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Williamsburg VA Trip Report 12/29-12/31-Woodlands Hotel, Le Yaca, Fat Canary, Blue Talon Bistro, Berrets

Williamsburg VA Trip Report 12/29-12/31-Woodlands Hotel, Le Yaca, Fat Canary, Blue Talon Bistro, Berrets

Old Dec 31st, 2005, 12:19 PM
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Williamsburg VA Trip Report 12/29-12/31-Woodlands Hotel, Le Yaca, Fat Canary, Blue Talon Bistro, Berrets

Well, I rarely do this, but we are on a trip and we got lots of free, great info from you guys, so I'm "giving back" WHILE on vacation. I just found a free internet access at the Woodlands Hotel in Colonial Williamsburg so here we go...

Got here 2 days ago expecting our rather inexpensive (compared to The Lodge) Woodlands Hotel to not be that great, but it is marvelous for the money - $99 a night. It's right next to the visitor center and SO convenient for touring Williamsburg. You never need your car once you get here as the bus service is free on Colonial Williamsburg property. Haven't been here in 20 years, and that was with my ex wife, so this is all so new and so great. We wanted to do something different for New Years this year, so here we are, 3 hours from DC. Colonial Williamsburg in simply fantastic!!! The shops, the colonial presentations, seeing an impromptu speech by Thomas Jefferson behind the governor's palace yesterday-all so great. I'm not a big history buff so I thought this would all kind of bore me, but it's fantastic. Went on my some tours of the buildings (SO cheap this time of year, only $14.50 each for 3 days including all transport and all regular building tours). We ate at Le Yaca the first night, a fancy french restaurant 5 miles from our hotel and it was superb. Incredible poached salmon for me and my wife had the minature ravioli pasta main coarse. Soup and salad were awesome-French soup for only $4 and salad included with meal, then chocolate flourless decadence dessert of some sort that was yummy. About $75 total.

Next night we did Fat Canary right at Merchant's Square which was great too. It is a delightful restaurant with a beautiful decor. The beef tenderloin was aweseome with a blue cheese bread pudding underneath it, and we had a salmon in soy sauce that was just ok. The fennel soup was to die for and the dessert ... we never made it there as the bread was so good, we filled up on that. Also had a wonderful shrimp risotto as an appetizer. $89 total, not cheap but worth it.

Earlier in the day we ate The Cheese shop and our veggie sandwich and coleslaw wasn't THAT great, but apparantly we just ordered wrong as everyone elses looked delicious. The dessert selection of cookies and brownies were one of the best I've seen in ages.

We checked out the $500 a nt Williamsburg Inn and it looked amazing. It certainly isn't worth $400 more a night to stay there for us, and I'm glad we ended up where we did. We made reservations for dinner there for Sunday night but the food's been so rich so far, we cancelled it after our fattening food fest last night! We have to eat more health for the rest of the trip says Julia.

We ate at Berrett's today for lunch instead of Chownings. We looked at Chownings but we wanted something a bit less rustic and meaty. We LOVED Berrets, having the clam chowder, 2 house salads, and a Rockfish crabcake that was do interesting and tasty. For dessert we had sweet potato creme brulee that had way to much whipped creme on top but was delicious too. The bill was only $24 plus tip.

The shopping in Merchants Square made my wife very happy. They have everything a woman could want and lots of comfortable chairs for the man to sit and wait whilst his lady is shopping. And boy, can this one shop Luckily she hasn't found anything yet!

We walked over to William and Mary college (2nd oldest college in the US) to check out Wren Hall (?) to see the chapel. We look forward to Jamestown tomorrow and the Chicahominy House for peanut soup - a friend who used to live here said we HAD to go for this soup! I doubt we'll have time for much else. Wanted to do Yorktown but Colonial Williamsburg took 2 days instead of 1. I can't believe I waited this long to go back to Williamsburg. Even if you don't like colonial stuff, between the Prime Outlets (which we got through pretty quickly) and the other attractions nearby, it's a great vacation. We plan to come back in 5 years or sooner over the New Years to do it again. Tonight we have the Blue Talon Bistro for New Years Eve dinner, so I'll try to report back on that.

All the colonial folk are very kind and it's really set up especially great for kids. They focus in on them in all their reenactments whether you're in the jailer's family's house hearing a speech about life 300 years ago, or if it's the courthouse reenactment and they have an 11 year old kid brought up to the front about a crime. Very much fun for all. The nut shop had more samples than I've ever seen in my life! The one in Merchant's Square had about 15-20 cans of nuts opened up including chocolate covered peanut brittle, chocolate covered peanuts, sweetened cashews, etc. We pigged out there and couldn't eat dessert last night!

More to come...

