This article is a part of our 2018 guide to great fall getaways, including where to head for colorful foliage, fun festivals, and other glories of autumn.
The Clifton Inn’s serene swimming area is just one of the hotel’s enticing amenities. Photograph courtesy of Clifton Inn
From our November 2007 issue.
VIRGINIA IS FOR WINNIE THE POOH LOVERS
Clifton Inn
1296 Clifton Inn Dr., Charlottesville, Va.; 888-971-1800
What’s special: Located in the heart of Charlottesville, the Clifton Inn sits on 100 acres in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Each of the 17 rooms features luxury linens, fresh flowers, and plush terrycloth robes. With a variety of accommodations, the inn can accommodate couples as well as families. The Collina Farmhouse, for example, which is set apart from the main house and other cottages, features five bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and plenty of outdoor space where kids can run around. While a world of activities awaits off the property—tours of Thomas Jefferson’s historic Monticello, winetasting, shopping, and hiking—you may never want to leave. There are yard games, a swimming pool, tennis, and a private dock where kids can go fishing. At dinner, children will love sitting at the new chef’s counter, separate from the rest of the dining room, where they can watch the action in the kitchen.
The deal: The Winnie the Pooh package includes a turndown gift of Winnie the Pooh’s Bedtime Stories and a plush Pooh toy, a “hunny pot” filled with local Virginia honey, and free afternoon tea and continental breakfast daily. Mention The Washingtonian to also receive full breakfast for free (for up to four people), a value of up to $200 depending what’s ordered. Rates start at $295 midweek, $375 weekends.
When: Valid in September and October 2011.
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SOUTHERN CHARM
Charleston Place Hotel
205 Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.; 888-635-2350
What’s special: The hotel is in downtown historic Charleston, within walking distance of major attractions including antebellum mansions and a waterfront park. Part of the Orient-Express collection, the charming hotel is a blend of 17th-century style and 21st-century comfort. You can enjoy the indoor/outdoor pool, the spa, and the fitness center. While in Charleston, you can take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city’s narrow streets, lined with beautifully preserved buildings from the Colonial and antebellum periods; visit famous plantations and gardens; and see Cabbage Row, the inspiration for what’s often called America’s first great opera, Porgy and Bess.
The deal: Washingtonian readers will receive 20 percent off the hotel’s club rate, plus free dessert for two and two glasses of Muscato wine when you have dinner at the Charleston Grill. The discounted room rate is $288. The club level occupies the top two floors and includes all-day complimentary beverage service, deluxe continental breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and after-dinner cordials with desserts in the club lounge. To get this deal, use this link.
When: Valid in September 2011.
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ITALY WITH A VIEW
Palazzo Manfredi (Rome) and Hotel Punta Tragara (Capri)
What’s special: Enjoy extraordinary views of Italy from both hotels. Palazzo Manfredi is in the heart of ancient Rome, directly across from the Coliseum. Built atop what were gladiator training grounds, the five-star deluxe hotel was recently renovated.
The Punta Tragara, also recently renovated, is perched cliffside above the famed Faraglioni sea stacks on the Isle of Capri.
The Manfredi Fine Hotel Collection, composed of small and intimate properties, is owned by third-generation Italian counts. Amenities include access to a private beach club at Hotel Punta Tragara and the use (for a fee) of a Lamborghini Gallardo at Palazzo Manfredi.
The deal: The Rome & Capri Dream Escape features two nights at Palazzo Manfredi and two at Punta Tragara in a double room, plus special welcome gifts. Included is a gourmet dinner for two at the rooftop Mediterranean restaurant Aroma in Rome, with front-row views of the Coliseum, and dinner for two at Manzù, with a table overlooking the Bay of Marina Piccola; a coastal boat tour of the isle of Capri; and either a one-way transfer to the Rome hotel from the airport or railway station or a round-trip hydrofoil transfer to the Capri hotel from the airport or railway station. The price is 2,200 euros plus taxes (approximately $3,150), a 25-percent savings. Mention The Washingtonian to also receive a free lunch for two at both properties, a total value of 440 euros, or about $630. To book the Rome & Capri Dream Escape, click here or call +39 081 8370844.
When: Valid September 16 through October 31, 2011.
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