Idyllic place
 

I am looking for an idyllic, relaxed place, far from the madding crowd, for an anniversary. Any suggestions? Urgent..

If money is no object, try Little Palm Island. It's off the lower Florida keys and would sure fit your bill, but it's really, really pricey. It has a web site, you might check it out.

Hi, Gary, <BR>How far? From which madding crowd? <BR>A couple of suggestions: <BR> <BR>West coast: Sleeping Lady Lodge in the North Cascades (says it's a conference center but also does private parties) http://www.sleepinglady.com/ <BR> <BR>Really west coast: Mauna Lani Hotel on the Big Island, http://www.maunalani.com/ <BR> <BR>Perhaps a cruise? <BR>

How about a B&B near Charlottesville, VA. Visit Montecello, Montpelier, wineries, good restaurants, beautiful countryside. We stayed in Orange, VA. There are many choices.

The Ballard Inn, in Ballard, CA. About 45 minutes northeast of Santa Barbara in the wine country of Santa Ynez Valley. 15 individually decorated rooms, wine and hors d'ouvres and breakfast included. Dinner optional. Big, wrap around front porch, crickets, lots of great wine. Near the tiny, artsy town of Los Olivos, surounded by arabian horse farms, wineries, ranches. Very, very nice.

Gary, <BR> <BR>We need to know what geographic area...but being from the east coast the most idyllic, relaxed, etc. is Timberhill Ranch Inn, Cazedero, CA. Pricey and worth every penny. Our all time favorite...wish it were closer. <BR>Elaine <BR>

An enthusiastic agreement with the suggestion of Timberhill Ranch in Cazadero. Have spent several birthday celebrations there, even though it's only 1 1/2 hours from our home--it's still a total getaway. Prices aren't bad when you consider a four course dinner is included (with totally different choices every night) and a Continental breakfast is brought to your cottage in the morning. Check out their website!

Sorry--forgot the website: <BR>http://www.timberhillranch.com

In the southeast, I suggest the Mt. Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. <BR>It is close to Asheville, but no telephones in the room. Lovely views, etc. There are some other places around Asheville that are quite nice also like the Grove Park Inn. <BR> <BR>If you really want to get away, and don't mind the price, try Lake O'Hara Lodge in Yoho National Park Canada. <BR>That is really out of the crowd because the crowd is controlled by reservation on the shuttle bus. <BR> <BR>How much time have you got? That is a factor, because any where on Ocracoke <BR>Island is well away from the routine of daily life.