Middleburg, Virginia
A weekend at Goodstone Inn & Estate is a chance to live in the lap of Middleburg luxury. Guest rooms are in four residences on the 265-acre estate and is decorated in French or English country style.
We stayed in the Harvest Room in the French Farm Cottage–a single room that felt like a suite, as the cottage's Great Room was outside our door. Our room boasted the antique charm of a carved armoire and a beamed cathedral ceiling with modern accouterments like a whirlpool and a steam shower.
Guests gather at the Carriage House for fancy tea and full breakfast. (Continental breakfast was delivered to the cottage for those of us who need a caffeine fix.) Our Great Room was also stocked with homemade cookies, soft drinks, and local wines.
The ruined façade of the estate's original mansion forms a dramatic backdrop for the heated outdoor pool. The property also has hiking trails and canoeing. Guests get free passes for a round of golf at a nearby country club.
Charles and Sam, Goodstone's attentive hosts, offered lots of suggestions for nearby restaurants. In the heart of hunt country, good food was not hard to find.
Bottom line: In an hour or so, you can be in the lap of luxury.
Goodstone Inn & Estate, 540-687-4645; goodstone.com. Summer weekend rates for two: $350 to $475 a night plus 15-percent "service fee."
