Absolutely stunning views. Highly accommodating. Delicious and fresh food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
DrfunUSA
This was our 2nd time at BM and it did not disappoint. Our favorite activity was making baskets with Annie, who was a great teacher. We also enjoyed wine & cheese tasting with Cara (so knowledgeable), whiskey tasting with Callum (relayed fascinating stories & made the history interesting), and mixology with Kendal (so down to earth & personalized it for us since it was just the 2 of us). We ate at Three Sisters 3 nights and the Firetower once and the rotating menu items keep you from getting the same thing twice. We tried the Valley pool once, but if you didn't bring your own kids, you'll want to stick to the Lodge pool which has an amazing view and is quieter and with great service by Nate. Shout-outs also to RJ, Zane, Bryson, and Dwayne for making us feel at home. The only negatives were that the pillows are a bit flat and the mattresses are soft so we both had backaches the first couple of mornings, and the charges for the activities end up being more than listed by $50-150 for some reason (taxes or service charges I assume, TBH we didn't ask). Important to know, but you understand when you book here that you're going to spend big bucks, and we found that the service and the mountain experience were worth it.
alyssazanger
Ten out of ten. Staff were friendly, considerate and helpful. Food was outrageous and plentiful and activities were unique and fun. On property hikes and fitness classes are great if you don’t feel like adding anything to your robust bill. The private golf cart that was at our disposal made out remote watchman cabin which was a 10 minute ride (at 11 mph) from hub and lodge not as inconvenient as one might think. Plan for your day and use the lockers in the spa to Hold your things. Experienced reiki and muscle melt massages, off properly hikes, sound bath and used the pool and on site hikes everyday. The right balance of active and relaxing for us. Highly recommend a visit
hughb794
We spent a nice four days at BM having heard so much about the resort and its older sibling Blackberry Farm. Lest the reader feel we are unfair, Blackberry Mountain is a very expensive and exclusive resort so must be held to highest of international standards. Through this lens it does fall well short of - say - Twin Farms in VT, or The Point in NY. The service, while cheerful and pleasant, reflects a bit of understaffing and undertraining. Maître d' struggling to find appropriate table in a virtually empty restaurant; difficulty in accommodating desired restaurant times, and a poorly functioning spa (see below), unreasonable upcharges for basic add-ons ($220 for a two hour mountain bike rental?...you don't get to keep the bike to take home!) The spa was a disaster by any standards. The changing rooms displayed no evidence of any cleaning staff; so it had the guests navigating around literally piles of dirty towels and slippers in the changing rooms in late afternoon. They are promising to upgrade this area...it could not come a minute too soon. Perhaps a visit to a competitors facility or three would help them get some ideas. The cuisine was good - as one would expect - but the menu was certainly not extensive and service, and quality of meal quite uneven. One should not have to send back an entre for being less than hot in this level of restaurant (we did twice). Do not make the mistake of ordering in room breakfast dining...you will get a "box lunch" breakfast for example. Catering hot meals in-room a short distance from the restaurant is a "mountain" many others have scaled successfully but it is not attempted at Blackberry Mountain - pity. The on-site amenities were good but we were hoping for great; walking trails fun; classes nice. Some activities were mysteriously overpriced (frankly things like mountain bikes should have been complimentary at these room rates). We are told Blackberry Farm is better and BM still finding their way. We hope they do,
Excursion18313020514
We stayed in one of the Watchman Cabins which was lovely and relaxing. From the moment we arrived the room, the food and the service were excellent! We also received a tour of Blackberry Farm from Mario Adams. We cannot say enough good things about this young man and our tour. Mario was extremely knowledgeable, answering any questions we had. It made us want to look into living at Blackberry! This tour was simply a delightful highlight of our trip!
