Hello, hello!
Last week was Riese’s spring break from school, so we decided a trip was in order. We spent from Wednesday to Saturday out in Middleburg, VA at the Salamander Hotel.
Here’s a recap of what we did and what we ate on the trip! It was really fun – obviously a trip with 2 little kids is not at all relaxing, but Matt and I both said it exceeded our expectations.
A change of scenery was a very nice treat!
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It was also fun to change out of yoga pants for once – in the photo above, Riese is wearing a dress that was mine when I was a little girl!
And can you even handle the cuteness that is Wes in a bow tie and suspenders?! He was quite the hit at the hotel, walking around the hallways and smiling at everyone!
Anyway! We wanted to do a spring break trip but didn’t want to deal with a long car ride, and Middleburg where the Salamander Hotel is is a cute town and only about an hour from us, which was perfect.
I’d been to Middleburg before and liked it, but had never stayed at the hotel, and it was lovely! Not cheap but worth the splurge. We loved how open and big the grounds were – lots of space for romping around.
We arrived on Wednesday late afternoon/early evening, and decided to walk into town in search of dinner. We loved that it’s about a half mile walk into town – a nice stroll but not super far. Nice to not have to stuff the kids back into the car.
We ended up at a sushi place in town and had one of those “eat as quickly as possible because one or both kids is about to lose it” situations. 😉
Luckily once the edamame came Riese was entertained (she’s a huge fan), and Wes had fun throwing mass quantities of food all over the table and floor and occasionally getting some into his mouth. 😉
I brought that little suction placemat for him with us, along with a bib, and it was a very good call to have both on the trip.
The placemat is this one (Amazon affiliate link) – it’s cool because it has areas to attach toys to the mat, too, so they can’t be tossed on the floor. Smart! Apparently it was on Shark Tank.
He’s not at an age where it’s super easy to eat out with him because he’s pretty wild and grabby but we made it work. Sometimes at the restaurants one of us would leave and let him walk around a bit if the food took awhile!
And in case you’re wondering what a 10 month old ate at a sushi restaurant, we got him some plain rice, I chopped up a banana we brought from home, and he had some steamed veggies ripped up into tiny pieces.
The edamame was a little too hard or I would’ve mashed some of that for him too.
Our walk back to the hotel that evening was so nice – it was gorgeous out and the sun was just starting to set. The air was so refreshing out in the country – it was nice to get out of the city!
Breakfasts at the Salamander Hotel
Our mornings on the trip all started VERY early – Wes is usually up around 5:30 these days and we were all staying in one room soooo we were pretty much all up soon after.
At least we got to enjoy some really pretty sunsets from our balcony. 🙂
Thankfully breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Harriman’s, started at 7 a.m. sharp. We were the only ones there every morning when they opened!
This photo is from the first morning of the trip – Matt had gotten up with Wes that morning and by the time we made it to the restaurant at 7 he felt like it was already about noon and was ready for a nap!
Please note Riese off running around – it was nice the days we sat outside to let her romp around freely!
The breakfasts were really good, too. One morning I had their avocado toast, which was really interesting – it had hazelnuts and pear and a balsamic drizzle!
Another morning I had the frittata with shaved parmesan and a lemony arugula situation which was also yummy:
And the last morning I had their breakfast sandwich with bacon, sausage, egg, and cheese.
It was legit – the biscuit in particular was really good. Not too doughy, not too crumbly, just right.
I also got their green smoothie every morning – it was really refreshing!
It was made with: Kale | Kiwi | Mango | Pineapple | Hemp Seeds | Celery | Coconut Water. Great combo.
After breakfast one of us would go roam around and play with Riese, and the other would stay in the room with Wes while he napped.
There was a lot to do on the property for kids which was nice – we hit the indoor pool, walked down to the stable to meet the horses, did a “build your own stuffed animal” activity, and there was even a GPS Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning!
Riese also got to do a pony ride, which she was super excited about. I was surprised she wasn’t scared – she just hopped right up, and loved it!
Lunches in Middleburg
Once Wes was up from his morning nap, we’d all walk into town for lunch.
The first day we hit up the Market Salamander, which is the hotel’s lunch cafe in town. I had the salmon caesar wrap – yum! I gave Wes some of my salmon, and he also had some bread.
The town is so cute – fun to walk around!
The second day of our trip my parents had just arrived to join us for a night, so we met them for lunch in town at Red Horse Tavern.
The food was just okay but the company was good. 🙂
Dinners at the Salamander Hotel
The second and third nights of the trip we had dinner at the hotel.
The first night we ate at the casual wine bar area, and feasted on a charcuterie board and an unpictured pizza.
Plus a fun mock-tail (I wasn’t feeling the alcohol this night) made with carrot and orange juice, fizzy water and ginger. It was super good!
Night 3, the last night of our trip, my parents were there and they treated us to dinner at Harriman’s, the main hotel restaurant where we had breakfasts each day.
The food was amazing and the service was, too. I started with a really fresh and delicious salad with a bright vinaigrette, shaved parmesan and honey roasted peanuts:
Plus some oysters shared with my dad. Our fave!
And for my entree, I had the bison and some shared roasted brussels sprouts. Everything was delicious!
We came back to DC on Saturday afternoon exhausted but happy. It was really nice to have a little break from the daily grind, and to get to spend some time together.
And honestly getting a break from doing 194082304983209 dishes every day was also a huge bonus. Only having to wash Wes’s bottles felt like a breeze!
Do you do spring break trips? Where did you go this year?
And/or what’s your most memorable spring break?
When I was in college I went to Jamaica with a bunch of friends, and it was sooo fun.
And also during college, while studying abroad in Australia, I spent my 2 week spring break in New Zealand! It was incredible and I’ve wanted to go back ever since. Such a beautiful country.
