Well, as you all can see, travel is starting to pick back up for me (Yayyyy). And it will be a bit more now that I’m fully vaccinated (Yayyy again)!!! In my last post , I mentioned personal tips to consider prior to traveling. If you haven’t reviewed that, definitely start there first. After reading it, if you now know you are ready to travel and are looking for something low key to get back into the groove, consider ASHEVILLE, NC. I visited Asheville a few years back, but it was only for a day. I’ve always wanted to go back for a longer period of time and was thankfully able to for a quick girl’s trip with my mom and her best friend. Considering how much we all needed relaxation and rejuvenation, this was the perfect location for us.

Asheville is great for those who are looking for variety. If you want to just chill, it’s great. If you want to engage in activities such as hiking, going to museums, etc, it’s great. If you want to celebrate your bachelor/bachelorette and/or honeymoon, it’s great. There is so much to choose from in this area and it also provides you with the benefit of not being in a congested, large city.

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Let’s start with where to stay:

I HIGHLY recommend the Omni Grove Park Inn. Why?

• First off, it’s BEAUTIFUL. There are incredible, panorama views from pretty much any part of the back end. Looking out at the trees and mountains is so peaceful and truly helps you appreciate all of God’s creations.
• The amount of options you have on site is awesome! This is a resort that provides you with multiple restaurants, shopping, a spa (I’ll get to that in a minute), live music in the lobby on the weekends, bars, luxury fitness center, and more; right at your fingertips. You don’t have to leave unless you really want to. This is important for those who want to travel, but still aren’t comfortable moving from place to place. Just kick back, relax and enjoy the resort ALLLL you want!

• On Site Restaurants – As I mentioned, The Omni Grove Park Inn has different restaurants to choose from. These range from grab and go markets, smoothie bars near the spa, lunch/dinner, and more. If it’s mid-day, they have first come, first serve tables outside at the Sunset Cocktail Terrace that are great for sipping a cocktail and having a quick bite while you stare out into the view. My absolute favorite for dinner is Sunset Terrace. We ate here two different nights and could’ve done so again and again. The food is delicious and the sunset (if you get there early enough) is breathtaking. Whether you are staying at the hotel or not, make sure you make reservations! This is a hot spot for many Asheville visitors and residents.

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• The Spa- Ya’ll! This spa is the best spa I have EVER been to. I really wish I could show you all of the details in pictures, but you aren’t able to use our phones past the check in area. The spa treatment itself was so good and so thorough. I never felt like she was rushing or not giving her best effort. They offer you a mimosa after, which I gladly accepted :) Now, the best perk that comes with your treatment is your access to the spa grounds for the full day of your service. This comes with thermal pools, hot tubs, lounge areas, steam rooms, and so much more. I was blown away by all of it. My suggestions: Be sure to bring your swimsuit, dedicate the full morning and afternoon to the treatment and area, and make reservation WELL in advance. They book up sometimes 4-6 weeks out so this is critical. Pro-Tip that worked for me: I went down on a Saturday morning right when they opened and asked if there were any cancelations over the next few days. Luckily there were!! Don’t just call. Go downstairs! *** They normally would accept reservations from anyone, but due to limited capacity, they are only accepting reservations from hotel guests at this time.

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*Disclaimer: The rooms aren’t super high end, but that fits with the vibe of the resort. They preserve the character, look and feel throughout, which includes the rooms. However, they are well maintained and still high quality.

Additional things to do outside of the Omni:

Explore Downtown- Their downtown is very small, but has a really artsy vibe to it. It reminds me of a baby Portland with a mix of vintage shops, rocks/crystals, restaurants, and more. They also have newer hotels with rooftop bars if that is more of what you are looking for. We took a few hours and just walked around for a bit and really enjoyed the area!

Visit the Biltmore– This is one of the attractions Asheville is most known for. It is America’s largest home (800 acres), built by George Vanderbilt. You can either take a guided tour or opt for the self-guided option. There are lots of fun facts you’ll learn in your experience. They’ve done quite well to preserve the space so give it a try- even if it’s not your typical thing to do. Be sure to visit the flower garden as well!

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Go Hiking– I did NOT go hiking (lol), but with these mountains and views, I would’ve certainly been open to it! There are guided tours for this or you can gather your group and go to one of the popular trails and go about it on your own!

Dive into the Restaurant Scene– Asheville has many great restaurants to explore. My list quickly grew from deep diving yelp, asking the waitresses at the hotel and overhearing conversations. Two of the restaurants I was able to visit were:

• Hole Doughnuts– This place came highly recommended by so many people. OMG they were so warm, so simple and so delish! They typically have standard flavors, but add in a special that day. The great thing about these is you can order them in advance for a scheduled pick up time. Woop- skip the line! It might’ve been the best decision I made all day lol Even if you can’t eat a whole doughnut at that moment, at least take a bite of it while it’s warm.
• Benne on Eagle – This was another one that came highly recommended. Although their entire menu looked great, I was all for their brunch (because brunch is LIFE). It took me a little while to decide on what to get but I landed on the grouper and grits (fantastic!!) and the biscuit on the side. This was probably one of the best brunch meals I’ve had in a long time. I would go back just for this and also for those doughnuts :)

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Well that’s it for now folks. I’m so happy I get to share travel details with you all again! Hopefully it helped add another location to your list. If you’ve been to Asheville or have been traveling, let me know where in the comments!