We were hosted at the Omni Homestead Resort in mid-December 2017 and had an absolutely wonderful time! If you are looking for a quick mountain weekend getaway this is an absolutely perfect place to do so! You can check it out here!
The Homestead is located in Hot Springs, Virginia, up in the beautiful Blue Ridge 
Mountains. Built in 1766, this elegant old-timey resort is brimming with history at every turn and has even hosted 23 different US Presidents! The owners have gone to great lengths to preserve as much of the history as possible, even down to the wallpaper and carpets that really take you back in time. With over 2,000 acres, it offers just about any activity you could possibly want! We only stayed for 2 nights, so we chose to experience skiing, golfing, and the spa, but a variety of other activities are offered throughout the year including 2 different 18-hole golf courses, archery, carriage and hay rides, falconry, fly fishing, hiking, horseback riding, ice skating, kayaking and canoeing, mini golf, mini snowmobiling, paintball, Segway tours, shooting club, shopping, tennis, tubing at the ski mountain, and zip lining!
Additional free amenities and features include a 2-acre water park (water slides, pool, sand beach, and lazy river), an indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, game/arcade room, historic tours, lawn games, movie theater, an outdoor fire pit, and tea time. The resort also includes 5 different dining options (formal dining, casual grills, pub), a market, and a bar on site.
This huge resort boasts 483 guest rooms and 26 meeting rooms, along with a vast array of other rooms for you to wander about and explore – each one magnificently decorated (we went the weekend before Christmas and HIGHLY recommend going around Christmas season to see all of the decorations, they’re fantastic and will really get you in the Christmas spirit!). We spent one entire night just exploring the inside rooms and getting lost in the history of this incredible hotel.
The rooms themselves are very charming and cozy. We stayed in a deluxe room with a 
king bed and a view, which typically runs about $280-$310 per night, but you should be able to find cheaper deals through TripAdvisor, Groupon, Expedia etc. The room was nice and cozy, and included a bedroom with a flat screen TV 
and Keurig machine, a bathroom (complete with robes), and nice big closet. Extra features included an iron and ironing board, hair dryer, ice bucket, and safe. There was not a kitchenette or mini fridge in the room we had, which we were completely fine with, but if that is something that you care about you may want to look up other room options or plan to not bring food back to the room 🙂 You will honestly probably be pretty busy and not spend a whole lot of your time in your room since the activities at the Homestead are so amazing!
We went skiing on opening day at The Homestead, which was a ton of fun! There were only a handful of people on the mountain, so we had a blast riding on the almost-empty 
trails! Lift passes look like they typically run $35-$59 depending on the day and when you buy them, lift passes along with rental equipment (ski or snowboard) run from $62-$94. This mountain was perfect for families and beginners. Since we went on opening day it looked like there were some trails that weren’t open yet that may be better suited for advanced riders, so I can’t speak to those, but we did both runs that were open and had a blast. Trained ski 
instructors are on site to give private or group lessons, and the kids all looked like they were having a great time….if we had kids I would TOTALLY drop my kids off with them to learn! There is a cozy lodge up on the mountain where you can grab a bite (or in our case a beer and an Irish coffee) in between runs that has both an indoor and outdoor fire pit to warm you up. The ice skating rink is also located up here as well. We didn’t get a chance to skate, but it looked like prices were about $15-$20 per adult. If you have kids or are new to skiing I’d highly recommend checking out this mountain to grow your skills and have fun as you gain confidence in your skiing ability, as this mountain is fantastic for new skiers or snowboarders! (Note: if you purchase tickets on-site on a weekend it looks like it is $49 lift tickets for non-guests, and $45 for guests of the resort, with rental prices being $35).
