The Fearrington House
Foodies, historians and spa-obsessives beeline to this Charming (with a capital C) retreat in North Carolina’s Chapel Hill region. Why? It’s the vacation dreams are made of. There are manicured gardens aplenty for the freshest-ever produce (plus bee hives); the spa is the only one in the area allowed to use Britain’s much-beloved Elemis toiletries; and Chef Colin Bedford has transformed the restaurants on-site into edible meccas (don’t miss the hot chocolate soufflé at Fearrington House Restaurant). Guest rooms are equally exquisite and may make you feel like you’re staying at the staffed estate of a duke—each one has 300-thread count Egyptian cotton linens on the feathertop beds, fresh flower bouquets cut from the on-site gardens, heated racks in the bathroom to warm your Frette towels, and even housemade chocolate and Taylor Fladgate Ruby Port at turndown. Did we mention the included gourmet breakfast?
A 32-room historic farmhouse on 60 acres of lush rolling knolls near Chapel Hill, with a truly topnotch restaurant and day spa.
Phoning it in. The property is a member of Relais & Chateaux—a.k.a. among the best in the business for both service and style.
You’ve never met a Relais & Chateaux that didn’t leave you feeling like royalty, and this one has a spa that is OTT (over-the-top) amazing; treatments include red coral facials and ruby grapefruit aromatherapy massages.
Why exactly is it that beer tastes so much more refreshing under the glow of the sun? At Roost Beer Garden, local brews on-tap are accompanied by live music that trills into the ether. You order a wood-fired pizza adorned with summer squash, pesto, goat cheese and caramelized onion, and wait for your blood pressure to drop. Nearly instantly, you feel as carefree as you did at 19. “S’mores, please!”
- The Fearrington House Restaurant - a longstanding fine dining establishment which partners with local farms and offers dishes prepared with freshly-harvested ingredients. - The Granary - offers casual lunch with Southern-inspired comfort foods. - Roost Beer Garden - a beer garden with local music serving wood-fired pizza in the warm months.