DWIGHT SHELTON
Always such a great view up here. No matter the weather, or time of day. Always a site to behold the beauty.
javacodeguy
This was the first trip we took with our son who had just turned 2. We could not have picked a better place to be his first real trip. We stayed in a Clingmans Cottage and liked our choice of that for the extra bedroom. Was great to have the extra space for his naps and earlier bedtime. The view from our patio and hot tub was truly amazing. You'd almost forget you were on a resort with how secluded it felt, especially in the evenings. From the moment we arrived throughout our entire stay service was top notch. Our bags were moved efficiently, the room was always spotless and clean after service, and any staff member we interacted with around the mountain was super helpful and friendly. Our only service hiccup was a minor issue at getting a couple things in the room that weren't working on arrival, which took a bit longer than I would have hoped to get resolved. But overall a very minor issue during an otherwise totally flawless stay. The resort is definitely the attraction here. Many times we'd be the only family or one of just two or three at the pool. Just a short walk from the pool is the swimming lake. With a 2 year old we didn't try the slides out, but will have to try it next visit at least by myself. The hiking is truly amazing. It's hard to describe how peaceful it is to hike and have so many incredible views all to yourself. The food of course is all included and is all incredible. We did a lot of room service to make it easier with the young one, and that was always hot, fresh and delicious. When we did get to the restaurants, service was excellent and the food was delicious. The view from the fire tower while eating was spectacular! With a newborn we might be skipping 2023, but will be booking our stay for 2024 as soon as the season opens up! We can't wait to get back.
Traveler50298075347
Amazing experience from start to finish. The staff is the best I’ve encountered at a lodging experience. Every meal and drink we had was outstanding. The weather looked iffy in the days before the trip but ended up wonderful and late Feb was a great time to go.
tcjmi
On a recent trip to Blackberry Mountain we stayed in one of the Azalea Gap homes which was perfect for 2 couples. The house was beautifully furnished and contained everything you could possibly want or need during your stay. We loved everything about the house and the view of the mountains was spectacular! The staff was definitely 5+ stars - friendly & efficient. Everyone we came in contact with had one goal in mind which was to be sure we were happy with all aspects of our stay. The food in both restaurants was some of the best we have ever had on our travels. We especially liked Firetower - sweet potato pizza is amazing and the very best Bloody Marys!! The weather wasn’t the greatest during our stay however the staff went above and beyond and we were able to get in a guided hike that ended in a labyrinth which was awe inspiring. We visited the spa and one of us said his massage was the best he had ever had. Sound bathing is a must! We also went off property for clay shooting and archery which we all enjoyed. Our stay at Blackberry Mountain was fantastic - if you get the opportunity go, you won’t be disappointed!
681kkayh
Overall, it must be said that there is a lot to like about Blackberry Mountain — the view and natural surroundings are beautiful, the food is generally very good. There is a vast array of outdoors activities and even arts & craft classes (pottery, painting, etc) to offer something for everyone. Rebecca, the sommelier, is phenomenal, and the wine tasting was one of our highlights of the trip. The clay shooting activity was similarly enjoyable. However, for the price of the property (close to $4k a night after taxes and a 35% upcharge), this puts Blackberry in the company of great hotels such as Amans and the like, and throughout our stay we couldn’t help comparing our stay here to prior such experiences. Service fell short throughout our stay — we had to ask twice for simple things such as more logs to heat our room, and when there was a power cut to the resort for several hours due to extreme weather (not their fault), we found the communication to be severely lacking — we had to call the front desk several times for updates (we were freezing in our rooms, even with the fire, and the wifi was down), and there was very little proactiveness on the hotel’s end with regards to communication. After several such mishaps, none of them huge in of itself but did compound into a poor first impression in our initial two days at the hotel, there seemed to be very little action from management to remedy the experience despite communicating our disappointment to the manager. As a prior reviewer had noted, it would have been alright if not for the high price point of Blackberry Mountain and the higher level of service that it’s become known for. All said and done, this is a lovely property and there are some great people who work here, but there are noticeable misses to get this place to a true five star experience.
