First Anniversary at the Biltmore Estate

One of my favorite parts was the incredible service. More than anything I enjoyed having a staff that wanted only for you to have a great experience. Besides the service the most fun was the Land Rover Experience. It was such a blast to baja off road in a luxury SUV. There is so much to see and do and eat, for that matter, that the 2.5 days we were there was not close to enough time to try everything.

Quick Tips:

The website www.Biltmore.com can show you all of the packages, activites and things to see and do. I don't know if they offer coupons or discounts beyond the various tickets prices based on age. Groups may be able to get a discount if they call ahead.

Best Way To Get Around:

We flew in and hired a car to take us to the Inn. Once you are on the property you really don't need a car. They have shuttles that will take you everywhere you need to go, whether its the activites center, the house, winery, stables or wherever. If you have only come to visit for the day you can public park and then take the shuttle from the house to the other sites on the property as well.

The only word is luxury. The Inn at Biltmore Estate was a fabulous experience. The service was incredible and the accommodations lush.

My husband called ahead, since it was our anniversary, and ordered a dozen red roses and a bottle of wine to be in our room when we arrived. Check-in was a dream, with a reception that was all smiles, welcome greetings, and happiness. We stopped at the concierge to double-check on our planned activities as well as ask a few questions. Tibby was more than accommodating and made sure that you felt she was 100% with you during every moment of your visit. She let nothing interrupt our small meeting and gave us her full attention.

Our first room faced the wrong direction, but after one phone call and a quick 5 minutes, the bellhop was there with new room keys, happy to help us move our belongings. We experienced some of the most attentive and fastest service I have seen in a long, long time. We settled in, ordered in a little lunch, and then went about our activities. Every night there was turn-down service with chocolates on your pillow. Every day there were fresh soaps, shampoo, and towels in the bathroom. It was spotless, as if you had just checked in each time we returned. I cannot say enough about the luxury of this hotel. My husband and I thought we had landed on another planet simply because the service was so good. We are so used to paying a lot and getting so little, and Biltmore made us see the true worth of wonderful service and a happy staff. I can't wait to go back again.

Because we bought a package for our weekend, one of the things included was dinner both nights, one at the Bistro the other in the dining room at the Inn.

We chose the Bistro for our first night's dinner. It was nice walk down from the Inn on a winding path that leads you right to the front door of the winery and Bistro. We were welcomed, seated promptly, and offered beverages. The food was fab. We had an appetizer of cheese and apple flat bread, my main course was a vegetarian strudel, and my husband got a steak. The presentation was beautiful and the staff was attentive, and on more than one occasion they thanked us for choosing to spend our anniversary with them. For dessert we were given a plate of small truffles and sweets with a small chocolate "Happy Anniversary" sign. I thought that was a nice touch.

During the course of the evening, the manager was walking around, speaking with guests and checking that everything was to your liking. At one point I asked our waitress what time they closed the Bistro, and she simply replied, "When the last guest leaves." There was never a rush and the meal was brought out at a nice pace, not fast, but we didn't didn't wait for anything. It was a truly relaxing dining experience. Even if you do not stay at the Inn or buy a package, try the Bistro--you wont be disappointed.

Afternoon tea is served in the library at the Inn daily from 2:30 to 4pm. You need a reservation, which you can make through the concierge. It's a nice way to sit back and have a relaxing bite to eat in the middle of the day.

You are given a choice of tea from a selection of about a dozen. Each person can choose their own pot of tea if you so desire. Your first course after your tea is served is a lovely plate of finger sandwiches. These were wonderful, and I have to say that I'm still kicking myself for not having a few more brought to the table. They were quite yummy. The waiter or waitress will explain what each of sandwiches are made of, and if you need an all-vegetarian menu, it would be best to let them know in advance. After the sandwiches, you are brought a tiered plate with sweets, truffles, and scones. Apparently the kitchen was experimenting the day we had tea, because we had chocolate scones, not my favorite. Traditional scones with double Devon cream and jam are wonderful; chocolate scones don't quite make the cut, sorry to say. Nonetheless, the other breads and sweets were wonderful. I'm a big fan of afternoon tea, so I enjoyed being able to sit a spell and relax to the piano player in the library at the Inn.

