My husband and I stayed at the Depot Lodge in Paint Bank, VA for one night in May 2012. This building served as a real train depot years ago and has been rebuilt and open for business. I have been traveling to Paint Bank for years and would only stay the night with relatives in the past. Staying at the Depot Lodge was such a treat! There are 4 rooms upstairs, a Master Suite downstairs, and a kitchen/living room area downstairs as well. There are also other accommodations on the property (a cute caboose and cottage is next door). Check-in is across the street at the General Store, so grab your keys to your room before unloading your car.

We stayed in one of the upstairs rooms. It was very clean, quaint and cozy. We were given a tour right away and there are fresh cookies and juices, coffee, cereal, and milk for guests any time of the day in the kitchen area downstairs. You will also be given a voucher towards breakfast in the restaurant across the street. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of our room. It was larger than expected and the bathroom was quite big as well. The bed was comfortable and it gets VERY quiet at night in Paint Bank. There was a flat screen TV in our room and lots of rocking chairs on the porch outside (you share a common porch area with other guests). The creek on the property runs right by the lodge, and there are plenty of private little seating areas to sit and enjoy a glass of wine while watching the lazy creek flow by.

There is NO CELL SERVICE, so prepare to have no interruptions while you are there. There is complimentary WiFi that worked great, so if you have a house sitter or relatives needing to contact you, that's the way to communicate unless you use the room phone where long distance calls are no longer complimentary.

We slept very well and had no issues with noise. There was one other couple staying in the Lodge, but they were on the other side of the hotel, so we did not experience any noise from anyone. Everywhere are hard wood floors, so I can imagine if someone were wearing clunky shoes or high heels, noise could be an issue.

Paint Bank is a slice of Americana. The people are friendly, the restaurant across the street is charming (Swinging Bridge) with lots of great comfort food, and the General Store and Tingler's Mill are a must visit attraction. The town is surrounded by mountains at every angle (hence, no cell service), and it is total relaxation there. My husband and I were able to totally connect and enjoy our time together without any interruptions from the outside world. Truly a wonderful experience and a step back in time. We will return, but next time we might try staying in the Master Suite. We were allowed to go inside and check it out, and it is lovely!!

While you are at the Lodge, check out the old photographs in the downstairs kitchen/living room area. My grandmother's photo is high up on the wall. Her name was Juanita Bryan and her photo is striking. There are other photos of time gone by that will give you a connection to the place and make you take pause in how amazing the surroundings are. Definitely check out Paint Bank, you will not be disappointed.

We stayed two nights at the Paint Bank B&B. Our room, The Master Suite, was absolutely enormous! It was the size of a small apartment with the feeling of being in a log cabin. Every wall inside is built with wood. We had three rooms; plenty of windows and doors; the bedroom had a queen size four poster bed; it was Wi-Fi ready and we used it; the living room has a gas fireplace that was wonderful to sit by and look outside; there was plenty of comfortable chairs and a sleeper sofa; and, the dining area had a great table and chairs. We walked outside through one of our private doors, across the private deck, and sat in the provided outdoor furniture and listened to the gurgling sounds of Potts Creek. It just doesn’t get any better that that.

At night time, just to add to the overall ambiance, and for privacy, we pulled closed the wooden inside doors that looked like original, but fancy barn doors. The Master Suite is probably 5 or 6 times as big as the Caboose – and if you want the experience of staying in a Caboose, do it! We talked to the couple that was there and they loved it. The large Master Suite with exposed wooden beams in the vaulted ceiling of the living room with all of the spaciousness was more our style for this trip. Oh, and at the other end of the Lodge you’ll find the large meeting room where coffee, sodas, water, juices, cookies, small refrigerator, sink, and games are located 24x7. Direct TV is available in two rooms; we didn’t find a DVD player, but hey… with everything else...open up the door, sit on your private wraparound porch and listen for a while!

We ate at the Paint Bank Swinging Bridge Restaurant – and yes there is a bridge that allows you to walk from one side of the upstairs to the other side – it’s a very fancy and sturdy rope and wood structure (it’s fastened down by some heavy steel so don’t worry). The Paint Bank general store was full of most things we would have ever needed.

While there we visited the Virginia State Fish Hatchery and viewed the 1.5 million fish that are in different stages of growth to be released into the Virginia waters at some time in the future – three species of trout to be exact. We also rode the provided bicycles to the Bison Ranch down the flat easy-to-ride road. The road is across the street from the B&B, and you can’t help but find Bison on both sides of the street as you leisurely ride along.

Only one thing – no cell service…but if you need to make a call, they can handle that as they allow you to make long distance calls for free…although, we didn’t try it.

In summary, go and stay at the Depot Lodge B&B.

Romantic trip to the western mountains of VA. Teeny, tiny town with a 5-star accommodation in the caboose room of the Depot Lodge. Clean, well-appointed, with nice decor. Very cozy, charming and romantic. Across the street is the town hub: the Swinging Bridge Restaurant and gift shop, along with the general store. A fun place to visit, the ONLY place to visit in town! Try the locally raised Buffalo burger on the menu. It was a cool stay for my husband and I with an adventurous and scenic drive along Rt 311 from the Blue Ridge Parkway to get there.

Stayed in the red caboose and it was cozy and relaxing. Nice restoration in the caboose and lodge. Ate all lunch dinner and breakfast at the swinging bridge. It was good comfort .... stick to your ribs ... food. Not much to do in Paint Bank... but great for a night!