There's not another restaurant like it. Perfection
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
britabroad9
One of the best places we’ve ever stayed We had the tree house Luna which was very private with wrap around windows making you feel part of the forest Meals are included at the three sisters or the fire tower and were excellent. Drinks were extra. Decent wine list, beers and spirits. Superb service nothing too much trouble You get your own golf cart to scoot around the property which was fun I liked the gym and the guided hike up to the fire tower We also did a horse ride Our complaint when we were there was that they are building a house very near to our tree house so loads of building noise throughout our stay. Not relaxing at all so be aware of that - the manager was excellent though as he couldn’t move us but waived the 20% service charge. We would rather have had the tree house with no noise of course but appreciated the gesture very much he did his best to make it good So overall we would definitely recommend this place it’s not cheap but you get what you pay for it’s absolutely amazing and we will definitely return
Chaz Shanton
Can't wait to eat here but the view is absolutely amazing
S9559VFalisonm
First: the great points: The property is absolutely stunning with very comfortable facilities and some of the best food I've had on a vacation anywhere. Foodies will be absolutely thrilled- Firetower is unbelievable! Views on the property are exquisite. The hiking trails and grounds were impeccably maintained- favorite was the waterfall trail. There were a number of misses that did affect my perception, especially considering the extremely high cost. Admittedly, I have more experience at 4 star properties in the $800-1000 range, so I was expecting a big jump up in quality for such a big jump in price. Time and time again, I was left thinking that little details are better elsewhere at "lesser" properties. For instance: upon airport pickup it was pouring rain, but the chauffeur didn't have umbrellas. No towels to dry off with. No cold bottle of water for the ride. It was kind of like an uberx experience at uberblack prices. Not a big deal, but not the best first impression, and at $200+ for transport we were hoping for a more luxe experience. When we arrived there was no welcome drink (not even water, again.) We had missed lunch and asked where we might get a bite to eat before settling into our room, and got the impression this was a slight inconvenience. However, the food and views were amazing, so we just shrugged it off as arriving during a shift change. When we left lunch we couldn't find anyone to show us to our room. After some confusion someone finally offered to take us, but there was no property tour, no orientation to the room, just kind of a "yeah, sure, hop in." The room was a disappointment in that it smelled strongly of woodsmoke from the fireplace, there was no in room welcome amenity (a small detail that other, lesser properties get right.), and most disappointingly, no view from the terrace, which featured soaked furniture cushions. The view was a big part of why we booked this class of room so we inquired whether any other were available and were (after an hour) shown to a treehouse. Though lacking a dramatic view of the mountains, being sequestered up in the trees was amazing and peaceful so we happily made the switch. However, the small misses kept coming- previous occupants' belongings were still left in the room. None of these were big deals in isolation, but one after another left us feeling not super impressed. Activities: Sound bath was great. My husband raved about fly fishing (though he did feel guilted into leaving additional gratuity, which feels gauche when gratuity is automatically included.) The spa services were great, but for a "wellness resort" and at extremely high prices I was again disappointed in the facilities. No loungers in the relaxation lounge, an actively leaking ceiling in said lounge, no hydrotherapy facilities, no steam room, etc. This is the part of the resort that felt the most lacking given the prices and 5 star rating. Other small misses: We asked for a yoga mat to be delivered to the room (often included at hotels that aren't specifically billed as wellness destinations) and it was almost $50. There was nowhere to clean the yeti water bottles, despite several requests (after several days...gross!). In room snacks (which were great!) were not replenished. Toilet paper was single ply (!!!). Stemware could be improved- again, at these prices I would hope for a luxe brand like Zalto or Gabriel Glass. All of the reviews I read mentioned time and time again that this was a property that got the little details right, but I found this not to be the case. Little, easily fixable, details were peppered throughout the stay that made us feel like the price to quality ratio was off. All of this said, I do hope to return one day when price feels like less of an object with adjusted expectations due to the food, views, and ease of travel from DC. I'll likely opt for a Watchman Cabin for a more nature infused getaway and proximity to the Firetower. I do really hope the property works out these little details as many of them ar
