. We just had breakfast at the hotel
(this was the only mediocre meal of our trip) and then drove back to Charlotte.
The drive and flights were easy. Saying bye was hard. It was so wonderful to
travel with mom again. We said we had to start doing it every year again. I can’t
wait.
Overall, I totally recommend visiting the Biltmore. So much
fun, so many nice hotels and restaurants, and just a perfect little getaway.