We also visited the Spa for an 80 minute aromatherapy couples massage, which was seriously HEAVENLY! Neither of us had ever had a professional massage before, so this 
experience was literally life-changing. I left telling my husband that he created a monster in that I may have picked up a new hobby 🙂 The Spa at the Homestead is actually ranked #9 in Robb Report’s top 12 spa destinations around the world! As a massage newbie I can understand if you don’t want to take my word for how amazing it was 😉 Check out the article here if you’re interested! The 80 minute couples aromatherapy massage lists for $510 but includes all-day access to the spa and its amenities as well. The spa itself is just as unbelievable as 
the actual massage was, and you could absolutely spend a full day there. The Aqua Thermal Suite offers a variety of different therapeutic options for anything you may be craving! Experiential showers (different “storm” experiences: Arctic mist, Atlantic storm, or Caribbean storm options) offer multi-sensory cooling after exposure to heat. The Herbal Cocoon is a series of heated niches below a starlit ceiling that enhances the purification and detoxification process by warming your body and relaxing the muscles. Thermal heated lounges look similar to nap pods and are heated lounge chairs that sit you in front of a relaxing scenic moving photo (mine was a waterfall). The aromatic steam room opens pores and infuses lungs with essential oils 
that are carried in the steam and is insanely relaxing. After all of the heated experiences be sure to cool off in The Chill, which is a cold cabin experience that cools your body with a crisp misty vapor and flaked ice. Of course, the locker rooms are amazing too and offer normal showers, bathrooms, lockers, and refreshing areas with everything you need. They also offer a co-ed lounge room where you can wait for your massage, or hang out after your massage before you go to your separate locker rooms. The room is super comfortable and offers a magnificent view from the top of the spa that overlooks the spa’s Serenity Garden and the main
Homestead building. The Serenity Garden is the spa’s exclusive adult oasis that includes an infinity pool, hot tub, geothermal pool fed by hot springs, shower, and river reflexology walk that massages your feet. Any 50-minute (or longer) massage, facial or body treatment includes a day pass to the Serenity Garden. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit this part of the spa…..a.) Because we went the weekend before Christmas and we weren’t wanting to be in pools outside (even though they are heated), and b.) We had a tee time to play golf that afternoon and didn’t have time to spend all day here 🙂 However, I’d highly recommend treating yourself to a beautiful spa day – you could literally spend all day here! The spa would be perfect for couple’s trip, girl’s getaway, babymoon, anniversary celebration, or bachelorette party!
We wrapped up our weekend stay with a quick 9 holes on The Old Course, one of two 
golf courses that The Homestead offers. The Cascades is the other course located here, and is apparently amazing. Unfortunately it was closed for the winter so we didn’t get a chance to check it out, but we’ve heard great things! In 2017 alone it was ranked
GolfWeek’s #1 course in VA, GolfWeek’s #19 best resort course in the US, and Golf Digest’s #27 greatest public course in America….so if you get a chance you should definitely try it out and let us know how it is! It costs about $50-$70 to play the Old Course in December, and while the course had a few holes with snow, it was still a blast and absolutely gorgeous! I just rode in the golf cart while Andrew played a quick 9 (it was pretty cold), but we had a ton of fun! He fully intends to come back for a guy’s weekend to play The Cascades at some point so let us know what you think 🙂
Dining-wise, we tried out a few of the options on-site and tried to experience as much as we could, naturally 🙂
- We did dinner at the Casino restaurant where we split a pizza and a flatbread appetizer for about $20. This was a casual dining option that is great for those on a budget or those wanting a more informal dinner.
- Breakfast was hands down our favorite meal, we did the buffet in the main dining room, which runs about $29/person. While $29 is definitely a little pricey, it comes with so much food and is all high quality…if you’re a breakfast person I would definitely recommend splurging a bit and trying it out! It’s a whole room of buffet items (eggs, sausage, bacon, eggs benedict, pastries, breads, cheeses, meats, bagels, potatoes, biscuits and gravy, grits, all kinds of fruits and granola, yogurt, a wide variety of jellies and jams, etc.), complete with an omelet station and waffle station where chefs are there to make you fresh items however you like it! They even have gluten free options! By far our favorite meal here, be sure to check it out!
- We also did one dinner at the main dining room, which is a formal affair where men wear suits and ties, women wear dresses, and reservations are required. Our 3-course meal cost about $68/each, which is about what you would expect from such a fancy restaurant. The environment is outstanding, complete with a live band and a dance floor and we had a great evening here! If you’re game for a night of dress-up, dancing, and formal dining this would be the place!