Zporsche
Having been to BlackBerry Farm several times, I decided to give Blackberry Mountain a try with my brother-in-law as a travel companion. I frankly expected a great experience given the price and the connection to BlackBerry Farm, but could not have imagined that Blackberry Mountain would be as utterly perfect a destination as I have ever visited. The food, the accommodations, the view, the array of activities were all first rate. What was even better was the staff. Maybe not quite as ultra-polished as some of the folks at Blackberry Farm, which sets an incredible standard, but in many ways more relaxed and warm - perfect for the more casual, active and youthful experience that Blackberry Mountain delivers. While there, we asked every employee we came in contact with how much they enjoyed their job, and without exception, we got resounding, articulate and enthusiastically positive answers. And you could tell. And it became so easy to relax in the hands of a team who so enjoyed the fact you were there and the fact they were part of something special. One vignette: at breakfast the first morning I asked if I could have a side of biscuits, and a side of sausage so that I could make a sandwich. I commented offhandedly that I loved biscuits and gravy but also enjoyed a sausage sandwich and since neither was on the menu I would make one. It was a playful comment to a young woman named Acacia, who is one of the most wonderful folks we came in contact with. 10 minutes later, from behind me I heard the words “close your eyes.” Then in front of me was placed a plate of freshly made, utterly fabulous sausage gravy and biscuits made fresh just for me by the incredible Chef Alex. What was more striking than this pleasant little surprise was how utterly excited Acacia was to be able to provide it to me. We had many moments just like this in our four days. Bottom line, we are already booked to bring our three daughters and their husbands next August for 6 nights. I am confident they will never want to leave. A couple of tips. First, the Fire Tower food is every bit as good as Three Sisters, so splitting your dinners between the two is highly recommended. The view from Fire Tower is to die for. Also, they have great pizzas at lunchtime. The Lexus off-road experience is a fun hour or so and our guide Rachel was amazing. The sound bathing experience was unlike any thing we have done before, and is worthwhile as a relaxing activity. Finally, we found the gym to be well equipped, not crowded, incredibly clean, and it included two clip in pelotons. Finally, the lawn behind the lodge has several fire pits which, with an after dinner drink in your hand, make for a very nice place to sit and reflect on the wonderful day you would’ve just had.
Absolutely stunning views. Highly accommodating. Delicious and fresh food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our 2nd time at BM and it did not disappoint. Our favorite activity was making baskets with Annie, who was a great teacher. We also enjoyed wine & cheese tasting with Cara (so knowledgeable), whiskey tasting with Callum (relayed fascinating stories & made the history interesting), and mixology with Kendal (so down to earth & personalized it for us since it was just the 2 of us). We ate at Three Sisters 3 nights and the Firetower once and the rotating menu items keep you from getting the same thing twice. We tried the Valley pool once, but if you didn't bring your own kids, you'll want to stick to the Lodge pool which has an amazing view and is quieter and with great service by Nate. Shout-outs also to RJ, Zane, Bryson, and Dwayne for making us feel at home. The only negatives were that the pillows are a bit flat and the mattresses are soft so we both had backaches the first couple of mornings, and the charges for the activities end up being more than listed by $50-150 for some reason (taxes or service charges I assume, TBH we didn't ask). Important to know, but you understand when you book here that you're going to spend big bucks, and we found that the service and the mountain experience were worth it.
