We spent the weekend in my second favorite city (to Charleston, SC) ever – Asheville! As part of my birthday gift we booked a room at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville. What a huge surprise this hotel was! Every single detail is absolutely stunning from the moment you pull in.
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| via (my outside shots just didn’t do this hotel justice!) |
We arrived bright and early on Saturday morning and although our check in time wasn’t until 4 pm we were immediately whisked up to the 4th floor to the most gorgeous room. The service was incredible and the lobby was so warm and inviting. Oh, and there are unbelievably beautiful chandeliers everywhere.
We loved our room. The Grand Bohemian doesn’t miss a detail from the oversized velvet-tufted headboard and gorgeous light fixtures to the huge tub that opens up to the sleeping space. It was all around perfect…and Caroline agreed.
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We spent the afternoon walking around downtown Asheville listening to all the street corner musicians and had lunch at one of my very favorite places, Early Girl Eatery. We even bumped into one of my old college friends while we were wandering around.
Months prior to our trip I made reservations for dinner at The Admiral at the recommendation of one of my best friends (who loves Asheville as much as me). The dive bar turned restaurant is small (less than 10 tables) and books up fast! It also has hundreds of outstanding reviews (google, yelp, etc.) and is rated almost 5 stars. However, when we first arrived we definitely thought we were at the wrong place. The exterior of the restaurant screamed “dive bar” for sure and it was located in between a junk yard and gas station…what?!
The website even describes the establishment as “a modest cinderblock building on the wage earning side of town”. Despite the appearance of the outside The Admiral was definitely every bit of 5 stars and served the best seared scallops I’ve ever had!
We had an early dinner reservation to avoid any potential meltdowns at the table. Caroline was absolutely perfect through dinner so we decided to push our luck and head back to the hotel for a complimentary birthday dessert at The Red Stag. We went with the “award winning” five layer red velvet cake!
With full, happy bellies we decided to get back to our room and put Caroline to bed. To my surprise we were greeted with complimentary champagne to continue my birthday celebrations! Um, did I mention how awesome the service at The Grand Bohemian is?!?
The next morning we awoke to the most amazing view…
…and a happy baby!
For breakfast we dined at Corner Kitchen, another highly recommend place that did not disappoint! I’m still talking about the delicious cream cheese scrambled eggs with chives and fresh herbs…mmmm!
And of course, one of my favorite parts of the trip was driving the Blue Ridge Parkway to show Caroline the mountains for the first time.
I never get sick of this view.
What a wonderful way to celebrate a memorable birthday! It looks so relaxing & refreshing, and Caroline! ohh goodness how cute your little lady is! I love the mountains of NC, growing up at the beach was wonderful but my heart truly resides in the mountains…so now I'm off to scan mountain cabins and beg my husband to take me on another trip! haha, Happy belated birthday Christina! xo
Asheville is my favorite place in the whole wide world! My husband and I went there on our honeymoon over Christmas and stayed at the Grove Park Inn. I loved reading this post and remembering how much fun this city is:)
I went to college in Asheville and fell in love – I absolutely WILL move back there one day! You've made me homesick now!
Happy birthday!! Look like it was an amazing birthday weekend. I LOVE the Grand Bohemian in Orlando so I can only imagine how amazing the Ashville location is! Those views are amazing! Glad you had a great birthday weekend!<3, Pamelasequinsandseabreezes.blogspot.com
Happy to see you had a lovely time and wonderful birthday!!! I need to do a recap post of our trip, now! Xo,Lsimplylowcountry.com
I want to stay at that hotel even more now! What a magical weekend you had 🙂 happy birthday!!!
looks like a beautiful place to spend a birthday!! im glad you had fun! xo jillian – cornflake dreams
Now that looks like a perfect birthday weekend!!! The cake looks to die for… and sign me up for a bubble bath!!
How gorgeous! I've only been to Asheville once but I loved what I saw…you may have convinced me to make another trip!
Love all of these photos, that last family photo is absolute perfection!! Caroline is the cutest 🙂 We're heading to Asheville at the end of October and this post made me so excited! Glad you had a great birthday weekend!
So fun to getaway and escape for a weekend sometimes! Happy birthday!!!!
Your hair looks really really great! Looks like y'all had a lot of fun 🙂 Happy Birthday!
Happy belated birthday! Looks like it was a fabulous celebration. Love, love the GB! We stayed there for our anniversary back in May and I seriously could not get enough of the tub — I didn't want to leave! And you're right their hospitality is beyond amazing! Glad to hear the Admiral lived up to the hype, it's on our list but we haven't made it there…yet. ; )
aww i miss asheville. my grandparents live right outside of the city and loveeee the admiral. have you been to curate? it's soooo good!
