Last month I took an incredible weekend girls’ trip with my mom, sister and sister-in-law to Asheville, North Carolina. We stayed at the Omni Grove Park Inn, and it was absolutely incredible. I had stayed at several Omni hotels before, but I have to say, this one is just so unique. The location, the history, the architecture…and did I mention the spa?? It was unlike any other hotel I had ever been to before. On top of the gorgeous mountain views, the hotel was just as pretty inside. There were 2 fireplaces flanking each side of the lobby, and they were surrounded by rocking chairs. The lobby area was filled with bustling guests chatting, eating, drinking and just taking in the views.
Our first afternoon, we sat outside and ate at Sunset Terrace. It is appropriately named, but the name still doesn’t even do it justice. It was so peaceful and relaxing sitting out there. I ordered a salad with crab meat on it, and it was incredible. For dinner, we ate at Edison and I ordered the salmon. Again, it was so good! I love that several of their restaurants have outdoor seating also. They have heaters and blankets available for guests also. On Saturday, we ate at Blue Ridge and had their buffet. Wow, I have never in my life had a buffet that not only had so much food available but that was so good. The quality was great. I have never experienced that at a buffet before. I 100% recommend trying out their breakfast and dinner buffets. All of the food we had was so good! They even had several gluten free options at all of their dining options.
On the first full day at the hotel, we spent the entire day at the spa. Words cannot even express the caliber of this spa. From the moment you walk in, you are welcomed with the nicest staff that wants you to have the most relaxing experience possible. It is technology free spa. We got massages, body treatments and facials, and then we sat in the sauna and the pool and hot tubs and we just relaxed. There was nothing on our agenda but relaxing. I am not sure if that has ever been the case. Just relaxing. It was glorious. The spa was huge. We got there as soon as they opened in the morning and enjoyed the entire spa almost completely to ourselves. We got flavored water and then sat by the fireplaces and red and colored. It was absolutely therapeutic to me. When you sit in the quiet, you really can’t help but to see things in perspective. If you’re looking for a true spa experience that will surpass most all others, this is definitely it. You will thank me for it later.
The next full day we spent at the Biltmore. It was my first time there, and it was even dreamier than I imagined. We did the self guided walking tour through the estate and then we toured the gardens. Everything was just stunning. You will carry a little hand held speaker device and push the number on the screen that corresponds to the room or area in the estate. Pre-recorded audio will play that tells the history on that space. It was really interesting getting to hear all the history of the Biltmore estate. The home, grounds and gardens have been kept in pristine condition, and I felt really lucky to get to finally make the trip to see it. We ate at Stables Cafe while we were there, and I had the salad. It was really good, and so was everyone else’s food. They also had a small cafe and coffee shop, diary bar and candy shop there. There were also several gift shops on property. You could easily spend several hours out of the day here.
On our last day we worked out at the hotel gym and then went on a nice hike. The hotel gym is really nice! It has ping pong tables, tennis, racquetball, a pool and so much more. And it’s just a short walk from the hotel lobby. Outside the gym starts the hiking path. It was a nice little hike with amazing weather, and it was so peaceful. If you have more time, I definitely recommend doing some more hiking in the Asheville area and checking out the downtown area more. There is so much to do around here, and the town could definitely use our support after the devestation it endured last fall from the hurricane. If you have any trips you’re planning soon, definitely think about giving Asheville a visit. It is such a unique area with so much to offer! You might remember this is where we took our family trip last summer. What are your favorite things to do in Asheville?
The Omni Hotel and spa are amazing! I really enjoyed the Biltmore too. I definitely will be going back!