My husband and I just returned from our second stay at South Court Inn.
We arrived in the evening after dark, and the entrance was beautifully lit and decorated in autumn décor. Tom gave us a very warm welcome, and as it had been awhile since our previous visit, he went over a few basics of the room and common areas. This check-in process took a total of about 10 minutes, and at no point did it feel like a lecture.
Our favorite is the Margaret Bland room – very spacious, decorated in warm and relaxing colors. The bed and linens are luxurious and very, very comfy – so much so that we both slept much later than usual! The shades when fully drawn are practically blackout shades, so it keeps the room quite dark even after sunrise. Also, the room is very quiet. You can faintly hear the soft classical “morning music” before breakfast (although it was not loud enough to wake me up), but otherwise I could not hear the other guests or the innkeepers walking around and preparing for breakfast. Also, I liked being able to adjust the heat level in the room, since I don’t like it too warm at night. Close to midnight, I woke up with a chocolate craving and snuck out to the sun porch. I was delighted to find a huge stash of Halloween candy!
The next morning we enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast that was filling enough that we skipped lunch. Tom told us one of their goals is that no one leaves the table hungry. I would say there is little chance of that! The table was beautifully set, and though Tom did have a few words about the silverware and various turkey items, he prompted us to please go ahead and eat as he was chatting. We enjoyed the company of another couple who seemed to be having a great time as well. After breakfast, we consulted a variety of hiking books and maps in their library, and chose a few trails in the Shenandoah National Park to explore.
I love the feel of the sun porch area, where there is a large table with lots of reading material and games for those so inclined. We never stuck around long enough to properly enjoy this room, so I hope to do that next visit. Snow would be nice! <See if you can arrange that please, Tom! ;-) >
After a wonderful dinner out at the Victorian Inn (also recommended by Tom – he knows the scoop on all the local eateries), we returned to our comfy nest to watch a couple of movies. At least, we tried, but crashed out early. The Inn has an extensive selection of DVDs, and as our room had a large-screen television and DVD player, we took full advantage.
There was nothing remotely negative about our stay, except perhaps a slow drain in the bathroom tub. Once we brought it to Tom’s attention, he took care of it promptly and cheerfully. No big deal. I feel that if ever we should encounter any issues in the future, we can count on Tom and Anita to make it right, given the chance to do so.
Everything about our stay was wonderful, and the South Court Inn now feels like our home away from home. As we drove away, we began plotting our next visit. We have just booked our third visit for New Year’s, and we can’t wait to return! The Inn is truly lovely when decorated for the Christmas season (we were there in December during our first visit). I’m hoping to see some snow this next time. But whether or not we get snow, I know we're in for three days of ultra-relaxation! We intend to book massage appointments this time (arranged conveniently by Tom). I don't mean to harp on about Tom, but he really was most helpful to us in so many ways.
Oh, and one last thing: we were not pushed to write a review. It was mentioned briefly only once at checkout, which is what I would expect from any inn.