- Also be sure to check out the lobby bar for an afternoon/evening drink! I tried a
specialty drink of theirs called the Champagne Cobbler, which is the hotel’s interpretation of a classic cocktail from the 19th century. This one in particular was AMAZING…..raspberry vodka, lemon and strawberry purée, and rosé. Andrew was a big fan of their Kentucky Mules too 🙂 I highly recommend grabbing a drink at the lobby bar and cozying up next to one of the fireplaces in the grand lobby area! - The Jefferson is another great place to grab drinks and relax by the fire or by a window, or watch a game! We didn’t get a chance to try the food here, but it looked great for lunch and dinner!
- We did check out the ski lodge at the mountain too, where we got drinks as well. Food is also available, but we didn’t get a chance to try the food there either….there were just too many options and not enough time! If you get a chance to try it though be sure to let us know how it is for the next time we visit!
- Also, be sure to experience The Homestead’s “Social Hour”, or tea time. Every day
from 3:00-4:00 they serve tea in the lobby area and it’s so cute! Options include hot tea, cold tea, and a pastry (ours was some kind of pumpkin bread that was fantastic). Everyone in the hotel comes down and grabs some tea and hangs out in the lobby by the fires, or meanders around to find an empty room to sit and enjoy their tea. It’s a very fun time and is a time honored tradition (and free!), be sure to try it at least one of the days you’re there!
All in all, we loved our stay here and would definitely recommend it. The highlights are definitely the activities that the resort offers, so be sure to plan for a few of those! The history of the hotel is also super neat and makes for some great exploring! You definitely feel like you’ve been transported back to another time when you step foot inside the hotel, which makes your stay a very unique experience. We stayed as a couple and had a blast, but the resort itself is extremely family-friendly and we would absolutely bring our family in the future….which we are certainly looking forward to 🙂
**This post was a collaboration with The Homestead Resort, but all opinions and photos are my own.
can get. There is just something about snow-covered mountains, wide open fields, and charming villages that just speak to your soul. The stillness, quietness, power, wildness and beauty all come together to form this picture perfect scene that will leave you craving more. While Switzerland looks small on a map, there are so many different things to do and see that it can be pretty overwhelming in knowing where to start, so here is a list of all of our favorites!
honest, I’m not a huge LOTR fan…yeah, the movies were entertaining but I don’t need to see them more than a few times, and I’ve never read the books, so this opinion is NOT from a LOTR fangirl 🙂 HOWEVER, that being said, DON’T miss this place! It has been said that J.R Tolkien got his inspiration for the elvish town of Rivendell from Lauterbrunnen, which is known as “The Land of 72 Waterfalls”. “Lauterbrunnen” LITERALLY translates to 
“many fountains”. Because Lauterbrunnen sits in a valley at the base of the Alps, they have TONS of fresh alpine-water waterfalls that are created by snow and ice that melt. It’s absolutely BREATHTAKING and is any waterfall chaser’s 
dream. The largest and most famous of these falls is Staubback Falls, which is one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in all of Europe, plunging from almost 984 feet (300 meters). The town itself is super cute and fun to walk through…. stop and grab a cappuccino in the café near the falls, or plan to go down for the day and hike up behind Staubback Falls for an unforgettable view and top it off with a pot of Swiss fondue!
