Thank you to Meadowbrook Inn & Suites for providing my family with a complimentary hotel stay in exchange for sharing my honest thoughts. All opinions shared are my own.
Blowing Rock, NC is one of my family's favorite mountain towns. Located just about two hours from Rowan County Blowing Rock offers gorgeous accommodations, a beautiful and charming downtown, fun family attractions, fabulous dining, and so much more, all situated right within the breathtaking Great Smokey Mountains. I have been fortunate to visit Blowing Rock several times, on short day trips or 'pass-thru visits.' I have wanted to stay in Blowing Rock, though, because it's such a wonderful place for families to enjoy. Visitors of Blowing Rock have their choice of several charming inns and hotels, located right downtown, and the lovely Meadowbrook Inn is the perfect choice for families.
When we travel as a family, there are always certain amenities that I am looking to make sure are offered by our accommodations. With two very active children, we need to make sure that the hotel or inn is kid-friendly. They need room to run around, and they need to have some space to play. A pool is a huge plus- bonus points if it's an indoor pool, and it's heated. A complimentary continental breakfast is also a big factor in our decision-making when choosing a hotel. Being able to grab a quick, home-cooked meal on our own timetable makes our mornings run much more smoothly. When we knew that we wanted to plan a weekend trip to Blowing Rock, we looked for accommodations that would best suit the four of us.
The gorgeous main lobby entrance at Meadowbrook Inn, Blowing Rock, NC.
Meadowbrook Inn is situated right in downtown Blowing Rock, which makes it the perfect place for families to stay when visiting Blowing Rock. This beautiful Inn and Conference Center is well known for weddings, meetings, conferences, romantic getaways, and family trips. Meadowbrook Inn had all of the amenities we were looking for, and the view and location made it even better! Meadowbrook Inn is located right in the heart of North Carolina's High Country, is just a few miles from the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, and is one block away from the center of downtown Blowing Rock.
Step inside the Meadowbrook Inn lobby for a taste of luxury.
Complimentary coffee is served daily in the main lobby, and there are various seating areas to enjoy a snack, reading, or mapping out your next adventure.
Pick up some area attraction brochures and maps in the lobby, or relax by the fire and soak in the beautiful decor.
A beautiful piano is a pretty sight to behold in the main lobby.
The friendly staff at Meadowbrook Inn made us feel right at home. Our check-in process was short and sweet, and we were soon on our way to our suite to get settled. It was pouring rain when we arrived, so we decided to go to our suite to look around, before bringing in our luggage. We stayed in an Executive Suite in the annex building, which was just across the parking lot from the main Inn.
Three mallards are residents of the Meadowbrook Inn. We enjoyed seeing them in various spots on the Meadowbrook property during our visit.
We very much appreciated the opportunity to stay in a room that was larger than a standard hotel room. We recently stayed in a (different) hotel overnight with a standard room, and it was honestly a nightmare trying to keep our 15-month-old safe in such a cramped space. The Executive Suite offered by the Meadowbrook Inn is incredibly spacious and has the option of adjoining rooms/suites for multi-family vacations, etc. This is definitely something that we would consider doing if we had either my parents or other extended family members staying with us.
Upon our arrival, we were presented with a special gift: a lovely bottle of pinot noir, a silver dish with petite fours, and a note from the thoughtful Meadowbrook staff.
A sweet addition to our wonderful stay at the Meadowbrook Inn.
An executive suite is a perfect option for families. Each suite is around 590 sq. ft., and features fabulous amenities such as a separate bedroom with a king size bed and flat screen television. The living area features a wet bar with a mini fridge, and microwave, sleeper sofa, flat-screen television, fireplace, and open air patio. The large bathroom features a whirlpool tub that the whole family will love!
Having a wet bar in our suite was wonderful!
The wet bar was the perfect place for keeping our food and beverages organized during our stay. We always travel with milk for the kids, so I was thankful that I didn't have to worry about not having a place to store it. We were also able to keep leftovers from our dinner and bottled water refrigerated. The microwave was also handy for heating up leftovers. I enjoyed being able to prepare morning coffee, right at the wet bar in our suite, as I waited for everyone else to wake up. The extra sink was also a blessing! I was happy not to have to wash the kids' dishes in the bathroom sink, for a change. Fresh ice was readily available in the lobby area of the annex building.
The spacious living area provided the kids with a wonderful area to play in.
I was impressed with the living area in our suite. It was quite roomy and offered the kids plenty of space to move around in. It housed a sleeper sofa, which B was so excited to sleep on. The fresh linens were already on the mattress, and all we had to do was pull it out when it was time for bed. The living area was also furnished with a coffee table, two end tables, an arm chair, a desk, and a desk chair. The television was mounted to the wall, which meant that we didn't have to keep the kids from putting their hands all over the screen.
The executive suite offered a lovely fireplace and double doors which opened to an open air patio.
