A SURPRISE IS WAITING FOR YOU AT THE OLD EDWARDS INN AND SPA, HIGHLANDS NC

A LUXURY ESCAPE FOR MY 50TH BIRTHDAY

The minute you walk through the door at the Old Edwards Inn,

https://www.oldedwardshospitality.com/old-edwards-inn-spa?gclid=Cj0KCQiAx9mABhD0ARIsAEfpavQo7Vv6LVjURk4B_z3dGQlYQzAbB9kBov1hKOU2c_qzpOmb3AHykpgaAoopEALw_wcB there is a comfort and warmth there to greet you. It’s not grandiose or fake. It’s not stuffy and uncomfortable. It’s welcoming and relaxed. It’s charming. Very European. The concierge who greets you only needs to hear your name once. For the rest of your stay, he and everyone else remembers it. This stay was a complete surprise for me! My 50th Birthday. My husband tricked me into thinking we were just stopping in to check out the place on our drive up the mountain to do some birthday hiking. So I had done NO research. I had NO plan or details. It was then that they Welcomed us for our STAY with two sparkling glasses of champagne. Now it was starting to make sense. We were going to get to STAY! I then began to get very excited. We hadn’t stayed overnight anywhere in quite a while due to the safety precautions of covid. I wanted to take in every second of it. It’s beauty. It’s charm. Just to note, Highlands takes Covid and Masking to the highest level. Everyone here wears masks and you will be FINED if not wearing one.

As they escorted us to our historic room (the Berkshire) – I felt like royalty or something. I noted the delicate rose on the dresser when we walked in. Our bellman gave us an overview of the traditionally decorated room. He showed us how to turn on the heated floors in the bathroom (ahhh), and where the super-soft robes were located if we wanted them. He then explained that they had complimentary DOVE BARS available at any time, 24/7 all we had to do was call! That’s all it took. I wasn’t leaving….ever!

On a side note, after we checked in and I was just sitting there taking it all in, I happened to notice the framed picture on the wall. It was a framed picture of my all time favorite bible verse. Psalm 91. Almost like it was placed there just for me. God wink! I may have teared up just a little.

The Old Edwards Inn and Spa is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Highlands, North Carolina. It’s in the heart of town, so it’s an easy walk to some of Highland’s most unique quaint little boutiques, shops, and restaurants. There are even some hiking trails not too far away if you want to venture out for some awesome views. We hiked to Sunrise Rock and then hiked to Sunset Rock. Both are located very close to each other. We were able to sit and enjoy the view all to ourselves. Not many people were out hiking on such a cold January day. It was a fun way to reflect on all the amazing views I have witnessed during these 50 years. Here are a few of my favorite sunrises of all time…Sunrise over Canyonlands

http://box5321.temp.domains/~joysonaj/utahs-mighty-5-in-50-hours/, and Bryce Canyon. Plus our recent trip to Antiqua http://box5321.temp.domains/~joysonaj/what-its-like-to-travel-during- covid-travel-has-been-at-an-almost-standstill-since-things-were-locked-down-last-spring-due-to-the-pandemic-of-2020-but-as-time-goes-on-so-does-the-pandemic-many-have/ Very Blessed!

MADISON’S RESTAURANT

Since I hadn’t done any research about the Old Edwards Inn, I didn’t know that you have to be an overnight guest to dine in their restaurant Madison’s. This was an opportunity I wanted to check out! Luckily, Saj surprised me with a reservation there for dinner. It was a special occasion! Madison’s food was all farm-fresh locally sourced with all the deliciousness that North Carolina has to offer. The restaurant has a Cozy Mountainside feel with lots of dark wood, fabrics, and warm fireplaces. It was upscale but comfortable. The food was beautifully presented and tasted as good as it looked. We had the homemade pimento cheese for an appetizer, Beef Tartar, Bacon Wrapped Quail, and melt in your mouth Brisket. The servings were not that large but perfectly spaced and filling. I hear that the Soufflés is to die for but since I am not an eggy person, we skipped the Soufflé’s and headed back to the room for the Dove Bars and some Bubbly! What a surprise it was to arrive back to the room to find our bed made up with rose peddles, dimmed lights, robe and slippers laid out for us. A very beautiful touch! We had such a great time at the Old Edwards Inn. We will definitely go back when we can stay longer.

We woke up to a rainy cold morning but wanted to chase a few waterfalls before heading back to reality. So we stopped by Dry Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Dry Falls has a pretty forceful fall and one that gave us a pretty good spray. The force of the fall was pretty impressive and it was fun to be able to walk behind it for some cools shots. Bridal Veil was an easy drive up shot. It seems that in the past you were able to drive your car behind the fall but now the drive-thru has been blocked for safety.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Don’t forget to take a Mask

Make Reservations Early

Roads are Curvy on the way up so if you have motion sickness you may want to bring along some meds

Old Edwards Inn does have Free Electric/Tesla Charging Stations

Take a Walk around the area.

Take a hike!

Thanks for joining us on this surprise Journey.

*I was not sponsored or paid in anyway to write this post. Just my opinion. We understand the seriousness of Covid and are not promoting travel during this time. But we do feel it’s important to highlight those companies that do practice safe covid standards if traveling is an option.

Joys On A Journey