We had a busy 1st anniversary over MLK weekend. Friday night we joined friends Will Skelton and Kim Robinette at the Sunspot for an early celebration. We had expected a smaller dinner crowd based on the long weekend but, much to our surprise, the restaurant was busy and we had to wait for a booth.
As usual, we over indulged in appetizers-oh so good chips, verde salsa and chickpea fritters before our meal so we struggled a bit to complete our main courses. Time flew, we finished dinner, ate dessert, laughed a lot and realized 3 hours had passed. Time to grab our coats and head out into the cold, the place was closing and we had overstayed our welcome.
On Saturday we were off on our 3 day anniversary get away to Asheville and the elegant Inn on Biltmore Estates. We had been planning a celebration for several months, ruling out the Snow Inn at Yellowstone and Yosemite. The Biltmore Inn suited our criteria, close (so we could maximize our time off), elegant and relaxing.
We stopped in Asheville at the REI and Liberty Bicycle then headed to the Inn. Apparently the reservations office and I had some confusion with the package we thought we had purchased but we ended up in a beautiful 6th floor room with an incredible view of the mountains.
Inn at Biltmore Estates
Once we drove through the Biltmore main gate and a hotel guest sign was placed in our front window, we were saluted and ushered through various guards. The 2+ mile drive along winding estate roads instilled a real sense of a get away from city life. Through our car windows we gazed at partially frozen creeks and pristine snow covered grounds. It was all very beautiful.
Our room, subtle and elegant
Our 6th floor room was low key and elegant. The bath was marble and tile and quite large. If we had any real complaint, the hotel seemed to pump in warm, dry air in massive quantities …in the room, in the lobby, in the hallways, the restaurants and elevator. Sorta felt like visiting a nursing home. During the 2 days we were there, we could feel our skin and hair dry out. Turning on the a/c made very little difference. John’s other biggest complaint was the fact that he was address as “Mr. Smith” the entire trip. I had make the reservations in my name and the hotel had no way of knowing our names are different. It made me smile but him, not so much.
Sunset watching from the large bay window in our room was sacred time, we didn’t miss it either night.
Sunset the first night was the best!
Our room overlooked Antler Hill Village with the lights of Biltmore Village visible (to the right of above photo). After sunset, we headed to Antler Hill Village for dinner at Cedric’s Pub.
The hotel concierge did not think we would need reservations on a slow weekend in January but he was wrong. Biltmore has a very captive crowd with the on property Inn, wait times and prices reflect this. We finally settled into a first come, first serve table at the bar and dined on salad and fish and chips. The food and the service was very good.
Sunday was Biltmore Day
Us on the grounds in front of the house…estate…mansion…
We took the basic Biltmore audio tour, it was so nice. I haven’t been to Biltmore for 11 years, John hasn’t been for over 20 years. We both saw new things and learned a lot through the tour.
One of many elegant windows framing the greenhouse
If you know me, you know I love flowers, gardens and just about anything outside. So after the house tour we walked down to the greenhouse and strolled through the rooms and aisles. Pots of Amaryllis and Christmas cactus had been planted among the greenery, it was all quite beautiful.
John looking at the lush greenery
Can’t you just imagine having this in your backyard?
Amaryllis, one of many varied and beautiful blooms
The Library at the Inn on Biltmore Estates, where tea and drinks are served
View from The Library windows
After the tour, we headed back to the hotel for a drink in the lobby, sunset view in the room and a delicious 1st anniversary dinner at The Dining Room. Can you believe that last year, at this same time on our wedding evening, we had stopped to eat dinner at a gas station Arby’s on the way to Berea, KY? Anyway, back to this elegant dinner, the dress is jacket and collar shirt for men and business or dressier attire for women. Some guests conformed to the rules, others did not.
We had a delicious, 3 course meal. For the course, I had she-crab soup, John had duck terrine with a glass of Biltmore wine. For our second course, I had a seared King salmon fillet and John had a fillet. We finished dinner with coffee and seven layered chocolate cake. It was all delicious!!
John in the lobby reading the Monday morning paper
The lobby of the Inn on Biltmore Estates
Monday, after checking out, we went back into Asheville. We had a light breakfast at City Bakery and went shopping at Tops, Malcrops Bookstore and the New Morning Gallery. Overall, we had a great trip and loved the Inn on Biltmore Estates and would recommend it to anyone interested with one concern noted below.
Aside from the confusion with the reservations, we had one incident that really left us feeling a little sad about the experience. Today, I received a “thank you for your business” email with a note at the bottom about a $300 smoking charge added to our bill. Neither John or I smoke!! After a phone call with Lyle Stover, assistant housekeeping manager and a few accusations about smelling smoke in the room and cigarette butts in the trash, we were finally credited with the $300. We still have lingering issues with being accused of smoking and the fact that we did not receive an apology for the accusation. Your guess as to what happened is as good as ours, we are mystified.
