My Getaway To Inn Boonsboro

Life has been the usual whirlwind. And when things get hectic, this blog is the first to feel the impact with my dereliction of duty. But I've had a few wonderful life experiences that could stand being shared with the world (My next blog will be on my England trip in June).

This past July 4 weekend, I spent a wonderful three days with my sister-in-law (SIL) at Nora Roberts' new Inn BoonsBoro (http://innboonsboro.com/) in Washington County, Maryland. I had decided a couple months ago to treat my SIL to a girls retreat. From the Web site, this upscale inn promised to deliver on my expectations.

I flew in my SIL to BWI airport on Friday morning, picked her up by 11 and we headed toward Frederick on Rte 70 and then beyond to Rte 66 Boonsboro. The trip probably took an hour and half. Driving through Boonsboro reminds me of my Laurel hometown about 20 years ago. There is the requisite Main Street with a variety of store fronts. At one of two traffic lights, I turned at the corner of the Inn with a feeling of anticipation.

After all, this was Nora's new business venture. The newspapers and magazines had covered the grand opening. The news had covered the terrible fire before the original opening. Several author friends had shared their enthusiastic opinions about the property. But now, my SIL and I would get to experience the Inn for ourselves.

I parked in the exclusive parking lot behind the building. We pulled out our suitcases and headed for the door, already admiring the courtyard with tables and chairs and large umbrellas for the sun.

Suzanne, the innkeeper, welcomed us into the lobby. Although we conducted the business of checking in, I immediately felt as if I had taken a relaxing step away from the outside world of stress and chaos. Then it was time to take a mini-tour through the expansive kitchen, the entry way with a large, fragrant flower arrangement and a bowl of dove candy bites.

The lounge area on the main floor is furnished to invite guests to relax and enjoy the TV or play a variety of games, including Chess. At 7 p.m. each evening, Suzanne provided wine, cheese, crackers, and assortment of munchies. I ate my fair share while watching a movie after only planning to pop in and out.

Then we went to my room- Titania and Oberon. Each room is decorated along the themes of literary romantic couples. I chose Shakespeare's Midsummers Night Dream with the light, magical color scheme and style for my retreat. This room proved to be even more special because I had visited Stratford-upon-Avon only a week ago in England where Shakespeare was born and lived part of his life. Outside Shakespeare's home, actors performed a scene from the Midsummers Night Dream. I felt some sort of cosmic connection selecting the room.

My SIL was in Jane and Rochester room (From Jane Eyre). A massive king-sized bed with deep, bold colors created this room. My SIL fell in love with the room, especially the fireplace and private entrance.

One of the unique amenities in this Inn is the bathroom. The rooms are a decent size, so that you don't ever have the urge to only use it for sleeping. I could see myself writing in there or sitting on the attached balcony for hours. But the bathroom also had a spacious quality with oversized tubs that practically did the inviting. In my room, my tub required a step bench to climb in and when I sat, the edge of the tub reached my cheeks.

And there I sat every evening, soaking under the suds of specific signature scents created for each room, with the Midsummers Night Dream book (part of the furnishings, along with the DVD) and my Ipod.

The tiled floor is heated, along with the towel rack. And the toilet bears mentioning because the lid opens with the help of a motion sensor, or a push of the button. With another push of a button or two, you can wash and dry your nether regions. Okay, nuff said.

What to do in Boonsboro? We spent Friday getting facials from Green Bamboo (I ended up buying all the wonderful products--ILIKE Organic Skin Care--used on my skin, which felt so soft). http://greenbambooskincare.com/. Then, I popped over to Vesta for dinner, along with getting books from Turn The Page. Finally for that evening, we settled on the balcony looking at fireworks as we drank wine, ate and ate and ate. Saturday, after breakfast, we headed to the movies and then the outlet mall near Hagerstown. I'm not a shopper, but you wouldn't have thought so when I came out of the Coach, Chico, Jockey stores. But my SIL also did some damage - LOL. Then we ate dinner in the area before heading back to the Inn. But, as it always goes when you're having a good time, Sunday arrived too soon. I took my SIL back to BWI for her 1:20 flight.

But not before we booked our winter getaway at Inn BoonsBoro. Let the count down begin.

Michelle

Stay tuned for Trail of Kisses - Feb. '10

Goal: 80 pounds to be kicked to the curb; 25 pounds lost