Steve and Julia R
Silver Spring MD
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Old Dec 31st, 2005, 11:14 PM
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Great report. I visited CW for the first time in about 20 years back around 1996 and "discovered history" -- they make learning about our country's roots so interesting! I now visit several times a year, mostly for long weekends, and would visit even more frequently if I lived near DC as you do (I am near Albany NY). I look forward to your next installment on your visit. Try "Sals vy Victor" in the Williamsburg Shopping Center (Richmond Rd & Monticello) for some pretty good family Italian dining.
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Old Jan 1st, 2006, 07:29 AM
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Great report! Thanks so much for taking the time to post it. I haven't been since my seventh grade history class and I made the trek in about 1959, so it looks like time to return!
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Old Jan 1st, 2006, 08:00 AM
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Steve:
I'm so glad you and Julia have been having a great time. You certainly lucked out with the weather. I hope you took the Parkway out to Jamestown today. It is such a peaceful drive at this time of year.
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Old Jan 1st, 2006, 03:22 PM
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Thanks folks. We're home now - nothing like home sweet home, no matter how great your trip was. So, last night we did dinner at Blue Talon Bistro - we ordered a Bistro Burger for me as I was craving one for a month. I rarely eat cheeseburgers and it was delicious. I forgot to tell them to take off the fried egg and bacon, so I had to manually remove it when it came. Yuck - a fried egg on a hamburger? Is this a Virginia thing? My wife got the shrimp with pasta and it was really boring and had hardly any sauce at all - she hated it so they substituted a french onion soup and she was full by then, after our starter salad that we split. We ordered a tapioca pudding for dessert as her stomach was queasy from earlier in the day, and it was divine, and only $4 in a large crock. The whole New Years Eve "bash" meal was a whopping $29! Our cheapest dinner ever for New Years. She wasn't that impressed with the food there, but it looks like she just ordered wrong. Oh well. I SO wanted the "Death by Chocolate" dessert from the Trellis restaurant we had seen earlier in the day while walking by, but she wasn't feeling that great and wished I wouldn't get it as if I had got it to go and brought it back to the hotel room, she would have been lusting heavily for it! It's my biggest regret of the trip, not getting this dessert, but I guess I can just get it in 2 years when we return, if we do. Someone we met at the outlets that we should stay at The Hospitality House across from William and Mary next time, as the rooms are really nice there. We'll have to look into that.

As to the Woodlands Hotel, I forgot to mention that the only downfall of it was the noisy heater unit. Just when you were falling asleep it would change to cooler air with an abrupt loud noise. It really bothered her and she said she would never stay there again because of it. I had earplugs, a portable fan right next to my side of the bed that we always bring for white noise, and I slept like a baby through this noise.

We had all these plans to do Yorktown in the morning, then go to Jamestown, briefly visiting both to just check them out. Glad we asked the concierge about it just before we took off, as he said they were both closed due to New Years Day. We ended up going back to the Prime Outlets, the only thing open, and shopped at the Ralph Lauren outlet. Got my yearly supply of socks (I love their thick casual dress socks) and a fleece jacket for 1/2 price, she got a shirt and a peasant skirt at the BCBG outlet next door.

We decided to go to the Chicohominy House for the lauded peanut soup our friend told us about, but when we got there, they said they NEVER sold peanut soup! Arghhhh. They thought he might have meant the Surry House so we were bummed. It was a 45 min wait just to eat lunch there so we blew it off and thought we'd go to Jamestown, but at the last minute, we found out there was NO food at all on the way there and bagged the rest of the day to find some food (pancakes and eggs at Ihop ( ) and headed on home. We realized that we will HAVE to go back to this area in 2-3 years for New Years again and do Jamestown and Yorktown instead of Colonial Williamsburg. Next year, we though about doing Richmond, the actual capitol of Virginia. This year we did Williamsburg, the original capital of Virginia. We were sad we didn't get to do that lovely colonial pkwy drive you suggested (as well as our concierge) but we were famished and wanted to just get going to find food and get home earlier to see our 4 kitties. We really missed them and it's the first time we left our new Tonkinese kitty alone. It's so good to be home, but we will always have special memories of Williamsburg.

I'll have to post a thread later this year about doing Richmond for a new years weekend, if that might be alot of fun, and if there's great stuff to do that time of year there. It seems like it might be a neat place to go, as we've never been there both together. I hear they revitalized the downtown area a bit, but don't know for sure.

We met so many people in Williamsburg that we talked to that had traveled from Texas or upstate NY or Boston and knew SO much about our colonial history. We felt kind of dumb after talking to them!