Ten out of ten. Staff were friendly, considerate and helpful. Food was outrageous and plentiful and activities were unique and fun. On property hikes and fitness classes are great if you don’t feel like adding anything to your robust bill. The private golf cart that was at our disposal made out remote watchman cabin which was a 10 minute ride (at 11 mph) from hub and lodge not as inconvenient as one might think. Plan for your day and use the lockers in the spa to Hold your things. Experienced reiki and muscle melt massages, off properly hikes, sound bath and used the pool and on site hikes everyday. The right balance of active and relaxing for us. Highly recommend a visit
We spent a nice four days at BM having heard so much about the resort and its older sibling Blackberry Farm. Lest the reader feel we are unfair, Blackberry Mountain is a very expensive and exclusive resort so must be held to highest of international standards. Through this lens it does fall well short of - say - Twin Farms in VT, or The Point in NY. The service, while cheerful and pleasant, reflects a bit of understaffing and undertraining. Maître d' struggling to find appropriate table in a virtually empty restaurant; difficulty in accommodating desired restaurant times, and a poorly functioning spa (see below), unreasonable upcharges for basic add-ons ($220 for a two hour mountain bike rental?...you don't get to keep the bike to take home!) The spa was a disaster by any standards. The changing rooms displayed no evidence of any cleaning staff; so it had the guests navigating around literally piles of dirty towels and slippers in the changing rooms in late afternoon. They are promising to upgrade this area...it could not come a minute too soon. Perhaps a visit to a competitors facility or three would help them get some ideas. The cuisine was good - as one would expect - but the menu was certainly not extensive and service, and quality of meal quite uneven. One should not have to send back an entre for being less than hot in this level of restaurant (we did twice). Do not make the mistake of ordering in room breakfast dining...you will get a "box lunch" breakfast for example. Catering hot meals in-room a short distance from the restaurant is a "mountain" many others have scaled successfully but it is not attempted at Blackberry Mountain - pity. The on-site amenities were good but we were hoping for great; walking trails fun; classes nice. Some activities were mysteriously overpriced (frankly things like mountain bikes should have been complimentary at these room rates). We are told Blackberry Farm is better and BM still finding their way. We hope they do,
We stayed in one of the Watchman Cabins which was lovely and relaxing. From the moment we arrived the room, the food and the service were excellent! We also received a tour of Blackberry Farm from Mario Adams. We cannot say enough good things about this young man and our tour. Mario was extremely knowledgeable, answering any questions we had. It made us want to look into living at Blackberry! This tour was simply a delightful highlight of our trip!
Always such a great view up here. No matter the weather, or time of day. Always a site to behold the beauty.
This was the first trip we took with our son who had just turned 2. We could not have picked a better place to be his first real trip. We stayed in a Clingmans Cottage and liked our choice of that for the extra bedroom. Was great to have the extra space for his naps and earlier bedtime. The view from our patio and hot tub was truly amazing. You'd almost forget you were on a resort with how secluded it felt, especially in the evenings. From the moment we arrived throughout our entire stay service was top notch. Our bags were moved efficiently, the room was always spotless and clean after service, and any staff member we interacted with around the mountain was super helpful and friendly. Our only service hiccup was a minor issue at getting a couple things in the room that weren't working on arrival, which took a bit longer than I would have hoped to get resolved. But overall a very minor issue during an otherwise totally flawless stay. The resort is definitely the attraction here. Many times we'd be the only family or one of just two or three at the pool. Just a short walk from the pool is the swimming lake. With a 2 year old we didn't try the slides out, but will have to try it next visit at least by myself. The hiking is truly amazing. It's hard to describe how peaceful it is to hike and have so many incredible views all to yourself. The food of course is all included and is all incredible. We did a lot of room service to make it easier with the young one, and that was always hot, fresh and delicious. When we did get to the restaurants, service was excellent and the food was delicious. The view from the fire tower while eating was spectacular! With a newborn we might be skipping 2023, but will be booking our stay for 2024 as soon as the season opens up! We can't wait to get back.
Amazing experience from start to finish. The staff is the best I’ve encountered at a lodging experience. Every meal and drink we had was outstanding. The weather looked iffy in the days before the trip but ended up wonderful and late Feb was a great time to go.
On a recent trip to Blackberry Mountain we stayed in one of the Azalea Gap homes which was perfect for 2 couples. The house was beautifully furnished and contained everything you could possibly want or need during your stay. We loved everything about the house and the view of the mountains was spectacular! The staff was definitely 5+ stars - friendly & efficient. Everyone we came in contact with had one goal in mind which was to be sure we were happy with all aspects of our stay. The food in both restaurants was some of the best we have ever had on our travels. We especially liked Firetower - sweet potato pizza is amazing and the very best Bloody Marys!! The weather wasn’t the greatest during our stay however the staff went above and beyond and we were able to get in a guided hike that ended in a labyrinth which was awe inspiring. We visited the spa and one of us said his massage was the best he had ever had. Sound bathing is a must! We also went off property for clay shooting and archery which we all enjoyed. Our stay at Blackberry Mountain was fantastic - if you get the opportunity go, you won’t be disappointed!
