I'll start with a warning: you might have read this before. Sorry! I put this up last night, only to find out that half the pictures were missing. I worked on it, put it up on my 'practice' blog, and it seemd to be in order. Not. So, here it is again, minus the pics.

What a grand getaway! We stayed at the Antrim 1844 Inn, in Taneytown, MD. One of my clients told me about it. He and his wife go there to celebrate very special occasions. He described the fabulous winter special, and after seeing the website, I was sold. I'll tell you the price after I describe our stay.

I didn't get a good picture of the mansion. (Not that it wants to appear here anyway.) As we walked up the stairs, the front doors were opened by two suited young men, and the concierge. That made an impression! After checking in, we drove to our rooms, where the gentlemen were waiting to carry in our luggage and give us a tour of our rooms. Yes, they were huge. The suites were the size of apartments. I had made arrangements for three rooms. My sister Ilene and my mother stayed in the Grant Suite, neighbor and friends Kelly and Barbara in the Lee Suite, and Kit and I in the Jackson Room, all in the Carriage House. The suites were the size of apartments. It turns out we were the only guests in the Carriage House.

After settling in, we made our way over to the mansion for the afternoon tea. We were treated to fancy sandwiches, savory scones, cookies, raspberries and blackberries, along with beautiful teas in silk bags. A gentleman was playing on a grand piano and singing jazz tunes. A fire was roaring in the huge fireplace. We were happy. And we knew this was just the start. Have I mentioned that we all like to eat?

We went back to the Carriage House after tea. I brought a few CD's and we listened to Norah Jones while enjoying some wine. Everyone changed into their evening clothes, and we went back to the mansion. It was a 30 second drive! We took the car because of my mother. Hors d'oeuvres were served at 6:30 while the piano man sung. There were bacon wrapped scallops, brie and raspberries in puff pastry, and some type of salmon tidbits. I had just come back from the bathroom when my sister said she liked that one best. I said, hmmm, where's mine? Oh, I sat on it. The wine, you know? Not too much damage done.


At 7:00 we were seated for the six course dinner. Our menus were printed with our names, and signed by the chef of this 4 star restaurant. We had three waitstaff just for our table. We started with cream of crab soup with crab ragout for some, and foie gras and salmon gravlax for others. Next was a sampling of salmon with capers and lemon and smoked oysters. Then a salad of fresh mozzarella and bresaola. I don't know what that means but it was delicious. The Intermezzo was a grapefruit ice. I chose Dover sole gratin with lemon and capers served on a bed of creamed leek as my entree. Others chose the filet and lobster bearnaise or the scallops with salmon, artichokes and tomatoes. Just wonderful! Lastly, we had a 'panache' of chef's desserts along with coffee. It was a three hour affair. We were so full. It was as amazing as it sounds.

We came back to see our beds turned down and this nice touch. It was billed as a 'romantic' getaway.


We visited for a few hours in the living room, not wanting to go to sleep on a full stomach, and still having a lot to talk about. Finally we went up to bed. In the morning, we were greeted by this outside our doors...


This was not breakfast. Really. I didn't eat my muffin. Didn't want to spoil the country breakfast. Which was just wonderful. I wish I could show you the pic. I won't try again.

The price? I know you shouldn't talk about price in 'polite company', but I don't mind, because it was amazingly affordable. And I did put in that tease in the beginning. The Romantic Winter Special is usually $119 per person, plus taxes. We were upgraded to the suites because they were handicapped accessible, for just $159 per person. Including everything. The regular price of staying in the suites without the package and no meals is $325-$400 per person per night. This was truly a getaway to remember, and I will surely thank my client for recommending it. I feel as though I've been on vacation. And treated like a queen.

Sorry for this very long post. I just couldn't help myself!