complete with fresh alpine air and water, which runs freely in adorable water fountains all through the town. It is the highest village on the mountain and is only accessible by a gondola and train. We stayed in Mürren at Hotel Eiger (read more about that stay 
making for a wildly enchanting display of ringing bells all throughout the fields. That might sound a bit obnoxious (I was certainly expecting it to be), but it was actually quite soothing and I find myself missing it already! Even if you aren’t a hiker, there are lots of smaller trails to take, and even walking through town, or down to Gimmelwald is super fun! If you ARE a hiker then you’ll be in a hiker’s paradise, as there are hiking trails that run all up and down the mountain that begin (or at least pass through) Mürren. We did the North Face Trail, which took us about 2 hours to complete, although we did go up the harder way. There is an option to take a train/trolley up the hardest portion, which will drop you off at the path, but we didn’t take that so I don’t know the price. The North Face Trail is a complete circle, so you begin and end in Mürren, and the difficulty is ranked as “medium” (it’s known to be good for kids, and probably even more-so if you are taking the trolley). Pro Tip: pick up fresh bread, cheese, and chocolate at the store on your way up and have a picnic in the Alps when you reach the open field! You get a perfect view of the mountains, including Eiger. (Pro PRO Tip: make sure that the water that you pick up to bring on your hike isn’t sparkling…we MAY have made this mistake….sparkling water is much less refreshing on a hike 😀 ). You also get to see lots of cows and sheep and hear their mesmerizing bells chiming throughout your whole hike. The path is mostly dirt and gravel until the last ¼ mile that brings you back into town where it turns to pavement. Total mileage is about 4 miles and the trail is situated right above Mürren. More adventurous hikers can hike for several days to get to the top of Schilthorn, but there are many hikes with difficulty levels for everyone in between! Be sure to ask your hotel receptionist for a map that lists hiking trails…everyone that we met spoke very good English and was super friendly, helpful, and hospitable!
a gift shop and a James Bond museum. To be honest, we didn’t spend much time inside, as we were there more for the spectacular view, not so much for the James Bond references 🙂 The only way to get to the top of Schilthorn (other than hiking) is by gondola. We started in Mürren and rode the 2 gondolas (Mürren to Birg, and then Birg to Schilthorn) for 82 CHF each, which also includes the return trip. I think you can get a discount if you have a Swiss Travel Pass, or other types of rail passes, but we didn’t have those so I’m not sure as to what the discount is exactly. The entire trip from Mürren up to Schilthorn took 
about 20 minutes, but it would be a longer trip if you were starting lower than Mürren. I would advise you to look online at their live camera first before you go…sometimes it’s so cloudy/foggy up there that you can’t see anything, which makes the 82 CHF not worth it. The camera is live 24 hours a day and can be visited 
world, and as such, have some of the best chocolate in the world. My suggestion: try it all! You can get a variety of different bars at a grocery store for around $2 each…they make for great mid-hike snacks, paired with coffee while you sip and stare at the view, or even as a late night snack in the hotel! Be sure to stock up and bring some home for friends and family…. they’re great inexpensive options that everyone loves 🙂
that varies from restaurant to restaurant. The fondue usually comes with a variety of vegetables, bread pieces, and potatoes to dip…we split a pot of it for lunch in Lauterbrunnen and it was fabulous!
are spectacular! You can sit on the terrace outside that gives a perfect view of Mount Eiger…perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up or a post-hike treat!
take advantage of the free hiking and you can make it affordable!
Most of our trips revolve around some type of beach, however, there is just SOMETHING about the mountains that just draws you in! We have both always grown up around mountains, so maybe we just got used to them, but there really is something so profound yet powerful and magical about them, and the Alps are no exception! This was my first trip to the land-locked country of Switzerland and the first time I’d seen any of the Alps and there really is just nothing to compare them to, the country is just absolutely breathtaking! If you have not ever been, I HIGHLY recommend that you make this a top bucket list item. We spent 3 days and 2 nights in the adorable little car-free town of Murren, which is in the Burnese Highlands in the Jungfrau region (to read more about what we did in Switzerland check out my post 
your stay has been thought out ahead of time so that all you have to do is relax. They even allowed us to store our luggage at the front desk after we checked out at 11 since we were still planning on doing some hiking. They also are able to offer a room to shower and change in after you check out in case you need to clean up after exploring…see, I told you they thought of everything 🙂 We were welcomed by owner Susanna, who gave us a super helpful rundown of the town of Murren and of the 
hotel. Susanna (like most Swiss natives that we met) was extremely hospitable and helpful and is willing to answer any and all questions. She showed us the best places to go in town, the best hiking trails to take, suggested other towns and attractions to explore, and explained how to get there…she is a great resource that is always willing to help! That same hospitality is also true of the rest of the staff at Hotel Eiger…everyone is extremely friendly and hospitable and eager to help make your stay the best! Honestly, the customer service that we experienced at this hotel was probably some of the best we’ve had in all our travels. On top of that, we probably have had the best sleep here that we’ve ever had in a hotel, no joke. The combination of a quiet car-free town, fresh mountain air, and the glorious alpine water makes for a perfect night’s sleep, and some pretty perfect days too 🙂
mini fridge, flat screen tv, and a very clean bathroom (which comes complete with robes and hairdryer!). Everything you could need is provided and the room is very clean. The decor in the room is also very pleasing and makes you feel right at home. We especially loved the fresh air and natural light coming from the windows and balcony door. The best part of the room is the balcony (obviously), which faces the mountains and gives you a SPECTACULAR view, quite honestly, probably the best view in the town. Hotel Eiger was one of the only hotels with a clear view of the Eiger, which is what makes the hotel so spectacular. Free wifi is also available and you also get a guest card which will get you discounts in town at nearby shops!
