jgotb123

My wife and I are looking to get away to celebrate our 10th anniversary the weekend of April 2-4, 2004. We'll be driving 10 hours to drop the kids with the grandparents in Philadelphia and leaving from there.

Looking for a romantic, relaxing, luxurious 1- or 2-night getaway (possibly B&B, though most have 2-night minimums) within a short drive/flight of Phila. Would like to keep the entire weekend to <$1000. Spa services a plus.

Have enough miles for 1 free airfare on Delta, and we're willing to consider places to which we'd have to fly if we can keep the total <$1000.

Have already considered NYC (not relaxing enough), DC (also not relaxing enough), Philly's Rittenhouse or Ritz Carlton (too familiar with the area) and New Hope (gets boring after you've been there too many times.)

Also thinking about Cape May NJ, St. Michaels (Five Gables Resort, Inn at Perry Cabin, or others) or Annapolis MD, Inner Harbor Baltimore, etc. Any suggestions on these places or others would be very much appreciated.

Also concerned whether Cape May, St. Michaels, Annapolis would be dead this time of year?

Thanks for the help!

2

itsv

Last year my husband's college reunion in haverford had to be combined with our anniversary trip due to babysitting limitations so after much hunting around philly we spent our romantic weekend in the bradywine region of delaware. We stayed at a great inn called the "inn at montchanin" I found it in karen brown's book. very nice inn with 2 story suite and fireplace. Great restaurant next door called something like "crazy cat". We toured the various dupont estates in the area and ate at another great restaurant in the area. Inn is very nice, they converted old dupont property into little cottages. Since we didn't want to waste precious non-kid time driving, this place worked out great. Countryside was beautiful and very relaxing. I think our room was around $200 a night. Good luck.

mclaurie

I had read about an Inn in Maryland that sounded lovely. Was trying to find the name etc. on the web (so far unsuccessfully) & found this website which mentions your Five Gables & others.
http://www.betterbedandbreakfasts.com/state-MD.html

If you're willing to fly, how about going to Fla. for some warmth??? The Ritz Carlton in Naples or the one near Palm Beach?

You might also check luxurylink.com for a weekend package. They sometimes have great deals. Just make sure anything that interests you is AVAILABLE on your weekend by checking directly with the hotel first before bidding. Happy anniversary!

mclaurie

Just happened to be looking on

www.site59.com

because someone suggested it to me on the Europe board. They have some great last minute packages (saw Annapolis) but they may include airfare you don't need. Also looks like the best time to book for your dates might be in a week. But have a look.

yk

Would you consider going to Montreal? I was going to suggest Quebec City because it's even more charming, but the logistics of flying there from PHL is too difficult. USAirways flies direct from PHL to Montreal, and I plug your dates in and comes out about $300pp for a non-stop flight.

I like the Quebec province because it feels like I am in Europe. Granted, it will still be chilly in April, but it is quite a charming city with a cute old town area.

yk

Forgot to add:
www.tourism-montreal.org

michelleNYC

I wouldn't "waste" cashing in FF miles for a 1-2 night stay! I would wait 'til I had more time. For that amount of time, why not stay in Philly (say, at the Rittenhouse) and enjoy a couple of great meals in one of the many, many terrific restaurants.

Waldo

As WC Fields once said "Once you leave New York, everyplace else is Philadelphia". Try New York.

LN

Hi

Annapolis is never boring - there's always something going on here. There's many B&B's in the historic part of the city and even one or two aboard yachts.

Ethnic restaurants, seafood restaurants, and some of the good steak houses are all here in town. And here's some good news Philly is about 2 hours away.

I like the Marriott at the City Dock for its location as you can watch the boats in the harbor and passing through Ego Alley plus you can walk anywhere around the downtown city or Eastport.

Annapolis is a fairly young town and the people love to visit McGarveys, O'Brien's, Middletons, and every other restaurant up Main st.

For a beautiful B&B I usually recommend the State Circle Inn (which is right on State Circle). A beautiful old historic inn.

Now for a romantic anniversary dinner - my advice wold be "Northwoods" on Melvin Ave - about a mile outside downtown Annapolis. Winner of many DiRona awards and a place I love to go for our anniversaries.

Happy Anniversary!!

pb_and_j

For just 1 or 2 nights why not just stay in Philly? Try the Four Seasons and the Fountain Restaurant if you want to splurge (they have a full spa there also).
Or I agree with the suggestion to try out some of the many good Philly restaurants. Since you don't live in the area currently, I'm sure there are many new ones to try out, like Morimoto, Buddakhan, Roy's, to name a few.
If you're looking for a spa getaway, try Hershey or Felicita.

Cassandra

Have you already considered and ruled out Bucks Country (Doylestown, etc.)?

xpi6tiva

check out Mirbeau.com

It's so romantic... I went there for my honeymoon. It's in upstate NY.