My boyfriend and I spent some time at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia last month. It was so nice to get away, and The Homestead was a great place for some rest and relaxation.
The Drive
We made the drive from Raleigh – about 4.5 hours. There seem to be multiple routes you can take, with no real straight shot to get there, but overall it’s not a bad drive and traffic was minimal (minus a construction site we went through). For reference, we left on a Monday around lunch.
One caveat (and funny story) – We used Waze as our navigation system, and it took us on a route that was a bit shorter, but not worth the 15 minutes of saved time! Let me explain. I had been to The Homestead once before several years ago, and I remember climbing a mountain road with a bunch of switchbacks. So, when we came upon a road that looked to start ascending a mountain, I thought this must be the road I remember. But, I quickly realized it was NOT! This road was narrow and steep with poor grading, no marked lines, and zero guardrails. The switchbacks were intense and seemed to go on forever. To make it worse, we lost cell service for a bit of time. I have never been so tense on a road, but alas, we finally made it to the other side.
When we checked into the hotel our attendant said “Did you go through that road?” – we laughed and immediately knew what road he was talking about. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones. Waze had taken several other people through that hell-ish road. He said they were trying to get the navigation apps to revise their routes so guests did not have to endure that trek up the mountain, haha! There was an easier way, which we made sure to take on our way back.
Read about the history of the The Homestead here.
The Resort
Once we settled into our room and toasted to the start of our vacation with some Champagne (woohoo!), we took a walk around the hotel and the grounds. The interior of the hotel is very grand. You feel like you’ve stepped back in time with all of the historic details – from the old mail delivery system by the elevators, the creak in the stairs to your room, to the rows of rocking chairs out front – it all adds to the charm of this place. The entire lobby area and hall is filled with an abundance of seating – perfect for people watching. But, if you want to find somewhere a bit more quiet, there are alot of “nooks and crannies” in this hotel to relax with a book, play chess, or enjoy a cocktail.
The grounds are immaculate with beautiful lawns and flower beds lining the sidewalk and patio areas. You can find hammocks around the grounds to relax or catch a nap, cornhole boards and croquet in the back lawn, and landmarks of some of the springs of which the resort was founded upon.
What We Did
We took advantage of the pool for a few hours every day, and played their miniature golf course one afternoon. They also have a lazy river, but sadly I believe it had closed for the season. The spa also has it’s own separate pool for a fee, but we thought the main pool was just as nice. Especially since we essentially had the whole pool to ourselves.
We also explored some of the resort trails a bit, but did not take as full advantage as we could have. I blame me. I didn’t sleep well the night before and the sun/humidity was a bit intense, so my energy tank was already running close to empty when we set out on the trail. But, we did make it up to a beautiful lookout over the resort. It was so peaceful and quite the view. I would note that the trail signs were not marked very well, and we found it hard to understand exactly which trail we were on. Maybe we were missing something. Not matter, it was nice to be out in the woods for a bit.
One day we ventured away from the resort to do the Falconry excursion. It included a cool overview about the history of Falconry and a visit with the Falcons, Hawks, and Molly the Owl. After the talk, we walked down into the woods to see our Hawk in action. We learned a lot, and it was fun to see how the Hawk searched for food. It wasn’t able to catch anything while it was out, but it was still neat to see him in his element and have our picture taken with him (haha!).
Restaurant times around the resort were limited. I’m not sure if it was because of COVID precautions, limited staff, “off season” times, or a combination of all of these. So, most nights we ate at Jefferon’s Bar and one night on the terrace of Jefferson’s restaurant. We also had lunch at Woody’s before we headed out on Thursday. Every evening they build a large bonfire for folks to enjoy and make smores. We didn’t make any smores, but we did stroll down after dinner one night and enjoyed the ambiance for a bit.
We also took advantage of the gym each morning, located in the Spa facility. We didn’t get any spa services, but did have a wander around. It all looked to be very nice, and the indoor pool was a sight to see. The most historic and ornate building I’ve seen house an indoor pool – it was very pretty.
The last day we took a walk around the perimeter of the grounds, taking in the old churches and historic homes around the resort. We also walked the very short main street of Hot Springs located directly adjacent to the Homestead grounds. Then we headed out after lunch feeling relaxed and refreshed!
Overall, I think this is a great place to come for a special occasion or perhaps a holiday. (I’m sure it’s beautiful around Christmas!) While we did not golf, it is definitely a destination for those who enjoy the sport. Also, if you are not big on crowds and prefer a more quite and serene atmosphere, this might be the place for you. And on the contrary, if you like a lot of buzz and action-packed agendas, this may not be the place for you. We came in September, and were told this was more of an “off season” time. So, it was not overcrowded at all, which we found delightful.
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