If it had been cooler during our stay, we would gladly have taken advantage of the beautiful in-suite fireplace. It was a gas log fireplace, which simply turned on via a switch on the wall. The fireplace switch was located high up on the wall, out of reach for the kids.
We didn't watch much television at all during our visit, but the kids were happy to be able to watch a handful of shows on their favorite networks, like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
Another problem area that we sometimes find ourselves dealing with at various hotels, is the bathroom. The Executive Suites at the Meadowbrook Inn boast spacious bathrooms, perfect for a family. Our bathroom featured a triangular whirlpool tub with jets, which made for bathtime fun! The shower also featured his and hers shower heads. A long vanity made for plenty of space to house our toiletries and extra towels.
We so enjoyed the luxury of space in our suite's bathroom at the Meadowbrook Inn.
If I had forgotten any needed toiletries at home, I would have been all set with the wonderful travel toiletries provided by the Inn.
Sacha and I were glad to have our own bedroom. When you're traveling as a family, it's so nice for mom and dad to have their own quiet space to retreat to for a nap, a break, or just to lay their heads at the end of a long day. Our bedroom was quite large, and so charmingly decorated in a classic style. The king size bed was a treat for us (we have a queen bed at home) and was much welcomed when Baby S wound up sleeping with us in the middle of the night. A handsome armoire housed a flat-screen television, a pretty arm chair provided me with a quiet and comfortable place to relax, and desk and chair offered a place for me to set up my laptop that was out of the children's reach.
A tranquil bedroom helped us feel right at home while we were staying at the Meadowbrook.
Our bed was so comfortable, we didn't want to go home to our own bed!
We had two fantastic sleeps in our bedroom at the Meadowbrook. Our room, even though off the main hallway, was incredibly quiet, and heavy drapery made our room very dark, blocking any outside light from coming in. The room also had a large closet with mirrored sliding doors. I always appreciate having a full-length mirror to double-check my outfits in.
The beautiful open-air patio was the icing on the cake of our very sweet suite!
One of my favorite perks of the suite! Even B loved walking out onto the open air patio for a relaxing change of scenery.
We loved the patio! It was so nice to sit and relax out on the patio to watch the sun set. If the kids had been more cooperative about going to sleep, Sacha and I would have loved sitting out there, clinking those wine glasses and looking up at the stars! We're hoping to make that happen on a grown-ups only trip back to the Meadowbrook Inn.
Sacha and Baby S, making plans for our dinner out in Blowing Rock and checking out some other fun area activities.
Meadowbrook Inn offers so much more than what I've shown you thus far. In my next Meadowbrook post, I'll be sharing about the fabulous indoor pool, fitness center, continental breakfast, and the beautiful property we enjoyed during our visit. Be sure to check out Part II of our Meadowbrook feature!
Want to start planning your visit to the Meadowbrook Inn?
Other Meadowbrook Inn accommodation options include:
Standard Room
Standard Handicap Accessible Room
Deluxe Room
Select Suite
VIP Suite
Executive Suite
Three Bedroom Suite
Pool Suite
Every one of their rooms and suites is non-smoking and furnished in a traditional mountain-manner style that creates a unique guest experience. All accommodations come with luxurious beds plus standard amenities:
• Coffeemaker
• Hairdryer
• Iron & ironing board
• 32″ flat screen TVs
• Air conditioning
• High-speed Wi-Fi
• Sleeper sofa (Suites Only)
• Refrigerator & Microwave (Suites Only)
Property Services and Amenities include:
Complimentary hot breakfast buffet served daily
Indoor pool
Fitness Center
Free parking for cars and buses
Complimentary high speed internet access in all rooms and public areas
Concierge Services: champagne or wine, flowers, discounted tickets, chocolate covered strawberries, cheese & fruit tray and special occasion cake
Vending Services: snacks and sodas
Conference & Event Space for all occasions
Complimentary coffee and tea from 7am – 5:30pm daily
Welcome Reception on Friday and Saturday from 3:30pm – 5pm (complimentary snack and non-alcoholic beverage)
Located on Main Street in Downtown Blowing Rock
Walking distance to all of historic downtown’s unique shops and delicious restaurants
Make your reservations or check for availability on the Meadowbrook website. The Inn offers a variety of special packages for couples and families, as well.
Special thanks to Meadowbrook Inn for allowing us to visit and share about our wonderful experience. Look for Part II of our Meadowbrook Inn feature coming soon & in our Summer Travel Guide.
That is a beautiful hotel! We love traveling with my mom and dad, so I could definitely see staying there. I need a lot of room to stretch out in when I stay places and this looks like it's got it. When you are all on top of each other, your vacation isn't very relaxing! Thanks for sharing your fun trip with us!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like such a wonderful Inn. I am going to have to check it out the next time I go up that way. I love your pictures.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and so relaxing looking. we are going to have to check it out, when we are ready for a vacation
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