Happy Birthday! Asheville looks gorgeous – esp that hotel and Caroline is a little sweetie! Looks like you got to enjoy some really great family time.~Ashley @ A Cute Angleacutelifestyle.blogspot.com
Happy Birthday! Love Asheville, my brother and his wife live there and we loved visiting last Thanksgiving. They are vegan and LOVE Early Girl Eatery. Glad you had such a beautiful weekend with your new family of 3!
hope you had a wonderful birthday Mama. I always drive by that hotel and wonder how amazing it is inside, and now I know! Maybe I will make Joe take me there sometime (even though we have a free place to stay with Mom). Adding Admiral to my bucket list of restaurants. YUM!
What a PERFECT birthday weekend. I love that the hotel AND miss Caroline were so good to you on your birthday. How fun!!
swoooon!! I love Asheville and the mountains! and that wine.. need! What a perfect birthday momma!
I've never been to Asheville and now I really want to go!
Happy birthday!! What an amazing trip! I love the Early Girl too – and it's perfect with kiddos! The hotel looks stunning. So glad you had a great vacation!
Happy Birthday, pretty lady! What a great trip! I've never been to Asheville but I'm sold. Looks like a great little town. So glad you got to enjoy it for your birthday.
Happy belated birthday! Glad you had an awesome weekend!!
I am headed to Asheville this weekend and this makes me even more excited. I love the blue ridge parkway and can't wait to see the changing leaves. Happy belated birthday Christina!
what a fantastic birthday weekend! looks like a great time and wonderful way to celebrate!
What a fabulous birthday! Relaxing and fun. Perfect way to start a new year:) We will definitely have to look into that hotel next time we visit Asheville!
That place looks amazing! I'm glad you all had such a great little family get away! Such a perfect way to celebrate your birthday!
I live about 2 minutes from the Grand Bohemian and absolutely love it, it's so beautiful around there!
Um wow that place looks amazing. Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! I'm so glad you wrote this post….my boyfriend and I are going to Asheville at the end of October and now we've got a few dining recommendations! Thanks for sharing!
What a lovely birthday getaway x
Sounded like the perfect birthday weekend! So glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful pictures, beautiful scenery, beautiful family!
Happy Birthday!! That hotel looks amazing! Dave Matthews wine is amazing, a favorite of our too!
I love Asheville as well. There used to be a restaurant called The Table there….mmmm sooooo good! Happiest birthday to you even if it is a bit late!
Asheville is DEFINITELY a fave of ours, too! We usually stay elsewhere (The Black Walnut B&B is fantastic!!!), but we've always looked at this place, and have talked about staying here. I think your review has given us the push we need to book here for our next trip! We'll definitely add your restaurants to our list, too. We love Fig Bistro, Tupelo Honey Cafe, and Rezaz. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like an amazing weekend!! I wish there were beautiful mountain towns here… or mountains at all! HA! The hotel is beautiful – y'all certainly made a good choice!!
Looks like an amazing birthday weekend! You definitely deserved a nice, relaxing weekend. Do you mind me asking, what kind of carrier is that? I'm not happy with our current ones and am looking for something different! 🙂
I'm definitely going to stay at The Grand Bohemian the next time we visit Asheville, looks so so cool!! Glad you had a nice birthday weekend with your sweet little family!!
Happy belated birthday! omgosh everything is perfection about that hotel! I need to get me to Asheville! I love the carolinas. I've been trying to talk my husband into taking a fam christmas vacay there, for relaxing.
Happy belated birthday!! Sounds like the best way to spend your bday weekend! Stunning hotel too! I've never been to Asheville but it's now on my must see list!
What a beautiful hotel! I miss driving through Asheville so much from when we lived in Charleston. My husband's family is from Kentucky and we used to pass through there all the time. Sounds like you had a great birthday!-KellyLove & Aloha (formerly Honor, Courage, Commitment)
So glad you had a wonderful birthday getaway …. that photo with you and Caroline with the mountains in the background is a framer!!! Pretty girls!
I so badly want a velvet-tufted headboard; not as big as the one in a hotel because you know, I live in like a normal person's house! But gah, so gorg! The hotel looks stunning. Looks like a wonderful birthday trip!
I LOVE LOVE Asheville! Great trip! Can't wait to go again!
You went to some perfect spots! Next time I can give you a longer list!!! I'm from there! Beautiful pics!
Christina, Great post. I'll be sharing this on my Facebook page soon.