Our second dinner as part of the package we purchased was at the Dining Room at the Inn at Biltmore. Located at the bottom floor, you can either walk the stairs or take the elevator. We asked to have the bottle of wine my husband purchased at the beginning of our stay to be served to us and they were more than happy to accommodate. We were seated at the window, originally hoping for a sunset dinner, but the change in season fooled us, and we were off on our time schedule. The Dining Room is a lovely and large room with a fireplace. It is elegantly decorated, and the lighting is soft to give a relaxed appeal.

The service was beyond superb. We had waitstaff that had one purpose whether it was to make sure your water glass never hit empty or to fill the bread basket so you were never without food. The manager wished us a wonderful anniversary and made sure to stop by and ask how we were enjoying our dinner as well as our stay at Biltmore.

Our salad and appetizers were wonderful. We got a small tasting of a soup the chef was trying out that was wonderful as well. My husband ordered a filet and I ordered the surf and turf. I will say, sadly, that the surf was a bit tough, and I had to send my steak back to be cooked a bit further for my liking. We shared a dessert sampler of creme brulee and mousse that was quite good. All in all, it was a great experience with the service at its best. The smallest of things could not phase this staff who wanted to do nothing but make your dinner a wonderful event.

On the first day, we arrived we ordered lunch from room service. We also were given breakfast for both mornings in our package price. We had the option of eating downstairs in the dining room or having room service bring our breakfast to us. We chose room service simply because the activities we had planned started so early that this allowed us to have a decent meal while we were still getting ready to leave for the day.

The room service staff was great. They were on time everyday, with a smile and the morning paper. I was amazed that even the first shift crew showed up as if they have been awake and fresh for hours, and this was at 6:30/7am. They come into your room and set up your meal on the desk as if you are in a fine dining room. Placemats, cloth napkins, china with all the trimmings. Each meal also came with a small bud vase with a fresh-cut rose from their gardens. All times, I was asked if they could get anything else and, if need be, please call down if you think of anything at all. I love room service anyway, but this was like room service on steroids. Just an all-around wonderful experience.

I love a good carriage ride. My husband knows that I find them romantic as well as informative. If you get a good driver, you can find out some of the most interesting facts and things about the area you are in. Having said that, this carriage ride was a bit pricey in my opinion, not so much because the knowledge and information wasn't worth it, nor because the scenery wasn't beautiful, because it was gorgeous, but because it was simply shorter than I expected and any carriage ride for $35 should have a little something more to it. I would think it was worth $20 or so, not $35.

Now, getting that out of the way, if you want pictures of the back of the house, the ones you see in all the magazines or ads with the house surround by beautiful nature, this carriage ride is a sure way to get that picture. They take you to the highest point on the land and will happily photograph you with the house in the background. This view is much better than in front, where you are sure to have people, cars, and buses in your shot. The driver will let you in on some of the history and gives great detail of Biltmore Estate. We also learned about some of the movies that have been shot there over the years, which just made us go home and rent a few or re-watch some we already love and didn't realize had the Biltmore. If you have a couple extra bucks to spend--you are on vacation after all--go for the carriage ride. It's relaxing, the people are nice, and the view is beautiful.

Another part of our packaged weekend was the Land Rover Experience. I won't bore you on the story of how a car brought my husband and I together, but I will tell you this is some wicked fun if you are a baja SUV kind of person.

My love of the Range Rover began many years ago, even though the price has kept me from actually owning one just yet. This 2-hour package allows you to take this $80,000 mobile over trees and rocks, turn it almost on its side, and mow over anything else in its way. You are given an instructor who will take you through the course to show you what you are going to do and then he'll let you each drive. He teaches you all the mechanics, the hows, and whys as he leads you through this off-road wooded course. Our driver varied the course a bit, so my husband drove over a few different things than I did, all of it equally as fun, and I will say that this is not for the faint at heart. He puts you in a few places that may cause the normal passive driver an accelerated heartbeat. All in all, it was a blast. Total fun!!