Steve R
Silver Spring MD
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Old Jan 1st, 2006, 05:23 PM
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Steve:
Chickahominy House is known for its Brunswick stew so I was a little puzzled when you mentioned peanut soup. Some have recommended the Surrey House for peanut soup but I thought it was the worst I'd ever had. Kings Arms has great peanut soup. It is super easy to make and I can post the recipe if you like.
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Old Jan 1st, 2006, 05:56 PM
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I came on this board looking for information on other U.S. areas and saw this thread for my hometown, as I live in Williamsburg. Had to reply. I agree with just about all of what I've seen regarding restaurants. Le Yaca and Fat Canary are really good. Agree about King's Arms having good peanut soup. No, a fried egg on a hamburger is not a Virginia thing. It must be a Blue Talon thing. I've never had that. Yes, you did miss something by not having "Death by Chocolate" at the Trellis. It is worth another trip just to get it. I don't think I've ever seen the person who could eat the whole thing, but they sure have fun trying. I thought I might mention a brand new restaurant if anyone is coming soon to the area. It's off the beaten path a little bit and is called "Center Street Grille." My husband and I just ate lunch there yesterday. It's quickly becoming a local favorite. If you are visiting the area, ask someone where Newtown is, and that's where you will find it. The menu is eclectic, and the prices are reasonable. I can't give an opinion on any of the hotels since I haven't stayed at any, but if I were going to, I would inquire first about the Hospitality House as someone else mentioned. It is in a good location, is charming, and is much less expensive than the Williamsburg Inn. Welcome to Williamsburg.
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Old Jan 1st, 2006, 07:12 PM
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Thanks bobbysue with the heads up on all that Williamsburg info. I'll file it away and use it next time we go!

Steve R
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Old Jan 2nd, 2006, 06:45 PM
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I just loved this post, Steve. I, too, live in Williamsburg and I loved getting some new and not-so-new tips. Glad you enjoyed our town! Speaking of Richmond, my Dutch brother and sister-in-law visited the river area and Shockoe Bottom and loved it. I think the city has done a lot there and the convention and visitors bureau helped them a lot. Enjoy and thanks again! Tracy S
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 04:05 AM
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Excellent report and a great thread!

Can anyone tell me exactly which hotel(s) would be most convenient for walking to William and Mary, particularly Blow Memorial Hall? Would like to keep the cost below $150/nt in February.

Also, how far a driving distance is this area from DC?

Thanks in advance for any help.
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 04:56 AM
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another big fan here of Williamsburg (great report BTW). You might want to consider going in 2007 as I plan to do as it is the 400 year anniversary of Jamestown - does anyone know the "big doin's" that they plan to have for the big event?
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 06:00 AM
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Dreamer2: The closest hotels to W&M that are walkable & under $150 are:
- Hospitality House (not always <150)
- Days Inn (something like 902? Richmond Rd)
- Governors Inn (an official CW hotel) (not always <$150)
- Super8 Motel (something like 1221 Richmond Rd) a bit of a walk, but walkable
- Fife & Drum B&B (price varies)
- Tioga Motel - I cannot vouch for the quality of this; I'm just noting its existence & maybe a local can comment.

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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 06:07 AM
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Dreamer2, The Hospitality House mentioned above would be a good location for you. It's on Richmond Rd. across the street from the football stadium, about a 5 minute walk to Blow Gym MH. It's off season so I'm guessing you'd get a good rate, within your budget of $150.

The Hospitality House is in no way on par with the Williamsburg Inn for accommodations. The HH is a full service hotel in a fantastic location. The Inn is a luxury property, not the five star it once was, but leagues above the HH.

The drive from DC should run you 2.5 to 3 hours without traffic issues.
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 06:14 AM
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radiofanatic, The Jamestown-Yorktown Federation has a website devoted to Jamestown 2007. Lots of info on events are listed there:

www.jamestown2007.org
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 08:50 AM
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I enjoyed reading this as my family and I are going to Williamsburg in August. This has made me even more excited and I am glad that stever said it is great for kids as we have 3 little ones. I was planning on asking some advice/guidance in a few months but perhaps I could ask a few questions now since this thread is already going. This is our tentative itinerary with 3 kids ages 4,4 and 2, any good????
Sunday July 30- leave from Vegas arrive Norfolk
Monday July 31-visit Williamsburg
Tuesday Aug. 1-waterpark
Wed. Aug.2- Busch Gardens
Thurs.- going to Va Beach/staying night there
Fri.-back to visit more Williamsburg-maybe Presidents Park...other suggestions
Sat.-fly home
I know this isn't the "ideal" trip for everyone, but because we have the 3 little kids we need to "see" some things that will keep their interest/attention. Anything else that anyone can suggest for us would be great!!
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 02:23 PM
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Dreamer 2:
There are also other B&B's up Richmond Rd. near the Hospitality House if you are interested. While the Fife & Drum calls itself a B&B, it is more like an inn in a great location above the shops on Prince George St.
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 02:24 PM
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Vegasnative:
I am going to bump my answer to a new thread. It just makes it a little easier for people to find when they are doing a search for kids in Williamsburg.
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Old Jan 3rd, 2006, 03:18 PM
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Thanks so much, RB, OBX, and Birdie! I'll start calling!

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