We recently spent two nights at Cranwell Golf & Spa Resort, a historic hotel in Lenox, MA in the Berkshires, for our 7 year anniversary (how has it been 7 years already?!) and we had such a wonderful time! We didn’t arrive until 8 pm or so because Joe had a golf date that day but we love road trips so we didn’t mind. Check in was super simple and we quickly walked to our room to drop off our luggage (to a sweet surprise of a box of chocolates and bottle of wine) and then walked to the mansion to get there for dinner before it closed at 9. It’s a really quiet town (or seemed so) but it was actually really nice to slow down and exactly what we needed.
The view from our room (we stayed in Founders).
We had dinner in the Mansion Bar and Grille (both nights, actually) and it was delicious! Both of our meals both nights were really good. We also ate breakfast there both days and they had the best buffet! Friday morning there were blueberry pancakes and French toast and Saturday morning there was an omelet station (and more French toast).
The view from the Rose Terrace at The Mansion.
On Saturday morning, we woke up early, to a beautiful view of the Berkshires, and after breakfast we grabbed some coffee to go and walked to the front desk to ask if they had any suggestions on local places to visit. I originally wanted to find a lake and canoe but it didn’t seem like there was anywhere close that offered anything like that so after Googling some of the hotel’s suggestions, we decided to go to Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount.
It was the perfect choice! We really enjoy seeing historical homes and places (we try to see at least one historical place everywhere we go… the Gilded Age Mansion at Cranwell is also a historical site!) and this was no exception! It was seriously gorgeous and there was a cute little cafe (we had the best little cheese plate and Prosecco!) and gift shop (we bought Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth because she finished writing it here)!
We were really lucky to have gotten beautiful weather so after spending some time at The Mount, we drove to the town of Lenox for a midday coffee break and some baked goods- I’d recommend The Haven and their Earl Gray Vanilla Latte and their oatmeal bar- and walked around for a couple of hours. It was so nice to just take our time and walk around town and in and out of the local shops (McKimmey’s and a little bookshop with a bar were our favorites). It’s a very walkable town with lots of restaurants and places to stop for a coffee or snack, too.
Once we got back to the resort, we walked the grounds a little bit and then went to our spa appointments- a facial for me and a massage for Joe. It was actually pretty perfect to have later spa appointments because we didn’t have to cut out any daytime activities to get there, which was also great because we were lucky enough to have had beautiful weather. My facial was wonderful and my esthetician was extremely helpful in helping me create a plan for my dehydrated skin. We were even able to get gifts for the kids in their sweet little gift shop (they sell Jellycat stuffed animals and they are one of my absolute favorites!)! After our spa treatments, we walked right to dinner at the Mansion and enjoyed a light dinner and some wine before heading back to our room for an early night.
sweater (love the ice blue), scarf, mules
We left right after breakfast on Saturday morning because Amelia came down with an ear infection the night we left so we knew we wanted to get home to her as soon as possible but I feel like the two nights that we spent there was just the right amount of time. I think it would have been nice to have another full day, though, as in getting there early on the first day or fitting in another activity on the last day. I would have liked to go hiking and get some better views of the mountains (they were gorgeous and there were a few trails that weren’t far from the resort) or test out the resort’s golf course with the amazing views.
I really enjoy going north in the fall for the foliage and seeing new places! I can never decide between the mountains or the ocean but I’m glad we decided on the Berkshires. Next on my list: Asheville, NC, Nova Scotia, and Maine!
