Our trip to Asheville, NC

This past weekend my husband and I had a two night get a way up to Asheville, NC.  I was so excited to finally have some time off and to be able to get away.  The weather forecast in Asheville, NC was calling for snow and I was determined I would get to see Biltmore like this.

Unfortunately or fortunately (however you choose to look at it) the snow did not arrive but by passed these mountains which I am told happens often due to their location.

The snowy scene above was taken off of our boxes that we brought our wine home in.  LOL!

I will show you more of Biltmore in a later post.  I have very few photos due to they do not allow photos to be taken inside of the actual home.

Today I just want to share a few photos taken going up the mountain from the car, and of our hotel.

I am always amazed at how close these gorgeous mountains are.  After only about a 2 and half hour drive from our home it seems we round the corner and are met with this gorgeous view.

We are truly blessed to live in the middle of SC where a few hours one way takes you to the coast and few hours the other way takes you to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  It's always so breath taking and yes, you can feel your ears pop going up.

For those of you who are like us who do not enjoy spending a lot of money on hotels I want to share where we stayed.  I would love to stay at the Grove Park Inn one day hands down.  However, I just cannot swallow even their cheapest rate which is around $270.00 a night.  No offense for those of you do and can but I just have too many other choices I'd rather spend my money on then lodging, especially when it's only for a few nights.  And to show you that a higher price isn't the only way to get nice accomodations I'd like to show you where we ended up so you can be the judge for yourself.  

This was the decor we enjoyed upon entering the lobby of our hotel.

To say I was totally pleased with the new updated decor would be quite an understatement.   For those of you who may want to know we ended up choosing to stay at the Hampton Inn on Tunnel Rd. We even landed a great weekend rate even though we went on Thursday and Friday nights.

The fireplace was a popular spot this weekend. Many times I passed by to see people sitting here reading either a book or newspapers quite happily.

On the opposite side of the lounge area was the dining area.  It was so cozy and inviting as well.  It offered several different seating options just like at home.  You could sit up high on the barstool tables in the middle or on regular chair and tables shown on the right or get much more cozy in the sofa tables on the left.  A hot breakfast was served every morning in a buffet area located just beyond the doors beside the TV.  OMG!  Where the eggs ever so good!  

There was also another beverage station set up near the front desk that was open 24/7.  You could get hot coffee, chocolate or  cold water here anytime.  Sorry yall, but some of these photos I took with my cell phone.  

I just fell in love with this sofa and lamp for that matter too!  It was a truly devine magenta color if ever I have seen one.

The fresh apples also sat on the tables 24/7 as well.  This lobby became a bustling place on Friday and Saturday when the crowds came in.  It was clear this hotel was a favorite for many and I highly recommend it.  The clientele ranged from older to younger, with singles, families and business and college students as well.  It was definitely what I would call a thriving business.

Here is our room.  If you can overlook the suitcase and clothes everywhere you will see a very cozy room.

Our king size bed was very comfortable and was complete with a down comforter and duvet.

This little sticky note was tacked on the bed frame upon our arrival.  

There was a big screen TV and a microwave and refrigerator in the cabinet.

The heater was quite sufficient and had a thermostat on the wall that we cranked up to a toasty 72 degrees after trompsing around Biltmore in temperatures that were in the 20's.  By the way those jeans are on the floor because we had them near the heater for the legs to dry up.  They got a bit  of dampness from the rain soaked areas we walked around in at the winery.  I know were kinda slobby too, right?  LOL!

In the bathroom was the most appealing wallpaper I have seen in some time.  It was my favorite shade of green with tiny blue pinstripes was textured to the touch and almost had a bit of a silky feel to it.  I would love to get some of this wall paper for myself.

The wallpaper was the perfect match for a very well designed bathroom.  You all know how much a fan I am of black so it should be no surprise why I like this bathroom.  It was so clean and I regret that I did not take photos of the tub surround tile which was a tan lined tile.  Gorgeous!

Anyway, I really wanted to share all of this with so you could see what some well priced (moderately budget) motels are offering and how they are updating to stay ahead.  We dined like kings and queens on this trip and had a wonderful and very cozy time.  

Again, I do apologize for the photos as I ran the battery out of my nikon and had to resort to the cell phone for the rest of my trip.

Well thanks for stopping by!

I would love to hear what you think of the decor at this hotel.  I would also love to hear what your priorities are when it comes to choosing a hotel.  Do you look for the best of the best, or have other methods for choosing.  I also used trip advisor and this one was ranked up there as no.3.

Not to shabby for a great deal, huh?

Hope your having a great weekend!