Overall, it must be said that there is a lot to like about Blackberry Mountain — the view and natural surroundings are beautiful, the food is generally very good. There is a vast array of outdoors activities and even arts & craft classes (pottery, painting, etc) to offer something for everyone. Rebecca, the sommelier, is phenomenal, and the wine tasting was one of our highlights of the trip. The clay shooting activity was similarly enjoyable. However, for the price of the property (close to $4k a night after taxes and a 35% upcharge), this puts Blackberry in the company of great hotels such as Amans and the like, and throughout our stay we couldn’t help comparing our stay here to prior such experiences. Service fell short throughout our stay — we had to ask twice for simple things such as more logs to heat our room, and when there was a power cut to the resort for several hours due to extreme weather (not their fault), we found the communication to be severely lacking — we had to call the front desk several times for updates (we were freezing in our rooms, even with the fire, and the wifi was down), and there was very little proactiveness on the hotel’s end with regards to communication. After several such mishaps, none of them huge in of itself but did compound into a poor first impression in our initial two days at the hotel, there seemed to be very little action from management to remedy the experience despite communicating our disappointment to the manager. As a prior reviewer had noted, it would have been alright if not for the high price point of Blackberry Mountain and the higher level of service that it’s become known for. All said and done, this is a lovely property and there are some great people who work here, but there are noticeable misses to get this place to a true five star experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
There's not another restaurant like it. Perfection
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
One of the best places we’ve ever stayed We had the tree house Luna which was very private with wrap around windows making you feel part of the forest Meals are included at the three sisters or the fire tower and were excellent. Drinks were extra. Decent wine list, beers and spirits. Superb service nothing too much trouble You get your own golf cart to scoot around the property which was fun I liked the gym and the guided hike up to the fire tower We also did a horse ride Our complaint when we were there was that they are building a house very near to our tree house so loads of building noise throughout our stay. Not relaxing at all so be aware of that - the manager was excellent though as he couldn’t move us but waived the 20% service charge. We would rather have had the tree house with no noise of course but appreciated the gesture very much he did his best to make it good So overall we would definitely recommend this place it’s not cheap but you get what you pay for it’s absolutely amazing and we will definitely return
Can't wait to eat here but the view is absolutely amazing
First: the great points: The property is absolutely stunning with very comfortable facilities and some of the best food I've had on a vacation anywhere. Foodies will be absolutely thrilled- Firetower is unbelievable! Views on the property are exquisite. The hiking trails and grounds were impeccably maintained- favorite was the waterfall trail. There were a number of misses that did affect my perception, especially considering the extremely high cost. Admittedly, I have more experience at 4 star properties in the $800-1000 range, so I was expecting a big jump up in quality for such a big jump in price. Time and time again, I was left thinking that little details are better elsewhere at "lesser" properties. For instance: upon airport pickup it was pouring rain, but the chauffeur didn't have umbrellas. No towels to dry off with. No cold bottle of water for the ride. It was kind of like an uberx experience at uberblack prices. Not a big deal, but not the best first impression, and at $200+ for transport we were hoping for a more luxe experience. When we arrived there was no welcome drink (not even water, again.) We had missed lunch and asked where we might get a bite to eat before settling into our room, and got the impression this was a slight inconvenience. However, the food and views were amazing, so we just shrugged it off as arriving during a shift change. When we left lunch we couldn't find anyone to show us to our room. After some confusion someone finally offered to take us, but there was no property tour, no orientation to the room, just kind of a "yeah, sure, hop in." The room was a disappointment in that it smelled strongly of woodsmoke from the fireplace, there was no in room welcome amenity (a small detail that other, lesser properties get right.), and most disappointingly, no view from the terrace, which featured soaked