As a side note, if you decide to make this an activity, they allow you to pick whichever vehicle you want, meaning you can drive a Freelander, LR3, Range Rover Sport, or, the granddaddy of them all and my personal favorite, The Range Rover HSE. There are packages that allow for more drive time and harder courses. They cost more money of course. The nice thing about our package is that in the end we got a certificate of completion, a shirt, and a hat as parting gifts, just a little something extra to remember your experience.

The house can only be described as a castle or, at its largest scale, a dream home. George Vanderbilt left nothing out. He planned for the most luxury he and his family could afford and enjoy. The tour is wonderful, and I can only try my best to impress upon you to add on the audio portion to your ticket price. I know this is not an inexpensive day, but if you like history, it will all be worth the cost. The audio tour brings the rooms to life. It points out things the average eye would miss just walking through. There are actually several other tours to parts of the house not included on the regular course. They cost extra but also should be planned for carefully. My husband and I needed 2 days just to finish the regular tour. It can be long and involved, something you would not want to rush through.

The rooms, art, decor, appliances, etc., are fabulous. The history of the family is quite interesting, not to mention what it took to build this home in the late 1800s. The raw materials, land, staff, and upkeep was amazing and still is. If you have no interest in history, this is not for you, If you relish in the past, go and enjoy every bit of it.

Your ticket admission includes parking, the house, the surrounding grounds, the garden, the winery, and the farm village. There are shuttle buses that will take you all over the property. There is a lot to see. It makes for a long day, but a memorable one at that. Don't forget your camera, as there is a lot to take pictures of outside of the house. You cannot photograph inside the house, but if you step out onto a porch, you can take pictures there.

Side Note: The staff happily gave us a voucher to pick up our audio tour the second day without incurring any additional costs. If you need to, ask; they are usually very accommodating.

The winery offers a self-guided tour, which starts with a short video about the winery itself. From there, you follow a path that leads up into an area above the fermentation room, champagne bottling room and other areas that hold wine barrels and the like. This is all viewed from glass windows. Around you, there is much to read about wine, grapes and the process.

From there, you are led down through what appears to be a cellar and winds around to the tasting room. The tour is short, based on how fast you read and what's going on in the wine process. You are welcome to take pictures throughout, which is nice, and once you get into the tasting room you are welcome to try everything they have to offer. I would have liked to have a few bottles shipped home but they don't mail to Michigan. You will need to check with the shop to see what states they are allowed to ship to, it's only about a dozen, so don't be surprised if your state isn't on the list. You can carry off any wine you would like, but depending on your luggage load, you may or may not want to carry it on the plane with you.

After the tasting room, you are led into the gift shop. Bigger than most gift shops it is a wine shop, food shop, culinary kitchen with classes and demonstrations (check the schedule) and of course many gifts and books to remember your visit by. I bought the Biltmore cookbook, It has some wonderful recipes. You can probably be in and out of the winery tour and all in a couple hours. If you like tasting, it may take you a bit longer. For a free tour and wine tasting, it's not a bad deal. Please keep in mind, while you can be any age to take the tour, you must be 21 to do the tasting and have I.D. to prove it.

They have a small petting zoo near the Farm Village. When we got there it was already closed but from the perimeter we saw many of the animals. There were donkey, chicken, goats, sheep, rabbits and the like. It semed like a very nice small petting zoo that children would surley enjoy. I am sorry we got there too late to enjoy it ourselves.

For all of the things we got to do at Biltmore, we barely scratched the surface of what they offer their visitors. In my review, you can see the few things we did in the 2.5 days of our stay. What you didn't see, and neither did we, was fishing, horseback riding, boating, rafting, mountain biking, golfing, hiking, swimming, the spa, kids activities, their banquet facilities, the farm village, and so much more. There are miles and miles of road that wind through this huge 8 thousand acres.

This city within a city has its own operating dairy, farm, and winery. There are farmers that grow only vegetable feed for their animals. Biltmore has staff that has worked there for years and has had family, ancestors, parents or grandparents that also worked for the Vanderbilts. They have events, specials, seasonal offerings and classes depending on the time of year. There is surely something to please everyone while enjoying a piece of history.