could want! They have an indoor swimming pool and lounge area, an outdoor rooftop lounge area, gym, ski room, sauna, indoor lounge area with leather couches, a bar, a child’s play room and library, souvenir shop, and 3 restaurants…THREE! (Check out the souvenir shop for super cute local handmade gifts and Swiss treasures; we loved the shop!). The free breakfast buffet is located in one of the indoor dining rooms with big windows that offer a perfect view of the Eiger. The buffet itself is fantastic with all types of bread, cheese, and meat options, cereal, yogurt, eggs, and pastries. They even offer a variety of juices and champagne!
tricky to get to. But again, the views make it completely worth it! We had a rental car that we left in the covered parking garage located at the train station in Lauterbrunnen, which is the town below Murren which IS accessible by car. We ended up paying about 25 CHF (Swiss Francs) for the 2 nights and 3 days that our car was in the garage, so it evens out to about 8 CHF per day. From there we got tickets to Murren, which cost about 11 CHF per person for a one-way trip. The fare includes a gondola from Lauterbrunnen to 
Grutschalp, and the train ride that takes you from Grutschalp to Murren. The entire trip from Lauterbrunnen to Murren takes about 30 minutes total. You can buy the tickets at the train station or the 
at the gondola station, and the gondola leaves Lauterbrunnen every 30 minutes. The train station at Murren is located right in front of Hotel Eiger, and while there is a porter available for the hotel, you really don’t need it since its right across the street. From what I’m told, you can also get to Murren via gondola instead of the gondola/train combination. We didn’t take that route, but the gondola station is on the other side of town, so if you go that route with your bags you may want to utilize the porter option.
planning. The was one of our “wing it” trips where none of our hotels were planned until the night or two before, and we bounced around the island in two different rental cars and stayed in 3 different towns over the course of 5 days (read more about our itinerary 
has it’s own restaurant, bar, shop (selling beach accessories, jewelry, a few clothing items, hats, blankets, etc.), library, sauna, and 2 pools, TWO! They also offer spa services, massages, and yoga and pilates classes if you’re wanting to purchase any of those services…they pretty much have anything you could want! We really wanted to get dinner at the hotel’s restaurant since it looked so amazing, but unfortunately we ran out of time and didn’t get a chance to. However, the hotel 
breakfast is AMAZING! Quite possibly the best hotel breakfast that we’ve had – and free too! They had an amazing do-it-yourself yogurt bar, with all types of fresh fruits, nuts, granola, jams, and honey. They had an assortment of freshly baked bread and all kinds of cheeses and meats that were absolutely fabulous. Not to mention all of the juice options, coffee, pastries, and hot breakfast items that you could order too! Absolutely fabulous breakfast, in all honesty, it was the meal we looked forward to the most during our entire stay in Soller.
decorated, and had a mini fridge, radio, flatscreen TV, safe, hairdryer, and nespresso maker in it. The tub was AMAZING
and made me seriously reconsider my stance on baths (I’m not normally a fan) 😉 However, the best part of the room was again, hands down, the balcony. The balcony was a great size and boasted lots of room, along with a set of balcony chairs and ottomans to relax on. The hotel is situated smack dab in the middle of the port, so your view is a straight shot of the harbor clear through to the ocean, and is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I honestly don’t think any other hotel in town could beat this view, which is probably a big factor in the hotel being one of the top ranked Soller hotels on TripAdvisor (see it 
Pilot Life for Me 