furniture cushions. The view was a big part of why we booked this class of room so we inquired whether any other were available and were (after an hour) shown to a treehouse. Though lacking a dramatic view of the mountains, being sequestered up in the trees was amazing and peaceful so we happily made the switch. However, the small misses kept coming- previous occupants' belongings were still left in the room. None of these were big deals in isolation, but one after another left us feeling not super impressed. Activities: Sound bath was great. My husband raved about fly fishing (though he did feel guilted into leaving additional gratuity, which feels gauche when gratuity is automatically included.) The spa services were great, but for a "wellness resort" and at extremely high prices I was again disappointed in the facilities. No loungers in the relaxation lounge, an actively leaking ceiling in said lounge, no hydrotherapy facilities, no steam room, etc. This is the part of the resort that felt the most lacking given the prices and 5 star rating. Other small misses: We asked for a yoga mat to be delivered to the room (often included at hotels that aren't specifically billed as wellness destinations) and it was almost $50. There was nowhere to clean the yeti water bottles, despite several requests (after several days...gross!). In room snacks (which were great!) were not replenished. Toilet paper was single ply (!!!). Stemware could be improved- again, at these prices I would hope for a luxe brand like Zalto or Gabriel Glass. All of the reviews I read mentioned time and time again that this was a property that got the little details right, but I found this not to be the case. Little, easily fixable, details were peppered throughout the stay that made us feel like the price to quality ratio was off. All of this said, I do hope to return one day when price feels like less of an object with adjusted expectations due to the food, views, and ease of travel from DC. I'll likely opt for a Watchman Cabin for a more nature infused getaway and proximity to the Firetower. I do really hope the property works out these little details as many of them ar
Having been to BlackBerry Farm several times, I decided to give Blackberry Mountain a try with my brother-in-law as a travel companion. I frankly expected a great experience given the price and the connection to BlackBerry Farm, but could not have imagined that Blackberry Mountain would be as utterly perfect a destination as I have ever visited. The food, the accommodations, the view, the array of activities were all first rate. What was even better was the staff. Maybe not quite as ultra-polished as some of the folks at Blackberry Farm, which sets an incredible standard, but in many ways more relaxed and warm - perfect for the more casual, active and youthful experience that Blackberry Mountain delivers. While there, we asked every employee we came in contact with how much they enjoyed their job, and without exception, we got resounding, articulate and enthusiastically positive answers. And you could tell. And it became so easy to relax in the hands of a team who so enjoyed the fact you were there and the fact they were part of something special. One vignette: at breakfast the first morning I asked if I could have a side of biscuits, and a side of sausage so that I could make a sandwich. I commented offhandedly that I loved biscuits and gravy but also enjoyed a sausage sandwich and since neither was on the menu I would make one. It was a playful comment to a young woman named Acacia, who is one of the most wonderful folks we came in contact with. 10 minutes later, from behind me I heard the words “close your eyes.” Then in front of me was placed a plate of freshly made, utterly fabulous sausage gravy and biscuits made fresh just for me by the incredible Chef Alex. What was more striking than this pleasant little surprise was how utterly excited Acacia was to be able to provide it to me. We had many moments just like this in our four days. Bottom line, we are already booked to bring our three daughters and their husbands next August for 6 nights. I am confident they will never want to leave. A couple of tips. First, the Fire Tower food is every bit as good as Three Sisters, so splitting your dinners between the two is highly recommended. The view from Fire Tower is to die for. Also, they have great pizzas at lunchtime. The Lexus off-road experience is a fun hour or so and our guide Rachel was amazing. The sound bathing experience was unlike any thing we have done before, and is worthwhile as a relaxing activity. Finally, we found the gym to be well equipped, not crowded, incredibly clean, and it included two clip in pelotons. Finally, the lawn behind the lodge has several fire pits which, with an after dinner drink in your hand, make for a very nice place to sit and reflect on the wonderful day you would’ve just had.