[This review was included in my article, Winter Travel: Romantic Inns, in Washingtonian magazine. The article profiled five D.C.-area inns with in-room fireplaces—most burning real wood. The rates have been updated. See our related post on the Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon, Wine and Music Festival.]
The Old Waterstreet Inn is not period-perfect, the innkeepers don’t talk much about famous historical people and where they slept, and some of the knickknacks look suspiciously Pottery Barnish.
This is a fresh version of a historic inn, and though it retains enough of its 1840s character to let you feel its history, you are struck by how warmly the pine floors gleam, how the white wood mantels show off a simple ceramic vase, and how the duvet covers match the perfectly painted sage or rose walls. Attention is focused on making guests feel at home, be it the 19th or the 21st century.
Some guest rooms are named with a nod to Virginia’s apple-growing history. The Winesap Room is a favorite for the sunlight pouring in through the triple-bowed windows, the fireplace across from the Mission-style bed, and the heated tile floor in the bath. The vast Cortland Room offers a different mood with its midnight-blue walls, and the private porch is a bonus on warmer days.
On weekend evenings, a wine-and-cheese happy hour fortifies guests for the short walk to dinner on Old Town Winchester’s pedestrian mall. The inn is a great jumping-off point for an afternoon of winery hopping or antiquing, and rooms sell out in late October during the popular Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon, Wine and Music Festival.
Old Waterstreet Inn, Winchester, Va.; 866-665-6770; oldwaterstreetinn.com. Five rooms, two with working fireplaces; $125 to $145.
Closest wineries: Vino Curioso, Veramar, Twin Oaks Tavern
128 East Davis Street, Culpeper, VA
All we remembered about Culpeper was that Prince Michel Winery was nearby. That was reason enough to pick Culpeper as our base of winery exploration operations this weekend, we figured.
A quick online investigation showed us the way to Thyme Inn – reasonable prices, right in the center of town, beautiful rooms, and positive reviews – except for one strange posting from a woman who said she and her husband had arrived (with a reservation) to find a note taped to the door from the owners. It said “Gone fishing,” told the guests where to find the key, and to have a great time. The guests found that, well, unacceptable. I kinda loved it – the idea that a hard-working couple finding themselves with a little window of opportunity would spontaneously hit the road. We were in.
Small but growing, the Inn offers three rooms ($125-$175/night). We chose the least expensive, the Sage room, which was small but packed with charming touches: an ornate gas fireplace with gilded mirror above, exposed brick peeking through artfully-painted plaster walls, a big mirrored armoir, fancy carved bed, warm wood floors, and vestigial balcony opening onto a narrow alley strung with white-lights – a cozy seating area for the Thyme Inn Market next door. We found fresh flowers by the bedside, plush robes and slippers, and a jacuzzi tub in the bath. All immaculate, as if the renovation had been completed just this week.
There are no common areas for lounging, and no porch for sitting – just a room one flight up from the street. But it’s a great room, and all we needed.
The Inn owners also run the Thyme Inn Market and It’s About Thyme Restaurant next door.
The restaurant was loud, packed, and hustling on Saturday night. Murals of an Italian villa and rolling green hills covered the walls, and painted ceramic tableware on the dark wood tables helped complete the Mediterranean picture. The owners’ daughter is the chef, and, simply put, she rocks. AND she doesn’t want you to go away hungry. I had the very generous goat cheese salad with arugula, pine nuts, and proscuitto, and tried the Pot Roast – loved it! Served with a few carrots and lots of sauce in a two-handled metal cassoulet pot, it wasn’t what I expected, and I love a surprise.
Rick had the Caesar salad and Prime Rib – thick, well-seasoned and perfectly cooked, with tasty au gratin potatoes on the side, a perfect man-meal. After a day of wine tasting, we were saturated…but those entrees really did cry out for a nice Cotes du Rhone. We didn’t ask the by-the-glass price, and were braced for $10 or more, then thrilled to see the bill for $7 a glass – a true bargain these days.
Be sure to ask the prices of the day’s specials, on the unpriced side of the menu. While the regular menu items don’t have any particular monetary surprises, the specials mostly came in at the mid-$30 range, and the 16 oz New York strip was a whopping $48. On the plus side, the food was plentiful and could easily become tomorrow’s lunch.
Closest wineries: Old House, Castle Gruen, Prince Michel, Rogers Ford
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