Thank goodness for local travel! As much as I like idea of quitting my job and traveling the world (and admire those who do), it’s just not an option for me. I love spending time with my husband and dog and, for the most part, I enjoy my job (and making a stable income) as well. With all this being said and according the travel blog world, this technically makes me a part-time travel blogger. Luckily for me, I live in a great part of the country where after a long week of work I have the ability to get in my car or hop on a train and get to some neat local areas quickly. This weekend, I did just that with two of my friends and headed about 30 miles outside of DC to the Lansdowne Resort aka “the gateway” to Virginia Wine Country.
There was great anticipation for this weekend getaway! We found a really great deal at the Lansdowne Resort. Two words that are like sweet music to my ears: “Wine & Unwind!” This special includes 2 night accommodations, a 60 min spa service, a Saturday wine tour and daily buffet breakfast for about $340 per person. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited about this type of weekend! So, the Lansdowne Resort promotes itself as a luxury resort. It’s located along the Potomac River and features both a spa and golf experience. For those who like to jog or take a stroll, there is a nice 2.5 mile path that runs along part of the river. Unfortunately, none of us took advantage (we were in it for the spa & wine).
The Resort partially won my heart at check-in… “why yes, I would love a champagne welcome!” I did opt for a $9 per night upgrade for a high room with a view and that was definitely provided. After check-in, our Friday night started out with our spa treatments. The special included the choice of a Swedish massage, facial or manicure. We all ended up selecting the massage. Honestly, and unfortunately for me, my massage was just OK. I would describe it as a light body rub down with excessive amounts of oil. However, my friends both thoroughly enjoyed their massages. So much, that one of them described her masseuse as an “angel.” And they said the amount of pressure and, more importantly, amount of oil applied to the body was just right. The spa also featured a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, which were all taken advantage of! After the spa, we ate dinner one of the resorts restaurant, Stonewalls Tavern. The restaurant had a nice selection of your basic American cuisine. We had a cheese plate, flat bread, burgers and, of course, wine!
Saturday started with breakfast at another one of the resorts restaurants, Riverside Hearth. This breakfast buffet featured an omelet and waffle station and had a decent selection of other breakfast sides, pastries and fruit. Breakfast was good, but the most anticipated part of our trip was the wine tour. We departed at the resort at 11am in a small tour bus that held about 12 passengers. After a bumpy ride, our first stop was approximately 30 mins away to Corcoran Vineyard and Cider. Now I have been to several wineries in VA Wine Country, and honestly, this was one of the most disappointing in terms of atmosphere. VA Wine country is quite beautiful with lots of rolling hills and scenery. This place was basically in a residential neighborhood and there was not much scenery besides a random blue horse statue outside their barn-like tasting room. We decided to make the best of it and just drink, so we went with their $15 cider and wine tasting. While we were not impressed with their wine selection, we did thoroughly enjoy their cider selection which is what they are really known for and award winning. This does make me question the Lansdowne Resort decision to include a place that is more of a cider brewery (with poor wine) into their 2-stops “wine tour.” However, two of us did walk away with a bottle of their PoPo Peach Cider!
The second stop was 8 Chain North Winery and, thankfully, it did not disappoint. It had a nice tasting room, even nicer outdoor patio area with a lovely view and, for the dog lovers, it was dog friendly! We enjoyed our $8 tasting, bought a bottle of their Francois Montand Brut Rose and enjoy the rest of our tour time soaking in the scenery and sun on the rare 60 degree winter day! Though we were sad to have to leave the winery, Lansdowne Resort did have a nice outdoor fire pit which was a good place to sit outside and enjoy another glass of wine. We were not alone in our thinking because the pit was pretty crowded. After enjoying the fire pit, we headed to Pub 46 Lounge at The Gulf Club on the resort. Another American cuisine restaurant that did have a little twist on their food, i.e.: Truffle Bacon Popcorn and Chicken and Waffle Fritters. All in all, we had a really nice weekend, enjoyed our accommodations and thought that it was a convenient and fun local weekend getaway!
